The Brian Felix Organ Trio is the jazz/funk organ group of the future. Rooted in the deep traditions of organ-driven jazz, funk, and soul, the trio blends reggae, samba, surf rock, gospel, and ambient soundscapes into a unified and forward-looking musical vision. Known for its telepathic interplay, deep grooves, and daring spontaneity, the trio has been captivating audiences throughout the southeastern United States. The group’s most recent release, Level Up (Slimtrim Records, 2025), a collection of all-original compositions, has been described as “delightful and eclectic” (Noah Baerman, noahjazz.com) and its title track appeared as All About Jazz’s “Jazz Song of the Day.”
Based in Asheville, NC (USA), Brian Felix is an internationally recognized jazz keyboardist and organist whose work spans groove-based improvisation, jazz-rock, and contemporary creative music. He was co-leader of OM Trio, an acclaimed San Francisco–based jazz-rock group that toured internationally from 1999–2004. Felix has performed at venues and festivals including the Fillmore Auditorium and Great American Music Hall (San Francisco), the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge (New York City), and the Aberdeen Jazz Festival (Scotland). His performance history includes collaborations with Joshua Redman, Charlie Hunter, Umphrey’s McGee, Sara Caswell, Billy Hart, Joe Russo, Kelly Sill, and Dave Fiuczynski.
The regular working trio features guitarist Tim Fischer and drummer Evan Martin, both integral voices in shaping the group’s sound and musical chemistry.
Felix is also a Professor of Music at UNC Asheville, where he teaches jazz theory and improvisation, jazz ensembles, music business, keyboard skills, The Beatles, and The Grateful Dead.
Website: www.brianfelix.com
Featuring
When Brian Felix sits behind a Hammond B3, gospel church pews start swaying in jazz clubs, and cocktail lounges suddenly feel like revival meetings where the only salvation comes through swing. As the beating heart of the Fly Casual Organ Trio, Felix doesn't just play organ—he channels the entire history of American soul through drawbars and Leslie speakers, creating sonic sanctuaries where Jimmy Smith's bebop athleticism meets Jimmy McGriff's bluesy gravitas. His left hand walks bass lines that make upright players jealous while his right hand preaches sermons in chords, and when his feet find those bass pedals, the floor becomes a congregation that can't help but move. This isn't just organ jazz—this is spiritual transportation disguised as entertainment, proving that sometimes the most authentic musical experiences happen when you stop trying to be cool and start trying to be truthful.
Dr. Tim Fischer exists in that rarified space where USC doctoral precision meets street-level groove, where European touring experience fuses with American jazz DNA to create something entirely his own. This guitarist-composer-educator doesn't just play jazz fusion—he reimagines what happens when classical technique meets electronic experimentation, when rock energy collides with bebop sophistication. From Los Angeles studios to St. Louis classrooms to his current faculty position at Coastal Carolina University, Fischer has built a career on proving that the most interesting music happens at the intersection of seemingly incompatible styles. His collaboration with Brian Felix on 'Level Up' and his co-authorship of 'Jazz Guitar Duets' demonstrate a musician who understands that teaching and performing aren't separate activities—they're two sides of the same creative coin, each informing the other in an endless cycle of musical discovery.
In Asheville's Monday night jazz ecosystem, Evan Martin represents the rare breed of drummer who understands that sensitivity and power aren't opposites—they're dance partners. As a cornerstone of the local scene, Martin has mastered the art of musical telepathy, reading room dynamics and bandmate intentions with the precision of a master craftsman who knows exactly when to whisper and when to roar. His kit becomes a conversation partner rather than a time machine, responding to melodic phrases with percussive punctuation that feels both inevitable and surprising. This is drumming as collaborative art form, where every snare accent and hi-hat whisper serves the greater musical narrative, making Martin not just a timekeeper but a storyteller whose vocabulary happens to be built from wood, metal, and perfect timing.
From the church pews of Orangeburg to the concert stages of Japan, Will Boyd carries the sacred fire of soul saxophone in his lungs and heart. This South Carolina State University alumnus didn't just study the tradition of Eddie Harris and Hank Crawford—he absorbed their DNA, then filtered it through his own musical genome to create something both reverent and revolutionary. Now splitting his time between the classrooms of UNC Asheville and Warren Wilson College, Will serves as both professor and prophet, teaching young musicians that technique without soul is just expensive noise. His EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) doesn't replace his acoustic arsenal—it amplifies his voice across dimensions, while his wife Kelle Jolly's vocals provide the perfect harmonic counterpoint to his reed-driven narratives. Winner of the MLK Arts Award and inductee into South Carolina State's jazz hall of fame, Will transforms every stage into a sanctuary where the secular meets the spiritual, and the ancient language of the blues speaks directly to tomorrow's possibilities.