Caleb Hutslar began to study piano at age 7, inspired by his parents, both of whom are musicians, and by listening to their extensive record collection. Although Caleb was an accomplished pianist by age 12, there were no opportunities for pianists in his school concert band and orchestra. Consequently, he taught himself french horn so he could join those ensembles.

While in high school, Caleb attended Columbus's Fort Hayes Career Center for the Performing Arts, where he first began to play jazz. He also took courses in music theory and composition, and he performed in choirs, jazz ensembles, and back-up groups for musical theater productions. At the same time, Caleb began to take classical piano lessons from George Haddad and jazz piano lessons with Dave Wheeler.

In 1988, Caleb enrolled at the Ohio State University, where he has studied classical piano (with Sylvia Zremba, Donald Gren, And Andre LaPlante) and jazz piano (with the great Hank Marr). As a piano performance major in the music school, Caleb has performed with the OSU Jazz Lab Ensemble and has studied theory, composition, ear training, arranging, music history, and counterpoint. He has received a number of awards for his playing, including the George Haddad Scholarship, the OSU Music Scholarhip, and the Ohio State Board of Education Award for Musical Excellence.

In addition to Charged Particles, Caleb has performed in central Ohio with State of Mind (an electric fusion group) and After Hours (an acoustic jazz quartet). Caleb appears on the debut CD by After Hours, released in 1994. In all these settings, his playing reflects the influence of pianists Chick Corea, Art Tatum, and Oscar Peterson.

In 2003, Caleb released his first solo piano CD, entitled "Caleb Hutslar", on PKO Records.  Check out the website here.

    Mike Rak, nominated as best jazz instrumentalist in the first annual Columbus Music Awards, is a multi-talented instrumentalist who began playing trumpet at age 11 in his school concert band. When the band needed a tuba player for competitions a year later, he took up that instrument for three years. And when the shool formed a jazz band and needed a bass player, he filled that slot as well. Shortly thereafter, he began to play guitar, and during his junior year at New Albany High School, he taught himself to play euphonium as well!

Mike won numerous awards for his high school musicianship, including the award for the school's most valuable jazz player. Based on these accomplishments, he matriculated at OSU to continue his musical studies. He took courses in music theory, history, ear training, and arranging, and he studied bass with Paul Robinson and Roger Hines. Mike played with the award-winning OSU Jazz Ensemble, performing at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival, the Cincinnati Jazz Festival, the Tri-C Jazz Festival, and the Mexico City International Jazz Festival. Mike's outstanding musical accomplishments at OSU were recognized when he was awarded the Tom Battenberg Jazz Scholarship.

Mike's major influences on bass include Jaco Patorius, John Patitucci, Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan, and Stuart Hamm. Thus, his bass playing mixes the light touch and technical wizardry of contemporary jazz players with the high energy and aggressive pulsing of the most exciting rockers. Mike has appeared in concert with Ernie Watts, Richard Stoltzman, Greg Bissonette, John Faddis, and Bob Mintzer. Mike is currently teaching privately and has gigged with various groups in the Columbus area, including Group LA, Gene Walker's Generation, Midnight Magic, and the Michael Rak Trio.

    Jon Krosnick began playing piano at age 6 and drums at age 9. The bulk of his formal musical training took place during ten summers spent at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, MI. There, he studied classical percussion and jazz drumming, and he performed with orchestras, concert bands, percussion ensembles, jazz bands, and back-up bands for musical theater performances. Recognizing his accomplishments during those years, Jon was awarded the NMC Jazz Scholarship, and he won the High School Division's Concerto Competition. At Interlochen, Jon studied classcial percussion with many noted instructors, including Niel DePonte (Oregon Symphony) and Scott Stevens (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra).

While in college at Harvard, Jon played with the Harvard Orchestra and the Bach Society Orchestra, and he was the percussion section leader of the M.I.T. Symphony Orchestra. He traveled with the Harvard Orchestra to Germany to perform in the Herbert von Karajan Orchestra Competition. With the M.I.T. Symphony, he toured the east coast and performed on their recordings of contemporary classical works.

Also during his high school and college years, Jon led a parallel career as a jazz drummer. He studied with Dixieland expert Hy Frank, as well as with Peter Erskine, one of the most celebrated drummers on the contemporary international jazz scene. He performed in small jazz groups, as well as with the Harvard Jazz Ensemble, Bob Hope, and Doc Severinson.

During his graduate school years in Ann Arbor, MI, Jon played with the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble, as well as small pop, rock, and jazz ensembles. Most notable has been his ten-year membership in the Lunar Octet, an award-winning latin/jazz ensemble that has appeared on numerous TV and radio broadcasts, and has released four recordings.

While in Columbus, Jon has freelanced with a number of groups and has appeared regularly with pianist Geoff Tyus, saxophonist Flip Jackson's Variations, and the jazz-fusion group State of Mind. His playing is also featured on the 1993 CD release by Columbus pianist Bradley Sowash, Out West.

Jon's playing in Charged Particles reflects his primary influences on the drums: Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, and Steve Gadd. His drumming style blends incredible technique (developed through his classical training) and a sensitivity to his fellow players with an explosive energy that propels the trio to electrifying velocities. The mixing of Caleb and Mike's harmonic and melodic talents with Jon's rhythmic vitality sparks many exciting moments during an evening with Charged Particles.

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Special Guest:

     Ron Hope (Congas and Percussion) began playing drums under the instruction of Master Drummer Tony West at age 10 in the Paul Lawrence Dunbar Center for African Study.  While studying with Mr. West, Ron began performing with Dance Instructor and choreographer Leeland Johnson, who was engaged with an Afro Caribbean dance company at the time.  And as a result, Ron spent much of his preteen and teen years working with African, Caribbean, and jazz dance troupes.  At the age of 16, Ron began to branch out by performing in jazz clubs with local musicians in the Columbus, Ohio, area, including the Taj Mahal and the Oasis Lounge.

In 1977, Ron joined the U.S Army as a logistics technician, and during his off duty hours, he formed his own band named Collage, made up partly of musicians from the 5^th Infantry Division Marching band.  This band performed in clubs in and around Louisiana and Texas. After his honorable discharge in 1979, Ron began playing with dance troupes in and around Columbus, and soon, he became lead drummer in the African Dance troupe, the Uhuru Dancers.  Ron also worked with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the Pittsburgh Contemporary Dance Company, the Olu Mekinde Dancers, Tony West and Imani, and Is said and Advance Party.

During the early 1980’s, Ron performed and recorded with Bobby Taylor (who worked with Barry Gordy and the Timeless Legend) in a group that included the bassist Foley (who performed with legend Miles Davis).  In the mid 1980s, Ron played with Arnett Howard and the Creole Funk Band, performing just about every day of the year for adoring central Ohio audiences.  Since then, Ron also worked with Umberto Rameriz, Gali Sanchez, Los Munez Quitoes of Cuba, April Berry &  Ballet Met, Dr Glory Van Scott, Victor Casanova of Peru, and jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire.  Ron is former co-leader of Sambateria and has performed with Yumbambe and Bobby Floyd.

Ron is currently the director of the Short Stop Youth Center Drum Dance and Theater Ensemble and co-leader of the (Deep) Blue C.  And he recently formed his own band named .... Ron Hope.  He also performs these days with Magrugada and with Ibada and with Umar Bin Hassan.