The Blue Trio is classic organ/guitar/drums in the tradition of Jimmy Smith, Wes Montgomery, Groove Holmes.

Members of the trio are familiar faces in the Ithaca Music Scene:

Drums: Michael Wellen studied percussion at the University of Buffalo. He was a founding member of the infamous Zobo Funn Band and has more than 40 years of experience playing Jazz, Rock, Latin, Blues and other styles. Michael taught drums and percussion for more than 20 years at the Community School of Music and Arts in Ithaca, NY where he was also a member of the staff. Michael was also co-owner and audio engineer for Hillcrest Productions, a small recording studio. He has performed with the Zobo Funn Band, The Lowdown Alligator Jass Band, Rising Sign, Desperado, The Southern Tears, the Molly MacMillan Trio, the HotFoot Club, the Aceto Lieberman Quartet, and many others.

Guitar/Vocals: Alex Specker has been a founding member of several bands in the Ithaca area including Foots, Rising Sign, Swingsation, and more recently The Pelotones and filled in on guitar for many others. He studied guitar and music while growing up in Queens, NY; taking private lessons, minoring in music at The City College of NY (majoring in electrical engineering), and studying with jazz guitarist Bob Levine in Los Angeles. He is a master of elegant jazz and blues styles and has recently bloomed as a vocalist in the Blue Flames.

Keyboards/Vocals: Don Karr has been a singer/keyboardist/songwriter since the mid-’sixties covering a range of musical genres. In the Ithaca area, Don has performed with The Moontones, Slippery Hips, Straight Face, Moxie, Walt Amy and the Hep Cats, The Usual Suspects, Deek and the Dactyls, The Al Hartland Trio, The Immortal Jellyfish, and many others.