The Empress isn't your every day septet. Not only is it fronted by women, but each of them are sax players. On alto are Pureum Jin and Erena Terakubo, Chelsea Baratz on tenor, and Lauren Sevian on baritone. The group is rounded out by pianist Steve Ash, bassist Joey Ranieri and drummer Pete Van Nostrand.

The NYC-based ensemble has recently released its debut album, Square One. The liner notes boast, “The tempos are blistering, the compositions classic, and the solos bold and agile,” and critics agree. Paris Move raves the album is "as indispensable as it is necessary, one that nourishes the soul and even brings a smile to your face." All About Jazz notes, "these four saxophonists—and their supporting cast —are so consistently strong and persuasive that a brass section is scarcely missed and in fact may seem superfluous. Here's hoping Square Two is as inevitable as it is wished for."

Pureum Jin grew up in South Korea and moved to New York to pursue her masters at Manhattan School of Music. An award-winning player and advocate for women in jazz, Jin has been an international presence for 20 years, performing at festival across the globe and earning rave reviews from the jazz music press for her album The Real Blue. Her partner on the alto, Erena Terakubo, originally hails from Japan and has been releasing music since she was in high school. She's performed with Jon Faddis, the Mingus Big Band,  Kenny Barron Quartet, and others.

Tenor player Chelsea Baratz has four albums as a leader under her belt. Leaving her hometown of Pittsburgh at 19, she too moved to NYC to study. Her studies took place at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. She enlisted trumpeter & producer Maurice Brown to collaborate on her debut album, In Faith, and added her talents to Aretha Franklin as well. Lauren Sevian on baritone earned DownBeat's Rising Star honors in 2020. As part as the Mingus Big Band, she earned a Grammy for the ensemble's Live at the "Jazz Standard."

Pianist Steve Ash is another Pittsburgher. He's worked with a slew of artists, including Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes, Eddie Harris, Harry Allen, Annie Ross, Doc Cheatham, and more. Bassist Joey Ranieri comes from the Chicago scene and has worked with George Coleman, Eric Alexander, Joe Farnsworth, among others. Drummer Pete Van Nostrand studied at Rutgers and Julliard, and since 2000 has been a fixture on the NYC jazz scene.