prof. spira

Trombone, Electrobone, Keyboard, Vocals, Co-Leader

Prof. Spira (aka Dr. N. Michael Goecke) is a jazz trombonist, ethnomusicologist (person who specializes in the study of musical cultures), university lecturer, published author, and band leader. He holds a BM degree in jazz trombone performance (cum laude) and a MM in jazz studies (summa cum laude) from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, as well as a MA in African American and African Studies and a PhD in musicology, both from the Ohio State University. From 2006-08 he taught as a lecturer of music and Africana Studies at Northern Kentucky University where he instructed Survey of African-American Music and Music of World Cultures. He returned to Ohio State in spring 2018 to instruct MUSIC 2253 Introduction to Jazz. His academic research interests include jazz performance, jazz history, jazz education, and music-making cultures of the world.

As a professional musician, he has had the privilege of performing with some of the world’s greatest musicians, such as Columbus saxophone legend Gene Walker, Grammy Award winning trumpeter Brian Lynch, Foley McCreary (Miles Davis’ former lead bassist from Columbus, OH), George Clinton, Cincinnati bassist Bootsy Collins, Grammy Award nominee Bobby Floyd, Roy Ayers, and many others. Spira has been a street performer since 2003, where he loves the freedom and ability to share his music with people who do not frequent jazz clubs or music festivals. In 2019, Spira gave presentation at the Ohio State University TEDx event entitled “Cultivating Creativity and Community Through Street Music.” In addition to the Fire Music Project, Spira is co-founder of the Breathairean Ensemble, an all-vegetarian jazz collective that performs music inspired by the mucus-free lifestyles led by its members.

Prof. Spira is also founder and CEO of Mucus-free Life LLC, an organization dedicated to educating the world about the benefits of a mucus-free lifestyle. He has published several books related to natural health, including the best-selling Annotated, Revised, and Edited, Mucusless Diet Healing System.

brother air

Drums, Percussion, Co-Leader

Brother Air (aka Willie Smart Jr.) is a professional jazz drummer, percussionist, long-term Mucusless Diet Healing System practitioner, fasting expert, and visionary. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Brother Air’s musically-inspired health journey began when he attended a presentation given by the civil rights activist and plant-based eating advocate Dick Gregory at the age of 15. In the early 1980s, Brother Air came into contact with a group of musicians and artists in Cincinnati that practiced Arnold Ehret’s Mucusless Diet Healing System.

After almost 20 years of practicing the mucusless diet, he began to gain profound mastery of the System. In 2001 he did his first year of eating nothing but fruit, and then starting in November of 2003, he began doing periods of long-term juice fasting (8+ months per stretch). Yet, Brother Air does not advocate or teach long-term fasting, but how to learn and live the fundamentals of practicing the Mucusless Diet. He’s now practiced the Mucusless Diet for over 40 years and is passionate about using art and music to spread awareness of the lifestyle. 

In addition to honing his skills for decades on bandstands around the world, he became a busker in 2002 in order to take his riveting art directly to the masses of people who would never see his music in a club. Brother Air is an incredibly dynamic musician that leaves his audiences electrified and inspired.

Josh Strange

Vibraphone, Keyboard

Josh Strange is an extraordinarily talented multi-instrumentalist specializing in the vibraphone and keyboard. He grew up in the Dayton area where he was awarded the Louis Armstrong Award from Fairmont High School, and attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he earned a Bachelor of Music in jazz performance and Music Education. He is a highly sought after and passionate young virtuoso on his instruments of choice with a gift for improvisation.

ethan marsh

Bass

Ethan Marsh is an exciting young bassist out of Cincinnati, OH. He is currently in his second year in the Jazz Studies program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he is studying jazz bass performance, composition, and music production. Prior to the Conservatory, Ethan attended the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA,) where he excelled in the jazz studies program. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Youth Jazz Collaborative, led by Dr. Isidore Rudnick, and was a pioneering student member of the Cincinnati Hall of Fame’s Jazz At Dusk Series. Ethan is a young virtuoso performer known for blowing people away on the bandstand, as well as on Facebook through his viral videos performing aurally transcribed solos of jazz luminaries such as John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy on his bass.

Renee henry

Percussion, Vocals, Dance

Renee Henry is a dancer, vocalist, percussionist, founder of Body Haven Services, founder, artistic director, and choreographer at Body Movement Theatre, and practitioner of the Mucusless Diet Healing System.