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HOW THE NORTHSIDE JAZZ BAND CAME TOGETHER: The North Side Jazz Band came into being due to my desire to play tuba in a hot jazz group. The Toll House Band and Tom Battenberg's High Street Stompers have been established for some twenty years in central Ohio. Both of these groups have tuba players, so if I wanted to play Tuba I had to form another band. Bob Butters, Phil Stone and Mike Evans were my mentors for setting up the new band. Since the Toll House lost clarinetist Joe Lord, Bob has filled in on trombone at the Holiday Inn gig. He suggested Tommy Swisher for drums, and Phil Stone on cornet. Phil plays trombone in the Toll House Band. Dave Pfeiffer plays clarinet with the Toll House on 'travel gigs', and is a regular with the NSJB. Larry Nusser plays piano, and Mike Evans plays banjo (when he is in town). Tom George plays drums when Tommy Swisher is not available. So you see, the North Side Jazz Band 'morphed' if you will, out of the Toll House group. All of our guys (except for Bob Butters and myself) play in the Toll House Band. However, we don't sound like the Toll House because of changes in personnel. Our first gig was to play a 5th Tuesday at the Holiday Inn (which we continue to play in the rare months that have a 5th Tuesday). Next came a short run at the coffee house in Powell. We were then invited us to play the Maennerchor, where we continue on the second Friday of every month. We are booked to play The Indiana Jazz Club Festival in Indianapolis next year (2009) on Sunday, October 4. David Steele
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DAVE PFEIFFER, CLARINET & SAXOPHONE Dave has played reeds in Dixieland Jazz bands in and around Cincinnati for many years. He was the reed player with the Blue Chip Jazz Band in the Cincinnati area for many years and has also played with the Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band from Cincinnati. In addition to Dixieland, Dave plays a variety of gigs in the Cincinnati area including big band and dance band performances. |
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PHIL STONE, CORNET Phil plays cornet, trombone, baritone, tuba, banjo, guitar and drums. He is First Sergeant and euphonium soloist with the 338th U.S. Army Band, retired. His natural jazz style singing is an asset to the band. Phil has played trombone with the Toll House Jazz Band for the past 10 years. During the late 60s and early 70s he toured the east coast with THE NEW GENERATION as lead guitarist. He has also recorded in the RCA Studios in Nashville and in his spare time served on the Board of Directors of the Coon Sanders Nighthawks Jazz Festival. |
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DAVID STEELE, TUBA David began formal piano lessons at the age of 6. He played tuba in the Grove City High School Band and piano in the jazz band, and was a member of the Concert Choir and Show Choir. He was also active in Barbershop quartet and chorus singing during high school and college. He received a bachelor's degree in music education from The Ohio State University in 1975, and completed his teaching career in 2005 as a public school vocal music educator in the South-Western City School District. David has a life-long love for the music of the early 20th century and has an extensive collection of vintage recordings from that era. He has played both piano and tuba in various groups over the years, and is a member of the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society. He and Mike Evans provided piano-banjo entertainment at Shakey's Pizza Restaurant during the late 1970's and early 1980's and continue to appear as a duo. David is piano accompanist for the choirs of Grove City High School and Harding High School. He also plays tuba in a brass quintet. |
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BOB BUTTERS, TROMBONE Bob was smitten by Dorsey and Teagarden early on, and won the Tommy Dorsey trophy in the Look Magazine 1946 swing band contest at Carnegie Hall. At MIT, his "Dinner Music Society of Upper Beacon Street" played college functions and Boston's Savoy Café. As a de facto Savoy house band member, Bob backed numerous jazz legends, including Wild Bill Davison, Henry "Red" Allen, Max Kaminsky and Omer Simeon. He sat in for Al Jenkins with Doc Evans and subbed for J.C. Higginbotham and "Big Chief" Russell Moore. After moving to Ohio in 1951, Bob was soon working with Carl Halen's Gin Bottle 7, Eddie Bayard's Bourbon Street 5 (on and off the Delta Queen), Terry Waldo's Gutbucket Syncopators and Gene Mayl's Dixieland Rhythm Kings, recording with the first three groups. A member of the BRJB since 1996, Bob finds time to serve as president of the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society in his hometown Columbus, OH. |
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MIKE EVANS, BANJO Mike is founder of the Toll House Jazz Band in Columbus, Ohio, which has toured in Europe performing at jazz clubs and festivals in Munich, Dresden, Leipzig, Regensburg and in Brunico, Italy. Mike was solo banjoist aboard the American Queen riverboat on the Mississippi River and was recently inducted into the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame. In addition to tenor banjo, Mike plays plectrum banjo and guitar, and contributes great vocals as well. |
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LARRY NUSSER, PIANO Larry is an exceptional traditional jazz pianist, and, as a ragtime pianist, he is considered one of the finest in the U.S. In addition to his strong ensemble and back up work, he plays exceptionally creative solos and excites the audience with his outstanding ragtime specialty numbers. On the local scene, Larry has played with Jerry Weaver's Good Time Jazz Band and the Classic Jazz Stompers of Dayton. He has filled in for the Buck Creek Jazz Band in Washington DC, toured Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy) and was featured pianist aboard the Delta Queen riverboat on the Mississippi. |