Jean Fineberg, Assistant. Director, tenor saxophone

Assistant Director and tenor saxophonist Jean Fineberg is a native New Yorker with more than 50 albums to her credit. She has performed and recorded with David Bowie, Laura Nyro, Phoebe Snow, Patti LaBelle, Chic, Sister Sledge, Isis, The Larry Elgart Orchestra, Bo Diddley, and The Four Tops. Her international tours include performances at the Montreux and Pori Jazz Festivals with the renown Melba Liston ensemble, and a Carnegie Hall concert with Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry.

She co-leads the fusion band DEUCE, which has appeared nationwide at venues such as the NYC Kool Jazz Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival. DEUCE's two recordings feature her high energy original compositions, and her ongoing contribution of original big band charts continues to energize the MWBB's repertoire.

A recipient of two ASCAP Composition Awards, an NEA Jazz fellowship, and Meet the Composer grants, Jean is profiled in The Saxophone Journal (cover story), Stormy Weather, American Women in Jazz, Madame Jazz, The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul (cover), For The Record, and Eden Built By Eves. She holds a Master's degree from Penn State University, and did post-graduate work with David Baker at Indiana University. Jean is currently a faculty member the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA. and a panelist for the San Francisco Arts Council.

Sonya Jason (alto saxophone)

Yamaha Artist, saxophonist Sonya Jason, is an internationally acclaimed recording artist and a recipient of ASCAP's Popular Music Award in Composition. Best known for her all original Warner Music Discovery release, �Tigress”, her accessible, passionate style of contemporary jazz has made a huge splash on radio stations worldwide and garnered rave reviews from the media. More than two dozen music recordings have featured her saxophone work, including three releases as solo artist.

Winner of the Phil Woods Scholarship to the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, she graduated summa cum laude in 1985 and soon began leading her own bands full time in thousands of live performances. Sonya has appeared at more than 50 music festivals worldwide including the Cervantino International Music & Arts Festival in Mexico City and the Golden Jubilee International Jazz Festival in Bangkok where she played for the King of Thailand. In addition, she has been a featured soloist with a variety of other artists, including the funky Brothers Johnson, trumpeter Ray Anthony, The Meters� drummer Joseph �Ziggy” Modeliste, Debbie Reynolds and more.

Sonya currently resides on the Coastside south of San Francisco where she has developed a thriving music teaching studio, conducts music clinics at local schools and has created a popular series of ongoing Jazz Workshops, all while remaining active as a performer and recording artist.

www.SonyaJason.com

Barbara Speed (alto saxophone)

Barbara grew up in New York City and began by playing classical flute. She continued her studies in London , and moved at age 29 to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she tuned into jazz (her father is a jazz pianist). She took up saxophone and clarinet, and along with extensive jazz studies, she played in a number of big bands over the years. In addition to the Montclair Women's Big Band, where Barbara plays alto sax and clarinet, she is also a member of the Red Hot Chachkas, a Klezmer ensemble, where she plays the clarinet, the Fabulous Jukes, a soul and blues band, where she plays tenor sax, and small jazz combos on a casual basis.

www.redhotchachkas.com
www.fabulousjukes.com

Annelise Zamula (tenor saxophone)

Annelise Zamula has toured in Europe and the United States with the Seattle-based Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet. Back in the SF Bay Area, Zamula has performed with jazz, swing, blues, rock, and classical ensembles over the last decade and a half, honking her sax in clubs, cafes, concert halls, churches, and on local radio and television. In addition to playing with the Montclair Women's Big Band, she plays with the MoodSwing Orchestra , the Berkeley Saxophone Quartet , Big Lou's Polka Casserole , and Noertker's Moxie.

Amelia Catalano (baritone saxophone)

Residing in San Francisco for over 27 years, Amelia has studied with some of the Bay Area's most formidable talents, such as Mary Fetting, Dan Zinn, Dave Eshelman, Don Ontiveros and Frank Larocca. After earning her BA from CSU Hayward in 1999, Amelia became active in the casual music scene as a freelance saxophonist. She performs regularly with several groups, including the Montclair Women's Big Band directed by Ellen Seeling, Orquesta Sensual, Cha Cha Boom, Marina Garza's ODS, Tito Garcia y Su Orquesta La Internacional, Soroa, and the Sal Carson Big Band. She has backed such performers as Patti Labelle, The Temptations, Louie Bellson and Conrad Herwig.

www.ameliacatalano.com

Mad Duran (alto saxophone)

After 20 years of concertizing in Europe and all over the US, and co-leading ensembles with her husband/guitarist/mentor Eddie Duran, Mad Duran steps out on her own with her first CD as a leader entitled Lady Mad , Another Lester Person . The new CD featuring Mad on alto saxophone with an upper crust rhythm section, guitarist Eddie Duran, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Akira Tana. The new release and will be out on Mad Eddie Records in the late summer 2005.

Steeped in the jazz tradition, Mad is a lyrical, thoughtful, and inventive player with her own original sound. As a tenor player, Mad sounds similar to Stan Getz but retains her original voice. She has prepared herself for stretching the boundaries of jazz harmonies and prides herself on being the primary composer and arranger of her group, the Mad Duran Project. Mad utilizes her ability on all her instruments, and writes and arrangers as for an orchestra. The combination of instruments in her group are flute/alto flute, tenor, alto and soprano saxes, trombone, vibes, guitar, acoustic/electric bass, drums and percussion. This combination makes for an interesting and wide tonal palate as a platform for her writing.

Mad takes great pride in being "first-call" in the Montclair Women's Big Band, under the direction of Ellen Seeling, and she goes on to explain, "I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to be part of history. I want to do whatever I can to position the female jazz artist into prominence. We have not been taken seriously, and it's time for a change. And what better way than by being part of the strongest female big band on the west coast?"

Marcia Miget (saxophone)

A 'Maestra' of many elements, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator, Marcia Migét's most recent performances include theSonoma Jazz Festival �Unplugged', the 2005 International Association of Jazz Educators' Convention with the African American Jazz Caucus Allstar Big Band, the 2004 Featured Artist performing with the Historically Black Colleges' University Allstar Band, the 2004 Monterey, Stern Grove and Fillmore Jazz Festivals with Anthony Brown and the Asian American Orchestra, and Wayne Wallace and Pete Escovedo at Vallejo's Jazz Festival.

Director of Miraflores Music Academie, her musical skills cross multiple genres. This year alone she's recorded with Dr. Anthony Brown and the Asian American Orchestra, and performed with the Northern California Lighthouse Singers at their 25th Anniversary. Her latest project-as-producer, Passing the Baton: the Miget-Redd Session Part 1 �streams' is available on her site, www.mee-j.com. Her performance pedigree includes multiple appearances with Carlos Santana, as well as Freddy Redd, Larry Ridley, Jimmy Cobb, Buddy Baker, Kenny Barron, Orestes Vilato, Frank Foster, Donald Byrd, Chick Corea, Karl Perazzo, Susanne Cianni, Phish, John Santos, John Handy, and Jaimeo Brown and Dartanyan Brown to name a few.

www.mee-j.com

Tami Ellis (trumpet)

Tami Ellis began playing trumpet at age 9 and started performing professionally at age 12 with The John Coppola/Chuck Travis Big Band. After playing in honor bands, concert bands and pep bands throughout her school years, Tami performed with the award winning College of San Mateo Big Band in 1977-78, under direction of Fred Berry. She also kept busy by playing with many local big bands such as Rich Bice's Full Faith and Credit and The UC Berkeley Alumni Night Band. Tami was also member of The Gene Gilbeaux Swing Orchestra for over 9 years, and was featured as the band's high note trumpet specialist on the transcribed repertoire of the Original Jimmie Lunceford Band.

Other memorable performances have included opening for Al Green at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with Dorothy Combs Morrison (formally of the Edwin Hawkins Singers) and the O'Happy Day Band. Tami a lso performed at the Monterey Blues Festival with Bobby Reed The Surprise Band. More recently she has played with Tobaco y Ron from Los Angeles, Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Miss Taylor P. Collins Blues Band, Mazacote, Azabache, The Franco Brothers and other Bay Area ensembles.

www.montunogroove.com

Christy Dana (trumpet)

Trumpeter, bandleader, composer, whistler and educator Christy Dana loves to play cutting-edge, straight-ahead jazz with CDQ, her high-energy quartet. Her new CD, Merry-Go-Round , features tuneful, upbeat originals as well as classic standards. Reviewing Merry-Go-Round in the L.A. Jazz Scene, Scott Yanow writes, �While her sidemen are fine, Christy Dana (who whistles quite effectively on �Gulliver's Romp�) is the main star and makes one wonder why she is not much better known. She is a fine hard bop player.� Chuy Varela of the East Bay Express says, �Trumpeter Christy Dana exudes instrumental mastery and refined compositional skill on her debut CD Merry-Go-Round.� KCSM's Melanie Berzon comments, "If you're looking for jazz that is firmly rooted in tradition, yet moves the art form into the future, then stop right here! Christy Dana can play and write with the best of them. She is a force to be reckoned with!"

Christy has appeared in concert at the Women in Jazz Fort Bragg, San Jose Jazz Festival, KCSM's Jazz on the Hill, UC Berkeley, the Jazzschool, the Berkeley Arts Festival, San Francisco 's People in Plaza's Concert Series, as well as at many other music venues in the Bay Area. She was a Resident Artist at the Banff Centre for the Arts Jazz Workshop, and in April of 2005 Christy performed at the International Whistling Competition held in Louisburg , North Carolina .

Active as well in the classical music scene, Christy plays modern trumpet regularly with the Napa Valley Symphony and has performed with the Women's Philharmonic, Orchestra Sonoma, Vallejo , Monterey , California , and Santa Cruz Symphonies as well as with the contemporary music group, the Empyrean Ensemble. On the valveless natural trumpet, she has performed early music with Bay Area groups Jubilate, Magnificat, and with the European-based Orchestra of the Renaissance at the Berkeley Festival.

A dedicated and gifted teacher, Christy has taught musicianship and jazz theory at the University of California at Berkeley since 1987, and at the Jazzschool in Berkeley since its inception in 1997. She holds degrees from DePauw University (B.M.) and Indiana University (M.M., D.M.) in music theory and brass, respectively.

www.christydana.com

Marina Garza (trumpet)

Marina Garza has been a professional trumpet player for over 10 years. With a Masters Degree from the University of North Texas, She currently teaches Jazz improvisation, trumpet, and beginning brass students. She performs regularly with a number of local bands ranging from Salsa, Big Band music to Disco, and also leads the band �Orquesta D'Soul� where she spends her time writing original salsa and latin music.

www.odslive.com

Mara Fox (trombone)

Mara has been a professional trombonist and music teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 15 years. She has toured nationally and internationally with the Klezmorim and Conjunto Cespedes, and recorded on numerous albums. In addition to playing with the Montclair Women's Big Band, she has played with the Mike Vax Big Band, the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, the Berkeley Symphony, the R&B Allstars and many other local jazz and salsa groups. When she's not busy playing and teaching, Mara enjoys spending time with her son, her husband and her tortoise.

Sarah Cline (trombone)

Sarah is a free-lance trombonist who performs internationally with many classical, jazz, and Latin groups including the Farallon Brass Ensemble, Reveille (free improv trombone trio), Quanta (trombone quartet), the former Women's Philharmonic, Julio Bravo y su Orchesta Salsabor, and the Montclair Women's Big Band. Recent guest appearances include performing with Yo Yo Ma¹s Silk Road Ensemble. With Reveille, Sarah performed and gave master classes at Yale University , the New England Conservatory of Music, Berklee School of Music, Boston University , Hart College , and the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik in Trossingen , Germany . Sarah is one of the founders of WITCH (Women¹s International Trombone Camp and Hang), a community of professional women trombonists who work and play together. She is also Director of the Farallon Brass Ensemble¹s Summer Brass Camp, which takes place every year at the Crowden School in Berkeley , and Teaches privately. She studied trombone at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Aspen Music Festival.

Pat Mullan (trombone)

Pat plays jazz trombone with the Montclair Women's Big Band and the Junius Courtney Big Band, which she also manages. Mullan also leads TROMBONGA, a trombone quartet, which has appeared at Yoshi's, the Berkeley Arts Festival and private soirees. In addition, she is the Head Librarian at Berkeley Public Library's Art and Music Department, where she specializes in producing events, including the annual library jazz festival, and building a pre-eminent compact disc collection.

Becca Burrington (bass trombone)

Becca Burrington graduated in trombone performance with honors at Oberlin Conservatory, where she received the Conservatory Dean's Talent Award.  She also studied at Interlochen Arts Center and received the Governor's Scholar and Outstanding Brass Performance award. Her teachers include Raymond Premru, Per Brevig, and Nicholas Orovich.  An active freelancer both on trombone and voice, she has performed with the Silk Road Project with Yo-Yo Ma, San Franciso Sinfonietta, California Chamber Symphony, Women's Philharmonic, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Dulce Mambo (salsa), and the Montclair Women's Big Band. She is the co-music director of Solstice, a female vocal sextet, and has been a soloist with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble chorus.  Becca has been featured on many recordings including 2 CDs by Solstice, the Bernstein Mass with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester, and trombone with the sketch comedy troupe Killing My Lobster. Becca is also on the faculty at the Community Music Center in San Francisco.

Pat Crossen (bass trombone)

Pat has taught private trombone, baritone, and tuba for 37 years. She studied with Charlie Vernon (Chicago Symphony) and John Engelkes (SF Symphony) and is a graduate of California State University at San Francisco . Pat has played in numerous orchestras, brass choirs, quintets, quartets (brass and trombone), and is a member of the Bay Bones Trombone choir, and the International Trombone Association. Serving as band director at St. Isidore Catholic School in Danville for the past 28 years, she has also coached chamber music brass at the Adult Chamber Music Workshop at Humboldt State 20 years as well as several music camps for children. In addition to her musical accomplishments, she pitches for a senior softball team that won the silver medal at the Senior Olympics and the gold at the World Senior Games. It is a national travel team based in Oakland.

TAMMY HALL (piano)

Pianist, Organist, Composer, and Arranger Tammy Lynne Hall is one of the most in demand musicians in the Bay Area. Her prodigious accompanist skills make her a top choice for such singers as Rhonda Benin, Frankye Kelly, Lady Mem'fis, Kim Nalley, Denise Perrier, Little Jimmy Scott, Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Voz Do Brazil and the great Etta Jones. Stylistically, Tammy Hall is equally gifted in Classical, Gospel, Jazz, Brazilian, Salsa and Funk. Tammy brings a virtuosity to the piano that is never ostentatious, and her approach to the music is always genuine and fresh.

In 1987 she moved to Brussels and formed the group "Touche Differente." She performed both as a soloist and with the group throughout Europe, playing venues including the Brussels Jazz Club, Club Machado, Der Zingel in Holland,North Sea Jazz Festival, the Ferrari Club of Mechelen and the Copacabana Club in Brussels. Her performances have included collaboration with Fabien de Gryse, Peter Cor, Gyle Waddy, Daniel Zannello, Mutzar Walley, Patrizio Battisti, and Noah Howard and others.

Returning to the San Francisco Bay area 1989. She has since worked with a legion of local and regional artists, including Houston Person, Allison Miller, vocalists Vicki Randle and Debbie deCoudreaux, violinist Jeremy Cohen and Connie Champagne. Her arrangements have been used by the Sassy Divas, Veronica Klaus, TARC, A New Leaf Benefits and, most recently, Equality California.

Ms. Hall maintains a very busy performance calendar, accompanies the U.C. Santa Cruz Porter College gospel choir, and teaches privately. In the Summer of 2004, Ms. Hall became a member of the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop. She is also a member of the highly acclaimed Montclair Women's Big Band whose new CD, recorded at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, is due for release later this year. Her charity work includes performances for Help Is On The Way, Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center & and Children's Hospital of Oakland 's Miracle Network.

Jan Martinelli (electric bass)

A native San Franciscan, Jan began playing instruments at a very early age, starting with piano, guitar and drums and finally choosing the bass. In her twenty-five year professional career, she's mastered a variety of musical styles with an emphasis on funk, jazz and Latin jazz. Jan has toured with dozens of bands, playing major festivals, performance halls and clubs around the country, and has more than twenty recordings to her credit. Some of the artists she has worked with are Terry Garthwaite, Larry Lynch, Holly Near, the Blazing Redheads, Mary Watkins, Robin Flower, Linda Tillery, Orquesta Once, Adriana Moreno, Mutama and the Tamarind Quintet. Currently Jan plays bass for Wild Mango. Jan is an original member of Wild Mango, a seven piece World Jazz ensemble that tours nationally and internationally and has produced multiple releases. Wild Mango notable performances include the Aspen Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Barbados Jazz Festival, Smithsonian and they have opened for the Manhattan Transfer, Poncho Sanchez, and Joe Lovano.

Kelly Fasman (drums)

Kelly is currently the house drummer for American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Broadway by the Bay, and the Woodminster Theatre of Oakland. She has toured with �Dreamgirls� starring Frenchie Davis, The Diamonds (Korean tour), and Musical Circus Fantasia ( Tokyo , Japan ). Her recordings include original cast recordings of Cole Porter's �Leave it to Me�, �The Three Musketeers�, Nell Carter's �Misbehavin'�, and �Musical Circus Fantasia, Live in Tokyo .� Kelly has performed with Joan Rivers, Don Rickels, Rich Little (music director/drummer), Teatro Zinzanni, and jazz great, Chico Freeman.

Allison Miller (drums)

NYC-based drummer Allison Miller defies all categorization, performing many types of music with her trademark virtuosity. Allison, who has been drumming for 20 years, has performed with pop legend Natalie Merchant, toured Eurasia recreating the music of Louis Armstrong, and concertized throughout Europe with avant-garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich. She approaches each of these diverse musical genres with her signature creative, fresh and energetic performance style.

Allison began playing the drums at age 10, and quickly began studying with Washington DC master teacher Walter Salb. In 1991, she was featured in Downbeat magazine's "Up and Coming" section, and began playing in local DC area clubs. After receiving her Bachelor of Music in Performance, summa cum laude, in 1996 from West Virginia University , she moved to NYC to begin her career as a freelance drummer. Currently dividing her time among several projects, Allison released her debut CD as leader, 5am Stroll, in 2004 on Foxhaven Records. The critically acclaimed recording features the masterful Ray Drummond on bass, Steve Wilson on alto saxophone and alto flute, Virginia Mayhew on tenor saxophone and Bruce Barth on piano. Together they join Allison in representing eight beautiful renditions of her original compositions. Allison also leads the left-of-center jazz quintet Agrazing Maze, featuring trumpet heavyweight Ingrid Jensen. The ensemble released their first CD, At The End Of The Day in 2005, also on the Foxhaven label.

Anin-demand sideperson, Allison has also performed and recorded with Pino Daniele, Kenny Barron, Norah Jones, Sheila Jordan, George Garzone, Kitty Margolis, Michael Fienstein, Toshi Reagon, Mike Stern, Rachel Z, Kevin Mahogany, Paul Bollenback, Barbara Dennerlein, John McNeil, Virginia Mayhew, Harvie S, and the band Betty. She was chosen by the U.S. State Department to tour East Africa, Eurasia and Central Southeast Asia as a Jazz Ambassador. Allison loves teaching and has conducted master classes at NYU, the University of Alaska , Elon University , the University of Southern Florida , the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA, the University of the Pacific, and Kutztown University. Her educational materials have been published in DRUM magazine and she has been featured in music industry magazines Downbeat, Modern Drummer and Female Musician.

Vicki Randle (vocals)

Vicki is a singer, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. She is one of the most sought after talents in the music industry as well as one of the most visible musicians in America . A full-time member of the acclaimed Tonight Show Band, she was hired by Branford Marsalis as a percussionist, but quickly added her stunning vocals to the previously instrumental-only ensemble. Vicki is constantly in demand by guests as diverse as Phil Collins, Al Green, Elton John, kd lang, Vince Gill, Tori Amos, Albert Collins, Robert Palmer, David Sanborn, Al Jarreau, and Garth Brooks

The scope of Vicki's ventures before (and since) joining Jay Leno at NBC is as diverse as it is extensive.For the last two decades she has dazzled audiences worldwide as a bassist with Laura Nyro, a percussionist/lead and background vocalist with George Benson, Wayne Shorter and Lionel Richie, a harmonica player, percussionist and singer with Kenny Loggins, and keyboardist with Sheila E. She has performed and recorded duets with Benson, Richie and Loggins in four videos and has over fifty album credits to her name. These include the Grammy-nominated "In Your Eyes," which feature her lead vocals with George Benson on the duet "Late at Night." She has sung too many background vocal sessions to enumerate, most notably on recordings by Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Sheila E and a host of others.

In addition to her percussion work on Branford Marsalis' "Buckshot Lefonque", and her haunting rendition of "You've Changed," with the Turtle Island String Quartet for their release "Who do We Think We Are?," her percussion and vocals arrangements are prominently featured on Ferron's newest release, "Still Riot." Her vocal work has been prominently featured throughout the series "The New Adventures of Flipper," as well as on the opening and closing theme songs for "Baywatch Nights." Some of her other performances include a Prince's Trust performance for Prince Charles and Lady Diana, playing in the Arkansas Inaugural Ball this year headed by David Pack, with an all-star lineup that included Bruce Hornsby, George Duke and Michael McDonald. A San Francisco native, Vicki now lives in Venice Beach , rides a Harley-Davidson FXR, watches lots of hockey, and works on her Mac in her home studio when she is not at NBC. She hopes to release a CD this year of her solo work.

Linda Tillery (vocals)

Linda Tillery is a veteran vocalist, percussionist, producer and cultural historian whose career has spanned 34 years. Since the 1960s, Tillery has been regarded as one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most versatile singers. Her powerful, shimmering alto voice has been showcased in such groups as the Loading Zone, Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, the Solid Senders and Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra.

A native San Franciscan, Linda has Texas soul, rooted in her expatriate mother's stories and food, and her uncle Tom Anderson's deft blues whistle. The sound of artists such as Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Bill Doggett, Dinah Washington, Clyde McPhatter, Faye Adams and Ruth Brown were all a part of Linda's early music education.

Whether as vocalist, percussionist or producer, Tillery has performed on over 100 recordings by and with such artists as the Whispers, Boz Skaggs, Turtle Island String Quartet, Huey Lewis and the News, Holly Near, Santana, Hans Theessink, Kenny Loggins, Eric Bibb, Taj Mahal, Kelly Joe Phelps, Bonnie Hayes, Keola Beamer, Bobby McFerrin, Ray Obiedo, Wilson Pickett, Odetta, Richie Havens and many others. She has contributed vocals to the Marlon Riggs films "Color Adjustment", "Fear of Disclosure", "No Regrets" and "Black Is, Black Ain't". In 1993 Tillery narrated the award-winning Pacifica Radio program " A Burst of Light", A Tribute To Audre Lorde."

In the 90s Linda took command of an even broader repertoire, tapping into the diverse resources of African American roots music. As the musical and spiritual leader of the internationally acclaimed and Grammy nominated Cultural Heritage Choir, Linda shares with us the historic beginnings of Black music through Work Songs, Spirituals, Play Songs, Field Hollers, Moans and Ring Shouts. To deepen her understanding of this music's deep Southern roots, Linda has made several trips to Georgia, S. Carolina and N. Carolina where she has interviewed and sung with many local folk artists.

An articulate and provocative speaker, Linda is in demand both as vocal coach and lecturer. She has conducted workshops for St. Mary's College (Moraga, Ca.) , the Center for Christian Studies (Toronto), The Muse Choir of Cincinnati, The Oakland Symphony Chorus, The Universal Gospel Choir of Vancouver, Mutama , Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus, The Oakland Youth Chorus, Copper Wimmin', and the MIT Concert Choir.

Pamela Rose (vocals)

Pamela's first pro gig was an East Coast tour with organist, Merl Saunders, in 1977. This served as a launching pad for her work with two bands, The Eights and Wild Kingdom, from the late 1970's through the mid 1980's. It was during this period that Pamela met vocalist Glenn Walters. They began singing together and put together a unique, thematic 2-hour show, called 'When a man loves a woman.' The show received exceptional critical reviews and subsequently opened a bill with the Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra, one of the top Bay Area Rhythm and Blues reviews.

The pairing with Zasu Pitts turn out to be serendipitous as the band was about to go through major personnel changes. Bandleader, Steve Ashman, asked Pamela and Glenn to join. They did.... and were part of the Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra from 1987-91, including participation in the live album, "13 Souls Out of Control". It was during the period that Pamela met saxophone player, Jeff Ervin and keyboardist, Nate Ginsberg, both of whom would turn out to be future collaborators.

Following Zasu Pitts, Pamela and Glenn assembled Side Pocket , complementing their vocals with a 5-piece combo designed primarily for private parties.

Challenging herself and expanding her horizons, Pamela sought a more intimate sound, leading to her collaboration with Nate Ginsberg for two recordings and many public performances. The first, "Jazzy Side of Blue" (1993), was nominated for a BAMMIE ;Award as best jazz CD. The second, "Every Time I'm With You" had the distinction of being featured in the Sharper Image catalog.... the only vocal LP offered.

Pamela developed a following in Denmark touring with the Nate Ginsberg Trio (Maurice Cridlin and Scott Morris) in support of the recordings. Now, Pamela launches the latest chapter of her musical career, Pamela Rose - You Could Have It All .

www.pamelarose.com

 

<< Back to Top