18^th Annual America's Dixieland Jazz Festival

June 26, 2008 - June 29, 2008

Band Bio's

  Jean Kittrell & the St. Louis Rivermen
You know Jean - with her realistic vocals, her infectious good sprits, and swinging barrelhouse piano.  David "Red" Lehr is the daredevil of the sousaphone.  Bobby Grimm does some impressive single string picking on the banjo.  Don Schroeder is an imaginative drummer.  Steve Lilley, cornetist, plays a unique, hot horn.  The driving soprano sax and haunting clarinet are played by Noel Kaletsky along with Jim Maihack who plays the trombone, piano, tuba, banjo, clarinet and sings a great song.  Altogether they play classic jazz, Dixieland standards, blues, marches, ragtime, spirituals and swing.

  Grand Dominion Jazz Band
The Grand Dominion Jazz Band has been together since 1982.  They have had a long time to "get it right."  And - do they get it right.  This is one of the finest New Orleans style bands in the country - with a British flavor.  They feature a driving and up-best style and offer impeccable ensemble work.

  Uptown Lowdown
Uptown Lowdown plays a modified version of San Francisco traditional style which eventually became known as "Seattle Style."  With the driving cornet of leader Bert Barr, the two-reed work of John Goodrich and Paul Woltz, and the dummerless three-person rhythm section comprised of Rose Marie Barr on piano, Art Horgen on tuba and Al LaTourette on banjo, one will hear a sound only identifiable as belonging to Uptown Lowdown. 

Uptown Lowdown seems to acquire nicknames - "Seattle Style, " Uptown Rundown," "Drummerless in Seattle," and most recently "The Seattle | Frisco Connection."  Whatever - the music speaks for itself.

 Titan Hot Seven Jazz Band
The Titan Hot Seven remains one of the hottest jazz bands on land and sea!  A most versatile ensemble, this band of merry men features traditional jazz, swing, ballads, ragtime, novelty tunes and spontaneous, outrageous humor in everyone of their sets.  Rather than relying on set arrangements, the titans tailor their music and mirth to each audience, guaranteeing that every show is full of surprises for everyone, including the performers!

Hailed by fans, musicians and critics alike, the Titan Hot Seven posses a powerhouse ensemble capable of going from a whisper to a roar in the space of one tune.  The musicians' rapport with their audience and each other combined with their hot, hot playing and between tune shenanigans, floods the band with requests to return to virtually every festival and club they have played.  They continue to be featured artists with Jazzdagen tours, bringing their musical mayhem to all corners of the globe!

  West End of Chicago
The band originally performed the music of Armstrong, Oliver, Morton and other jazz pioneers in the Watters | Murphy West Coast style.  Mike was determined to perform the music of the 1920's, so as the band evolved over the years, the repertoire changed to focus more on hot dance music of the late 20's and 30's.  The hot dance style can be described as taking the popular and jazz tunes of this time period and playing them in an arranged format, yet still leaving room for solos.  The band strives to play a sampling of all the music of this time period and pay strict attention to keeping it stylistically accurate.  Mike was presented with a major award from the prestigious Starr-Gennett Foundation.

 

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