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| The Band Members | |||||||||||||||
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Ann "Beetle" Bayles... occopies the violin chair of the band. That's right, the violin chair: the Cure-All Band is faithfull to the pattern set by the great dance bands of the 20's and 30's, which included such violinists as Matt Mellneck and Joe Venuti. |
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Dennis "Wrong-Way" Flint
I have been playing trombone for nigh on 50 years. Playing with Cure-All has been a great and rewarding experience. Having a Bachelors degree in music, I have had the opportunity to play a multitude of musical styles. I am looking forward to sliding through the twenties and thirties with this great band. |
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Donna "Bubbles" Griffiths
Donna has recently retired from teaching music: in district elementary schools, Suzuki piano lessons and pre-school music classes. After many years of encouraging students and families to pursue music, she has now taken the opportunity to perform music herself with the Cure-All Band. |
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Jim "Growler" Grinder
'Growler Grinder has played sax for almost as long as he can remember...which is a long ,long time! Jim really enjoys playing the charts from the twenties on his vintage Conn Soprano Sax (1925). Previously, Jim spent 35 years as a music educator/ performing arts coordinator for S.D.#71(Comox Valley) and more recently was on faculty at Malaspina University-College. He taught music in Summerland for 15 years and developed an instrumental jazz and concert band program that won provincial and national acclaim. |
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Brent "Hits Man" Hart
Better known as one of the valleys favorite jazz pianists, Brent "Hits Man" Hart loves the opportunity to play his alto sax and 1922 french clarinet. "The hardest part of my role as music director of the band is to choose which of the great hits from the 20's to play, and which ones to leave out." |
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"Groovy" Gorde James The low man of the group, this silver-plated sousaphone player drives the beat and keeps the dancers moving. From his Quadra Island abode and pottery studio, Gorde enjoys the weekly trek to band practice and early jazz enlightenment. To learn more visit his web-site at : www.jamespottery.com |
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Laura "Red Hot Momma" Stevens This trumpeter's style is the bees knees. An original Cure-All, she can be heard in her Comox dwellings laying low with her 2 little dolls and her Crossed Eyed Papa flapping to the tunes of those roaring 20's. |
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| Greg "Doc" Sumner - Our Founder
Born at an early age, Greg "Doc" Sumner soon deduced that being a musician beat working for a living. He did just that for forty-six years singing, acting, playing piano, banjo, cornet, tuba, guitar, string bass, french horn, mandolin, etc. in the complete gamut of settings. His love of 1920's dance music propelled him around the world since 1977 in search of authentic arrangements, recordings and sheet music. Summers found him often in the Yukon on stage with the Vaudeville Tourist Shows and winters in Australia and New Zealand with Vintage Jazz Bands. |
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Mike "Ramses" Schwarz | ||||||||||||||
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Al "Fingers" West
A talented multi-instrumentalist, Al can more than hold his own on trombone, tuba, string bass, guitar and of course, banjo. |
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| Len "Blackie" Wilkie
A one time clarinet player and now drummer/singer, Len has been around since the dawn of time. Fortunately, he was the only drummer available when "Greg" was looking for someone to fill the chair with his "Cure All Dance Band" and has been happy for the default choice ever since (although no hi-hats allowed in the band's charts). Oh yes, he was drummer and vocalist with the "DesperationJazz Band" for centuries and did an East Coast tour with the "Canadian Variety Show Band",(Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton) then played with the"Commodores Swing Band, in Europe 4years, along with many small jazz groups... So fortunately the "Cure All" band is stuck with this "Crooning Percussionist"! Ba-Domp-Bump........ |
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| Muriel "Mac" Zobel
Bravely making the leap from Scottish Traditional Music to 20's/30's jazz, Muriel has tickled the ivories from Scotland to New Orleans, Houston to Courtenay. |
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| Graham "Baby Face" Gilmore
Graham is a young and up and coming star in the Comox Valley Community. He is enjoying playing many eclectic songs well before his time. Recently graduated, he is spending a year to work and play trumpet and take a breather from the books. He is vying for a position in The University of Victoria's music program for the 2009-2010 school year to become a Music Teacher. He has firmly submersed himself in the valley's music community including the Comox Valley Community Band, three local productions of musicals including "Thoroughly Modern Millie" "Annie" and "The Producers" and of course The Cure All Dance Band. He is more than pleased to be playing with the Cure All and happy to bring some young blood to the group. Who knows? he might start a band like this in the future to keep the spark alive. |
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"Swingin" Tom Spratt
Since moving to the Comox Valley in 1972 as a music teacher, Tom has been active playing clarinet and saxophone in pit orchestras with Coval, Rainbow Youth Theatre, Light Fantastic Productions, CYMC, Showcase Festival and Vanier and Highland Secondary Schools, as well as in other musical situations. The pit orchestra experience is often challenging and is always rewarding musically. Tom thoroughly enjoys playing the Curealldanceband style of music, stretches his remaining grey cells learning to play jazz in the Georgia Straight Big Band, and gives occasional lessons on clarinet. |
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