For the Remainder of 2024

The San Joaquin Dixieland Jazz Society

Proudly Presented the following Bands:

MARCH 3, 2024

“Mission Gold Jazz Band”

~ and ~

“Cell Block 7”

About the Mission Gold Jazz Band (MGJB)
and where did the name come from?

MGJB was established in 1980 for a church festival at Mission San Jose in Fremont, CA. Now that the Mission part of our name is established, where did the Gold part of the name come from? Above Mission San Jose are the Eastern hills of Fremont, of which at least 6 month of the year are Golden from the ryegrass that dries with the local heat. The name Mission Gold has two meanings, one is our location, “the golden hills above Mission San Jose” and two, Our Mission is to play the Golden music of traditional West Coast Jazz.

MGJB is a two cornet, eight piece band of multi – talented musicians. Our music is inspired by the music of Turk Murphy, Louis Armstrong, Joe “King” Oliver, Lu Watters, Jelly Roll Morton and other composers and leaders of this Genre. We offer a variety of traditional styles, including Marches, Blues, Ragtime, Stomps, Gospel, Swing and standards. We’ve also been known to play a waltz (which were very common in New Orleans), Polkas, Western and Latin tunes mainly as a 3rd set audience request. We encourage audience participation emphasizing Cakewalks (with the winner “Takes the Cake”), Parasol strutting and joining with the band in song. Our goal is to engage the listener and dancers to become part of this infectious music which leads to spirit, joy and a fun experience.

MGJB Musicians:
Piano – TBD
Banjo – JOYCE TAYLOR
Drums – PAUL CAMPANA
Tuba – BOB STERLING
Coronet – MACK HORTON
Trombone – JOHN SOULIS
Coronet – NOEL WEIDKAMP
Reeds – PETE MAIN

Cell Block 7

The leader of Cell Block 7 is Bob Romans, a classically trained musician and accomplished in many styles. He was always interested in playing Dixieland jazz but didn’t actually start doing it until 1981 with the formation of the Cell Block 7 Jazz Band. His love for jazz has really blossomed through working with this band, and continues undiminished to this day. After graduating from Chattanooga, Tennessee’s Southern College with a BS in Music Education, he moved to California where he taught instrumental music in 4th through 12th grades for over 30 years.

The San Joaquin Dixieland Jazz Society is only two years older than Cell Block 7 and the two have been closely intertwined; I can’t count the number of times CB7 played here at the Elks Lodge on Thornton Blvd. Bob was Vice President and Musical Director of the SJDJS for a number of years and was elected President twice.

Bob was one of America’s greatest proponents of youth bands and worked with younger players since 1988, when he became involved with youth bands sponsored by the San Joaquin Dixieland Jazz Society. He started and coached various youth jazz bands, like the Riverboat Rascals, the Hot ‘n Tots, the Alley Cats, and the Barkin’ Dawg jazz bands, and who all had fun along the way. The youth bands played at various jazz festivals in places as far flung as Connecticut, Chilliwack (British Columbia), Friday Harbor (Washington), Bradenton (Florida), Whidbey Island (Washington), and the biggest one of them all, the Sacramento Jubilee in California.

Bob no longer plays but keeps the band on their toes with rehearsals on their huge Book of Music. The number of previous members of the band as well as substitute musicians sounds like a “Who’s Who” of Northern California musicians.

Here are the musicians who will be playing for the finale month of March:

Bill Sharp – trumpet, double bell euphonium, vocals
Ken Brock – trumpet, double bell euphonium
Bob Embry – reeds, vocals
Ken Taylor – trombone, double bell euphonium
Daryl Hosick – piano
Tom Downs – tuba

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

“Devil Mountain Jazz Band”

~ UNFORTUNATELY, THIS DATE WAS CANCELED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER ~

DEVIL MOUNTAIN JAZZ BAND continues to develop their multi-style approach to preserving the popular music of the late 1800’s through the early 1930’s, and the west coast revival jazz of the 1940’s. The eight piece concert/festival band is best known for the two trumpet sounds of the Joe Oliver and Lu Watters bands and the orchestrated “hot dance” music of the late twenties. You’ll also hear DMJB perform ragtime, blues, “Dixieland” standards, gospel and novelty tunes, and an occasional duck-call by Pete Main, or assorted strange instrument solos by Pete, Glenn or Noel.

The band also recreates the New Orleans-derived hot jazz popularized by Armstrong, Hardin, Dodds, Ory, Morton, etc., in Chicago in the late twenties. At many jazz festivals, they present special historical concerts celebrating the music of these jazz greats and gospel concerts/sing-a-longs, and a special show, “From Ragtime to Jazz”.

Smaller versions of the band play frequently for occasions where this historic music is new to some folks, with the focus on providing a good time through this happy music. Civic concerts, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, church events, wine-tastings, restaurants, piano burnings, parades, are but a few of these events.

Larger versions of the band are available for big-band swing dances or festivals. This band is the JAMBALAYA SWING BAND, led by Ken Brock, comprised of players from the Devil Mountain JB plus members of Ken’s Jambalaya JB. They recreate the popular big band tunes of the 30s and 40s with 10 to 12 musicians.

Since 1982, Devil Mountain has performed at several hundred jazz festivals, scores of Jazz Society and civic concerts, fifteen jazz cruises, and have held down two monthly dance & concert series in the San Francisco East Bay area at the Pleasanton Hotel and FRIENDS OF JAZZ at the Veterans Hall in Walnut Creek, and now at the Danville Grange Hall.

JANUARY 7, 2024

“B# and the Axxidentals”

After almost 40 years since this photo was taken (in 1983), Bill Sharp brings in a NEW bunch of “Axxidentals” for our January 2024 Featured Guest Band.

Past Events – 2024