Vintage Jazz – Swing – Big Band – Zydeco – Blues – Gypsy – Stride
Boogie-Woogie – Cabaret – Folk – Western Swing – Ragtime – Contemporary
Banjomaniacs
Barnhart & Myers Hot Jazz Collective
Black Market Trust
Blue Renditions
Blue Street Jazz Band
Boise Straight Ahead
John & Kristy Cocuzzi
Sherri Colby’s Racket Makers
Cornet Chop Suey
Professor Cunningham & His Old School
Bob Draga with Friends
Yve Evans & Co.
Gator Nation
Banu Gibson, Guest Artist
Shaymus Hanlin, Guest Artist
Hallelujah Chorus w/ Yve Evans & Patty Parsons
High Street Party Band w/ Emily Stanton
Holland & Coots Jazz Quintet
Bruce Innes Trio
Ivory & Gold®
Kings of Swing
Carl Sonny Leyland, Guest Artist
Carolyn Martin Swing Band
Jenna McLean Quintet
Joe Midiri’s All Star Big Band
Midiri Brothers Septet
NNU Jazz Renaissance
NNU Jazz Revival
Pearl Django
Piano Extravaganza w/ 8 hands on the piano
Pianorama
Tom Rigney & Flambeau
Gary Ryan, Guest Artist
Side Street Strutters w/ Meloney Collins
Sun Valley Jazz Marching Band
U. S. Coast Guard Dixie Band
We Three
Sun Valley Jazz Festival 2020 Performers
Event sponsors: Anonymous, Claude & Andrea Stemp
Jazz in the schools sponsored by: Bill & Mary Alice Wilson
Clint Baker’s Hot Jazz Band
Sponsored by:
Carl Sonny Leyland / Piano
Ryleigh Baker / Bass
Jeff Hamilton / Drums
Marc Caparone / Trumpet
Clint Baker / Trombone
Katie Cavera / Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
Clint Baker is a multi-instrumentalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Horn, bass, drums, and clarinet. He is also a bandleader and jazz educator, having taught with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band at the Stanford Jazz Camp in California. He has been teaching jazz history for over ten years to many different age groups.
Mr. Baker has performed with a wide range of artists such as: Narvin Kimball, Rosemary Clooney, Leon Redbone, The Humphrey Brothers, and Dan Barrett. Besides his appearances on Riverwalk Jazz, Clint has been featured on numerous radio programs such as Sunday Night Sweets and The Annals of Jazz.
For over a decade, Clint Baker has led a New Orleans-style jazz ensemble at the Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park, California. For the past three years the group, comprised of band leaders and key members of world-class traditional jazz bands, has met at Cafe Borrone on Friday nights (when not touring) to perform to the delight of the audience and themselves.
Mr. Baker has enjoyed mentoring young musicians in recent years and has worked in the field of jazz history. He has hosted a traditional jazz and swing radio program called ‘Breakfast, Dance and Barbecue’ since 2014 on KCSM Jazz 91 in the SF bay area, and worked work for the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation at Stanford University for a jazz online exhibit.
Mr. Baker continues to travels the world playing jazz regularly as a soloist and all star sideman.
Banjomaniacs
Bio coming soon!
Barnhart / Myers Hot Jazz Collective
Sponsored by: Jerry & Andrea Weinberg
Terry Myers Sponsored by: Janice Eichler (in memory of Larry Eichler), Doug & Sherri Wickman
Jeff Barnhart / Piano & Vocals
Bobby Durham / Bass & Vocals
Eddie Metz / Drums
Terry Myers / Reeds
Davy Jones / Trumpet
Russ Phillips / Trombone & Vocals
This brainchild of Mr. Barnhart’s may just be the most action packed group to have ever graced the stages in Sun Valley. We expect to see some excellent reviews from their performances.
This group of “at large” gunslingers is guaranteed to thrill any audience with the immense talent and the repertoire they collectively bring to the table.
Black Market Trust
Sponsored by: Jan Matthews / Merrill Lynch, Lauren & Lee Rowe, Melinda & Phil Sander
The Black Market Trust is a five member jazz band based in Los Angeles. Since the 2012 release of their all instrumental debut album “The Black Market Trust,” a milestone in the genre of gypsy jazz, the band has gone on to record two more albums, maintain a busy touring schedule, and have their music featured on TV shows like the ABC television series “Happy Endings” and the Hulu original program “Casual.”
The band features the Django Reinhardt inspired gypsy sound of acoustic instruments, and infuses classics from the Great American Songbook with intricate vocal harmonies inspired by The Beach Boys, and other artists influential to the group. Their sophomore album “II” featured a Top Ten hit on the Adult Contemporary charts, a signature version of “Route 66”.
Blue Renditions
Sponsored by: Sally & Glen Dillon
Ladies Sing set sponsored by:
Blue Renditions features our 2006 Great Lady of Jazz, Dr. Sherri-Lynn Colby. Sherri, who hit the jazz scene at age 14 as the “Sirene of the San Joaquin,” has certainly grown up!
Sherri’s cabaret style allows her to establish intimate contact with her audience. Her maturity in life and music makes for sweet listening, with a bit of soul searching thrown in for good measure. Sherri’s husband Matt rounds out the group with a serious face…but watch for the imp-grin that flits across occasionally! Expect vocal jazz with synergistic instrumentation.
Blue Street Jazz Band
Sponsored by: Joan Evans Ahlf, Bob & Rebecca Mitchell, Wilson & Louise Williams
The Blue Street Jazz Band is one of the most innovative groups in traditional jazz. The band earned the reputation as The Bad Boys of Dixieland for their eclectic tastes in music. At any performance the audience is liable to hear various styles of music including swing, Mardi Gras, folk, marches, waltzes, Latin music, and hymns.
Uniquely, Blue Street Jazz Band touts four music educators: Dave Ruffner, a retired high school band director, Rick Canfield, a junior high school band director, Forrest Helmick, an elementary music teacher, and SherriLynn Colby who has her doctorate in Jazz History. Expect jet propelled traditional jazz with eclectic interludes.
Videos:
Boise Straight Ahead
Boise Straight Ahead was formed in 1997. They love the big band sound and the uniquely American music that honors the many big bands that have played this music in the past. They have focused on playing community events in the Treasure Valley and have donated more than $55,000 in performance fees to local charities.
This all volunteer army is demonstrating at every opportunity their passion to keep this music alive and we all get to benefit from their hours of dedication. A must see if you love the big band sound. Faithful renditions of the Big Band Era. They are great for listening or dancing.
John & Kristy Cocuzzi
Sponsored by:
John Cocuzzi swings! He knows how to captivate the listeners as well as keep the dancers on their feet. His audience rapport, along with the superb musicians found in his company, have set the standard for those who demand quality entertainment.
Kristy has a sultry voice that has thrilled audiences everywhere and was featured on vocals, sax, and clarinet with Big Tiny Little for almost 10 years. She has toured as lead alto, clarinet, and vocalist with the “Live Lawrence Welk Show” as well as being a member of the “Champagne Music Makers” at the Welk Resort in Branson, MO. Expect seamless melodies and a smooth touch on the keys, skins, and bars.
Videos:
Sherri Colby’s Racket Makers
Sponsored by:
Sherri Colby’s New Orleans Racket Makers Jazz Band harbor some of the finest young musicians playing early jazz in New Orleans Today. The Racket Makers’ music will have you dancing and swinging all night long.
Just take a listen and you will hear their love for the old songs and styles that invoke the spirit of New Orleans jazz. Inspired by their love for the tradition, the Racket Makers’ energy is infectious and the music goes right to the heart of the matter. Let’s have fun! Classic New Orleans jazz reminiscent of Preservation Hall.
Videos:
Cornet Chop Suey
Sponsored by: Barbara West
Cornet Chop Suey will give you an exciting jazz and swing show every time, presented with gusto and enthusiasm. With a century of songs in their repertoire, from the rags and Dixie of the early 1900s to contemporary jump, jazz and swing, their high-energy front line and powerful rhythm section produce an exciting new sound and approach that is a proven crowd pleaser.
Their powerful two-trumpet front line is reminiscent of the Lu Watters Yerba Buena aggregation.
Video: Amazing Grace
Professor Cunningham & His Old School
Sponsored by:
Jazz in the Square sponsored by:
Hot Jazz, Growling Horn, Grooving Rhythm – Professor Cunningham and His Old School is one of the most sought after groups on the international swing scene, performing around the world at major events and festivals. This award-winning New York based band performs the most swinging and grooving repertoire deeply steeped in the New Orleans tradition; from early jazz to early R&B in the aesthetic of Sidney Bechet, Fats Waller, Professor Longhair and even Fats Domino!
Formed and fronted by in-demand reedman and vocalist Adrian Cunningham – Australian native based in NYC, – Professor Cunningham and His Old School consists of some of the most energetic and accomplished musicians on the New York scene. It has been a regular hit in the NYC underground party and swing dance scene since it’s formation in 2012; performing at some of the world’s finest events- notably: Blue Note Jazz Fest (NYC), Snowball (Stockholm), Melbourne Intl Jazz Fest (Australia), CPLX (Copenhagen), Chase Festival (Heidelberg), Swing Crash (Como, Italy), Albany Jazz Festival.
Come get your dancing shoes out for this award-winning New York swing band!
Videos: At the Forum in Melbourne
Bob Draga with Friends
Sponsored by:
Clarinet Clambake sponsored by: Barbara Queal
This is a group that has become one of the favorites on the festival circuit the last couple years. Thanks, in part, to Mr. Draga’s twisted sense of humor and playing style. It’s always a good show with these very talented artists and we are thrilled to have them here in Sun Valley.
Bob is also a guy that really gets around (no pun intended) and you are likely to see him show up just about any place music is happening.
Video: ‘S Wonderful
Yve Evans & Co.
Sponsored by: Mary Evans, Tanya Karn
Hallelujah Chorus sponsored by:
This irresistible lady can belt the blues one moment, and whisper and whine the next. Her impeccable vocal styling captures the imagination. Yve greets her website fans by saying, “Hello, I’m Yve Evans. Welcome to my world. Here in Evans-world we sing, dance and have a Great Time!” That about sums it up. Moving vocals with a modern twist and a touch of humor.
Videos:
Gator Nation
Sponsored by:
Gator Nation is a hand-clapping, foot-stomping, high energy concert and dance band. With an instinct for survival, Gator Nation continues to adapt itself to its audiences, always with something fresh yet true to its calling. That calling is to represent the music of South Louisiana in all its forms, Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans style R & B. They have the talent and diversity to do so, to express the nuances that define the genres. The result is a remarkable show with so much variety and depth that at the end of the show, the Gator Nation Band leaves you happy and hollerin’ “the BEAT goes on!”
Videos:
Banu Gibson – Guest Artist
Sponsored by:
Bandleader, vocalist, dancer, banjo/guitar player, director, choreographer, and manages her own record label “Swing Out Records” so we are pleased to finally introduce Banu to Sun Valley for the 1st time this year and we feel it is about time as Banu has been all over the world doing everything from starting her own “New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp” for adults, over 80 performances with symphony orchestras from Portland Maine to Portland Oregon, appearing on A Prairie Home Companion, Boston Pops and even the Playboy jazz festival.
She has appeared all over the world with her band and was the guest vocalist on both Wild Bill Davison European tour in 1986 and the World’s Greatest Jazz Band tour of Japan 1996.
She has performed at the New Orleans Jazz Fest since the 1980s! In New Orleans she has been honored in 2009 by the New Orleans Preservation Resource Center for her contributions to music, was a New Orleans Magazine’s 2007 Jazz All Star and was featured in the 2010 New Orleans Magazine as “Top Female Achiever”. And appeared on the cover of OffBeat magazine’s for June 2015.
GROOVUS
Sponsored by: Brian Holland / Piano
Danny Coots / Drums
Steve Pikal / Bass
Bio info coming soon!
Shaymus Hanlin – Guest Artist
Sponsored by: Dennis & Shary Wellsandt
Shaymus Hanlin, the soon to be famous 19 year old vocalist from Coos Bay, Oregon, got his start with Evolution, from the Oregon Coast Lab Band and currently is the lead vocalist for Bay City Swing.
At 13 year Shaymus sang his first solo, I’ve Got The World On A String, at a school competition, and that was the start of it all.
He has since fallen in love with Jazz and the music of The Great American Song Book!
We are thrilled to introduce this young man to the big time as he will be featured in our Myers Big Band Bash.
Hallelujah Chorus w/ Yve Evans & Patty Parsons
Bio coming soon!
High Street Party Band w/ Emily Stanton
Sponsored by:
When attending one of High Street’s performances, be prepared for anything. You could even end up as part of the act, or with someone in your lap! In other words, these guys give it all and they give it every time.
You don’t want to miss a moment. It’s likely, however, that you may hear something written sometime after 1945. But hey, with all the fun you’ll be having and the energy in the room… even if you do care, you won’t notice. Expect high energy with a rock and roll flare.
Holland & Coots Jazz Quintet
Sponsored by: Bob & Connie Downen
We are pleased to bring another new offering this year with world champion pianist Brian Holland & Grammy award-winning drummer Danny Coots. Holland and Coots will take you on a musical journey that radiates joyful bliss one moment and wistful lyricism the next.
These two guys have been tearing it up ever since they got together a few years ago and we know you will like what you see. You will hear hot ragtime, stride, boogie-woogie, blues, and jazz. Brian will also be featured this year on piano in the All Star band.
Video: Honky Tonk Train
Bruce Innes Trio
Sponsored by: Bonnie & Jack Kirk
Since Bruce’s traumatic accident in October 2014, he has been fighting the good fight and is really looking forward to performing at the festival this year.
Bruce and the guys will delight you with a large repertoire of original music and decades of experience entertaining satisfied listeners from all over the world. Don’t miss the chance to hear “Jack Daniels, You Lied to Me Again” or any number of other songs that will keep playing in your memories long after the festival is over. They are seasoned veterans showing off their skills in American Folk and original music.
Videos:
Ivory&Gold®
Sponsored by: Jerry & Andrea Weinberg
Silent Movies with Jeff Barnhart sponsored by:
Praised by The L.A. Jazz Scene as a musical duo that can “draw out the beauty in the rich melo-dies and play the music…with taste, sensitivity, and a real affection for the idiom,”
Ivory&Gold® celebrates the greatest examples of American jazz, blues, ragtime, Broadway and hits from the Great American Songbook. Internationally renowned American musical performer and historian Max Morath calls Ivory&Gold® “musically flawless.”
Videos:
Kings of Swing
Sponsored by:
Dressed in their tuxedos the Kings of Swing add an air of 1940s elegance and style to every performance. The Kings are a 17-piece dance band that originated in 1944 under the direction of Gib Hochstrasser.
They have delighted the crowds here in Sun Valley since our first festival. Our Saturday night TRIBUTE TO GLENN MILLER Big Band is a favorite and always has a full dance floor.
Close your eyes and you will think Glenn is right here with us.
Videos: Compilation of Tunes
Carl Sonny Leyland, Guest Artist
Sponsored by:
Videos:
Carolyn Martin Swing Band
Sponsored by: Lauren & Lee Rowe, Sean Adkins & Rexanne Ring
Carolyn Martin is a Western Swing Hall of Fame inductee, a Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame member, and a 2016 Ameripolitan Music Award Winner. Carolyn Martin has been described as “an astonishing singer”, “a remarkable voice”, a “singing sensation”, and “one of the finest western swing singers in the business, the dreamy-voiced Carolyn Martin.”
Carolyn’s recordings have won accolades – among them, Western Swing Album of the Year and Western Swing Song of the Year. Each of Carolyn’s last four CDs spent months at the top of Western Way Magazine’s Western Swing Chart.
Videos:
Jenna McLean Quintet
Bio coming soon!
Joe Midiri’s All Star Big Band
Bio coming soon!
Midiri Brothers Septet
Sponsored by:
Jazz Sunday sponsored by:
Midiri Big Band Bash sponsored by:
Talk about gifted brothers! Between the two of them, Joe and Paul play almost every musical instrument known to man. They feature the music of what most people consider to be the best small Jazz group of all time — The Benny Goodman Sextet.
You might also catch a Lionel Hampton tune or two. Tight arrangements and musical excellence make them a must-see. Goodman and Hampton ala Midiri.
Videos:
Terry Myers’ All Star Big Band w/ Shaymus Hanlin
Sponsored by: Janice Eichler (in memory of Larry Eichler), Doug & Sherri Wickman
Bio coming soon!
NNU Jazz Renaissance
Bio coming soon!
NNU Jazz Revival
Bio coming soon!
Pearl Django
Sponsored by:
With a performance history spanning more than two decades, Pearl Django endures as one of the most highly regarded Hot Club style groups working today. Although the band’s roots are firmly in the music made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, its extensive repertoire includes traditional jazz classics and original compositions.
Pearl Django has performed at festivals, dances and nightspots throughout the U.S. and abroad. The band’s signature style is marked by pristine and dexterous string work, colors of Bal Musette, the steady pulse of rhythm guitar and an unmistakable swing that delights audiences of all musical sensibilities.
Videos:
Piano Extravaganza w/ 8 hands on the piano
Bio coming soon!
Pianorama
Bio coming soon!
Tom Rigney & Flambeau
Sponsored by: Lauren & Lee Rowe
Tom Rigney, a fiery, electrifying violinist / composer, joins forces with some of the finest musicians on the San Francisco roots music scene to form Tom Rigney & Flambeau, a band that generates enough heat and energy to ignite a dance floor or lift an audience to its feet.
Tom Rigney & Flambeau were voted Best Cajun / Zydeco Band of 2004 by the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame. Cajun and Zydeco two-step, low-down blues, funky New Orleans grooves, and heartbreaking beautiful ballads and waltzes.
Videos:
Gary Ryan – Guest Artist
Sponsored by:
The well traveled and world-renowned funny man and banjo virtuoso will grace our stages this year. The owner of “Goofy Graphics” in Morro Bay, California.
He is no stranger to Sun Valley or the festival circuit. We are thrilled he will be joining us again this year with fine banjo skills and lots of merry making!
Don’t miss his “Story time” set. Watch for him. He may show up anywhere!
Side Street Strutters w/ Meloney Collins
Sponsored by: Melinda & Phil Sander
Meloney Collins sponsored by:
The Side Street Strutters have been busy presenting formal concerts, symphony pops programs and student outreach programs since 1983. They entertained guests at the Disneyland Resort for 22 years and are proud to present “Shiny Stockings,” a new show featuring the vocal stylings of Meloney Collins.
Together, the Strutters and Ms. Collins borrow from their extensive repertoire of beautifully crafted arrangements, colorful costumes, tap dancing, exciting showmanship and musicianship to create a performance which breathes new life into melodies popularized by the great songstresses of the Golden Age of Jazz. A most enjoyable, rewarding musical experience!
Videos:
Sun Valley Jazz Marching Band
Bio coming soon!
The U.S. Coast Guard Dixieland Band
Sponsored by:
The United States Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band was organized in 1970 to perform classic jazz, blues, and rags with a “New Orleans” flavor. The Band appeared at prestigious Traditional Jazz Festivals in Sacramento, California; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Washington, DC. The six-member group has also performed on numerous radio and television broadcasts across the nation, including CBS News This Morning and Fox and Friends.
The Dixieland Jazz Band has entertained audiences across America and around the world.
Video:
We Three
Sponsored by: Bob & Lynne Nicholson, Bill & Karen Turner, Ron & Carolyn Willis
If you have never been able to get in the door at a We Three set, it’s no surprise. While you never know what you’ll see (OR hear!) the entertainment is non-stop. This ever popular trio has more fun than should be allowed by law, and before you know it, they will have won your heart, too. Not to be missed. Superb showmanship, hilarious antics, great music.
We Three is a combination of great wit, unexpected antics, and a cacophony of delightful music. If you are in need of some good belly laugh time then be sure to catch this act!
Video: