by Eddie LeShure For almost 30 years, drummer/singer Russ Wilson has worked as a professional musician and made a name for himself performing many varying styles of music including Rock, Country, Gospel, Blues, R&B, Dixieland, Big Band Swing, Bebop, pit work for Broadway style shows and Symphonic music. Of allContinue Reading
by Eddie LeShure Born in 1961 in Wayland, Massachusetts, art and music played a big part in Frank’s life from an early age. A local potter Margaret Hoenig taught classes for children that Frank attended, off and on, from age 6 through his teens. She was an incredibly inspiring womanContinue Reading
by Eddie LeShure “Post-adulthood” is the place that jazz guitarist Mark Guest now hangs his hat. “Don’t get me wrong, raising my kids was huge for me, but now that they’re grown and gone, well… life goes on!” says Mark. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Mark was actively gigging in theContinue Reading
by Eddie LeShure Here’s the saga of WNC’s Firecracker Jazz Band…related by founder JE (pronounced “Jay”) Widenhouse: “I’m from Concord North Carolina. I played trumpet in the marching band in high school. Both there and in college I studied jazz with Bill Hanna, who still plays piano and trombone inContinue Reading
by Eddie LeShure One of the south’s most creative, intuitive musicians, Sonny Thornton is a master drummer and a virtual legend in this region. And it should come as no surprise that Sonny became who he is when you look at his pedigree and experience. Born in the District ofContinue Reading
by Eddie LeShure “David Wilken is one of the best young Big Band composers in our country. He writes tunes the players and the people like to play and listen to. His music is playable, but yet challenging. We are so very lucky to have Dave Wilken in Asheville.” – trumpeterContinue Reading
by Eddie LeShure “I had the privilege of working with a fantastic bass player this past year. Thanks to Sharon LaMotte, who invited me to perform and teach a workshop in Asheville, I met Mike Holstein. He’s a gem. Thanks Mike for your great talent and dedication to jazz.” ~Continue Reading
by Eddie LeShure A great way to evaluate the impact an artist has made on the community they’re part of is to hear what other artists say about them. “As a founding member of the Asheville-based Jazz Composers Forum, Sharon LaMotte has brought lots of creative music and musicians toContinue Reading
