Hello,

Since I don't do Facebook or Twitter, I thought this would be the best way to let you know when and where I am appearing and what I've been doing. Many of you have asked, and I honestly can't keep up with where all of you are. So here I am, with all the latest info in one place. I hope to be able to keep in touch with more of you this way, and now you can contact me right here at the site. Thanks for visiting.

This site went online in 2011 and is written in "blog" style. I have created a page for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 15. Each year ends at the TOP, so start at the bottom (or where you left off) and work your way up. This is the page for 2015.

2015---

December 24th - Columbia United Methodist Church again had brass for the 11 p.m. Candle Light service.

The BW Alumni Brass played a service of Lessons and Carols for Lakewood's Episcopal Church of the Ascension on Sunday, Dec. 20th from 4-6 p.m. They had a nice dinner after the service.

The Strongsville City Jazz big band played a concert of Christmas Music on Friday, Dec. 18th. The venue was Strongsville United Church of Christ. A free will offering was accepted for the benefit of the church music program. A Jazzy Christmas...what a concept!

The Strongsville Community Band Winter Concert was Sunday, Dec. 13 at the Ehrnfelt Center at 3:00 p.m.

December 9 & 10 - The Cleveland TOPS Swingband played back- to-back Christmas concerts at The Waterford in Richmond Hts. from 6:30-7:30 p.m. These were for two different groups as they did not have a room large enough for all the people who wanted to come. VERY well attended and they loved the band.

The Trinity Cathedral Brown Bag Concert was Wednesday, Nov. 18th from noon-1:00 p.m. The Cleveland TOPS Swingband again played to a packed house.

The Strongsville Community Band played a split concert at Baldwin Wallace University (formerly College) on Sunday, Nov. 1st at 7:00. Band sounded great in Gamble Auditorium.

Friday, October 30 - I played a concert with Dave Tully's Quartet at a senior living facility in Westlake. 7-8 p.m.

The BW Alumni Brass was invited to play a combined church service of the Strongsville United Methodist Church on sunday, Oct. 18. It was held at Michaud's Town & Country Event Center.

Tuesday, October 13 - the TOPS band played a concert for residents of Center Ridge Nursing Home in North Ridgeville from 2:30-3:30.

JW & Company (my jazz quartet) provided background music for the Taste of Strongsville" held at Petiti's Garden Center in Strongsville. The date was Thursday, Oct. 8th and we played from 5:30-9 p.m.

The BW Alumni Brass played a one hour concert for the Strongsville Historical Society's Harvest Fest from 2:30-3:30 on Sunday, Sept. 27.

Wednesday, Sept. 23rd found me at DeLuca's in the Park in Lorain for a 3-hour gig with Doc McDonald's big band. We played fro 7-10. Always a fun band.

The Strongsville City Jazz big band played a concert at the MetroPark chalet to kick off the annual Art in the Park event, a fundraiser for the Arts in Strongsville Foundation. We played from noon to 12:45 on Saturday, Sept. 20th.

ManorCare at Euclid Beach hosted the TOPS band on Wednesday, Sept. 9th from 2:30-3:30.

The Cleveland TOPS Swingband played a concert at North Olmsted Senior Center (right next to the gazebo) on Thursday, Sept 3rd from 12:15-1:15. These are luncheon events and we seem to do these at least once a year.

Friday, August 28 I was a sub in the Swing City Big Band, a welcome change because the arrangements are different. We were in the North Olmsted Gazebo at their "homecoming" festival.

A rare back-to-back TOPS band set found us at Jennings Home for Older Adults in Garfield hts. Thursday, August 27th, outdoors in the parking lot, indoors if rain. 6:30-7:30.

The Cleveland TOPS Swingband played a concert for the residents and staff of Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home in Euclid on Wednesday, August 26th from 2:15-3:15. Beautiful facility, nice people.

Sunday, August 23rd had me at two places (but not at once). In the morning, the BW Alumni Brass played for the 10:30 a.m. service at Columbia United Methodist Church. Prelude, all the hymns, offertory, and the postlude. In the evening from 6-8 p.m. the Strongsville City Jazz big band played a concert at the Hudson Bandstand.

The Cleveland TOPS Swingband played a concert at Harvard Senior Center on Wednesday, August 12th from noon-1:00 p.m. They invited some kids from the summer recreation program in for the show and they seemed to have a good time.

Cardinal Village in Stow was the site of a TOPS concert for the residents of that senior facility on Monday, August 10th from 1-2 p.m.

The Cleveland TOPS Swingband played a concert at Lakewood Park on Sunday, August 9th from 7-8:30 p.m. This is where we played our first concert on June 10, 2005.

Friday, August 7th was the final summer concert by the Strongsville Community Band. We all look forward to the fall season.

Friday, July 31st was the annual Strongsville City Jazz big band jazz concert at the Ehrnfelt Event/Senior center. These are held inside from 7:30-9 p.m.

The Strongsville Community Band summer concert series continued on Friday, July 24th.

Wednesday, July 29th found the TOPS band at Shaker Gardens senior living for a 6:30-7:30 p.m.concert.

The Strongsville Community Band summer concert series continued on Friday, July 24th.

Cleveland TOPS Swingband played a concert at Suburban Pavilion Nursing Home in Warrensville on Thursday, July 23rd from 2:30-3:30.

The Woodlands senior living facility in Bedford enjoyed a TOPS band concert on Monday, July 13th from 1-2 p.m.

The Strongsville Community Band summer concert series continued on Friday, July 10th.

Saturday, July 4th found me at Settler's Landing the the Clevaland Flats playing Sousa marches the John Petrone's Little Sousa Band from 7:15 until dark when the fireworks program began.

Sunday, June 28th the Strongsville Community Band took their summer concert series to the Hudson Bandstand from 7-9 p.m.

The Strongsville Community Band summer concert series continued on Friday night June 26th.

Wednesday, June 24th found the TOPS band at Willow Park Nursing Home in Cleveland for a one-hour concert (2:30-3:30).

Musician Towers (senior living) in Cleveland Hts. enjoyed a concert by the Cleveland TOPS Swingband on Wednesday, June 17th from 1-2 p.m.

Sunday, June 14th the Baldwin Wallace Alumni Brass Collective (quintet) played for St. Andrews Presbyterian Church's morning service/picnic. As usual we were invited to stay and partake of wonderful home-made picnic items. Yum!

The Strongsville Community Band summer concert series began on Friday, June 12th at 7:30. These are VERY well attended and fun to play.

Eliza Bryant Village was the venue for a TOPS concert on Wednesday, June 10th from 2-3 p.m.

JW & Company (my jazz quartet) provided background music for the annual Senior Art Show at the Ehrnfelt Senior Center on Friday, May 29th from 6-8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 27th found the Cleveland TOPS Swingband at the A.M. McGregor Home for Senior Living in East Cleveland for a 7-8 p.m. concert.

The City of Cleveland Senior Day was held on Wednesday, May 20th. This all-day event features a box lunch, health screenings, job fairs, and goodie bags. Plus the mayor, city council and a few other wags with a few choice words. The TOPS band opens this event with a one hour concert from 10-11 a.m.

The Strongsville Community Band performed their annual spring concert on Sunday, May 15th from 3-4-30 p.m. Almost a full house.

TAPS at military funerals is many times now simulated by a uniformed military person using a bugle with a microchip and small speaker inside the bell of the instrument. Not authentic, but it is always perfect on every note. I played TAPS "live" for such an event at a cemetery in Brooklyn, Ohio on Friday, May 15th at noon. The graveside service was so well attended I was relegated to stand under a tree in a steady rain and wind instead of under the canopy tent. I did not miss any notes.

West Park Health Care in Cleveland was the site of a concert for residents on Wednesday, May 13th from 2:30-3:30.

Falling Water Senior Living in Strongsville hosted the TOPS band for a concert on Thursday, April 30th from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

The Strongsville City Jazz big band played a one-hour segment (6-7 p.m.) of a benefit of the Strongsville Education Foundation at the Ehrnfelt Event/Senior Center. It was held Friday, April 24th.

The Strongsville Senior Variety Show "Puttin' On The Glitz" was presented at Strongsville High School Friday, Saturday, and Sunday April 10-12. This 14th edition showcased pop music, then and now and included music of Cole Porter, Motown Hits, Jersey Boys (The Four Seasons), Glenn Miller, Simon and Gafrunkel, Merle Travis, Willie Nelson, The Bee Gees, and more. The back-up band again played excellent support... new this year was trombonist Dale Hildebrand. Thanks to Ken Mehalko and his wife Beverly Wehr for putting together another great show.

Parker Place in Mentor hosted the Cleveland TOPS Swingband for a 2:30 concert on Thursday, April 9th. The facility took out an
ad in the Lake County paper that brought some new faces and it looked like a near sell-out from my vantage point in the trumpet section. I wish I had noticed the post was in the frame before I took the picture.

Good Friday was April 3rd this year---the Columbia and Strongsville United Methiodist Church choirs, and 21-piece chamber orchestra presented Joseph M. Martin's "Song of the Shadows" as a Tenebrae Cantata this time at Strongsville United Methodist Church at 8 p.m. Also joining were members of Berea United Methodist Church choir and other community singers. Over 440 attendees enjoyed a very moving and meaningful performance. My wife, Marcia, produced and directed the event with the assistance of SUMC Music Director Don Shearer.

Famicos Senior Apartments (the old Notre Dame High School for Girls) was the first of another back-to-back set for the Cleveland TOPS Swingband. It bagan Monday, March 30th at 4:00 followed by Fairfax Place on Tuesday, March 31st at 2:30. Jim Anastasi is having some health issues so Mike Galloway has joined us and has done a great job. Mike and I were at BW as the same time and he has retired and moved back to the Cleveland area.

On Sunday, March 22nd I began a run of six shows in five days with a Las Vegas couple who created a show called Barbra and Frank-the concert that never was. Frank Sinatra and Barbra Striesand never performed live together although they did record together (just not in the same room). The backup band was piano, bass, drums, trombone, sax doubling flute and clarinet, and me on trumpet. We began at the Croatian Lodge Hall in Eastlake with an 11:30 a.m. rehearsal and a 4:00 show. Monday we returned for a 1:30 luncheon show and from there it was Tuesday in Columbus at 1:30, Wednesday at 1:30 at Packard Music Hall in Warren, and Thursday at Carrie Cerino's in North Royalton for two sold-out shows at 1:30 and 8:00. The shows ran 90 minutes with no intermission, 30 or more songs. I really enjoyed this one but I wish I had not had the sinus infection. This was a very entertaining show.

Dick Wooley, co-founder (with Joe Trzcinski) of the Cleveland TOPS Swingband, music director emeritus, arranger, and visionary passed away on March 16th after a long battle with lung disease. The TOPS band is committed to ensure his legacy continues.

The classic rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar was presented at True North Cultural Arts Center in Sheffield from Feb. 27-March 15th...three weekends...nine performances. Musical director Anthony Trifiletti asked me to play in the orchestra and what an interesting experience it was. The biggest surprise was that the orchestra was NOT IN THE SAME ROOM as the cast. The stage area is small and could not accomodate our 9-piece group and the large cast so, we were down the hall at the other end of the building. It WORKED. The small 80-seat theater we were in had a live video feed (pic below) from the stage of the 200 seat theater.
All the instruments were miked and sent to the main theater to be mixed by the sound engineer. The cast could not SEE us but they (and the audience) could HEAR us. Dangerous to say the least. All the performances were sold out and I must say the cast did a wonderful job with the often difficule music of Andrew Lloyd Weber. The music director sat at the keyboard facing the video wall. In front of him was the utility percussionist (timpani, synthesizer). To the left on the picture is the guitar, bass guitar, and drum set. To the right is trombone, me (trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet), and behind the brass is flute doublng piccolo and clarinet doubling flute.

Sunday, Feb. 22nd was an interesting day. At 3:00 the Strongsville Community Band performed their winter Concert and at 7:30 p.m. the BW Alumni Jazz Orchestra played their annual concert. I'd rather not play two major events in one day so I'm just glad I survived.

The BW Alumni Brass Collective (quintet) played a noon brown bag concert at Messiah Lutheran Church on Tuesday, Feb. 17th (Shrove Tuesday). Then we returned as part of the entertainment for the free community dinner starting at 4:00 p.m. Thank you to church music director David Gooding for the invitation, we'd like to do it again.

Pilgrim Church in Tremont

is known for its varied musical programs.

I was part of a dixieland combo that played for the morning worship service on Sunday, Feb. 15th...the Sunday before Lent: Tom Fries (leader) on drum (yes, ONE snare drum), Bob Gref on clarinet, and Art Mason on banjo. The trombone player had a flat tire and missed the gig.

The Cleveland TOPS Swingband doesn't often do back-to-back concerts but Wednesday, Feb. 11th we made an execption for one of our regular stops at Eliza Bryant Village in Cleveland.

The Cleveland VA Hospital hosted the Cleveland TOPS Swingband on Tuesday, Feb. 10th from 2-3 p.m. This is a new venue for the band and it looks like we made a lot of friends. Many thanks to the nice folks that helped us get our equipment in and out.

Saturday, January 31st found me at the Strongsville Senior/Event Center. I had a small combo that played for two hours from 7-9 p.m. prior to the main event which was dancing to a live "Motown" band. The Arts in Strongsville fundraiser is an annual soiree that brings out the movers and shakers.

My first gig of 2015 was at Vantage Place with the Cleveland TOPS Swingband on Wednesday, January 14th from 2-3 p.m. The venue was small but we squeezed in and the residents really enjoyed our performance.

Check back soon for more updates. Thanks for visiting my site.

Jim