Meet the Band
The fine folks that make up The Rootin’ Tootin’s Dixieland Band:
John Morgan / Tuba and Band Director
John has been playing Tuba for over 15 years. He graduated College with a degree in Business Administration. John owns a small audio engineering company and runs sound for several churches in the Metro area. Along with being active in LCMA he also plays with the Parker Symphony Orchestra. John is the President of the Board of Directors of LCMA.
Bill Davis / Trumpet
Bill grew up in Panama City, Florida, but has lived in Colorado since 1980. He currently lives in Littleton, Colorado and has worked for a large cable company for the past 24 years. Bill started playing trumpet at 13 mainly to make out with girls in the back of the bus on band trips, but something happened along the way and it became one of his lifelong joys (the trumpet playing). After college he always found an outlet to play no matter where he lived. He’s played in orchestras, wind ensembles, English Brass Bands, Big Bands, Dixieland Bands, small brass ensembles, musicals, Taps for funerals of veterans and church settings. Some of his favorite trumpet bands are Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chase, Tower of Power and Maynard Ferguson. His trumpet heroes include Louis Armstrong, Bill Chase, Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Wynton Marsalis. Bill’s favorite trumpet quote by Dizzy – “Some days you get up and put the horn to your chops and it sounds pretty good and you win. Some days you try and nothing works and the horn wins. This goes on and on and then you die and the horn wins.”
Ron Ingle / Trombone
Bio Forthcoming
Ken Metz / Clarinet/Soprano Sax
Ken is a retired engineer (PE, Ph.D.) and manager who has lived in Franktown since 1996. Trained in traditional classical piano, plus clarinet and saxophone, his first exposure to jazz was a popular Dave Brubeck recording of Take Five that led to a long term interest in jazz improvisation. He has performed in musical groups ranging from solo piano, trios, small ensembles, and Dixieland bands to orchestras and jazz big bands. He has is also in the process of creating a virtual ensemble employing both acoustic and electronic instruments. Ken has been a member of the Rootin’ Tootin’s since 2009.
Mick Domenick / Tenor Sax/Vocals (our version of Louis Prima)
Bio Forthcoming
Chuck Florian / Clarinet/Tenor Sax
Chuck Florian has been teaching and performing music professionally for over 40 years. Chuck established Achord Music Studios in 1988, which has grown to 14 of the area’s finest music educators providing music lessons to students of all ages. He has held instrumental music teaching positions in several school districts in Colorado. Chuck served with the Air Force Band of the Rockies from 1964 through 1968 before enrolling at Adams State University graduating with BA in Music Education in 1971. He directed the Trinidad High School (THS) band at the 1971 Cotton Bowl and his Jazz ensemble was selected to perform at the Texas Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet. The next year Chuck arranged the music for his THS band’s performance at a Broncos half time show. He currently directs the Littleton Community Band, the Windjammers Jazz Orchestra, the Fort Logan Memorial Band, and the Youth Jazz Project and is a member of the VFW Band of Colorado.
Marsha Asheim / Piano (poor soul is surrounded by testosterone)
Marsha is a retired teacher who now owns a small business, A Knitted Peace, in downtown Littleton. She enjoys playing piano and occasionally clarinet with the band.
Matt Rose / Banjo/Piano
Matt Rose plays the banjo. Originally from Kansas, Matt spent 1994 to 2006 in Los Angeles where he operated a small music studio in his spare time. He received a Certificate in Film Scoring from UCLA Extension where he studied composition and conducting with Gerald Fried and Thom Sharp. He also studied composition and music theory with Dr. David Goodman at Santa Monica College. He spent one year at Hans Zimmer’s Media Ventures working with composers Mark Mancina, Jeff Rona, John Van Tongeren and Nick Glennie-Smith. Matt was past president of the Denver Pops-Mostly Strauss Orchestra and was Director of Instrumental Music at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch from 2010-2011.
Dustin Arndt / Drums
Bio Forthcoming
