Get Outta Here! by Joni Janak & Centerpiece Jazz

They, too, have met with high praise in Jazz Journal (England), Jazzscene of Oregon, International Trombone magazine, The Denver Post, and Jazz Review (Canada), among others.

Queens, New York is the hometown of guitarist/arranger/composer stalwart Ed Stephen. Primarily a self-taught musician, he counts Johnny Smith, Howard Alden, George Van Eps, Bill Evans, and Phil Woods, among his influences. "In fact, an on-going goal of mine is to develop a technique like Johnny Smith, while coming up with ideas like Bill Evans!" quipped the gregarious and gracious Ed. After moving to Colorado in 1975, Ed taught Jazz Guitar at the University of Colorado at Denver. He continues to teach the guitar privately; he also teaches reading and English as a second language for the Range View Library District in Adams County.

His Colorado playing credentials include the type of diversity strongly associated with such a skilled musician as he is. He has worked with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Pops Concerts. Those concerts featured the likes of Michel Legrand, Carol Lawrence, Oscar Peterson, and Ferrante & Teicher.

He has played in the Walt Smith's Roaring Fork Jazz Party, which featured Harry Allen; the Sacramento Jazz Festival, and the West Coast Jazz Festival, where he worked with the Summit Ridge Jazz Band with Bob Craven as leader. Some of his other playing cohorts include the Gordon Dooley Orchestra, Joni Janak, Dean Ross, Ron Moewes, Vern Baumer, Bob Craven, and Carl Fontana. His first recording on JLE's label is

Get Outta Here!

Manzanola, Colorado is the hometown of the intrepid bassist Dean Ross. Except for a stint in the US Army Band, he has lived and worked in Colorado throughout his career. Musicians he has worked with include Ralph Sharon, Ross Tompkins, Billy Eckstine, Dave Grusin, Marlena Shaw, Helen 0' Connell, Steve Allen, Pete and Conte Candoli, Jon Hendricks, Big Tiny Little, Ron Moewes, Ed Stephen, Joni Janak, Ellyn Rucker, Dale Bruning, Spike Robinson, Rich Chiaraluce, and The Hot Tomatoes.

He has also worked with Chicago's James Dapogny's Band at the University of Northern Colorado as well as The Sounds of New Orleans. His first recording on the JLE label is Get Outta Here! with Centerpiece Jazz.

A native of Denver, Colorado, drummer Ron Moewes (pronounced Mavis) received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Later, he earned his Master's Degree in Creative Arts from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

With his degrees in hand, he began a 31-year career teaching music (orchestra, jazz band) in the Jefferson County school system. While he taught during the day, he gigged at night and on the weekends, making himself an indispensable drumming staple in Colorado. Ron has worked with such notables as

Ralph Sharon, Carl Fontana, Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Herb Ellis, James Moody, Zoot Sims, Pete Christlieb, Sonny Stitt, Jon Hendricks, Al Grey, Buddy DeFranco, Doc Severinsen, and Peter Appleyard.

In Colorado, he has worked with Joni Janak, Ed Stephen, Dean Ross, Ellyn Rucker, Rich Chiaraluce, Dale Bruning, The Gordon Dooley Orchestra, Ken Walker, Mark Simon, Eric Gunnison, Jeff Jenkins, Les James, Spike Robinson, and Bud Poindexter, among others. An outstanding composer and lyricist, some of his originals can be heard on his JLE recordings Ron Moewes & Friends: All This You Gave to Me and Get Outta Here!

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