BAND MEMBERS
Dave Dickey
Dave Dickey is a jazz and classical trombonist, educator, and band leader. Dave attended the University of North Texas and received a Bachelors in Jazz Studies. While at North Texas, he recorded two CDs with the famed One O’ Clock Lab Band directed by Neil Slater and one CD with the Zebras under the leadership of Dan Hearle. While at North Texas, Dave took lessons from the late great Vern Kagrice. Dave then moved to Miami and lived there for six years as a performing / touring musician and also a jazz radio DJ for WDNA-Miami. While living in Miami, he received his Masters in Jazz Performance from Florida International University. While at FIU, Dave took jazz lessons from the legendary Art Seres and classical lessons from Mark Hetzler. Next, Dave moved to Urbana, Illinois to work on his DMA in Jazz Performance. While he was there he was teaching music classes and jazz ensembles at The University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and Richland College in Decatur. Dave also took lessons at Illinois from trombone great Jim Pugh. He was also a busy freelance musician in the Chicago and Indianapolis area for jazz, salsa, studio recordings, club date bands, and classical performances.
Dave Dickey currently lives in Saint Louis, MO as a music educator and band leader. He current teaches the trombone studio and also jazz brass at The University of Missouri-St Louis. Dave has also taught classes and ensembles as the Director of Instrumental Music at St Charles Community College, Music Business at Lindenwood University, and Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band, and Music Technology at Lindbergh High School. Dave frequently performs in the St. Louis area, has his own private low brass and jazz improv studio, writing music, and contracting the 6 piece horn section for the popular Austin, TX touring rock band called Spoon. He is currently the leader of 3 bands the Dave Dickey Big Band, an 18 piece jazz big band featuring faculty from University of Missouri-St Louis, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Webster University, St Louis University, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri State University, and University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana www.davedickeybigband.com, and also leader of the Mosaic Jazz Sextet www.mosaicjazzsextet Dave is also co-leader of the Cubby Bones, a trombone quintet with Steve Wiest, Dave Dickey, Tom Garling, Andy Baker, and Tom Matta www.cubbybones.com He is also Past-President for Missouri Association of Jazz Education (MOAJE) and board member for the St Louis Low Brass Collective (STLLBC).
Dave Dickey has performed with artists such as Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente, Nestor Torres, David Sanborn, Louie Bellson, Dave Liebman, Bobby Shew, John Fedchock, Eddie Daniels, Randy Brecker, Byron Stripling, Vincent DiMartino, Kevin Mahogany, Art Seres, Vic Damone, Johnny Mathis, Melton Mustafa Orchestra, Dennis Noday Orchestra, Four Freshman, St Louis Symphony, St Louis Philharmonic, Lee Harris Orchestra, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Pete Peterson Jazz Colection Orchestra, Jim Widner Big Band, St Louis Jazz Orchestra, and many others.
Dave has also worked Motown and R&B artists such as the Temptations, Roberta Flack, Denise Williams, O'Jays, and the Manhattans.
While living in Miami, Dave Dickey has performed, toured, and recorded with many Latin / salsa artists, such as Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Israel López "Cachao", Rey Ruiz, Eddie Santiago, Tito Nueves, Luis Enrique, Huey Dunbar (DLG), Roberto Torres, Hansel y Raul, Tropicana All-Stars, Tito Puente Jr., Los Doctores del Ritmo, Marco Antonio Muniz, and others. During that time, Dave was an musician and actor for 2 DVDs: Arturo Sandoval’s HBO movie “For Love or for Country" and perfored and soloed in a documentary DVD/CD on Cuban music called "La Cuba Mia" backing up Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Miliki, and other Cuban artists. Other artist on the DVD include Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Albita, Donato, and others.
Dave was also the creator and programmer of a popular trombone internet radio show called Groove Bone from 2004-2013. This was a radio show featuring the trombone on small group and big band jazz, Latin jazz, and funk recordings. The show also featured interviews with well-known jazz trombonists and autographed CD contests. Dave was also a jazz DJ at WDNA - Miami for 5 years and at WEFT - Champaign for 4 years.
Danny Campbell
St. Louis born trumpeter Daniel Campbell, is a longtime musician in the area since the late 1980s. He studied trumpet performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music in the early 1990s. After coming back to his hometown for a brief period, he left to continued his studies in music at Northern Illinois University School of Music under the direction of Mr. Ronald Carter. Daniel can be seen performing various music styles in many settings. He has performed in bands that headlined artist such as Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis and Jimmie Heath. Currently Mr. Campbell is teaching trumpet lessons for Grand Center Arts Academy High School and Jazz Academy at Jazz St. Louis Bistro. He can be seen performing around town at your local music venues, churches and festivals.
Ben Reece
Ben is one of the top call jazz saxophonists in the St. Louis area playing with several local bands and working as a recording artist. He developed a deep appreciation for jazz at an early age, formalizing his passion by receiving his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in jazz performance from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville. Ben has been a part of the St. Louis Music scene since the late 1990's, with a deep passion for original music. He has been a woodwind instructor in both the private setting and in the public/private school sector. During the day, he is an instrument repair technician for Saxquest. Ben can currently be heard performing with the Jazz St. Louis Big Band, the Dave Dickey Big Band, Mosaic Jazz Sextet, the Saxquest Nonet Jazz Orchestra, The Sleepy Rubies, The Brothers Lazaroff, DJ Alexis Tucci, Kevin Bowers' NOVA, Hip Grease, David Grelle's Playadors, Circus Flora as well as his own project, The Unity Quartet.
Adam Maness
Adam Maness is a versatile pianist, arranger, composer, and producer best known as the co-founder and composer of the genre-bending chamber group, The 442s as well as the leader and pianist of his own piano trio featuring Bob DeBoo on bass and Montez Colman on drums. In addition to his own projects, he works frequently as an arranger and performer with other ensembles including classical-tango-jazz sextet, Cortango, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Bob DeBoo
Bob DeBoo was born in Fort Worth, Texas and has been involved in music since age 10. His musical life began as a drummer in school and grunge bands, but in his early teens he gravitated to electric bass - particularly after hearing Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Les Claypool. His journey towards playing Jazz really took hold when he heard Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come" in High School. He found a mentor in his first upright bass teacher, Michael Blanco. It wasn't long before he was playing gigs all over the DFW area.
Bob's formal music study began at the University of North Texas (1999-2001), where he studied with Lynn Seaton and Craig Butterfield. During this time he was playing with many great Jazz musicians in the Dallas area, such as Marchel Ivery, Shelley Carroll, Quamon Fowler, and Arlington Jones, to name a few. In 2001 he was awarded a substantial scholarship to study music at the New School in Manhattan (2002-2004). At the New School Bob was surrounded and influenced by many amazing young musicians. His primary bass teachers during his New School days were Ben Street, Michael Moore, Dennis Irwin, Cameron Browne, and Johannes Weidenmuller.
After graduating from the New School, Bob continued playing in the New York area with great musicians such as Frank Locrasto, Jeremy Pelt, Logan Richardson, Tommy Crane, and Manuel Valera. He also became more active in playing creative bands like Josh Mease's Superioirty Complex, an experimental drum-n-bass group named Doctor Oscillator, and a hip-hop group named The Piranhas. - all of which have several albums released in the early/mid-2000s.
An engagement to the love of his life, Beth, brought him to Saint Louis in 2006, where he has resided ever since. Bob has been incredibly active in the Jazz scene, playing with every major artist in the area. In Saint Louis he has worked often with Willie Akins, Freddie Washington, Denise Thymes, Ptah Williams, Erin Bode, Dave Stone, Adam Maness, Peter Schlamb, and Montez Coleman. A regular fixture at Jazz at the Bistro, he has been involved with many great musicians as they travel through the area - Terrell Stafford, Bruce Barth, Keyon Harrold, Adam Larson, Allison Miller, Peter Martin, Matt Wilson, Emmanuel Harrold, Houston Person, Johnny O'Neal, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown, Geoff Keezer, among many more. Bob is also active in leading his own groups - including performances at LouFest, Chesterfield Jazz Festival, and at Jazz at the Bistro. He is also known for hosting a long-running Jazz jam session at the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center.
Very involved in Jazz education as well Bob has taught for years with Jazz St. Louis' "JazzU" program, with Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz for Young People program, Peter Martin's Open Studio Network, and is an adjunct bass professor at Missouri State University and Jefferson College. He has also taught private lessons to many young bassists over the years and keeps a full roster of students.
Montez Coleman
Drummer Montez Coleman has been interested in playing the drums since the age of 4. He went to East St Louis Lincoln High School in the days when the Lincoln High School Jazz Band toured Europe and had the chance to perform at the famous Montruex and North Sea Jazz Festivals in 1989. Upon graduating from Lincoln High in 1991, Coleman received a scholarship to Shaw University, Raleigh, NC. After two and a half years at Shaw he decided to return home in order to immerse himself into the St. Louis Jazz Scene. He met the late extraordinary Willie Akins who invited Coleman to be part of his trio. After joining the band, Coleman got steady requests to play with other renowned St. Louis artists such as Jeanne Trevor, Denise Thimes, Reggie and Mardra Thomas.
Coleman made up his mind to move to New York in 2000 using the connections he had formed while backing touring musicians at Jazz at the Bistro in St. Louis. Not long after he settled in New York, Coleman was invited to play and tour with guitarist Russell Malone and pianist Bruce Barth. Later he appeared on Russell Malone's 2010 album. From 2006 to 2012 Coleman played and traveled nationally and internationally with the Roy Hargrove Quintet and Big Band, Coleman also tours around the world with jazz greats McCoy Tyner, Sherman Irby, Russell Gunn, Rufus Reid, Bobby Watson and Wynton Marsalis to name a few.