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Joe Kleykamp - Alto SaxJoe Kleykamp is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, where he studied music education. Now retired, he started his career as a high school band director, but left public schools for a business career. He has continued his musical work playing with numerous local groups and has performed in concert with national acts such as, The Temptations, Four Tops, Lou Rawls and Franki Vali among others. He resides in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife Debbie and spends his time boating on Lake Cumberland and being a certified British car nut.
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David Maynard - Tenor SaxA native of Eastern Kentucky, David has been enthralled with the saxophone since the age of 12. Majoring in Music Education and Jazz Studies at Morehead State University, he has been able to put his passion for playing and woodwind doubling into action professionally. He has worked with students in private lessons, master classes for solo and ensemble as well as small and large jazz ensemble combo methods and jazz improvisation. David has been a member of numerous small jazz combo groups, the prestigious 202nd Army Band for 12 years, local and travelling theater groups, and the new music group “Down to the River”. David currently resides in Lexington with his wife Teresa where he is the Assistant Manager at the Willis Music Company’s Lexington store.
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Sam Carr - Tenor SaxSam has been playing saxophone since the age of nine. After making numerous honor bands in high school, including the All-USA school chorus, Sam continued his music eduction in college before changing his major to chemical engineering. Sam has continued to keep a very busy schedule playing in numerous central Kentucky ensembles. In addition to the MetroGnomes, Sam plays sax in his jazz quartet, Blue Grove Jazz . He is a community member of the Asbury Universtiy Jazz Band and is also is a longstanding member of the Advocate Brass Band. Sam also enjoys playing bass guitar for the praise band at his church and playing sax in wind ensembles at various churches in the area. Sam lives in Harrodsburg with his wife Kathy and son Spencer. It has been very rewarding watching his son Spencer grow as a musician himself and having the opportunity to make music together. When not at a gig or rehearsal, Sam enjoys keeping up with UK sports and helping to organize and promote the annual Fort Harrod Jazz Festival.
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Willow Cooper - Baritone Sax, VocalsWillow is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master’s degree in Music Education. During her time there she had the opportunity to play baritone saxophone in one of the UK saxophone quartets. Even before college she played baritone saxophone in the Henry Clay High School Jazz Band. She also participated in the UK Wind Ensemble, UK Symphony Band, UK Concert Band, UK Marching Band, UK Symphony Orchestra, UK Pep Band, UK Women’s Choir, UK Clarinet Choir, and was the uniform manager for four years. Other activities include playing clarinet in the orchestra at Tates Creek Christian Church, directing the bell choir, playing keyboard, and singing on the praise team. Willow is the current assistant band director at Beaumont Middle School in Lexington, KY, where she lives with her four dogs.
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Phil Kent - TromboneMr. Phil Kent a is a graduate of Western Kentucky University receiving a Bachelors degree in
Instrumental Music Education, K-12. He has earned a Masters in Music Education with a string emphasis from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. Phil is currently in his fifteenth year of teaching with the Lafayette HS Orchestra Department and the School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He also teaches elementary strings at Clays Mill Elementary. He has performed with various professional and community groups such as the Woodford County Community Theater, the Distilled Theater Group, the Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors, and the Yellow Dog New Orleans Jazz Band. Phil is married to his beautiful bride Amanda and enjoys hiking, camping, and traveling. They live in Harrodsburg, Kentucky with their two dogs Zara and Miles. |
Chase Clark - TromboneChase graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelors degree in Music Education and a Masters degree in Music Performance from Eastern Kentucky University. He enjoys teaching and performing and currently teaches private lessons in central Kentucky. As a performer, Chase has appeared with an extensive variety of musical groups with artists such as the Annie Moses Band, Wycliffe Gordon, and Bob Mintzer in venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry House. He had the privilege of recording on the album "Go" with Bob Mintzer. Chase also manages his own business tuning and repairing pianos.
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Matt Barnhill - TromboneMatt Barnhill grew up in Florence, Kentucky and is a 2003 graduate of Boone County High School. He received his Bachelors in Music Education degree from EKU in 2008 and his Masters in Trombone Performance degree from EKU in 2012. While at EKU, he won the music department concerto competition twice, in 2006 and in 2008. He also performed solos with the EKU Symphonic Band and was active in many ensembles, including the Jazz Band, Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Pep Band and Marching Colonels. Upon graduating in 2008, Mr. Barnhill was hired as the band director at R.A. Jones Middle School in Florence where he taught for two years before returning for his Masters degree. Since 2012, he has been the director of bands at Berea Community Middle and High School in Berea, Kentucky. He has performed with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra as a substitute and continues to perform with the Madison Community Band and Lexington Community Orchestra.
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Michael Bourne - Bass TromboneMichael is a senior at the University of Kentucky studying for his Bachelors in Music Education. During his time at UK he has had the opportunity to play in the UK Symphony Orchestra, the UK Wind Symphony, the UK Jazz Ensemble, the UK Trombone Quartet, the UK Trombone Choir, the UK Symphony Band, and the UK Lab Band. In addition he has performed at the 2013 CBDNA, KMEA, and Midwest Clinic with the above ensembles as well as recording with International Jazz Musicians Wycliffe Gordon, Bob Mintzer, Vince DiMartino, and Miles Osland. Upon graduating, he hopes to continue his education by pursuing a Masters in Music Performance.
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Kenny Knauer - TrumpetKenny is a native Kentuckian who likes a variety of music including jazz, rock, R&B, funk, alternative, blues and classical. Some of his favorite jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. Kenny also plays in the funk/r&b band Funk Seminary and has played in the Southland Christian orchestra since 1991. Kenny enjoys spending his spare time with his wife & his pet parrot, traveling and riding motorcycles
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Kevin Bowling - TrumpetKevin is a band director at Edythe J. Hayes Middle School in Lexington, Kentucky. He is currently in his 22nd year of teaching. Prior to his current appointment, Kevin served as the Director of Bands at Royal Spring Middle School and Assistant Director at Scott County High School from 2015-2018. Before that appointment, he served as the Director of Bands at Montgomery County High School from 2014-2015, McNabb Middle School from 2003-2014 and Montgomery County High School from 2001-2003. He also served as Director of Bands at Shelby Valley High School from 1997-2001. Kevin graduated from Morehead State University in 1996 with a Bachelor in Music Education. He also earned a Master of Arts in Secondary Education “Emphasis in Music” from Morehead State University in 2006. He is a member of KMEA, NAfME, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha fraternity. He has been awarded the 2000 KMEA District 9 High School Teacher of the Year, the 2002 “Outstanding Young Bandmaster in Kentucky”, presented by Phi Beta Mu, and the 2005 and 2009 KMEA District 8 Middle School Teacher of The Year. Kevin retired from the Kentucky Army National Guard in June of 2012 with over 20 years of service. He served as a trumpet player with 202nd Army Band of the Kentucky National Guard. Kevin resides in Mt. Sterling with his wife Jennifer and daughter Emily.
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Reg Richwine - TrumpetReg Richwine is a retired high school band director where he spent 35 years in public education. After retiring, he spent 6 years at the University of Dayton as an adjunct professor in the Music Department teaching jazz improvisation and working with the three jazz ensembles and playing in the Faculty Jazz Sextet. Reg played professionally in the Dayton, Ohio area for over 34 years with various local groups including the pit orchestra at the Schuster Center for many Broadway Shows. Reg has also performed in concert with national acts such as, The Temptations, The O’Jays, The Moody Blues, Jack Jones, Franki Vali, and Bernadette Peters. Since moving to the Lexington Area in July 2014 he has been performing with The MetroGnomes, Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors, Young At Heart, The Lexington Brass Band, The Central Kentucky Brass Band, and also as a sub for The DiMartino-Osland Jazz Orchestra. He enjoys spending lots of time with his wife Marthann, daughter Catie and her husband Cameron, and grand-daughter Emma.
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Milton Lowe - TrumpetMilton Lowe retired as Associate Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky after 20+ years. He spent 26 years in full-time and bi-vocational ministry and worked 5 years for a church software company. His first experience with a jazz band was when, as a graduate student in seminary, he played in the Asbury College Stage Band under the direction of James Curnow, internationally renown composer, arranger, and director. Milton enjoys helping fulfill the mission of The MetroGnomes, providing music that is fun to play and fun to listen to.
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Shaun Owens - TrumpetShaun Owens has been playing trumpet for 50 years. He was a Band Director with the Fayette County Public Schools for twenty nine years, spending seventeen years as Director of Bands at Bryan Station High School. Prior to this assignment, he directed the Jazz Ensembles at Lafayette High School, was Director of Bands at Tates Creek High School and Assistant Director of Bands at Henry Clay and Bryan Station High Schools. Mr. Owens received his Bachelor and Master Degrees in Music Education from Eastern Kentucky University and is a National Board Certified Teacher. He has been involved with the marching arts since 1975 and was a soloist for 10 years with some of the finest organizations in the world including the Madison Scouts of Madison, WI. Mr. Owens has arranged and instructed music for many bands and drum & bugle corps throughout the United States. He has 3 Drum Corps International World Championships, two as a soloist and one as a teacher. In 2020, he was inducted into the Buglers Hall of Fame.
Shaun Owens is currently the director of the Lexington Concert Band. The band is made up of professional musicians who are members of the American Federation of Musicians. The concert band performs for civic events in Lexington, as well as other public performances sponsored by the Music Performance Trust Fund. Mr. Owens has served on the Board of Directors for the Kentucky Music Educators Association as All-State Jazz Coordinator where he was responsible for selecting clinicians for the jazz clinics at the annual in-service conference as well as his duties in coordinating the All-State Jazz Ensemble. He has also served as host for Fayette County Middle School Honor Bands and the KMEA District 7 High School Honor Bands. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Owens has been lead trumpet with professional and university big bands including Dennis Oliver’s Madison Jazz Orchestra, the American Jazz Express and Lexington’s Men of Note, MetroGnomes and Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors. He has played for several heads of state including Jimmy Carter and George Bush, and has performed with Richard Davis, Don Menza, Wycliffe Gordon, Jeff Jarvis, John Stevens and Roger Pemberton. He continues to maintain a regular performance schedule as a freelance trumpeter. Learn more at SHAWK.com |
Larry Crawford - PianoLarry Crawford studied piano performance at The Cleveland Institute of Music and music ministry/education at Alderson-Broaddus College. He enjoys teaching kids to learn the wonders of music: from accompanying many local public schools to private lessons or seminars. His greatest influences are God and his wife, Ellen: both have taught him more than any textbook ever could.
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Bob Hackett - BassBob is a graduate of West Virginia University in Electrical Engineering and played bass in the WVU Symphony, marching band, ROTC Band, musicals and was a member of the Bellcastro Jazz Trio that won several awards at Notre Dame Jazz Festivals. Bob has had extensive experience on string bass, 5-string bass guitar and tuba in the New York & New Jersey area and has performed regularly with many groups in central Kentucky. These include the Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors (BAJA), Jim Stone Jazz Band and most recently the Metrognomes Big Band. Bob’s small jazz group experience includes groups such as the Walnut Street Ramblers, Dan Brock & Friends, Jessie Laine Powell, Jazzberry Jam, Colonel’s Choice and O-Zone. He has also played in several Broadway musicals that toured in Kentucky, such as Chicago and Ain't Misbehavin’. As a tubist, he is an original member of the Dixie group, The Honey Creek Stompers. Bob’s traditional jazz roots go back to performances with Max Morath, the noted Ragtime piano player who narrated the PBS series on Ragtime. Bob can be heard on nine CD’s produced locally. Bob’s electronic background includes engineering management of music amplification and speaker design at Ampeg, production & service management at Moog Synthesizers and more recently, as a laser cartridge manufacturing engineer at Lexmark here in Lexington, in Korea and in northern China.
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John Knight - Drums/PercussionJohn has been performing for 50+ years. He has performed with Billy Taylor, Ramsey Lewis, Sir Roland Hanna, Marcus Belgrave, Billy Hart, and Jeff Haas. Having been in Lexington for the last 19 years, John has performed with Jay Flippin, Bruce Martin, Raleigh Dailey, Miles Osland, Danny Cecil, Bob Hacket, Harold Sherman, Tom Senff, Jeff Coffin plus many others. John started teaching private lessons 2 years ago with many of his students realizing great success in SCAPA and CKYO.
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Julie Futch - VocalsJulie Futch, a Lexington native, graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, TN with a BSN in nursing and a minor in music. She currently works as a nurse at Kentucky Children’s Hospital and is a private vocal and piano instructor at Noteworthy Music. While her passion is to use her voice for God in worship, she also enjoys participating in community musical theater where she has played the role of Belle in the “Be Our Guest” production and Maria in the “The Sound of Music.” Julie has performed locally as a vocalist at Memorial Coliseum, Lexington Legends Stadium, Rupp Arena and the Kentucky Castle. She is happily married to John Futch and has two wonderful children named Olivia and Liam.
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