February 2010's Featured Band

Devil Mountain Jazz Band

Photo By Noel Weidkamp

Down Home Rag (264KB)        

Chimes Blues (351KB)             

Cake Walking Babies (250KB) 

Since 1982, dancers and followers of classic jazz have enjoyed the sounds of the Devil Mountain Jazz Band - named after Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County, California.

Devil Mountain, hailing from Oakley, California, entertains jazz fans with a wide variety of musical styles from the early part of this century, ranging from ragtime to the hot jazz and dance music of Chicago and New York in the 1920s.

At many jazz events, the band presents Special Feature programs reviving the sounds of the masters of the 'Golden Age of Jazz' : Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin, Bix Beiderbecke, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and others.

Devil Mountain also recreates the West Coast revival styles of Lu Watters, Bob Scobey, and Turk Murphy. Watters' pianist, Wally Rose, frequently appeared with the band and recorded with them also.

For special dance or festival occasions, the band creates the hot dance orchestra sound similar to the Ellington, Goldkette and Henderson bands. The most popular of the special programs includes 'The Music of Louis and Lil Hardin Armstrong', 'West Coast Revival' (Lu Watters/Turk Murphy) and 'Jazz From the Movies'. At festivals they have also presented several gospel music shows, whilst Ken and Jean Keeler - on banjo and piano respectively - have entertained as a ragtime duo at numerous festivals.

The Devil Mountain jazz band has performed at several hundred jazz festivals and entertained at hundreds of parties, weddings, dances, jazz society concerts and a dozen jazz cruises throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Japan.

The Pleasanton Hotel was home to the Devil Mountain jazz band for 14 years and the band continues to host the popular 'Friends of Jazz' dance/concert series (which started in 1987!) at the Vets Hall in Walnut Creek (CA) on the third Saturday of each month.

KEN KEELER - Leader, banjo, guitar .
A former pilot for the USAF and TWA, Ken is retired from an industrial sales career in electronics instrumentation, and continues life as a farmer and freelance musician/ band manager. As a boy, he played banjo and mandolin in the family square dance band, backing his father as dance caller. His first exposure to Dixieland music was Spike Jones' 1941 recordings. Ken shares many of Spike's musical philosophies, unlike some members of the band! He studied trombone in high school but became fascinated with early jazz music in college where he played banjo with several bands. Ken was a featured performer in Japan at the 1988 Kobe Jazz Street festival, and can be heard as guest string-man on several other nationally-known jazz bands' recordings. He is a renowned ham radio competitor and has built a very large station on his vineyard in the San Joaquin Delta.

VIRGINIA TICHENOR - Piano

Virginia has been consumed by ragtime her entire life, as the daughter of Trebor Tichenor , the noted ragtime scholar, pianist, collector and founder of the St. Louis Ragtimers. She is one of the few and best women playing ragtime in the country. VT has been a featured performer at the major Ragtime festivals in St. Louis , Sedalia, and Carthage, Missouri, and the West Coast Ragtime Festival in Sacramento, CA. Virginia has released two CD's, Virginia's Favorites, and the Family Album, with dad Trebor and her husband, bassist and pianist Marty Eggers.

PETE MAIN - Clarinet, alto & soprano sax, vocals and duck call!
Pete is a retired music teacher and spends time at the duck-hunting club and goes fishing a lot. He taught at the Navy Music School, played in the Santa Clara Philharmonic Orchestra, and performed in a Renaissance music group in Stockton for many years. Pete founded this band , when he assembled a few friends of his for a gig at the Byron firehouse in April, 1982. He's unearthed some fine old novelty tunes to sing with the band.

NOEL WEIDKAMP - Cornet.
Joining DMJB in 2000, Noel has been playing cornet since since he was 9 years old, inspired by his bandleader father. He played in his brother's dance band at the age of 12 and has been playing popular music ever since. A 'recovering' member of the Stanford Marching Band, he has played with big bands and small combos while pursuing a career as a real estate developer. He has retired from this endeavor and is now a full time musician, working with such area bands as, Phil Howe's 'Jazz D'Elegance', the Bay Area Repertory Big Band, and the swing group, '400 years of Swing', as well as primary lead horn with DMJB.

KEN BROCK - Cornet.
Ken Brock is a 1969 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has been playing Trad/Dixie since his high school days in San Diego. Since 1960 he played with the likes of Warren Covington, the dance bands of Guy Lombardo and Jan Garber Orchestra, Nelson Riddle, Stan Kenton, the San Diego Chargers big-band, on tour with the Spinners for USO Shows Overseas, and "rock" bands in Alaska, Hawaii, and the far west states. Ken has been an Instrumental Music teacher since 1979, and is currently at Diablo View Middle School in Clayton, CA. These days, Ken will answer the phone to play with anyone, as long as it's fun. He currently co-leads the Jambalaya Jazztet jazz band.

GLENN CALKINS - Trombone, Ophicleide.
Glenn started playing trombone in fourth grade in 1955. His parents would host a jam session every Monday night at their home in Alhambra. Occasionally such musicians as Mike Delay, Buddy Burns, Teddy Buckner and Alton Purnell would show up, though it was usually a more motley crew. He has played with The Fly By Night Jazz Band, The Resurrection Brass Band, and The Red Pepper Jazz Band; he continues to play with The Golden Eagle Jazz Band, The Zenith Jazz Band, Ted Shafer's Jellyroll Jazz Band, The Eldorado Synchopators, Tom Sharpstein's Orlandos, The 4th Street 5, and The Skiffle Symphony. Glenn is a retired road construction inspector for Los Angeles County. He now lives North of Sebastopol, where he is enjoying the good life and caring for Zinfandel and Petite Syrah vines and making his own wine. In addition to trombone, he plays string bass, Albert system clarinet, jug, and ophicleide. Glenn's trombone heroes include early Kid Ory, Bill Rank, Charlie Green, Miff Mole, J. C. Higginbotham, Roy Palmer, and "Tricky" Sam Nanton.

ALLAN GRISSETTE - Drums.
Allan has been providing solid rhythm to a variety of groups since the late fifties, including symphonic and stage orchestras, country, rock, and dance bands. Tom Cantrell and Allan's high school big band was one of the first to make a recording in 1960. He played with DMJB at our first festival in 1983, and rejoined us in 1988. During the work week, Allan is a commercial appraiser with the County Assessor's office, and on weekends, works as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff.

KEITH BALTZ - Tuba.
Keith started his musical training at age 7 on the accordion (!), played baritone horn at age 10, and began on the tuba in high school. He studied tuba in college, and for many years, was band director for Davis High School in Modesto, CA. He is also a building contractor. He has played professionally with various groups including brass quintets, marching and polka bands, and has been in demand as a jazz tubist with numerous Dixieland bands since 1980. He first joined Devil Mountain JB in 1988.

• Date: Sunday, March 22, 2009
• Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Price: members: $8, non-members: $10
• Location: Sunnyvale Elk's Lodge
• Directions:  From 101, Exit Matilda Av. South, Turn Right on Maude Av. Turn Left on Pastoria Av
  The Elks Lodge is on the Right. Parking on both sides of the building, entrance is on the Pastoria Ave. Side

           The Elk's Lodge is at 375 N. Pastoria Av. Sunnyvale, California. ( get map )

updated 3/1/08