John Chivers on Banjo

A Graduate of Wesleyan and

retired teacher of German at Phillips Andover,

now living in Wentworth, NH.  First played jazz

at age 17.  Thence 1960's banjo bands, the Bob

Connors Band (1967), the Reinterpretation Jazz

Band (1980's) and leader of The Granite Gumbo.

                                       Dave Cook, Clarinet, Band Leader

                                       A CFA Investment Counselor (self-employed), now retired to Elkins,       

                                       NH.  For whom jazz clicked in high school (1951).              

                                       Bands played for include the Dartmouth Indian           

                                       Chiefs (1950’s), the Reinterpretation Jazz Band    

                                       (1980's), the West Newbury VFA. Marching Band    

                                        and The Granite Gumbo.  Dave also plays sax.

Alden Keyser on Drums and Kazoo 

A 38-year career as CFO, hangs his hi-hat at Eastman in Grantham,

NH and Sarasota, FL.  Alden started his

drumming in the fifth grade. A University of

North Carolina Tarheel, he has played with

The Windjammers, Scituation Swing and his

annual Spring gig at the Dalton Club, Newburyport,

MA.  

                                          Whit Wendel on Valve Trombone

                                          A former Publishing VP and Custom Home Builder, now living

                                          in Elkins (a Harvard graduate), did prior stints

                                          with the Great Little Jazz band, the Blue Ribbon

                                          Jazz Band, and the Blue Horizon Jazz Band dur-

                                          ing his fifty-plus years of tooting the jazz horn.

Bill Zimmerman on Cornet

A U.NH undergraduate, Miami Ph.D,

retired Superintendent of Schools

in Hanover, NH and Wayland, MA, lives at East-

man.  First dance band at 13, first jazz at 16.  Be-

sides cornet, Bill plays trombone, piano, clarinet

and saxophone.  Band affiliations include the

Alan Kendall Orchestra (saxophone) and the

New New Orleans Jazz Band (trombone).

                                          Barry Bockus, string bass, Dartmouth graduate

                                          and retired banker, lives in Norwalk, CT and

                                          Belleair, FL.  Barry played in the Dartmouth

                                          Indian Chiefs with Dave Cook (1950’s).  He's

                                          the regular bass player for the widely acclaimed

                                          New Black Eagle Jazz Band.  On our 2008 CD,

                                          Barry ably filled in for former tubist, Lyle Schubert.

Robin Verdier, CD piano on Old Rockin' Chair,                                                        

in the CD lives in Belmont, MA.   MIT physicist

(retired), but still a multi-band "professor" of jazz key

board (now in his 4^th year with The Granite

Gumbo).   Robin guest-appears with the GSS not

nearly often enough. 

                                         Andy Bourke on Tuba/String Bass

                               A  University of Maine graduate

                                         (B.S. Wildlife  Biology),

                                         served as an active duty military musician for

                                          26 years. Retired in  2009 after 5 years  as bassist

                               with the U.S. Army's Jazz Guardians. He has                           

                               played all styles of music from brass quintet to

                               orchestral, rock and funk to straight ahead jazz and swing.