Coast to Coast Jazz Band
Member Bios
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John Skillman: Clarinet / Co-Leader
Dekalb, Illinois & Lake Wales, Florida
John is the co-leader of the Coast to Coast Jazz Band, as well as the leader of the Barb City
Stompers Band in Dekalb IL, and the New Orleans Nighthawks in Florida. For the past 31 years, he has
been the clarinetist in the Buck Creek Jazz Band. He also is the clarinetist for both the Chicago Hot
Six Jazz Band, and for the (International) CanAmGer Jazz Band. He has performed at numerous jazz
festivals in USA, Canada, Scotland and Europe. His style ranges from down-town New Orleans to Chicago
to Swing.
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Mike Evans: Banjo / Guitar / Vocals / Co-Leader
Columbus, Ohio & Bradenton, Florida
Mike is the co-leader of the Coast To Coast Jazz Band as well as the leader of the Toll House Jazz
Band in Columbus, Ohio and the (International) CanAmGer Jazz Band. The Toll House band recently
celebrated their 16th year. The Toll House Band has played at festivals throughout the Midwest
including the Bix Beiderbecke festival in Davenport, the Coon-Sanders festival in W. Virginia and the
Early Jazz Festival in Ohio. Mike has led the Toll House and CanAmGer Jazz Bands on four tours in
Europe including performances at jazz clubs and festivals in Munich, Dresden, Leipzig, Regensburg and
in Brunico, Italy. Mike performed as solo banjoist aboard the American Queen riverboat on the
Mississippi River. He was recently inducted into the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame. In
addition to tenor banjo, Mike sings and plays plectrum banjo and guitar
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Paul Monat: Cornet
Plainville Massachusetts
Our lead horn player is Mr. Paul Monat (pronounced "MAH-nit", rhymes with "bonnet"). Paul has over 35
years experience playing a driving
Dixieland/Swing horn. He started on tuba (still plays it) and string bass in 1963, and played with
Italian bands and Up with People in Springfield Mass during the late 60's. He played in the '70s with
Art Hodes, Teddy Wilson and other members of the Coon Saunders Nighthawks Club in Wethersfield CT.
He played harmony cornet & trumpet with the Yankee Rhythm Kings from 1974 to 1981. He helped start
the Blue Horizon Jazz Band in 1981. He went to the Japan Kobe festival in 1982 with the Uptown Lowdown
Jazz Band second cornet to Bert Barr. He has recorded with the Albany NY's premier jazz group, Skip
Parsons' Riverboat Jazz band (with Eddie Hubble on trombone). He is currently the cornet sub for
Tony Pringle in the New Black Eagle Jazz Band and played the Sacramento Jazz festival in 1977-8-9,
1980, 1982. He also plays lead horn in the Beale Street Jazz Band and has recorded 2 CDs with them.
In Massachusetts Paul is an active part the Northeast Jazz scene with his own Band The New Condon Mob amongst
other bands.
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Gordon Moore: Trombone
Dayton, Ohio
Our trombonist, Gordon Moore, has been playing the trombone since age 11. Gordon’s current day job
is a high school biology teacher in Miamisburg, Ohio. At a previous school, Gordon organized
several of the high school faculty into a Dixieland Band called the Do’s and Don'ts of Dixie. This
band played locally near Dayton, Ohio for 10 years, and, on three occasions, played in the
Grand Cayman Islands, as jazz ambassadors under government sponsorship. Gordon also plays with Dave
Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers. This band has, for the last 24 years, played in numerous
jazz clubs and festivals on the east coast, plus several trips/concerts to Belgium. Gordon regularly
substitutes with the Mike Evan’s Toll House Jazz Band from Columbus Ohio including a recent
performance for 700,000 fans at the International Jazz Festival in Dresden, Germany
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Larry Nusser: Piano
Lancaster, Ohio
Larry is an exceptional traditional jazz pianist, and, as a ragtime pianist, he is considered one
of the finest in the U.S. In addition to his strong ensemble and back up work, he plays exceptionally
creative solos and excites the audience with his outstanding ragtime specialty numbers. On the Ohio
scene, Larry has played with Jerry Weaver's Good Time Jazz Band and the Classic Jazz Stompers of
Dayton. He has filled in for the Buck Creek Jazz Band in Washington DC, toured Europe (Belgium,
Germany, Italy) and was featured pianist aboard the Delta Queen riverboat on the Mississippi.
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Sid Townsend: Bass & Tuba
Columbus, Ohio
Sid Plays String Bass, Tuba and Electric Bass. He has played professionally throughout the Midwest
for 40 plus years He Has a Bachelor and Master degree in Music Education, from the Ohio State
University, and has taught music in the public schools for 30 years; and, is now retired. He has been
an adjunct professor at the Capital University Conservatory of Music for 14 years and has taught as
adjunct bass professor at the Ohio State Univ. and Otterbein College. In Ohio, Sid is presently
playing with the High Street Stompers Dixieland Band, the Buckeye Tailgaters Band, and the Columbus
Ohio Broadway across America Pit Orchestra. He has toured with the Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk
Orchestras and has recorded with Terry Waldo and Carmen Cavallaro. He has performed with musicians
such as Warren Covington, Les Elgart, Myron Floren, Ken Peplowski, and Randy Rinehart.
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Stan Mulder: Drums
Winter Haven, Florida
Stan grew up in a musical home. His father and uncles were musicians and music educators. He
started playing drums at age 12 after watching Buddy Rich. Stan studied drums with Mr. Dick Vild
growing up in Winter Haven Florida and later with Gary Werdesheim at Florida State. Stan was inspired
and mentored as a teen by Bill Allred and the band at Rosie O'Grady's in nearby Orlando. Stan played
in the Pride of Dixie Dixieland Band in the 1970's as a teenager. They played throughout Central
Florida, traveled to New Orleans, performed at a televised PBS fund raiser, recorded an album and
also appeared as a guest band at Rosie O'Grady's in Orlando. He has played with Esther Satterfield,
Nat Adderley and Brian Seeger. Stan plays with the New Orleans Nighthawks Jazz Band in Florida with
John Skillman. Stan also fills in with the CanAmGer Jazz Band on occasion.
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