The Band Bios

Ever since the early 1970's, when he was an award-winning Drum major
at Patrick Henry High School and voted most valuable band member his
senior year, Ira was destined in life to be a band leader

FULL BIO HERE

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Janet Hammer has degrees in music both from Palomar College and San Diego State and teaches several courses in vocal technique as well as leading the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Spectrum Singers, at Palomar College. She is the vocal coach for the musical show put on by Palomar College’s Performing Arts Department. She also has several private students and leads a youth choir at the Braille Institute. She holds the position of music director, choir director, and soloist at the Unity Center since 1996 where she leads two services every Sunday morning.
She also sings several nights each week at various restaurants and lounges throughout the San Diego area in a duo and leads a variety party band called, Rhythm Express. Her caroling quartet company, The Full Measure Carolers, which she began in 1990 has grown each season to include nearly 80 singers performing over 400 gigs in Southern California. She has performed on several worldwide tours and has opened for such name acts as the Pointer Sisters, the Platters, Johnny Cash and has worked with musicians from groups such as Maynard Ferguson, Natalie Cole, and the Righteous Brothers to name a few. Janet has recorded extensively as well. Her latest CD, “Never Let Me Go”, is mostly a collection of jazz standards backed by some of the best jazz musicians San Diego has to offer. Janet is honored to be the female vocalist with Ira Liss’s Big Band Jazz Machine for several years now. www.janethammer.com .

Charlie McGhee graduated with a music performance degree from San Diego State University and continued on to earn a music teaching credential. He has taught in the Escondido and San Marcos School Districts for 20 years, specializing in Middle School instrumental music. His school bands have consistently won highest honors at band and orchestra Festivals. His Jazz Bands are always award winning and are in high demand for performances throughout San Diego.

Professionally, Charlie has played drums with singers Billie Daniels, Shirley Jones, Sandra Dee, Bobby Caldwell, and The Ink Spots, and traveled with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Currently, Charlie plays regularly in the San Diego area with several groups while maintaining his school teaching schedule.

Charlie’s greatest passion is to share his love of music with his students in hopes of offering them a life long appreciation for the art of playing music. However, when he is not playing music, Charlie likes to deep sea fish off the coast of San Diego and Mexico, as well as travel with his wife Jane.

Born in September 1985, saxophonist Ross Rizzo grew up in San Diego, California. Ross attended Poway High School, helping their outstanding music program earn many awards. Ross held lead chair positions in the top concert bands and sat baritone sax in the advanced jazz ensemble. After graduating, Ross attended Palomar College where the likes of Keith Jacobson, Christopher Hollyday and Gunnar Biggs educated him and helped him create a unique style and flair. An exceptional student and multi-instrumentalist, he also plays guitar, flute and clarinet. Ross is well versed in many styles and forms including Jazz, Funk, Rock, Nu-Jazz, R&B and Latin. He is now attending California State University San Marcos, pursuing economics and music performance degrees. Ross has shared the stage with Eric Marienthal, Richard Elliott, Rockola, Minga and Keith Jacobson as a sax and guitar player. A leader of his own group and a regular in many other groups around town, Ross would like to thank all of his supportive family and friends and the ever-special people that are so far away. www.rossrizzo.com

Mark Nicholson kicked off his trumpet career in college, playing occasionally with the premier vocal jazz group “New York Voices”. From New York to California, Mark has captivated audiences in a wide array of classical, jazz, and popular venues. But Mark’s passion lies prominently with the big band genre. His credits include performances with renowned artists Gary Puckett, Pete Christleib, the Cab Calloway orchestra and the Nelson Riddle orchestra. Mark backed up Las Vegas entertainer Bill Acosta, comedian Shelley Berman, and accompanied both Harry Connick Sr. and Shirley Jones on the road for two action packed California tours. Mark’s credits also include appearances on Fox network series “Point Pleasant” playing the part of a leading musician during the big band era. Currently Mark plays for the Ira Liss Big Band Jazz Machine.

Born in San Diego, saxophonist Tyler Richardson has been studying saxophone for thirteen years. After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from San Diego State University, he is currently pursuing a Masters of Music degree at San Diego State University. Tyler has studied with saxophonists Lee Elderton, Jay Easton, Douglas Masek, Todd Rewoldt and John Rekevics.
Tyler performs a variety of styles such as classical, jazz, and contemporary rock. He has performed with many groups such as the SDSU Wind Symphony, both of the SDSU Big Bands, several Jazz Combos and Sax Culture, a SDSU sax quartet.
Apart from San Diego State University, Tyler has performed musicals with Moonlight Stage Productions at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. He has performed on soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, and clarinet for the musicals “The Fats Waller Show”, “Cabaret”, and “Dream Girls”. He has also performed on clarinet, alto, and tenor saxophone with the Lamb’s Players Theatre in the musical “American Rhythm” at the Lyceum in San Diego. Tyler has performed with local San Diego big bands such as Ray Vinole’s Monday Night Big Band and the Jazz Project Big Band. He is currently performing with the Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine.

Lance Jeppesen, Bass
Lance, born in Long Beach California, has been playing bass since he was 10. He began playing bass quite auspiciously by default being the youngest of a newly formed musical quartet and therefore the last to chose his instrument. Primarily self taught he credits his high school jazz program and it's ill-tempered instructor with an early appreciation of jazz. He attended Utah State University on a music scholarship and as young musicians do, left a quarter shy of his bachelors degree to pursue professional ambitions. He returned to university studies, albeit in the sciences, completing his doctor of chiropractic degree, and eventually returning to southern California. He, his wife and daughter, currently live in north San Diego and he has continued to play bass throughout his career with the distinction and good fortune of playing with the players who have played with the players.

After playing many years in various marching organizations from high school through college, and after playing 19 years for the SDSU Pep Band, Bob Worthington decided to move on to the more professional aspect of playing the trumpet. As a newcomer to professional big bands, he began in 2001 after playing for San Diego City College’s presentation of West Side Story. Through this he was asked to sub for rehearsals with the Del Bybee Big Band and the Coronado Big Band. Frequent subbing led to playing full-time in both bands and soon after Bob began subbing for the Ira Liss Big Band. After playing often for Ira’s band, Bob was asked to play full time in 2005. Bob now plays regularly for all three bands, and in addition to playing lead trumpet for the Coronado Big Band, he is also their director.

David Castel De Oro has been playing music professionally for over 20 years. He has performed all over California, and also in Nevada, Arizona,
Washington, Texas and Florida and internationally.

David also plays regularly with the Jazz Project big band, and with other big bands in the San Diego area. He also works with other groups in the area, including the Robin Henkel Band, Blue Largo, and others.
David is also an accomplished pianist and keyboardist and
holds staff accompanist positions at Southwestern College and Grossmont College. He is also accompanist for the Germania Choir of the German-American Socities of El Cajon. In addition, he does freelance work with other groups on keyboards.
David is also involved in music education. He is a member
of the Music Teachers' Association of California and maintains a clientele of
private students on piano, flute, clarinet, and saxophone.

Steve Kohlbacher moved to San Diego in late 2006 after living in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 30 years where he pursued a dual career as an active professional freelance musician and an IC Layout Designer in Silicon Valley.

He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music where he studied trombone with the late Emory B. Remington. After Eastman he spent one year touring with the Woody Herman Orchestra and was a part of two recordings with that band: “Thundering Herd” and Feelin’ So Blue”.

After moving to California, Steve spent several summers as a tenured member of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in New Mexico and returned to the Bay Area at the end of each season to perform with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, Opera San Jose, San Jose Symphony and American Musical Theater of San Jose as well as many other orchestras, and ensembles. He was a member of the highly acclaimed Full Faith & Credit Big Band for 13 years as well as one Northern California’s foremost brass quintets, The Vintage Brass Ensemble.

Steve Steinberg has a BA in jazz performance from San Jose State University and an MA in Jazz Studies from SDSU. A professional saxophonist and woodwind player, Steve has performed with many top jazz, R&B, and popular performers in the Bay Area and San Diego, such as The Manhattan Transfer, Terry Gibbs, Natalie Cole, Rosemary Clooney, The Temptations, Frank Sinatra Jr., Mel Torme, George Shearing, Aretha Franklin, and many others. Steve has worked with some of the leading big bands in California, including Full Faith and Credit, the Black Tie Orchestra and others. As a composer, arranger and performer, his work has been featured on many CDs including his own 1999 release, “Minor Excursions.”
In addition to playing professionally, Steve has been a music educator since 1984, teaching all levels, including elementary, middle school and high school instrumental music and university jazz improvisation, jazz history and jazz ensembles. He has been a judge and clinician at many jazz festivals, including Cal State Hayward, Cal State Stanislaus and several secondary schools throughout California.

Tim Hall. bass trombonist, is a native of Coronado, California and joined BBJM in 1991. He is co-leader of the San Diego Concert Jazz Band, and has been that band's bass trombonist since its formation in 1976. Tim has worked with jazz greats including Chubby Jackson, Bobby Shew, Sammy Nestico, and Rich Mattison, and performed at the Montreux and North Sea jazz festivals. He has served as pianist for East Hills Christian Fellowship since 1997, and enjoys writing arrangements for trombone choirs. By day, Tim is a director of a major marketing firm serving the automotive industry.

Ed Kornhauser is a young pianist who has already firmly established a burgeoning career in jazz. Studying under the tutelage of brilliant pianist Rick Helzer, he is in his senior year at San Diego State University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies and Jazz Piano Performance. In addition to school, he is also the featured piano player for saxophonist Chris Klich and his jazz quintet, performs frequently with the San Diego Concert Jazz Band, the blues-rock band Maddox Revolution, smokey jazz vocalist Joanna Royal, as well as various ensembles at SDSU and pickup bands around San Diego. He is also on-staff accompanist at Unity Way Church in Vista.