DAN LEVINSON'S ROOF GARDEN JASS BAND

The Roof Garden Jass Band
CYLINDER RECORDINGS

Several years ago, antique specialist and genius sound engineer Peter Dilg brought his vintage cylinder recording equipment on location to a barn in Shelter Island, NY, and recorded the Roof Garden Jass Band, using 100-year-old wax cylinder blanks from the Edison National Historic Site. Now, though a revolutionary process recently developed in England, these two-minute cylinders are available in limited quantities to the public. More durable than wax, they are virtually indestructible and will last a lifetime with proper care and storage.

The following Roof Garden Jass Band titles are available:

Send $25.00 plus shipping and handling ($2.00 within the U.S., $4.00 to Canada, and $6.00 overseas) to:

Peter Dilg
906 Merrick Rd.
Baldwin, NY 11510

Or you may use Peter's PayPal account, verticalcut@earthlink.net.

Please note that these are CYLINDER recordings and must be played on a CYLINDER PLAYER. They were recorded using the same acoustic recording process that Thomas Edison used to record at his laboratory, many years before digital recording, stereo, hi-fi, and the electric recording process - these are mono and extremely LO-FI ! 

For more information, or for a listing of Wizard's complete catalogue of cylinder recordings, write Peter Dilg at verticalcut@earthlink.net.

DAN LEVINSON'S ROOF GARDEN JASS BAND

In 1987, Dan Levinson, then a senior at New York University, organized a five-piece band for a concert celebrating the 70th anniversary of recorded jazz. The phenomenal success of that event inspired a repeat performance across the continent in the Roof Garden of Los Angeles' famous Variety Arts Center, from which the band took its name. Since then, the Roof Garden Jass Band has performed for jazz societies throughout the Northeast, as well as at the Tribute to Bix Beiderbecke Festival in Wisconsin, the Orange County Classic Jazz Festival in California, and Dick Hyman's Jazz in July Festival at the 92nd Street Y in New York. The band has also been an annual fixture at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in Essex, Connecticut since 1998.

Initially, the Roof Garden Jass Band's repertoire consisted solely of Dan's note-for-note "transcriptions" of records made by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the group that made the first jazz recordings in 1917. Over the years, however, Dan has expanded the band's repertoire to include the music of the Original Memphis Five, the Louisiana Five, the Frisco Jazz Band, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, the Georgians, and other "rag-a-jazz" bands active before King Oliver made his historic recordings in 1923. The Roof Garden Jass Band is the only band in existence devoted exclusively to this neglected era, a time when jazz-or "jass," as it was often called-still retained many elements of ragtime. In those evolutionary days, jazz bands played for dancers, and the music was almost entirely ensemble rather than a succession of instrumental solos. 

The Roof Garden Jass Band's debut CD, Salutes the ODJB and the Beginning of Recorded Jazz, was released in 1998 on the Loup-garous label, followed by Blue Roses of Far and Near (2000) and Echoes in the Wax (2003), both released on the Stomp Off label.

THE BAND

DAN LEVINSON clarinet, saxophone, and leader

Since 1987 Dan has been working primarily in the New York area, performing with such bands as Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, the Mel Torme Quintet, Terry Waldo and his Gotham City Jazz Band, and Bob Crosby's Bobcats, as well as with bands led by pianist Dick Hyman, banjoist Cynthia Sayer, guitarist Marty Grosz , and cornetist Peter Ecklund. He has performed on several occasions for actor/director Woody Allen, and appears periodically at the Museum of Modem Art. Dan is a part-time member of the Flying Neutrinos, a New Orleans-style jazz band with which he has performed in Germany, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and at various clubs in New York. In addition, Dan tours frequently with singer/guitarist Leon Redbone, with whom he has appeared on national television. Dan has performed in Brazil with The Bunk Project, a band organized by Woody Allen and banjoist Eddy Davis, in Italy with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings, in Paris at the Bilboquet Jazz Club, in Los Angeles at the Playboy Mansion, and at numerous jazz festivals, including Dick Hyman's Jazz in July Festival in New York, the Newport Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Los Angeles Classic Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, the Brecon Festival in Wales, and the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival. He recently gave a televised concert in Iceland for the Icelandic President and the Italian Prime Minister. Dan has recorded for Stomp Off and Jazzology, among other labels, with such artists as Dick Hyman, Marty Grosz, Bob Haggart, Dan Barrett, Dick Sudhalter, John Gill, Keith Ingham, and Stan Levine.

JON-ERIK KELLSO cornet

Jon-Erik started playing professionally in and around Detroit, Michigan, where he was born in 1964. He began early, playing in a big band at age 11, in the International Youth Symphony at age 13, and in a concert alongside Wild Bill Davidson at age 17. Jon-Erik has made appearances throughout the U.S. as a member of James Dapogny's Chicago Jazz Band, with whom he has recorded for the Discovery and Schoolkids labels. Since moving to New York in 1989 to play with Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, Jon-Erik has been enjoying performing and recording with the likes of Howard Alden, Dan Barrett, Marty Grosz, Milt Hinton, Bob Haggart, and Kenny Davern. Recent engagements include tours of Brazil, Spain and Germany, as well as jazz parties and festivals throughout the United States and Europe. Jon-Erik toured Japan in 1996 with the World's Greatest Jazz Band. He has been featured several times on Arbors Records, including two CDs as a leader, and two with cornetist Rudy Braff.

KEVIN DORN drums

At age 23, Kevin is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after drummers in the New York area, while maintaining an unfaltering devotion to early jazz styles. Kevin took up jazz drumming at the age of 14 after seeing the movie The Gene Krupa Story. Since then, he has played with many notable musicians, including Dan Barrett, Ed Polcer, Johnny Varro, Eddy Davis, and Bob Haggart. In June 1997 he performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in a group led by cornetist Warren Vache and guitarist Howard Alden.

DAVID SAGER trombone

Nephew of Nat Brusiloff, the eminent conductor on radio in the 1930's, David studied trombone with Allen Ostrander of the New York Philharmonic and with John Marcellus of the National Symphony Orchestra. David lived in New Orleans for 12 years, performing at numerous jazz clubs on Bourbon Street and often touring the country with singer Banu Gibson and the New Orleans Hot Jazz. During that time he also appeared occasionally with Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and gave demonstrational lectures on the evolution of the trombone and its role in New Orleans jazz at schools throughout Louisiana. David has recorded with Branford Marsalis, Danny Barker, and with John Gill's New Orleans Novelty Orchestra. He is currently working at the Recorded Sound division of the Library of Congress, and frequently performs around the Washington D.C. area, while continuing to tour periodically with Banu Gibson.

TOM ROBERTS piano

Born in Pittsburgh in 1962, Tom attended Duquesne University. A skilled pianist and arranger, he was house pianist at the Can Can Cafe in the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans for nearly five years, during which time he performed nightly with the Silver Leaf Jazz Band. Tom has performed with Marty Grosz and with Leon Redbone, and has appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" radio program, and at Wolftrap in Virginia. Tom recently toured Germany with an all-star band, including drummer Hal Smith and vocalist Rebecca Kilgore. His recording credits include several recordings with the Silver Leaf Jazz Band (with whom he participated in the reincarnation of the famous Good Time Jazz label), as well as "Piano Night at Tipitina's" and "Stealin' Apples", the latter with the California Swing Cats. His first solo album, entitled "Nightcap", is on the Solo Art label.

Check Dan's Calendar for the RGJB's next live performance.