ARTIST BIOS for 33rd Annual Eagles & Ivories Ragtime Fest

The Saint Louis Stompers
The Saint Louis Stompers Classic Jazz Band has performed a mixture of traditional jazz nationwide for audiences as large as 8,000 people. They have appeared at dozens of festivals from California to Florida, and their recordings have been broadcast from Portland, Oregon to the United Kingdom. The American Rag’s Frank Grace wrote that the St. Louis Stompers…”is an audience favorite.” Their musicianship is world class. The band is noted for the tight charts that Dave Majchrzak writes as well as their Impromptu solos.

Led by Steve Lilley on Cornet, this is a top-notch show-style traditional band. Classic 99 radio’s Tom Sudholt described the Stompers as “red hot and razor sharp!” Following the band’s inaugural appearance at the Lakeside Dixiefest, festival director Rich Dean wrote “this powerful group performs early arrangements in the…style of the original bands. They are excellent musicians, both as soloists and as an ensemble. Wayne Arihood, director of Lacrosse, Wisconsin’s Great River Jazz Fest wrote “with…multi-talented musicians, this group has been burning up the festival circuit. From traditional jazz tunes to swing, the Stompers attack each with vigor and gusto. Musically tight, technically astounding, laced with humor, and always entertaining, they will have you calling for more. Luckily, they have more!

The Saint Louis Stompers Band Personnel:
Steve Lilley – Cornet/Leader
Steve has been a member of the Stompers, The Old St. Louis Levee Band, and Red Lehr’s Powerhouse Five. A retired history teacher, he has published three books and numerous articles including “Louis and the King,” telling the story of Louis Armstrong and Joe Oliver, in Highlights for Children.

Dave Majchrzak (“May-zak”) – Piano/arranger
A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Dave led his own trad band, the Oakville Tigers, during high school. He later played with Bob Kuban, the St. Louis Rivermen, and Red Lehr’s Powerhouse Five. A master of ragtime and stride piano, Dave also appears frequently on the festival circuit as a solo performer. His most famous audience consisted of the Emperor and Empress of Japan. You’ll love the way he arranges for the Stompers.

Josh Duffee – Drums
Josh Duffee was born in Louie Bellson’s hometown of Moline, Illinois, and now resides across the river in Bix Beiderbecke’s hometown of Davenport, Iowa. He’s a very versatile musician, specializing in drumming and xylophone playing from the 1920s to the 1940s, while also performing a variety of other styles of music. He has been performing professionally for the past 20+ years, along with teaching private percussion lessons to middle and high school students. Josh has been a featured musician at jazz festivals and events all over the world. He has toured England and Australia multiple times, while also being featured at venues all over the United States.

Mike Lilley – Reeds, Retired Air Force Lt. Colonel
Mike Lilley first played rural dance halls in his misspent youth. After retiring, he returned to playing jazz and became the Stompers’ entire reed section. Listen for that classic Sidney Bechet sound he generates from his vintage Conn soprano sax.

Jon Siddle – Trombone
The newest member of the Stompers, John comes from St. Louis’ stable of superb utility trombonists. His ability to read and adapt to various musical genres makes him one of the most versatile players around. He is also young and vigorous enough to drag the senior band members’ gear around when they give out.

David Zink – Sousaphone
David’s sousaphone has anchored the Stompers for nearly twenty years. His inventive lines and musical agility delight not only audiences but his musical peers. One of central Illinois’ more successful independent businessmen, he manages to spend more and more time in sunny Florida where he plays regularly with Jim Gover’s musical organizations.

Artist In Residence Andy Schumm
Andy Schumm is a Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and bandleader celebrated for his authentic revival of 1920s and 1930s jazz.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Andy began piano lessons at age six and took up the trumpet during his school years. His passion for early jazz was ignited upon hearing Bix Beiderbebecke’s recording of “at the Jazz Band Ball,” leading him to immerse himself in the music of that era. Proficient on cornet, clarinet, saxophones, piano and drums, Andy is renowned for his meticulous arrangements and dedication to period authenticity. He has transcribed original big band charts from vintage 78 rpm records, ensuring performances capture the spirit of the original recordings.

In 2017, Andy founded the Chicago Cellar Boys, a group specializing in the jazz and hot dance styles of the 1920s and 1930s. The band plays every Sunday at the Honky Tonk BBQ in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, and every Tuesday at the world-famous Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Uptown. Beyond his performances, Andy is an avid collector of 78 rpm records and vintage instruments, further enriching his understanding and interpretation of early jazz.

The Sweet & Hot Quartet
The Sweet & Hot Quartet lives up to its name with scintillating selections from the Ragtime through Swing eras, brilliantly rendered by Jeff Barnhart (piano/vocals); Anne Barnhart (flute/vocals); Andy Schumm (cornet/clarinet / saxophones / piano) and Josh Duffee (vintage drum kit/xylophone). Individually, the musicians are masters of their craft, having logged thousands of hours of performance time across six of the seven continents. As the Quartet, their music and mirth are unparalleled. Whether they’re playing raucous ragtime, nifty novelties, joyous jazz, stomping swing or beautiful ballads, their show will leave you breathless and shouting for more!

Jeff Barnhart is an internationally renowned pianist, vocalist, arranger, bandleader, recording artist, ASCAP composer, educator and entertainer. Jeff shares his mastery of the classic swing, jazz, and ragtime repertoire of the early to mid-20th century with a versatility and vibrant energy that finds him constantly appearing as a soloist, band pianist, and with smaller groups—most notably Ivory & Gold^c with his talented wife, flutist/vocalist Anne Barnhart—at parties, festivals, clubs, and cruises throughout the world. His unsurpassed knowledge of the history of America’s early pop styles and its best current practitioners, combined with his superior “people skills,” has awarded him the position of Musical Director for several acclaimed annual events, including the Eagles & Ivories and Templeton Ragtime and Jazz festivals, the Monterey Jazz Bash by the Bay (as Co-Creative Consultant), and the Essex (CT) Winter Series Jazz Concert.

Flutist Anne Barnhart’s musical experiences with Ivory & Gold^c have taken her around the world. Her performances have been enjoyed from coast to coast in the US and abroad in places such as England, Scotland, Ireland, Russia, French Polynesia, South America, Canada, and France just to name a few. Audiences are dazzled by her technique, awed by her tone and enthralled by her timing when bantering with her husband, pianist Jeff Barnhart.

Josh Duffee was born in Louie Bellson’s hometown of Moline, Illinois, and now resides across the river in Bix Beiderbecke’s hometown of Davenport, Iowa. He’s a very versatile musician, specializing in drumming and xylophone playing from the 1920s to the 1940s, while also performing a variety of other styles of music. He has been performing professionally for the past 20+ years, along with teaching private percussion lessons to middle and high school students. Josh has been a featured musician at jazz festivals and events all over the world. He has toured England and Australia multiple times, while also being featured at venues all over the United States .

The Sweet & Hot Quartet is rounded out with Andy Schumm.