Welcome to the Pine Street Jazz Web Site

Back Row (Left to Right) Dan Skea, Brian McCarthy, Nick Aloi, and Justin Rose
Front Row: George Voland and Carl Severance

Introduction:

Pine Street Jazz is an instrumental sextet based in Burlington, Vermont. Formed in 1998, the group performs selections drawn from the mainstream of American jazz, featuring works by many of the genre's greatest composers, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus. The band's repertoire also includes swing, bebop, Latin, funk, blues and ballads, plus a number of original tunes composed by members of the band. With an ensemble sound often described as "smooth," "tight" and "swinging," PSJ prides itself in dusting off lesser-known tunes and presenting them in a new and different light.

Pine Street Jazz has appeared at many regional venues, including FlynnSpace, Elley Long Music Center, Firehouse Gallery, and Vermont National Country Club.

For high resolution photos of the band, visit our Press and Promotional Materials page.

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Join Our Mailing List:

Stay informed about Pine Street Jazz performances and updates by joining our mailing list. We respect your privacy and know that you probably loath unsolicited e-mails as much as we do, so rest assured that we won't share your address with anyone else. And it's simple to have your address removed in the future by simply clicking the link on the bottom of any message from us.

News:

Update: The Lincoln Inn closed on October 3, 2009

With great sadness and regret we discovered the truth of the old adage, "all good things must come to an end." After a wonderful three-year period of playing every week at the Lincoln Inn in Essex Junction, we were informed that their Sunday evening jazz presentations would be discontinued. Our last performance at the Lincoln Inn was on September 13, 2009.

There are no doubt many reasons for this development, including the recent economic downturn, but the main factor is probably the Inn's decision to adopt a format that does not include food offerings.

Known widely as a bastion of live music in Vermont, the Lincoln Inn has presented local bands seven nights a week for many, many years, and has rightly earned the respect and gratitude of the local music community. The Inn's management is justifiably proud of this accomplishment, and deeply regrets the unavoidable sequence of events that has led to the current situation.

Since June 4, 2006, Pine Street Jazz has played 154 rewarding Sundays at this wonderful venue. We are extremely grateful to have had this opportunity, and thankful to the Inn's management for their consistently warm and friendly support, and for always making us feel like "part of the family."

We are also most grateful to you, our loyal fans, for your steady support and encouragement. We will continue to keep you informed via our monthly newsletter.

Meanwhile, we're considering placing a notice in the papers: "Wanted - nice restaurant/bar/lounge in the greater Burlington area to employ top-flight jazz sextet on a weekly basis. Band can also supply a rotating cast of the area's best jazz vocalists. Terms negotiable."

Thanks again for your friendship and understanding.

Carl, George, Justin, Brian, Dan and Nick

Click here for old news.

Booking:

The music created by this talented ensemble is perfect for weddings, civil unions, parties, and corporate events. Let Pine Street Jazz pull from its extensive repertoire and work with you to provide the music that's appropriate for your event. The group has been praised for being both affordable and easy to work with. For rates and availability, please contact Carl Severance by e-mail ( ) or call 802-654-9220.

If you're interested in booking the group, it would be helpful for us if you first complete an Event Inquiry Form. This questionnaire serves to collect additional information to better understand the details of your event.

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Personnel:

Pine Street Jazz is made up of seasoned musicians who between them have performed with most of the well-known musicians in Vermont and beyond.

Nick Aloi, drums, played regularly with the late "Big" Joe Burrell up until the end of 2004. Nick continues to perform with the Mark Lamphear Muskat Jazz Band, and has played drums for the Masefield/Stanziola group and the Vermont Jazz Ensemble.

Brian McCarthy, tenor saxophone, was born and raised in Vermont and is a product of the Vermont music education system. Brian spent 6 years at the world renown Jazz Studies program at William Paterson University of New Jersey earning his B.M. in Jazz Studies Performance and M.M. in Jazz Composition/Arranging. While there he had the opportunity to study with jazz legends like bari sax player Garry Smuylan, pianist Mulgrew Miller, trumpeter Clark Terry, and arranger/composer/performers Rich DeRosa (arranger for Wynton Marsallis) and Jim McNeely. Brian teaches saxophone to students in the Burlington, Waterbury, and Hardwick areas, and can also be spotted lending a hand with the Vermont All-State Music Festival and UVM Jazz Department from time to time.

Justin Rose, acoustic bass, performed regularly with the late "Big" Joe Burrell and has played in numerous pop and jazz groups in Vermont over the years. He is also a member of the Vermont Jazz Ensemble and has performed with the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra. Justin has become a regular bassist for musicals with Lyric Theater, and other local theater groups. When he's not playing music, Justin operates a sculpture studio in Burlington called Creations In Stone.

Carl Severance, guitar, is a member of the Vermont Jazz Ensemble and is a former member of the Jazz Hooligans, which he helped form as a music student at Johnson State College. Carl has accompanied several musical theater and live radio performances throughout Vermont. Carl also collaborates on an internationally acclaimed web site devoted to the late big band guitarist Freddie Green.

Dan Skea, keyboard, was a career musician in Las Vegas for 30 years before retiring to Vermont in 2002. In casino headline performances and smaller Vegas clubs, Dan has performed with artists like Doc Severinsen, Joe Williams, Mel Torme, and Marlena Shaw and has toured and recorded extensively throughout the US. Since joining Pine Street Jazz, Dan has contributed a steady stream of original tunes that are a delight to the musicians and audiences who have experienced them. Many of his compositions can be heard on two CDs released by the Dan Skea Quartet: But That Ain’t This (2007) and Carpenter Road (2008), available at local retailers and online at CD Baby.com.

George Voland, valve trombone, is a longtime member of the Vermont Jazz Ensemble and has done much freelance jazz performance, with Lar Duggan, Fred Haas, Joe Capps, Tom Cleary, and other fine Vermont jazz musicians. Along with his wife Anne, George also operates Elliot House Bed & Breakfast, located in Shelburne, Vermont. In 2008, George released his first CD entitled Remember Beauty.

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The Singers' Circle

Since 2004, Pine Street Jazz has collaborated with a group of fine jazz vocalists collectively known as The Singers' Circle. Sharing the stage with these talented and diverse artists has been a great pleasure for the band and delightful bonus for audiences. Keep an eye out for these singers at future PSJ performances, or appearing with their own groups. They include Jody Albright, Amber deLaurentis, Allison Mann, Juliet McVicker, Taryn Noelle, and Susan Squier, Matt Wright, and the Blue Gardenias.

Upcoming Performances

To stay up to date with Pine Street Jazz performances and news, you are invited to join our mailing list.

For more information on upcoming performances, please join our e-mail list for occasional updates.

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Listen:

The latest "demo" the band has is a live performance on Vermont Public Radio in April 2006. Click here to listen.

Below are short excerpts from a live concert that Pine Street Jazz performed in July 2003. Click on a song title below to download or listen to it. You'll need an MP3 player of some sort to play these. Please bear in mind that this was a "sit down" concert, and doesn't necessarily represent the type of music that the group would perform for a wedding, or other event. Pine Street Jazz has a diverse repertoire and can compile a program to suit your event and taste.

NOTE: There may be a few technical glitches on these samples, as sometimes happens during a live performance. In fact, we didn't even know we were being recorded at the time! Special thanks to the technical crew from Castleton State College that was running the sound system that evening.

These are samples of some Pine Street Jazz favorites from an older demo. Please note that these were recorded prior to the addition of keyboardist Dan Skea to the group. Click on a song title below to download or listen to it. You'll need an MP3 player of some sort to play these.

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