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About Our Group |
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MJO, Inc. Staff & PersonnelScott Handler [Executive Director, Lead Trumpet, Co-Leader/Founder]Kevin Buchanan [Operating Manager, Lead Trombone, Co-Leader/Founder]Jim Mick [Musical Director]
Reeds
Zack Cassell [Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute]
Eric Bernhardt [Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute]Trumpets/FlugelhornsTrombones
Rhythm Section Support Staff
Scott Handler [Executive Director / Trumpet & Flugelhorn]The co-leader, co-founder and lead trumpet of MJO, Scott is by day a professional pilot and instructor for United Airlines. 
His free time, when not spending it with his two daughters Amanda & Sarah, is consumed in running MJO, a labor of love. Scott began playing trumpet in junior high school circa 1974 in Woodland Hills CA (a suburb of LA), continued playing through high school in Modesto CA and eventually played with many classical and jazz ensembles at UCLA.
He left LA to pursue a dream of flying Navy aircraft, all the while playing part time in local community groups when schedules allowed. Scott spent 10 years as a Navy pilot stationed in Patuxent River MD, Corpus Christi TX and South Weymouth MA finding somewhat steady playing gigs with the Eddie Galvan Orchestra in Corpus Christi and the Bruce Pettersen Orchestra in Boston.
After leaving active duty and moving to Denver, Scott became a regular member of the Colorado Jazz Workshop, helped start a jazz combo “The Brass Jacks” and has played with the Joe Peterson Orchestra, VSO Big Band, LA Candela (Salsa band) as well as local Denver favorites “The Nacho Men”. Currently Scott is a regular member of the 5280 Jazz Orchestra, Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra, Six Foot Joe & The Red Hot Rhinos (local blues band) and the Bill Emery Big Band in Colorado Springs.In early 2009, Scott teamed with 5280 JO leader and friend Jay Nakagawa to form "Chased", a Bill Chase tribute band, featuring authentic arrangements of Chase's three albums as well as many unrecorded tunes only performed live.
Scott’s influences start with Herb Alpert and the TJB from the 70’s, The Tonight Show’s Doc Severinsen as well as Maynard Ferguson, Arturo Sandoval, Don Ellis, John Faddis and The Tower of Power Horns.
MJO was formed in January 2002 and in May 2007, MJO was granted 501c3 non-profit status as they pursue their highly successful musical project with local high school jazz groups. With an eclectic and varied band of merry musicians along, MJO aims to please the musical palate of every one who hears them.
(Rev. 7/09)
Kevin Buchanan [Operating Manager /Trombone]
 Kevin started playing trombone in the seventh grade. Richard Shoulders, his high school band director took an interest in him and helped him improve his playing by introducing him to big band jazz.
During his sophomore year of college, Kevin took private lessons from Pete Vivona at Eastern Illinois University. There he worked at building his technique and trying to conquer some of the complexities of the horn. He played with his newly formed rock band, Time Machine, touring Illinois and Indiana.
Kevin quit playing for almost 18 years pursuing a career in the trucking industry, where he is still active as a local delivery truck driver for Yellow Freight. Kevin has played the last five years in and around Denver including recording/gigging with the blues band Phantom Freeway, Colorado Jazz Workshop and VSO Jazz Orchestra. Kevin is a current member of the Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra.
Jim Mick [Musical Director]
 Jim is a 3rd generation Colorado native who has been playing trumpet since 4th grade. He received a Bachelor's of Music Education and a Master's of Composition and Theory from Colorado State University. Big band jazz has always been a passion both as a player and as a writer and arranger. Jim directed the 2nd and 3rd jazz bands at CSU for over 14 years and was a featured soloist, lead arranger and assistant director with the #1 band at CSU for 18 years.
Jim moved from Ft. Collins in 1984 and, since that time, has been a freelance musician playing with small ensembles and big bands in Washington, D.C., NY City/New Jersey and St. Louis, MO. Jim played in and directed a big band made up primarily of elite Army, Air Force and Marine musicians stationed for duty at the White House in Washington, D.C. This band was among those first requested for formal political functions and was constantly sought out as a featured band in area jazz festivals and radio appearances. While in St. Louis, he was once called to sub and to sight read a black tie concert with the touring Jimmy Dorsey band, whose trumpet soloist had fallen ill.
Jim's moving around the country has been a result of his 25-year career (“the day gig”) in the call center industry as a call center consultant with AT&T, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Witness Systems. He moved his family back to the Denver area in 1999 and, since that time, has been playing with a number of local groups, most recently with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra since its inception in January 2002.
Suzanne Morrison [Vocalist] Suzanne Morrison is Artist-in-Residence at Colorado State University – directing Vocal Jazz, and a freelance vocalist and private voice instructor in the Denver area; featured with such groups as the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, the Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra, and The New Sound. She is a vocalist of a rare breed – one who can sing a beautiful melody and create exciting jazz solos. Suzanne has appeared as a guest or featured vocalist on several recordings, such as Andy Nevala’s Waiting in the Alley, and in the spring of 2000 released her own debut album, From Where You Are. She completed her Masters of Music in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting at the University of Northern Colorado.
Suzanne has appeared in concert as vocal soloist with jazz trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler, and has been a featured vocalist with University of Northern Colorado’s Lab Band 1, Et Cetera, The Malone Tones, and such other groups as D’Fusion and The Yellowstone Big Band; she has also been a featured guest jazz artist at the Yellowstone Jazz Festival. In addition to her jazz work, Suzanne has been active in opera, performing the role of “The Queen of the Night” in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, has been a featured classical soloist in concerts and oratorios, as well as chorus master for several opera productions. (Rev. 2/09)
Doug Barta [Vocalist / Trumpet & Flugelhorn]
 Born into a musical family in the northeastern corner of North Dakota, Doug grew up playing and singing in his Dad's dance band. His Dad led that band for 50 years, and his three older brothers played in the band as well.
Doug's musical background includes almost every style of music, both vocal and instrumental, and he is one of the band's trumpet soloists and also the featured male vocalist. He is currently the Director of Vocal Music at Ponderosa High School in Parker, where he lives with his wife, Kristi, and their two sons, Ryan (2yrs) and Lucas (3mo).
******************** Saxophones ********************
Zack Cassell [Lead Alto, Flute, Soprano Sax]
 A Colorado native, Zack began his musical career at the age of 10, playing saxophone in the school band. Zack acquired his musical abilities through the tutelage of both private and public music educators.
Zack plays exclusively with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra (lead alto) and the Denver Municipal Band. (Rev. 2/09)
Tyler Far [Alto, Flute]
Eric Bernhardt [Lead Tenor, Soprano, Flute]
Alan Nowicki [Tenor, Clarinet]
 Alan started playing clarinet when he was 8 and started playing guitar when he was 13 -- about the time the Beatles were on top. He played at Fort Lewis College and was able to get a scholarship for his tuition with his clarinet skills.
He has a BA in Anthropology from Colorado State University. After college he studied electronics for 3&1/2 years at Emily Griffith Opportunity School while pursuing an apprenticeship as an electrician. He obtained a journeyman electrician license in 1978 and a master electrician license in 1980 and currently is employed as an electrical contractor.
He started playing the tenor sax in 1978 and studied under Joe Lukasic for a number of years. For 5 years he played in a cover band called Neon Nites which performed in Central City area --the Chicago Speakeasy, Doctor Proctors, and wherever they could find a place to play.
In 1986 he wanted to play jazz and found Laura Newman and Kim McCord who organized the New Cord School of music. In this organization he would perform at Greeley UNC Jazz Festivals and start an ongoing pursuit of Jazz studies. It continued with the Colorado Jazz Workshop and directors-Lou Fischer-Greg Carol-Bob Montgomery-Leslie Drayton and others who were always a great help and inspiration to Alan.
Mark Halberstadt [Baritone Sax, Flute] ******************** TRUMPETS ********************
David Froman [Trumpet & Flugelhorn]
David has been on the music scene in Denver since the mid-eighties.He has played with many of the big bands in town and has recently been presented as a featured artist at Dazzle in a quartet setting.
Recently, David returned to school to study jazz at the University of Denver - an intensive two-year course of study under some of the finest players around.
In addition to his music performance career, David currently is the president and executive director of The Gift of Jazz - a Denver-based non-profit organization whose mission it is to support the past, present and future of jazz in the Rocky Mountain region.
Mark Ibsen [Trumpet & Flugelhorn]
 Mark spends his working hours as a project engineer for Rentech, a small, Denver company. A native Coloradoan, he started playing trumpet in 5th grade and continued playing in the great Englewood school music program through high schoool in both classical and jazz bands.
He received his undergraduate chemical engineering degree from Colorado State University. While attending CSU he continued playing in many ensembles under a music scholarship. The most notable of them was the university's premier jazz band, The Statesmen.
After graduating in 1986 he continued playing in community bands and musical orchestras. In 1999 he joined one of the Colorado Jazz Workshop bands and is currently playing in community bands in Highlands Ranch as well as the MJO.
Dan Johnson [Trumpet & Flugelhorn] ******************** TROMBONES ********************
Greg Hoppe [Trombone]
Ron Argotsinger [Trombone] Ron was born in Denver but has lived in California, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. Ron started playing trombone at the age of 12 because his doctor thought it would help strengthen his lungs, which were quite weak due to severe asthma. He attended University of Northern Colorado and received a Bachelor of Music Education degree.
Ron's teaching career began in 1978 in a small town in Nebraska. In 1991, he completed a Master of Music Education degree at the University of Northern Colorado. Ron is beginning his 25th year of teaching instrumental music. Currently teaching in Commerce City at Adams City Middle School, Ron has also taught in Wray, Sterling and at Overland High School in Cherry Creek School District.
Ron's groups have traveled and performed at music festivals in Rapid City SD, Dallas TX and Orlando FL, as well Dublin, Ireland. In addition to his teaching, Ron has served as clinician and adjudicator in Colorado. Ron's family are all musicians from his wife Monica to his five children, all playing piano as well as trombone, percussion, clarinet, flute and trumpet. Ron's oldest son is a second year music education student at the University of Northern Colorado playing trombone.
In addition to playing with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, Ron plays with the Rocky Mountain Brassworks, a British style Brass Band and the Mostly Strauss Orchestra as principal trombonist.
Jace Van Bradt [Bass Trombone] ******************** RHYTHM SECTION ********************
Serena Eads [Guitar]
Jason Malmberg [Bass]
Alan Aluisi [Drums]
Alan grew up in the Denver area, and spent 10 musically formative years with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps. During this period, he received tutelage in the classic eastern rudimental snare drum style from several of the nation’s top snare drummers who were then playing with the Air Academy Corps. He began teaching this style to his band mates while still in grade school and continued to teach through college. While attending UNC in Greeley he played with the Jazz Lab Band 1, and several small combos along with Bill Frisell.Alan was driven out of music for many years due to illness, but upon resuming, was fortunate enough to receive awards for musicianship in various Jazz Festivals. He authored a critically acclaimed solo book used in top music schools, marketed through wheelhousepress.com. He also invented the ‘Drum Wheel’ electronic kinetic drum set with a multi-volume curriculum, which allows drummers to play patterns never before possible, resulting in a significant expansion the drum set medium. Alan used the ‘Wheel’ on the critically acclaimed CD ‘Hats’ with the Bob Gillis group, which also garnered a “Top 10” pick from the prestigious Cadence Magazine.In addition to MJO, Alan’s musical affiliations include: the Colorado Jazz Workshop, the Boulder Big Band, Deborah Stafford Quartet, Aurora Singers, Portraits Jazz Quintet, Flatirons Jazz Quintet, the Jazz Mutants, the Bob Gillis Group, and all-style freelancing. He also longs to be beaten up by Naomi Campbell.
Gary Dempsey [Keyboards]
Gary lives in Estes Park after retiring from a career that included responsibilities as Manager-Communications and Public Relations for AGENA Corp. a software company in Seattle, and later as Enterprise Portal Developer for AMS Services, an insurance software vendor based in Connecticut. With a BME degree from the Univ. of Mo. at Kansas City, his primary interest in the arts evolved as a pianist that eventually led to performances/tours with the Andy Williams/Henry Mancini show as well as a number of ‘name’ road bands. His background includes various ‘hotel band’ gigs in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Milwaukee, as well as 3-year stint in the house band at the venerable Taylors Supper Club in Denver. He currently performs with various front range jazz groups, and you occasionally see him covering the keyboard duties at Nicky’s in Estes Park or the Fireside Lounge at the Inverness Hotel in Denver. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Ars Nova Singers in Boulder. His role as web content manager for the Communications/Publicity Committee for Supporters of the Performing Arts reflects his interest in this this worthy project to build a new performing arts center in Estes Park. (Rev. 2/09) ******************** TECHNICAL SERVICES ********************
Rohde Wakefield [Sound Technician]  Rodhe is the guy lurking in the back of the room behind the massive array of switches and knobs! Born and raised in Longmont circa 1968, Rohde started playing and enjoying music at 7 and hasn't stopped since.
As an electric bass and hand percussion player, Rohde accompanies his lovely wife Karre Ann (a Christian pop singer, worship leader and women's event speaker) in her work. He also enjoys recording artists in his home studio.Rohde received his BS in Elecrtical and Computer Engineering from CU Bolder in 1991 and works as a Software Engineer by day. (Rev. 2/09)
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About Our Group