"About the Band"

"About the Players"

Brian Towers–tbn/ldr

Plays tailgate trombone in the style of the New Orleans traditionalists.  Writes about jazz and produces a regular newsletter.  He also produces the band's CD's. He wrote the Canadian jazz column for the Mississippi Rag, until it ceased publication.  He has led the Jazzmakers for many years, as well as their Saturday matinee jazz club at "C'est what?".  He was one of the four  founder-members of the Classic Jazz Society of Toronto in 1994, now sadly no longer operational.   He left England in 1969,  emigrating to Canada, to work for Scotiabank in the Caribbean. Now retired fom full-time employment but.... busier than ever!

Janet Shaw–reeds

A vibrant reed player of the traditional jazz genre, Janet alternates between clarinet, alto & baritone saxes, plus occasional piano and handles many of the band vocals with her unique voice. Married to Brian Towers, she has two daughters, both at McGill University.   Recently retired after a management career in the pharmaceutical industry, Jan is now self-employed with her own consulting company.   Jan has been with the band since it changed its name to the H5JM but her first regular role in a jazz band was as pianist with the Jazzmakers at Jakes Boathouse from 1982.  She also occasonally doubled on baritone sax during that time and sang the vocals too.  Switched to regular clarinet and alto in 1988, with occasional piano, when the H5JM started a weekly residency in Guelph at Burnaby's bar.  

Jamie Macpherson - banjo

He has shown all the band members how to look happy on stage, while still performing at a high level on his instrument, both as a team player and banjo soloist.  Jamie was voted  “All-Canada Banjo Champ” twice in the 1980’s.  Jamie also loves to sing but mostly does this in  "Barber Shop" style, with a group known as the "Megacity Chorus"   his vocal harmonies can often be heard with the band when backing a vocalist. Jamie provides tuition to students of the 5 string & tenor banjos and has been doing so since 1975. He also plays with the Ragweed Jazzband.   His daytime job is in administrative management at Sunnybrook Hospital, on the technical side - no he will not take out your appendix!  Once, when on a jazz tour in Northern England, he helped restore electrical power to a jazz club that had been flooded during a thunderstorm, thus enabling the show to go on!   A useful man in an emergency! 

Andrej Saradin-tpt

Brings youthful energy and a carefree approach to the group. Andrej is a new Canadian and came from Slovakia in 2002, where he was the oldest member of a Dixieland band.  Now he finds himself the youngest member of a Canadian jazz band!  Contributes fully to the band’s stage personality.  He has recently become adept with "combe & paper" as well as "kazoo" which fits in well when the band digs into the "Chicago South Side" part of its repertoire!

Sometimes the band needs a song to be sung in German or Russian and Andrej can do this quite convincingly.  He can also put out vocals in English and retains his charming central European accent, while doing so!

 

Reide Kaiser-piano

Re-joined the Hot Five Jazzmakers on piano in 2008, after a spell with the late "Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards"  Reide's association with the H5JM, however, is a long one and he played with the band many times at their "C'est What?" club, before joining on a full-time basis in October 1998.  Reide is a keen collector of classic traditional jazz "78" records and can hold his own in any discussions on the history of classic jazz.   His style embraces Jelly Roll Morton and the early jazz forms, as well as Harlem pianists such as James P Johnson; Willie The Lion Smith and Fats Waller of course.  Reide is a lawyer by day but he cannot get you off a "speeding ticket"  as his speciality is family law!