 [pronounced 'pole - mooze'] Polska Muzyka z Sacramento |
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Contacts and Booking Information
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Czesław 'Chet' Chwalik (keyboards, trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals): Czesław (Chet) is an original founding member of the band. Chet Chwalik is from Fostoria, Ohio (Northwest Ohio), although the name 'Chwalik' comes from Chotel Czerwony, Poland. Chet began playing the piano at the age of 4 and studied with Mrs. Rita Schultz, William M. Lininger, and extensively with Mrs. Helen Lakofsky. While continuing to play the piano, Chet went on to play several brass instruments, starting with 2 years of trumpet, then 2 years on valve trombone, and while in high school played 2 years on french horn, and all 4 years on trumpet and flugelhorn. He marched for two years with the Toledo Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps (one of the world's top corps) as a lead soprano and soloist, playing throughout the Mid-West, and from Montreal to Miami, Florida. Chet eventually went on to pursue music more seriously by studying at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate in '88, there he majored in Jazz Performance on Trumpet and Piano, and studied with Tim Hagans, Frank Vincent, Rick Van Matre, Pat Harbison and Phil DeGreg. While in college Chet also played piano for Sea Escape Cruise Lines and with Stan Sterner's Big Band, which was based in Findlay, Ohio. After moving to Toledo, OH in 1995, Chet began playing keyboards and trumpet with The Overton Project, a funk/smooth jazz group, as well as lead trumpet and piano with The Paul Jeffries Band, the Runyan Jay Big Band and with "Swingmania." Chet rounded out his gig schedule by often playing piano for the popular "Cookin'" group at Rusty's Jazz Cafe. Chet owns his music business, "The Tuning Note." Here he offers lessons in piano, trumpet and jazz improvisation for all ages! He is also known as a conductor, choir director, composer and arranger. He also does work with audio transcription, transcribing music by ear and producing sheet music for vocalists, church bands, and more. Chet is also a professional piano accompanist and is available for piano tuning! Chet's professional music website can be found at www.chwalik.com/chet. He performs regularly at several private events, restaurants and country clubs around the Sacramento and Lake Tahoe areas. Although born in the U.S.A., Chet honors and respects the culture, language and traditions of Poland. After moving to the Sacramento area, Chet joined the Polish American Club of Greater Sacramento. There he involved himself with many of the club's activities, including being co-host of the Heritage Banquet, performing Chopin's Poloniase in A Major, playing at the Wigilia Dinners (Christmas Eve Dinner), the annual Polish Festivals, as well as for many of the monthly dinners. As he involves himself more and more in the local Polish community, he continues to learn about his Polish heritage and language. |
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Otis Mourning (Woodwinds): Born in Sacramento, California in 1969, Otis Mourning began his musical career at the age of nine when he bought his first instrument, a Selmer Bb Clarinet. Within a few months he was asked along with seven other young fledging musicians to form a band called The Jazzin' Juniors. Instantly popular initially for their adorability (not necessarily for their talent) they almost immediately began to get a steady stream of paid bookings at small jazz clubs and festivals. For the next four years, Otis began to develop his musical talent and learn about the art form called jazz. He continued to play with various school programs and honor bands throughout his high school years. After graduating high school, Otis got a job clerking at Tower Records but still exercised his passion for music by playing and performing with whomever he could on his off time. After a couple of years, realizing that this is what he wanted to do with his life, he quit his day job and devoted himself full time to his craft. (In an interesting side note: around this time, the Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus offered him the lead alto saxophone chair in the band that tours with the circus. This would have been a nice steady income for a young unattached relatively unknown musician. However, with youthful optimism, Otis respectfully declined the offer envisioning a more glamorous future in music. Two weeks after he would have joined, the circus train derailed, resulting in fifteen people being injured and two fatalities.) Around 1991, Otis co-founded and co-led the ''internationally moderately famous'' Wooden Nickel Jass Band, which during its ten year run achieved substantial popularity and success in the jazz festival scene. When not working with the Wooden Nickel, he'd perform five nights a week with the ''Sammie award Hall of Famer's'', The Beer Dawgs, playing saxophone, accordion, rubboard, percussion and singing. Juggling many other gigs all the while, he eventually accepted an offer to tour internationally with The 10th Avenue Band. For the next few years, he travelled around the world playing clubs and festivals in dozens of countries. He's met and played with a lot of internationally respected musicians at renowned places like the Jazz Club Storyville (Helsinki), Stampen Jazz Club (Stockholm), Club 100 (London), the Guinness Jazz Festival (Cork, Ireland) and The North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands). Over the years he's worked with many jazz legends like Diane Schuur, Myron Floren and Kay Starr and has played on over sixty recordings. He was also the woodwind instructor at the Mammoth Lakes Jazz Camp for multiple years. Currently, he is a regular member and performs with the Titan Hot 7, the Beer Dawgs, Valerie V. Weinberg, the Deanoholics, Sister Swing, Peter Petty, Another Brick in the Wall, and his own group the Colorblind Greens Band. Otis is known for his musical versatility and his ability to compliment any given genre. He is held in high regard for his jazz clarinet and mellow sounding saxophone skills but can also surprise the unbeknownst listener with some screaming stratospheric R&B sax when called upon. A man of diverse talent and taste, Otis Mourning brings his heart and soul to every single performance giving the audience a performance they won't soon forget. Some other artists and groups worked with:
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Mark Stivers (Accordion): Mark Stivers has played keyboards with the Sacramento Symphony, Ballet, Opera, and Choral Society. He has played numerous shows with Music Circus and the Broadway Series. As an accordionist, he plays many styles of music including tango with his quartet Caja Mágica. Since 1984, he has been a piano technician working for performances spaces, schools, and private clients. As an illustrator/cartoonist, his work has appeared in publications all around the world. |
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Kerry Kashiwagi (Bass): Kerry is an acoustic and electric bassist with 22 years of professional experience. He has played and or recorded with the Henry Robinett Group, the Tom Peron/ Bud Spangler Interplay Quartet, Richie Cole, John Fedchock, Rio Latin Quintet and Todd Cochran. He has participated in Master classes with Carlos Del Puerto and Gary Carr, and is currently and adjunct professor of Jazz Bass at American River College in Sacramento, California. |
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Mat Marucci (Drums): Mat Marucci is an active performer, author, educator, and clinician listed in Who's Who In America, International Who's Who In Music (Cambridge, England) and the Institute of Jazz Studies (Rutgers University). His performing credits include jazz greats Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Eddie Harris, Buddy De Franco, Les McCann, Pharoah Sanders, and John Tchicai among others. Mat has numerous critically acclaimed recordings to his credit as a leader and others as a sideman, including those with John Tchicai and Jimmy Smith, and is also the author of several books on drumming for both Lewis Music and Mel Bay Publications. His recordings and books have garnered four and five star reviews in Jazz Times, Jazziz, Modern Drummer, Downbeat and Drum! magazines and have also received nominations for awards. Additionally, Mat has written numerous articles on drumming for Modern Drummer and Downbeat magazines and for the Percussive Arts Society's Percussive Notes and Percussion News. He has also been an adjunct faculty member for both American River College (Sacramento, CA) and The Jazzschool (Berkeley, CA) and is an endorser for Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, and Vic Firth drumsticks. |
 Booking@PolMuz.net
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