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Dean Keller

Dean Keller is a multi-instrumentalist that has been an active professional musician for over 20 years. His desire to explore the use of bass clarinet in a jazz/improvisational setting was fostered by his long tenure in the Dave Rivello Ensemble, and led him to start his current world jazz project, The Rita Collective. As a saxophone player, he has traveled the world performing with The Glenn Miller Orchestra and aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, The Grandeur of the Seas where he performed with many renowned artists such as Ben Vereen (with musical director Brian Scanlon) and Bowzer of Sha-Na-Na. Dean is also an active recording musician having recorded for both television and film as well as with national recording artists Phantom Planet. Dean has also free-lanced with many touring groups including Tito Puente, The Temptations, Bobby Vinton, Little Anthony & the Imperials, and Frankie Valley. In addition to leading The Rita Collective, Dean currently records and performs as a sideman with The Dave Rivello Ensemble and the Rick Holland Little Big Band.

Russell Scarbrough: Fun Times

Read "Fun Times" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
September 25, 2023

Bandleader Russell Scarbrough has an intriguing motto: “If it's not fun, we're not doing it right!" He also had an intriguing way of recording his debut album, Fun Times, to which an entire review could be devoted. Suffice to say that the individual parts were taped in isolation owing to the Covid pandemic and sent to Scarbrough for inclusion on the album, sometimes taking up to a year to complete. Scarbrough “could afford to be patient," he writes, “as [he] ...