Centerpiece Jazz
(303) 237-5649
Contact: Ronald Moewes
Listed under Jazz.
Centerpiece Jazz
Music for All Occasions
ìAdd a Little Class to Your Special Event!î
We would like to introduce ourselves, Joni Janak ñ vocals, Ed Stephen ñ guitar and vocals, Dean Ross ñ bass and vocals, and Ron Moewes ñ drums and vocals. Together we are called ìCENTERPIECE JAZZ.î
We have combined our experience and talent to form a musical group to entertain at special functions. Individually and collectively we have recorded and performed with some of the countryís top musicians. We have performed at many national and international jazz festivals. Donít let the name fool you, Centerpiece Jazz does a wide variety of music styles.
We are available to provide musical entertainment for special events. Please feel free to contact one of us listed below for bookings or for further information.
Ron Moewes
(303) 237-5649
rpmoewes@comcast.net
or
Joni Janak
(303) 986-4419
* * * *
Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, vocalist Joni Janak moved to Denver in 1969 where she continues to reside. She has worked and/or recorded with such notables as Carl Fontana, Ralph Sharon, Stefan Karlsson, Marvin Stamm, Ed Soph, Tom Warrington, Ross Tompkins, Carson Smith, Bill Watrous, Andy Simpkins, Jake Hanna, Bob Cooper, and Conte and Pete Candoli. Her Colorado colleagues include Ellyn Rucker, Ron Moewes, Ed Stephen, Dean Ross, Dale Bruning, Rich Chiaraluce, Eric Gunnison, the Gordon Dooley Orchestra, The Hot Tomatoes, and the Dean Bushnell Orchestra.
Her first European tour occurred in Derry, Northern Ireland in 2001, followed by a highly acclaimed appearance during the Derry Jazz Festival in 2002. Her JLE recordings, Let's Live Again, The Wind, and Get Outta Here! can be heard and purchased at www.jazzlinkenterprises.com. They, too, have met with high praise in Jazz Journal (England), Jazzscene of Oregon, International Trombone magazine, The Denver Post, and Jazz Review (Canada), among others.
Queens, New York is the hometown of guitarist/arrange/ composer stalwart Ed Stephen, Primarily a self-taught musician, he counts Johnny Smith, Howard Alden, George Van Eps, Bill Evans, and Phil Woods, among his influences. ìIn fact, an on-going goal of mine is to develop a technique like Johnny Smith, while corning up with ideas like Bill Evans!" quipped the gregarious and gracious Ed. After moving to Colorado in 1975, Ed taught Jazz Guitar at the University of Colorado at Denver. He continues to teach the guitar privately; he also teaches reading and English as a second language for the Range View Library District in Adams County.
His Colorado playing credentials include the type of diversity strongly associated with such a skilled musician as he is. He has worked with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Pops Concerts. Those concerts featured the likes of Michel Legrand, Carol Lawrence, Oscar Peterson, and Ferrante & Teicher. He has played in the Walt Smith's Roaring Fork Jazz Party, which featured Harry Allen, the Sacramento Jazz Festival, and the West Coast Jazz Festival, where he worked with the Summit Ridge Jazz Band with Bob Craven as leader. Some of his other playing cohorts include the Gordon Dooley Orchestra, Joni Janak, Dean Ross, Ron Moewes, Vern Baumer, Bob Craven, and Carl Fontana. His first recording on JLE's label is Get Outta Here!
Manzanola, Colorado is the hometown of the intrepid bassist Dean Ross. Except for a stint in the US Army Band, he has lived and worked in Colorado throughout his career. Musicians he has worked with include Ralph Sharon, Ross Tompkins, Billy Eckstine, Dave Grusin, Marlena Shaw, Helen 0' Connell, Steve Allen, Pete and Conte Candoli, Jon Hendricks, Big Tiny Little, Ron Moewes, Ed Stephen, Joni Janak, Ellyn Rucker, Dale Bruning, Spike Robinson, Rich Chiaraluce, and The Hot Tomatoes. He has also worked with Chicago's James Dapogny's Band at the University of Northern Colorado as well as The Sounds of New Orleans. His first recording on the JLE label is Get Outta Here! with Centerpiece Jazz.
A native of Denver, Colorado, drummer Ron Moewes (pronounced (Mavis) received his Bachelorís Decree in Music Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Later he earned his Masterís Degree in Creative Arts from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
With his degrees in hand, he began a 31-year career teaching music (orchestra, jazz band) in the Jefferson County school system. While he taught during the day, he gigged at night and on the weekends, making himself an indispensable drumming staple in Colorado. Ron has worked with such notables as Ralph Sharon, Carl Fontana, Clark Terry, Marian McPartland, Herb Ellis, James Moody, Zoot Sims, Pete Christlieb, Sonny Stitt, Jon Hendricks, AI Grey, Buddy DeFranco, Doc Severinsen, and Peter Appleyard.
In Colorado, he has worked with Joni Janak, Ed Stephen, Dean Ross, Ellyn Rucker, Rich Chiaraluce, Dale Bruning, The Gordon Dooley Orchestra, Ken Walker, Mark Simon, Eric Gunnison, Jeff Jenkins, Les James, Spike Robinson, and Bud Poindexter, among others. An outstanding composer and lyricist, some of his originals can be heard on his JLE recordings Ron Moewes & Friends: All This You Gave to Me and Get Outts Here!
Audio Samples
| Title | Composer | |
|---|---|---|
| Get Outta Here | mp3 |
