Park Hill Brass
303-321-0987
Contact: Jacqueline Victor
Listed under Jazz, Original, Pop.
A quintet of professional musicians from the Denver area, the PHBQ has just returned from a concert tour in France where they performed at numerous cathedrals, town squares and even a donkey race in the French Alps. The quintet's repertoire features a wide variety of musical styles ranging from Renaissance to jazz. In addition to performing in Colorado, they have toured in France for the past five summers. They have been asked to do another Jazz workshop in France next year.
Park Hill Brass Biographies
Hugh Ragin, originally from Houston, TX is a founding member of the Park Hill Brass. With a BA from the University of Houston, in music education and an MA from Colorado State University in classical trumpet performance, Ragin has taught extensively, including a stint at Oberlin College in Ohio. An inspiring teacher, creative composer and trumpet virtuoso, Hugh Ragin has been named "a trumpeter with very few peers in terms of imagination or technical command" by jazz biographer, Francis Davis, in his notes for the "Live At The Knitting Factory" recording with Roscoe Mitchell. Ragin has also collaborated with musicians such as David Murray, Anthony Braxton, Dizzy Gillespie, Spencer Barefield, Fred Wesley, Leo Smith, Sun Ra, Maynard Ferguson, D.D. Jackson, Andrew Cyrille and poet Amiri Baraka, on both recorded and live jazz performances that range from bebop and freebop to the most "out" of avant-garde improvisation. His compositions have been recorded by David Murray, Roscoe Mitchell, D.D. Jackson and Fred Wesley, and yet despite his success as a performer and composer, Ragin insists on "being an educator first." His life has formed as a compassionate gesture "to share the knowledge, and bring more people into music." (Edited from Justin Time.)
Dan Leavitt is a Denver native. With a Masters in Trumpet Performance from the University of Denver, Leavitt is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Colorado. He has performed with numerous recording artists such as Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, the Moody Blues, Barry Manilow, The Canadian Brass, the Mannheim Steam Roller, John Denver, Lyle Lovett, Amy Grant Phil Woods, Dave Brubeck, Kenny Rogers, Leslie Uggams, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney , Diane Reeves, Pearl Bailey Doc Severinson, Melissa Manchester, Bernadette Peters, Ron Miles, and others. Leavitt has appeared with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, played with and conducted the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, and played principal trumpet for the Central City Opera. Dan Leavitt currently directs the music program at Bear Creek Church in Lakewood, Colorado, and teaches music at the Colorado Christian University.
Eric Staffeldt is from Indiana. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Butler University in Indianapolis and a Masters from the University of Denver in Music Composition. An active freelance trombonist, Staffeldt has written and arranged commissions for the Colorado Wind Ensemble, the Mostly Strauss Orchestra, and the Park Hill Brass Quintet. Eric also plays trombone with the Queen City Jazz which performs all over the USA.
Steve Traylor, a Kansas native, teaches and performs bass trombone, tuba, and tenor trombone in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Emporia State University with a Bachelors in Music Education. He has a Masters in Bass Trombone Performance from the University of Denver. In addition to being a musician, Mr. Traylor directs several musical ensembles in the Denver area. Traylorís classical experience includes performances with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Ballet, Central City Opera, and the Rome Festival Orchestra in Italy. A well known jazz musician, he currently performs with groups such as Park Avenue, Full House, Neophonic Jazz Orchestra, Queen City Jazz Band, Dixieland Express, and the Fat City Mardi Gras Band. Traylor has performed with Mel Torme, Frankie Valli, Four Tops, Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Bob Hope, Steve Allen, Harry Connick, Dianne Reeves, and Clark Terry.
Jacqueline Victor grew up in Nebraska. Her early training was in classical piano. As a teenager she participated in regional piano competitions. Her professional horn career began when as a foreign exchange student in Finland, she was a guest soloist with the Finnish Army Band. She played principal horn with the Joensuu Symphony Orchestra and in various community orchestras. Primarily interested ensemble playing, Victor has performed with various small ensembles here and in Europe. She and Hornist, Cyril Divin of Paris currently perform together featuring the duet repertoire for French Horn. When not playing her horn, Victor is found teaching French at the University of Denver. Victor is a founding member of the Park Hill Brass.
Audio Samples
| Title | Composer | |
|---|---|---|
| Ain't Misbehavin' | mp3 | |
| Amazing Grace | mp3 | |
| Canzona Bergamasca | mp3 | |
| Let It Snow | mp3 |
