Boneyard Jazz Quintet
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Armand Beaudoin, bass and cello
Jeff Magby, drums
Morgan Powell, trombone
Tom (Shab) Wirtel, trumpet and flugelhorn
Woody Woodward, piano
We are seasoned jazz players who have played with many name bands. We play tunes that people know, by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and more. BJQ plays a variety of styles (swing, Latin, ballads, etc).
We are friends who enjoy performing together and think that it shows
BJQ performs at local clubs (The Iron Post, Cowboy Monkey, Zorba's) and has performed at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA) Afterglow; Beckman Institute; Champaign Park District events; Lincoln Square, Urbana with The Champaign/Urbana Youth Orchestra and the Bow-Dacious String Band; Illinois State University Jazz Festival; Quincy, Illinois Arts Center; DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana; Prairie Breezes mini concerts for kids, at The Urbana Free Library, Urbana, IL. BJQ has also performed at benefits and social events.
In a concert setting, we tell our audience about the music we perform.
BJQ 2005 to present
In 1990, slide trombonist Morgan Powell and valve trombonist Mike Gabriel formed Boneyard, named after the Boneyard Creek, which flows through Champaign and Urbana. The original rhythm section was comprised of Glenn Scheutz on bass, Woody Woodward on piano, and Bill French on drums.
When Glenn left town, Donald (Raphael) Garrett, who had recorded with John Coltrane, took his place. At times, both Tom Fredrickson and John Pennell subbed on bass. Drummers Steve Adelman and Jeff Magby have subbed for the band. Trombonist Britta Langsjoen has sat in with the group. Eventually Armand Beaudoin took over the bass for the Boneyard. The group has played gigs, among other places, at Nature's Table, The Blind Pig, The Beckman Institute, The Iron Post, Piano People, and Sweet Betsy's in Urbana.
There was a period in the 1990's when the group ceased to exist but rekindled itself around 2002. In 2004, Mike retired from the University, UIUC, and moved to St. Augustine, FL. Tom (Shab) Wirtel, trumpet and flugel horn, had been playing with the group for a few weeks before Mike left and Shab and Morgan remained as the horns after Mike departed. Mike comes back to the area on university business occasionally and plays with the group.
2006 at The Cowboy Monkey
Tom (Shab) Wirtel, Jeff Magby and Morgan
Contact Boneyard Jazz Quintet
Morgan Powell
Email Morgan
Ph: (217) 366 3218
See http://www.cujazz.org for performance places and dates.