BAND MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES

Howard Miyata - Trombone, Vocals
Stan Huddleston - Banjo
Corey Gemme - Cornet
Pieter Meijers - Leader, Reeds
Earl McKee - Sousaphone, Vocals
Bruce Huddleston - Piano
Charlie Castro - Drums

Howard Miyata - Trombone, Vocals
Howard began playing jazz with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra and the Monterey Bay Classic Jazz Band. As a junior high school band teacher during the day, Howard has an opportunity to spread his love and enthusiasm for music to his students. Howard has a BA in music from San Jose State University. Also an accomplished tuba player, he can be heard performing with many of the top West coast bands. Howard joined the High Sierra in 1989 when Vic Kimzey retired. Turk Murphy and Jim Snyder have been major influences to Howard’s playing style. The slight gruff sound and the tasty plunger solos can be heard throughout the High Sierra recordings. Howard’s vocals are always fun and light-hearted and his fans love his on-stage enthusiasm.

Stan Huddleston - Banjo, Guitar, Trombone
It’s obvious to even the casual observer that Stan draws immense personal satisfaction from his music. Regardless of the mood of the song being played, his work on the plectrum banjo reflects his inner feelings of joy and love of music. As would be expected, he controls his instrument completely and can make it shout, croon, or whisper at will. Stan also plays excellent guitar and trombone. Stan and his brother Bruce have been playing music together since their childhood. Stan’s first instrument was a violin which he traded for a banjo when he and Bruce first heard the “Firehouse Five.” The brothers put themselves through college playing in Shakey’s Pizza Parlors. Later they played three years at the White Horse Inn, Three Rivers, Stan on Banjo and Bruce on piano and organ.

Corey Gemme-Trumpet
A native of Los Angeles, picked up the trumpet at about age 10 being inspired by Louis Armstrong, Red Nichols, Harry James, Bunny Berrigan, and Bix Beiderbeck among others.

He studied music at Pasadena City College and California State University Los Angeles. Corey has performed with many groups including the Hot Frogs, Conrad Janis, The 10th Avenue Jazz Band, Jim Cullum's Happy Jazz Band, Janet Carroll, Johnny Crawford, Dean Mora's Modern Rhythmists, and the Black Swan jazz Band. He currently performs with the Reynolds Brothers, Janet Klein And Her Parlor Boys, the Mike Henebry Big Band, Dwight Kennedy's Le Jazz Hot, which often performs at Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood,The Titan Hot Seven, and now plays regularly with the High Sierra Jazz Band

Corey has traveled throughout the US, Canada, Japan and China, England, Sweden, and appeared as a featured guest at the Sancy Snow Festival in France. He is regularly featured at the Sweet and Hot Jazz festival in Los Angeles.

Corey's other interests are flying radio controlled gliders, hang gliding, scuba diving, ceramics, and photography. Corey spent two months in 2005 in Australia and New Zealand on a scuba and photography adventure and is currently in the editing stages of his photos. A small sample of these and other photos can bee seen on his web site: www.coreygemme.com

Pieter Meijers - Reeds, Trombone, Leader
Pieter, born in the Netherlands, began musical training at age six. He played in a concert band with his father as the conductor. While a student in Amsterdam he became a regular at the Dutch trad jazz scene, but he quit playing Dixie to complete his studies. He continued concert band activities and became a conductor in 1967. In 1968, with his doctorate in nuclear chemistry and physics complete, he came to New York to pursue research. Soon he started playing jazz again. Pieter was the leader of the Isotope Stompers on Long Island. He also performed in musicals as a musician and later as musical director. In 1981 Pieter came to LA and within one year he joined the Nightblooming Jazzmen. He was their reed man for 13 years. For a few years he worked free lance in several bands as a guest and in 1998 Pieter was asked to become a permanent member of the High Sierra Jazz Band. Pieter’s artistry in music is lyrical, often hard-driving but always with technical brilliance. His improvisations are innovative and daring, and his humor brings enjoyment on stage and off. Pieter is Senior Conservation Scientist at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Earl McKee - Sousaphone, Trombone, Vocals
Earl is a livestock rancher. He raises cattle and quarter horses on the family mountain range and home site in Three Rivers. His signature cowboy hat is not just a fad but a standard part of daily wear. He comes from several generations of very talented musicians. He is outstanding on several stringed instruments such as bass, guitar and violin, as well as the big bore brass horns. Earl is a stickler for the correct “bottom line” notes, and as a result plays all the right changes, contributing significantly to that “High Sierra” sound. Earl’s singing voice, which has such a wide range that it could be described as either baritone or tenor, is certainly unequalled in any jazz band.

Bruce Huddleston - Piano
Bruce majored in music throughout college and is currently a private piano teacher. His performances illustrate a thorough understanding of musical theory. He composes and arranges in addition to his instrumental work. Combining these talents with outstanding technical skills, Bruce is equally impressive as a member of the rhythm section or as a featured soloist. His piano solos, especially his own compositions, have become crowd favorites. Music was a way of life for the Huddleston brothers as children of musical evangelists. Bruce has played as a professional musician most of his life. He, along with Charlie and Earl, were members of the original Jazzberry Jam Band that preceeded the High Sierra Jazz Band. Bruce also played in the Monterey Bay Classic Jazz Band.

Charlie Castro - Drums
Charlie is an experienced drummer, having played for years in a number of dance bands in Central California before the formation of the High Sierra Jazz Band. Charlie has the rare quality of musical self-discipline that separates the good drummers from the mediocre. He has a good sense of dynamics and his variable touch provides the background shadings that are so important to the “feel” of each tune. Charlie is retired from the National Park Service where he took care of the “big” trees, the Sequoia Gigantia. He is Paiute Indian, born in the Yosemite Valley Indian Village. As a child he would peek through the cracks in the walls of the hotel to see and hear the big bands that came to play in Yosemite. His first set of drums was his mother’s pots and pans.