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Band Member Biographies
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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.
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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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 becomecrowd 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. |
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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 ParkService 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. |
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Bryan Shaw - Trumpet
Only a few insiders noticed, a refreshingly individual trumpet player in California named Bryan Shaw unobtrusively played his way into the front rank of distingished contemporary mainstream jazz musicians. For Bryan, jazz was a happy payoff after years of instructions and formal band experience. It began when he acquired his father''s old Conn cornet. It was given with the idea that blowing classical horn - Father didn''t care for jazz - might help Bryan get through his bouts with asthma.
The cornet did improve Bryan''s health, and ironically it turned out to be the same model Conn Victor used by Bix Beiderbecke on many of his recordings. Although Bryan had (and has) high respect for "legitimate" music, he was inexorably drawn to Bix, Louis Armstrong, Harry James and Bunny Berigan, then to Roy Eldridge and Red Allen. It was the classic developmental journey of a swing-bound trumpet player. If you doubt that, just ask Lyttelton, Braff, Goodwin or Sandke. Although Bryan was intrigued by Charlie Parker playing Groovin'' High which he heard in high school, he has elected to work in the modern mainstream realm of Roy, Red and Ruby. It is time for Bryan Shaw, now a devoted husband and father in his mid-forties, to step out and be recognized for his considerable talent. His preference for staying home with his family, avoiding the traveling life, many result in it taking longer for him to become known around the world, but the talent is in place and the process is under way. - Richard B. Hadlock. |
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Stampede |
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Assorted Flavors |
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| Live from Budapest |
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We Got'em |
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Jubilee |
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Live from Three Rivers |
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Out Standing in their Field |
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High Sierra
Jazz Band
P. O. Box 812
Three Rivers,
CA 93271-0821
Tel.: 559-561-4549 |
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