“A Salute to Lester Young & Pee Wee Russell” ~ The Kris Tokarski Trio featuring Clarinetist, Saxophonist, Composer/Arranger Jon Doyle & Legendary New Orleans Percussionist Hal Smith
Kris Tokarski was born and raised just outside of New York City, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Growing up in a Hungarian – American household, he was raised on classical music and Hungarian folk music.
Kris attended and completed his bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. While there, he would make the regular pilgrimage back to New York to study at Barry Harris’ workshops.
In 2012, Kris moved to New Orleans to pursue a master’s degree at the University of New Orleans. Currently, he is on the jazz studies faculty at UNO and is thriving as an in demand jazz pianist performing throughout the city. Most recently, Kris recorded an album with an all star cast of New Orleans musicians, which can be purchased on his site.
Clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger Jonathan Doyle lives in Port Townsend WA in the Pacific Northwest. He still spends time in Chicago, Austin TX, and on the road.
Jonathan briefly attended Depaul’s School of Music in Chicago, where he studied under Mark Colby and Susan Cook. He left school to pursue a full time career in music during the neo-swing movement of the mid-90s, playing with the Mighty Blue Kings and then the Four Charms. He has also worked with Chicago’s emerging improvisers such as Josh Berman, Jason Adasiewicz, and Design Flaw, and developed an interest in country blues and jug band music playing with the Wabash Jug Band. In 2004, Mr. Doyle moved to Austin to pursue his love of acoustic and roots music afresh. After a brief stint with the Asylum Street Spankers, he went on to freelance in Central Texas’ vibrant traditional jazz, swing, and western swing scene, playing with well-established acts such as Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, and the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, as well being a part of many fine local bands such as Thrift Set Orchestra, Albanie & her Fellas, Stan Smith and the Jazz Pharaohs, Aunt Ruby’s Sweet Jazz Babies, East Side Dandies, White Ghost Shivers, Whit Smith’s Hot Jazz Caravan, The Giant Three and his own projects The Jonathan Doyle Quintet / Swingtet. His time in New Orleans introduced him to the hot jazz and traditional blues band, Tuba Skinny. And his connection to Chicago led to playing with the amazing Fat Babies as well as guitar maestro, Joel Paterson. More recently he has started performing with Naomi & Her Handsome Devils and Hal Smith’s Swing Central and the Casey MacGill Orchestra!
Jonathan is committed to crafting original music as well studying the American musical traditions. He strives to organize and be a part of bands whose music is rooted, yet distinct. And to play for listeners and dancers anywhere they’ll have him!
Hal Smith took up drumming in 1963. He listened to classic jazz drummers such as Ben Pollack, Nick Fatool, Wayne Jones, and Fred Higuera in person and later took lessons from Jake Hanna. Hal has also been inspired by the recordings of Dave Tough, Big Sid Catlett, Zutty Singleton, Jo Jones, Vic Berton, Andrew Hillaire, Ray Bauduc, Gene Krupa, George Wettling, Kaiser Marshall, Stan King, Harry Dial, Minor Hall, Wally Bishop, Morey Feld and Johnny Wells. “Chicago Style Jazz” is his favorite type of music, but Hal also enjoys listening to and playing “New Orleans,” “New York” and “Kansas City” styles.
He has played in many well-known bands, such as the Dukes of Dixieland, New Black Eagle Jazz Band, Jim Cullum Jazz Band, Butch Thompson Trio, Banu Gibson and New Orleans Hot Jazz, South Frisco Jazz Band, Chicago Six, Yerba Buena Stompers, Climax Jazz Band, Jonathan Stout’s Campus Five, West End Jazz Band and the Hall Brothers Jazz Band. Hal’s own groups have included the Roadrunners (with Bobby Gordon and Rebecca Kilgore), Hal’s Angels (with Anita Thomas and Katie Cavera), the New El Dorado Jazz Band, Jazz Chihuahuas, Down Home Jazz Band and the California Swing Cats. He has also played blues with James Harman, Nathan James, Ben Hernandez, Billy Watson and Blue Largo, Western Swing with Dave Stuckey and the Hi-Lo Playboys and Rockabilly with the Cash Kings, Gino and the Lone Gunmen, Big Rig Deluxe and his own Hayriders. Hal has made over 200 recordings and has appeared on numerous televisions and radio broadcasts. In February, 2014 he returned to freelancing as a professional musician.
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