Doug Burnley - Cornet

   Doug took up the cornet at the age of 12, despite the school band director's admonition that he wouldn't be able to play it, due to the large space between his front teeth.

    Since forming his own jazz band when he was 16, he has led & played with bands in both the USA and Canada, including the "Jazz Rascals" from London, "Excelsior Jazz Band" and "Hot Peppers" from Toronto, the "Capital City Jazz Band" in Ottawa, the "Riverside Jazz Band" in Florida, and the "Back Bay Stompers" in Biloxi Mississippi.

    After playing dixieland and traditional jazz in larger groups, he is enjoying the artistic freedom of branching out into a more mainstream form of smooth jazz with the trio. Incorporating the all time favorites from "The Great American Songbook" (Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael etc.), as well as a smattering of pop, folk. and Tijuana Brass favorites from the 60's and 70's.

     Doug has also enjoyed a variety of careers, including the Canadian Army, Manager of Data Centres, Business Owner, Custom Furniture Builder and is currently designing websites for bands, artists and small business. (This website was created by Doug).

 Visit Doug's personal site  or his web design sites  at Performers-R-Us &  Dynamic Web Design.

 

Bill Stewart - Guitar & Banjo

    Bill plays guitar and banjo, he is a very accomplished musician,  an asset to any rhythm section and plays very thoughtful and swinging solos.  Much in demand, he has played with every major jazz band from Toronto to London Ont.     

      Bill came to Canada in 1965 from Elgin Scotland, he took up banjo, guitar and mandolin at the age of 14, he was influenced by the great Perry Bechtel, who he was fortunate enough to spend some time with.

       In addition to playing with "Brass N' Ivory", Bill can be found at various banjo conventions around the USA & Canada, playing guitar with various big bands and banjo with several trad jazz bands and banjo ensembles.

       Currently retired, in his other lives, he was a London bobby, banker and civil servant.
    

 

David Neale - Sousaphone / Bass

 

     David started his professional jazz career in 1988. His career continued through the mid 90’s when he focused his efforts on wind bass in the jazz vein. He was greatly influenced by two late Southwestern Ontario jazz players – Eddy White (cornet and other brass), and Blaine Phillips (drums, banjo) The influence of these two great jazz players drives his enthusiasm and stylings today.

He has played since the mid 90’s with several jazz groups. He has also played a little country music, he recorded tracks on two different projects with country artist Terry Sumsion. This diversion was however a brief one.

David's first love is jazz. The latest and very promising effort, "Brass N’ Ivory" has focused David in a new direction. In this group he has been able to draw on his traditional jazz roots and his brief country experience to focus on a new project.

That project is “Brass N’ Ivory”, a jazz group performing a broader spectrum of material, focusing on the great standards with a little folk and Tijuana Brass thrown in. This fresh new approach is just what David has been waiting for, the music this trio performs allows David the freedom to make the sousaphone a lead instrument along with being the bottom end of the group.

David plays the sousaphone more like a lead instrument than most other wind bass players. He is capable of making the wind bass instrument a “cool” horn!

 You can visit David's personal website here: