Bones Southwest Group Photo

Spring 2007 Rehearsal

From left to right: Tom Leander, Earl Cosbey, Joe Savard, Dick Johnson, Michael Eastin, Kevin Bembry, Bob Cochran, Bob Weller, Yolanda Johnson, Michael Walker, James Arthur

Bones Southwest Active Players

This section includes players who have performed at the last few Bones Southwest concerts.

James Arthur

James Arthur was born in Portsmouth, Ohio but grew up and went to school in Minford, Ohio.  He went to The Ohio State University under Joseph Duchi (bass trombonist in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra) where he preformed with the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra, Men's Glee Club, Marching Band, and other groups.  He was also a substitute trombonist with the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra. James moved to Phoenix in 2005 and plays with the Arizona Winds Premier Concert Band, Bones Southwest, the Scottsdale Symphony Orchestra, and euphonium in the Glendale Summer Band.  He also plays the piano.  He worked for the Washington Elementary School District for three years and is now the band director at Madison Park Middle School in the Madison Elementary School District.
 

Kevin Bembry

Bob Cochran

Earl Cosbey

Earl Cosbey began playing the trombone in the 8th grade (1936) when the first band program was started at South Kitsap Jr.-Sr. High School at Port Orchard Washington. Classes were once a week for the first two years. During his junior and senior. years he won superiour ratings as he competed as a trombone soloist in the National School Music Competitions. During this time he joined the Port Orchard Town Band and was also invited to join the Bremerton Elks Band. In his junior year he was invited to play his contest solo, "Blue Bells Of Scotland" with the U.S. Navy Band stationed on the Battleship Arizona at one of their Sunday Band Concerts. This was a special honor. Earl attended the University of Washington playing 1st trombone in the Concert Band and the Marching Band directed by Prof Walter Welke, and the University Symphony Orchestra directed by Prof. George Kirshner. He studied trombone with Edward Benson, Prof. Walter Welke, Kenneth Cloud and Joseph Burnside.

Returning home his profesional playing began after playing 1st trombone with the 701 AAF Band for three years. Joining the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Opera Orchestra and the Summer Symphony in the Parks Orchestra he had the priviligeto play under such fine conductors as Manuel Rosenthal, Arthur Fiedler, Andre Kostelanetz, Alfred Wallenstein, Maurice Abavanel, Gaeamo Mevola, Milton Katims, Leopold Stokowski, Alexander Hilsgurg, Carlos Chavez, Jonathan Steinberg, Igor Stravinsky, Sir Thomas Beecham and Henri Mancini, among others.

As a freelance trombone player Earl was a member of the theater orchestras that played for the New York road companies for Oklahoma, Carousel, Music Man, Sound Of Music, West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, among others. He also played for other shows such as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circuses, the Shrine Circus, Ice Follies, Ice Capades and Aqua Follies every year and played backup, accompanying solists such as Eartha Kit, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and Perry Como, among others. He also played shows such as Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis with whom he toured. Earl played with local dance bands when not working other gigs and played many miscellaneous gigs too numerous to mention. He is a member of the International Trombone Association.

Earl taught elemenary, junior high school and high school band in the Seattle area for 35 years and taught brass students privately for 30 years at his studio in Burien Washington.

After retiring in 1985, he and his wife, Ruth, traveled around the world, finally coming to the Sun Cities area in 1998. Earl started playing again and has been active in many stage bands, concert bands, and orchestra since that time, retiring from the Sun CityConcert Band in 2007.

Earl has been especially interested in trombone ensembles since retiring and helped to organize the first trombone ensemble in the Seattle area. He returns to Harstene Island in Washington each summer and while in the Puget sound area plays with the original group. He is especially encouraged that Bob Weller has organized the Bones Southwest and feels it is a special privilege to play with so many great young players.  He will be 84 in 2007.

Michael Eastin

Michael Eastin is the band director at Greenbriar Elementary in Glendale, Arizona.  He plays first trombone in the Palmcroft Church Orchestra.  He usually plays the first parts and leads by example with well developed chops and musicianship.  Michael is a founding member of Bones Southwest, along with Bob Weller. 

Dick Johnson

Kevin Krull

Peter Kyhn

Peter moved to the Valley of the Sun in 2006 from Denver, CO where he played two seasons with the Rocky Mountain Brassworks British Brass Band. He is the worship pastor at Trinity Bible Church in Phoenix. While living in San Jose, CA he played with the Touch of Brass big band, under section leader Joe Davis, father of New York trombonist Mike Davis. While living in the Tacoma, WA area, he played in a quintet led by the commander of the McCord AFB band. Peter started playing trombone in the third grade in Oakland, CA, was a member of the Weldonian Marching Band, and played under the legendary west coast arranger and band leader Lyle Bardo in Youth of America. He received a Bachelors of Art in Music Performance from California State University at Hayward (now East Bay), studying with Dan Livesay. Kevin Krull always sat one chair ahead of him!

Tom Leander

Tom grew up in Minnesota, the son of a high school band director.  He started playing the Euphonium in the fifth grade, and while in high school played in numerous district, festival and honor bands, including the Minnesota All State Band for three years. As a Junior in HS, Tom auditioned for the Ted Mack Original Amatuer hour, and played "The Carnival of Venice" on national TV in 1965.  He attended Mankato State College in Mankato, MN and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education.  While at Mankato, Tom was able to study with members of  the Minnesota Orchestra, and also spent a year at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT, studying Euphonium, Trombone, and conducting.  Over the years Tom has played with community bands, British Brass bands, large brass ensembles, brass quintets, quartets, Jazz bands, Orchestras, and has also conducted many of these groups. He taught high school band for ten years in Minnesota, and has worked in the insurance industry for the last 27 years to support his music habit.  Tom currently plays with a brass quartet, the Glendale Community College band, various churches and small groups in the Phoenix area, and Bones Southwest.  2008 celebrates 50 years of performing music on the Euphonium and Trombone.

Joseph L. "Joe" Savard

Joseph L. Savard has been playing trombone professionally in the Phoenix area since 1983.  He first began playing in 1965 at Pasadena California.  He studied jazz at Oakland University, Rochester Michigan under Marvin “Doc” Holiday.  In 1980, he was a featured soloist on an album recorded by the group “Revelation”.  From 1989 to 1995 Joseph performed with the 108^th Army Band as lead trombonist.  He currently plays with several small groups and big bands in the Phoenix area.  Joe is an accomplished improvisationalist.

Nathan Vander Stoep

Nathan Vander Stoep comes from Golden, Colorado.  He began trombone at eight years old and was trained by his father through high school, when he was also taught by Buddy Baker.  Nathan played in many of the local honor groups, including 1st chair at All-State his eligible years, and the Denver Young Artist Orchestra from 1993-1998.  He decided to take a year off from school, and during that time got a job with a professional ballet company (he had been studying ballet as well since 10 years old).  Joining Ballet Arizona this August brought him to the Phoenix area.

Bob Weller

Bob Weller attended Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Arizona during the late ‘60s.  He played tenor trombone through out high school.  In addition to high school instrumental groups, Bob was also a three year All State band and orchestra member.

Bob attended college at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona as a music education major.  He studied tenor and bass trombone with John Shipp, David Walters and Gail Wilson.  While at A.S.U., Bob was a member the Sun Devil marching band, wind ensemble, brass choir, orchestra and jazz band. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education.

While in college Bob joined the local musicians union and played professionally for fifteen years in the Phoenix area.   During that time he had the opportunity to play in show bands behind artists such as Sammy Davis Jr., Barbara Eden, Liberace, Eddie Arnold, The Pointer Sisters, Glen Campbell, Mitzi Gaynor, Bill Cosby and Henry Mancini.    His playing also included The Ringling Brothers Circus, Ice Follies and Ice Capades.  Bob was also a member of the 108^th Army Band stationed in Phoenix.

The trombones were put away when the family activities and the day time teaching job became more important.  Bob taught band in the Phoenix area for 34 years.  His teaching included high school, middle school and elementary bands.

On retirement from teaching the trombones came out of the closet.  The trombone choir and other groups such as local big bands and orchestras have given Bob the chance to play again.

Bob is a founding member and the leader of Bones Southwest.  His many duties include: anchoring the bass trombone parts, maintaining the music folders, and organizing rehearsals and performances.

Friends of Bones Southwest

This section includes players who were previously active in Bones Southwest or have visited our rehearsals at least once.  Some of them are well known, even famous!

John Lofton

Yolanda Johnson

Yolanda Johnson is a band director.  She usually plays the middle parts and helps to round out the warm, full sound of Bones Southwest.

Ralph Sauer

Dick Strobel

Dick Strobel is a lawyer and very active bass trombonist.  He is a true trombone enthusiast  and tells wonderful "trombone lore" stories.  He has known Ralph Sauer for decades and did an excellent job of organizing a Ralph Sauer seminar in the Phoenix area in early 2007.  He generously spends his time and energy building relationships among musicians in the Valley of the Sun, and beyond.

Bill Tole

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA., Bill Tole comes from a musical family.  His father was a high school band director for many years is still active as a professional trombonist and piano player. His mother also plays the piano and for many years performed with master chorales in the western Pennsylvania area. They have both been a tremendous influence on Tole developing an appreciation and love for the art. Bill is the oldest of four children. His sister Nancy is the featured vocalist with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, and is the lead singer and leader of the famous The Pied Pipers.  His brother Gary is a busy studio musician and leader of his own band Legends of Swing Orchestra in the Los Angeles area. And the youngest of the four children Amy, who has not chosen a career in music as a performer, enjoys listening to all music and is one of the Tole family's biggest fans.

Wishing to pursue a career as a musician, Bill attended Duquesne University School of Music. After four years of college he auditioned for the Tommy Dorsey Band and went on tour with the band. He later joined the Air Force dance band, Airmen of Note, a continuation of the Army Air Force "Glenn Miller Orchestra". Tole was first trombonist and assistant leader for his four years with that band.  Following the military service he quickly became a much sought after musician. Bill moved to New York City in the mid 60's and played for many of the top Broadway shows, worked club dates and was busy doing recordings in the studios.  However, a change in the studio scene relocated Bill to Los Angeles in 1967 where he continued his professional career.

Bill has performed with many of the great stars in the music business. Some of the big band leaders he has played with include; Ray Anthony, Tex Beneke, Louis Bellson, Les Brown, Bob Crosby, Harry James, Quincy Jones, Nelson Riddle and Si Zentner. The great singing stars include; Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Tony Martin and many more.  Bill is very much in demand as a soloist, teacher and clinician in the United States for United Musical Instruments. Bill plays King trombones exclusively. He has also performed in Great Britain, Australia and Japan as a clinician and lecturer as well as leader of the Bill Tole Orchestra in concert.

On January 1, 2002 Bill became the leader of the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.

Lee Wygant