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Over the Rainbow 4:380:00/4:38
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0:00/3:36
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0:00/3:37
The Beginning
Steve and Pete met at Barrington High in the fall of 1967, the beginning of their sophomore year. The next year Steve and Pete created the BHS Jazz Ensemble (although it was called the 'Stage Band' at the time). In the summers, they had a band that performed at the end-of-the-year Barrington Yacht Club cookout. By that time, they had already started to accumulate a small book of tunes.
Steve attended Barrington College and majored in Music Ed.; and Pete went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for Engineering. Steve played in the jazz band at Barrington College, and during Pete's sophomore year, he started the RPI Jazz Ensemble
After graduation, Steve played in what would become 'Steve Smith and the Nakeds', and Pete was playing with the American Band and the RIC orchestra.
They hooked up again around 1986 in a big band in East Providence. Out of that group, they formed a brass quintet called 'The Ocean State Brass Quintet' and have been playing with the quintet ever since.
However... they were always thinking about a big band. Late in 2012, this happened.
"Hey Pete, do you have any big band charts?"
"As a matter of fact, I have over 200 charts that I've accumulated over the years (and organized into a detailed excel spreadsheet), I've just never been able to find enough musicians!"
"Well, it just so happens that I know quite a few musicians..."