"There is two kinds of music, the good, and the bad. I play the good kind."
“The way I heard it...
…Clyde Bisbee started out in ’46 with a TV and vacuum tube amplifier repair shop up north. He grew up listenin’ to every disc he could get his hands on once he figured out how he could get ’em to play on his folks’ old Victrola. Then a family friend gave him an old guitar and that was that. Trouble is, his old man wanted him to get a ‘respectable’ job. So, he hung out a shingle in front of Al Felder’s old tailor shop and played to his second love; tinkering around in this new-fangled world of electronic machinery. (bunch o’ malarky, if ya ask me) The music was always right there, tho’. He used to sing and play his guitar in the back room when business was slow. Word is one day this hotshot jazz player from the big city happened in. He was lookin’ for an AM radio so’s he could distract himself from the monotony country life ladles over a city fella’ (I guess he was up country for a funeral)….but what he found was a filet mignon hidin’ out in the root cellar. That’s right, he walks into Clyde’s place and hears Clyde singing away in the back room, thinking he was all by his lonesome. ‘Hey, buddy, what are you doing up here in no-man’s-land?? You oughta be playin’ to the masses my friend, the youngsters can’t get enough of this stuff in the city. No joke, you should be frontin’ your own band!’
Well, that was all Clyde needed to hear. He left that shop faster n’ you can say ‘Tiny Grimes’….he turned that repair joint over to his cousin Larry but that nitwit ran the place into the ground…like we didn’t see that one coming! Anyhoo, Cyde made a beeline for those bright lights. Didn’t take him long to put a jumpin’ band together and the rest is history, as they say.” – Lennie Tristano, New York, N.Y.
Well, that was all Clyde needed to hear. He left that shop faster n’ you can say ‘Tiny Grimes’….he turned that repair joint over to his cousin Larry but that nitwit ran the place into the ground…like we didn’t see that one coming! Anyhoo, Cyde made a beeline for those bright lights. Didn’t take him long to put a jumpin’ band together and the rest is history, as they say.” – Lennie Tristano, New York, N.Y.
Meet The Wheelhouse Revelers!
Hover over to pause a slide. Click on those little dots below to navigate. You can do it!
Sonja "The Medicine Woman" Florman Born on the back porch of a hillbilly jazz club, swaddled in a gin-soaked swing skirt, now known for exuding juniper when she plays the keys, Sonja is happy to kick in a Kentucky bluegrass wail whenever a bass thumps, tend to the infirm given a stethoscope or whip the triple-step in the slot. Now raisin’ a flock of Mainers and looking forward to reveling in your wheelhouse.
Sonja Florman
John "Dog House" Doherty John didn't earn the nickname "Dog House," because he's been bad. No, no...he earned that monicker because he is one baaaaaaaaad hombre. If you know what I mean. And if you don't, well, once you've heard this fella bend notes into submission by way of his dog house, aka, the double bass/upright bass/bass fiddle, or whatever you'd like to call it....then you'll know exactly what I mean. John is what you'd call a low frequency artiste. He's a true-blue jazz lover and has fueled that love by lending his talents to a number of big bands over the years. He swings hard, as they say, and provides backbone to our rhythms along with the rest of our top notch rhythm section. When not thumpin' the "dog house," John can be found sampling his own sweet potato hash (hmmm...song title? I think maybe) or making sure that everyone within a 3 block radius of his home has eaten. Suffice it to say, rehearsals at John's place keep us coming back for more!
Jason "Man of Steel" Lumbruno When it comes time to put the metal to the pedal our Man of Steel, Jason, won't string you along...then again, he actually might...Ya see, Mr. Lumbruno is our resident lap & pedal steel player. Mild mannered 1's & 0's guy by day, Jason's binary existence takes on a whole 'nother dimension when he steps behind—or under, as the case may be—his instrument of choice. And when slide meets strings the haunting melody lines that result, I dare say, are lovely enough to drown out the Sirens of Sirenum Scopuli (tho' Orpheus deserves at least some of the credit). When he's not outperforming Sirens or "playing the numbers," the Man of Steel enjoys spending time with his family and has been known to scale a mountain every now and again.
Jason Lumbruno
"If you play a tune and a person don't tap their feet, don't play the tune."
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Clyde Bisbee and The Wheelhouse Revelers are a 6-piece swing jazz & western swing dance band specializing in music from the golden era of jazz, the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s. Currently, we are accepting bookings for music festivals, vintage fairs, private parties and corporate events as well as upscale music venues. We are based in the Northeastern United States serving Cities such as Portland, ME; Portsmouth, NH; Boston, MA; New York City, NY as well as CT, VT and RI. Please visit our Booking Page to learn more and inquire as to our availability.