GLENN (BIG LOU) TOCCI-
Glenn has been playing guitar for over 35 years. Growing up in Florida, he studied music at The University of Miami. In addition, he took lessons from esteemed teachers, including Joe Diorio. He spent over 12 years performing on the road, playing the hotel/supper club & nightclub/lounge circuit, as well as writing & recording radio jingles for various south Florida ad agencies. Glenn also had several tunes published, and demos cut in Nashville, Miami & Chicago.
Glenn did studio sessions for TK records & went on tour with recording artist George "Rock Your Baby" McRae and played guitar behind notable singers such as Jazz Vocalist Dana Paul, John Davidson, Tony Martin, Jack Jones, etc. In 2003, Glenn moved to Georgia, where he started to "woodshed" & really work on his "chops" again & started playing local gigs as The "Northside Jazz Trio."
"Big Lou" is reunited again with old south Florida pal Dave "Zibby" Zibman to form "The FlyCats". Glenn regards himself as an "in the pocket player" influenced by Jazz greats such as Joe Pass, Jimmy Bruno, Pat Martino, George Benson, Howard Roberts, J. Diorio, & old friend, saxophone legend Nick Ayoub (listed in encyclopedia of Jazz, now gone home to be with the Lord). But at age 50, he felt it was time to play what he always wanted to, and loved to play... ''classic, straight ahead jazz...but never forgetting where the music comes from...GOD... I thank you Lord. May the talent you blessed me with be an acceptable offering to you always...so let the music begin.......
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DAVE (ZIB) ZIBMAN -
Dave hails from Miami and has been playing bass since he was fifteen. He has played many styles including pop, disco, jazz, fusion, progressive rock, country, R&B, blues, etc.
Dave has played with many people, including Larry Dermer (Miami Sound Machine, Gloria Estefan); Glenn Tocci (George McCrae, John Davidson, Dana Paul); Neil Cloud (Rabbit, Trevor Rabin, Peter Frampton); Barry Seiver (The Cichlids, Charlie Pickett, Savoy Brown); Mick Fazz (Critical Mass); Richard Huxen (Lift, Shiva Tribe); Charlie Pickett (Charlie Pickett & The Eggs); Pete Signore (The Cichlids); Ruth King; and Al Broomfield.
In the early 1980's Dave and Glenn's band ("Bugsy") was a highly sought-after dance band and worked all over the southeast. In the 1990's, Dave was the anchor of the highly popular Atlanta band "The Reasons" with Rich as songwriter, lead singer and guitarist. Once The Reasons split in 1996, Dave handled the bass duties on most of Rich's solo releases.
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RICH MILLETT -
Rich was born in London, England, grew up there and later on in Detroit, and loved all styles of music from an early age. In addition to drums, he plays guitar and sings and is a prolific songwriter. Now, The FlyCats bring Rich back to the jazz style that he and Dave explored in the Atlanta band “Black Tie Optional” five years ago.
Rich and Dave have played together for years and bring a tasteful, solid rhythm section to complement Glenn Tocci’s fluid guitar.
Rich has performed in a plethora of bands, both as drummer and guitarist and developed an original style along the way. Drums are Rich’s first love and he is able to play them from the perspective of a singer/songwriter, knowing when to lay back and when to accentuate. Not only that, but he actually used the word "plethora" in this bio. What more could you want in a drummer?
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OUR FRIENDS -
We love having our friends sit in with us. It give us a chance to "mix it up" so-to-speak, and give us a chance to meet new musicians. It also keeps things fresh! Here are some of our friends that we love playing with.
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KURTIS ADAMS, PhD, SAXOPHONE -
Kurtis has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra, Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, and the 9th & Lincoln Orchestra. Kurtis has also been privileged to perform with artists such as Arturo Sandoval, Joe Lovano, Conrad Herwig, Jiggs Whigham, Tom Harrell and James Carter. in 2007, Kurtis performed in Carnegie Hall as a member of the Paquito d'Rivera Latin Jazz Workshop.
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MARYIA HARE, VOCALS -
Maryia Hare has been a jazz junkie since she was a kid. She is originally from Russia, where jazz was forbidden during the Cold War, so now she tries to make up for it by giving all her passion to this exquisite style of music. Respecting the classics, Maryia also welcomes an eclectic and creative approach to jazz by mixing different jazz styles and adding cultural variety to her performance – she sings in four languages! Come see it for yourself! She is also an aspiring actress and really creates a focal point when singing with her dance moves, infectious personality and poise.
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WAYNE LICKER, DRUMS -
Wayne Licker began drumming with the 7th grade school band playing the snare drum. Moving on to high school in the late 60’s, he purchased his first drum kit and began playing with numerous rock and blues bands in Northern New Jersey. Upon seeing Buddy Rich play one evening on television, his life was turned upside down and decided jazz drumming was the ultimate in creativity. Never looking back, Wayne forged ahead with intense focus, taking private drum kit lessons and sharpening his technique over many hours of practice. Heavily influenced by the jazz-fusion and funk bands popular in the 70’s, Wayne sought out and played with local jazz bands in NJ replicating tunes by the likes of David Sanborn, Tom Scott, Herbie Hancock, Billy Cobham, etc. This time out; Wayne, after moving to GA has now gone "back to his roots" & has been performing with "The Northside Jazz Trio" and with the "The FlyCats" on some "north-side-of-town" gigs swinging away, playing cool traditional jazz. Wayne is our "Go-To" guy in case Rich needs a break.
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RICHARD STONE, SAXOPHONE -
Richard started playing the Alto Saxophone at age 5 back in 1962. He played all throughout his grammar school and high school days including classical concert bands, jazz bands, and even a dixieland band. In his senior year of high school he competed and won the prestigious Louis Armstrong Jazz Award and also started experimenting with rock bands. Richard liked rock and tended to play the sax more like a lead guitar than a jazz saxophone. After High school he joined a rock band in Butler New Jersey called "Beyond Bourgeois" and played the local club circuit for a few years. The band eventually broke up due to the normal life cycles most people go through like marriage and family. Then he joined a blues band called "Waffle Davis". The band consisted of bass guitar, drums, sax, harp player and a keyboard player and played a lot of stuff by "James Cotton" and "Muddy Waters". Following the "Waffle Davis band Richard went back to rock and roll and joined an all original rock group called "Finger Lickin' Good". FLG were well accepted wherever they went but decided that the name of the band sounded too 'country'. They decided to change the name to "The Screamin' Blue Jays". During his time with 'The Screamin' Blue Jays' they opened for such acts as "Chuck Berry", "Suzanne Fellini", and "Blackfoot". He remained with the band until 1987 when he moved to Cape Coral Florida. From 1987 to 2005 Richard played in local churches and a jazz trio. The jazz trio played mostly at the Ritz Carlton and LaPlaya hotels in Naples Florida. In 2005 he said goodbye to Florida moved to Kodak, Tennessee. In Kodak he became part of a very large Christmas production that plays to from 6000 to 8000 people every December. He also plays in the local church.
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RANDY RHEINSCHILD, TRUMPET -
Randy started playing trumpet in school band in 6th grade after thinking drums were the way to go... wrong...needed a melody to play and that was the end of playing drums. After playing in High School marching, symphonic and jazz band he spent 3 years playing in the US Army Band. Stationed in Ft Polk, La he played trumpet doing the regular duties and also worked the sound board for the 10 piece combo band that toured high schools doing recruiting and setting up for two high school performances a day at different locations for each performance.
After moving on to Fort Ord, California playing more and deciding that the Army was a good thing but not for him, he moved back to Kissimmee, Fla to look at a civilian life. Through the years Randy has been playing in various classical, symphonic and jazz bands over the years. Now days he runs his computer service company from his farm ( www.wauka.com) north of Gainesville and is married with two daughters.
The FlyCats are an Atlanta-based jazz trio, comprised of three seasoned pros who understand the needs and tastes of their audience. We play the style of jazz that best accompanies a night out with friends; a corporate event; a romantic dinner; quite simply, any occasion that calls for quality, tasteful music.
Whether at a nightclub, a restaurant, a formal banquet, a business meeting, or a private party, The FlyCats work with you to ensure that the music fits the mood. Our music doesn’t compete with your event – it enhances it.
We invite you to browse our site, listen to our audio samples, and get to know the band. The FlyCats are the perfect addition to any gathering and look forward to playing for you.
It's our exclusive jazz promotion blog. We know how important it is to get your name and your music out everywhere. We have placed over 1,500 musicians into over 250 jazz playlists. Each day hundreds of jazz fans come to this blog to listen to our playlists. These people are music buyers. If you have a CD to sell or just want more people to visit your MySpace page, get your link(s) on this site ... today!
Hey! The FlyCats ! Greetings from New York City. Thanks for the ADD which I value. We're from different spectrums but its great to connect... You have great stuff going on. Have to go back again and check it out in more detail. Madooo.. The guy with the "BEATLES TRIBUTE ALBUM FROM INDIA"
