Dixie Six is a Dixieland and Swing sextet of local pros playing and vocalizing old jazz standards. The group started as an educational classroom band for the Visual and Performing Arts program in the Oak Grove District elementary schools. After the program ended the band started getting together, just for the joy of playing, and can now be heard regularly in South Bay venues.
Dixie Six’s leader and drummer Roy Kaufmann is a 40-year veteran player, and also leads the group DeJazz Vu. Bassist Michael Kenny has performed in the Bay Area for more than 20 years. He is the bassist for both DeJazz Vu and the Buena Vista Jazz Band. Trumpeter and vocalist Jack Herschkorn is a retired WW2 and USAF pilot. He has the distinction of having given Shorty Rogers his nickname and currently works with The Lyratones and The Swinging Door Jazz Band. John Stringer plays the clarinet, bass clarinet, and sings. He is a member of the South Bay Traditional Jazz Society, and often plays at the organization’s events. Trombonist Tom Gates is a sideman, director, and vocalist for many local bands. Pianist Galen Smiley is a retired music educator, who has played with Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle and The Supremes, among others.
A dixieland swing sextet of local pros playing and vocalizing old jazz standards
genre: dixieland, swing
Roy Kaufmann, drums Michael Kenny, bass Jack Herschkorn, trumpet, vocals John Stringer, clarinet, bass clarinet, vocals Tom Gates, trombone Galen Smiley, piano
