So, we are in our fiftieth year. Yahoo! We had a full slate of appearances planned to celebrate. Whoopie! Thus far, except for a terrifice performance for Jazz in the Garden at the Andersen Enrichtment Center in Saginaw, Michigan, USA, we’ve been not so quietly fidgeting — from an appropriate social distance, of course — and itching to get back on tour. Hmm, not so fast, fellas,

Instead, we are cementing our legacy by comparing our arrangements with those of other jazz masters. How is that for confidence? And we would appreciate your input, because the comparisons are right here on this site.

www.newref.com/legacy 

A song face off for the blues of it

St. James Infirmary Blues

Lily Tomlin versus Dave Tatrow.

Howard Shore and his all-nurse  band versus the New Reformation Jazz Band

Saturday Night Live  versus The Celebrity Showroom at the Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks, Nevada

The New Reformation Jazz Band (NRB) has published 16 critically acclaimed classic jazz albums, with two more under development

Each is available online anywhere you download music, including: 

https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thenewreformationband1

And actual CDs are still here:

https://newref.com/shop/ 

NRB can be heard virtually everywhere

(depending on your definition of ‘virtually.’)

google-site-verification: google8d153cd2091b8b6e.html

Effective December 18, 2016

All available NRB CDs are now $10 plus $3 for shipping. 

NRB CDs
The Happiest Music on Earth

Only $10 + $3 shipping

Each NRB CD delivers uplifting music to family, friends, colleagues, customers, and clients.

So…..

One (1) CD is $10 each plus $3 shipping

Buy 4 and get a 5th free with free shipping.

NOTE: the 4 CDs do not have to be different.

Perhaps you want five of the same CD.
No worries. The deal stands.

CDs available now:

#1 NRB’s Million Seller Album (includes 2 bonus tracks: Roadrunner Rag” and “King Herrod’s Song” + 11 more)

# 2 The Church is Our Foundation (NRB’s first gospel offering with organ & full choir; includes, “A Closer Walk With Thee”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, and “Psalm 150”)

#5 Live at the Nugget (Raucous music and clean laughs in the Celebrity Showroom at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada — Insider Tip: Fans of the band know this as the infamous “Lithuanian Set”)

#10 Live at the Temple (Soundtrack of the national PBS Special, with a separate DVD of the event also available)

#11 Swingin’ and Singin’ (Rated A+ by “American Rag Magazine”, and includes 14 classics, including “Fidgety Feet”, “San”, “It Don’t Mean a Thing”, “Jazz Band Ball”)

#14 Unleashed (Rated A+ by “American Rag Magazine”, and includes guest stars Bob Draga and Jeff Barnhart)

#15 Just Kiddin’ Around (The first album with world-renowned clarinet sensation Dave Bennett, who joined the NRB at age 14)

#16 Suuweet 16 (No Tears, No Regrets. (The last recording by brother Nick Oppermann & trumpeter Nate Panicacci)

ALSO — Live at the Temple 90-minute video (DVD) $20 with free shipping

Others are in the remastering studio.
Check with Dave when you talk with him for availability.

https://newref.com/shop/
Dave Oppermann is your prime contact for questions and personalized major orders.

Yes, we want you to like NRB’s “Live at the Nugget” Classic live jazz CD.

But first, we’d like you to listen.

We believe you will have as good a time listening as we did playing our kind of music in front of a standing room only crowd in the Celebrity Showroom at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada.

https://youtu.be/JX_aox_UVC8

NOTE: if the link above is not clickable for you, simply copy and paste into your browser, or go to www.YouTube.com and search for New Reformation Dixieland Band. (We’re working hard to figure out this linking thing, and our apologies if we haven’t got it right yet.)

BACKGROUND

July 5th, 1986 The Nugget Casino Resort, its Celebrity Showroom, and NRB came together for a historic collaboration of OKOM (Our Kind of Music). In the mid to late 80s, a global hot jazz revival was in full swing and the NRB traveled to its epicenter, the west coast of America. It appeared Memorial Day weekend at the Sacramento Jazz Festival, which claimed to be the “world’s largest” with over 100 national and international groups.

In nearby Nevada, a new festival began at The Nugget Casino Resort. Noted trumpeter Mike Vax, formerly with Stan Kenton and the Dukes of Dixieland, produced it. Vax selected ten bands he believed were strong musically, excellent entertainers, and good fits for a casino atmosphere. The NRB was among the select invitees. (Yes, we’re very proud he selected us. No, rumors of payola are false. Yes, we deny everything.)

The New Reformation Band (NRB) celebrates anything. Dave Oppermann, bandleader, and self-proclaimed resident humorist, pokes fun mostly at himself while linking NRB’s joyous yet subtly notorious sets of jazz, Dixieland, big band, and swing. He is the catalyst for the fine music and great fun that blend boisterously at NRB events and recordings.

But, unless you have talent, there is no use for a catalyst. That is where the NRB really shines. Consider the huge amount of classic jazz talent among these NRB stalwarts*:

Trumpet and vocals — Dave Tatrow

Trombone and vocals — Keith DeWitt

Clarinet/Saxes — Vincent O’Keeffe

String Bass — Ted Harley

Banjo/Guitar — Dave Miller

Drums — Rick Bryant

Piano, Patter, vocals, and ‘patter’ (you’ll understand when you see the CD) — Dave Oppermann

*(Love any excuse to use a bigger word)

Wednesday, March 30

The Final Countdown to Launch

The digitally remastered “Live at the Nugget” CD, featuring the famous Lithuanian set and boisterous classic jazz, is in its final production.

NOTE: As soon as we figure out how to upload a sample track or two, we’ll do so. This diabolical Internet is tougher to master than the piano. (Not that that’s mastered either.)

Included will be new CD cover and insert designs that highlight the NRB’s intriguing appearance at the Nugget Casino Resort and include details on the importance of “Uncle Bob” to NRB’s legacy.

Call 989.793-0123 or contact dave@newref.com for pricing and to pre-order your copy.

“Live at the Nugget” Tracks

1. Intro (0:10) 2. Alexander’s Ragtime Band (3:42) 3. Patter (1:20) 4. It Don’t Mean a Thing (4:10) 5. Patter (0:56) 6. St. James Infirmary (6:26) 7. Patter (1:49) 8. Slide Frog Slide (1:47) 9. Patter (0:45) 10. Shine (4:33) 11. Patter (1:55) 12. I Would Do Most Anything for You (4:57) 13. Patter (1:36) 14. Down in Jungletown (5:29)

March 20, 2016

Folks, you’re hearing it here first.

“Live at the Nugget”, another digitally remastered NRB Jazz CD, will soon be set for launch.

Seriously.

It’s a superb nugget of NRB’s great sound and fun.

Literally.

It was recorded live at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada. (Thank you, Nugget.)

It was digitally remastered by the master, Andy Reed. (Thank you, good sir.)

“Live at the Nugget” features the infamous, hot, and hilarious Lithuanian set.

Hear. Believe. Belly laugh.

Sign up for the NRB Newsletter — look to your left — to stay up to speed on the unleashing date.

or all 989.793-0123 or contact dave@newref.com for pricing, and to order.

Live at the Nugget Jazz Play List

“Live at the Nugget” Tracks 1. Intro (0:10) 2. Alexander’s Ragtime Band (3:42) 3. Patter (1:20) 4. It Don’t Mean a Thing (4:10) 5. Patter (0:56) 6. St. James Infirmary (6:26) 7. Patter (1:49) 8. Slide Frog Slide (1:47) 9. Patter (0:45) 10. Shine (4:33) 11. Patter (1:55) 12. I Would Do Most Anything for You (4:57) 13. Patter (1:36) 14. Down in Jungletown (5:29)

The 12-inch mid-Michigan snowfall had mostly disappeared before the 13^th Annual “Saginaw On Stage Music Festival” at the Temple Theatre Annex on Friday (Feb. 26). This year’s event was enhanced by an all-you-could-eat dinner buffet provided by the famous Horizons Conference Center. Included was a delicious New Orleans-style bread pudding with caramel sauce. (We take credit for anything to do with New Orleans.)

Doors opened at 4:30pm, and by the time the New Reformation boys took the stage in the Grand Ballroom at 6, the room was full. The band’s early appearance was in deference to the “maturity” of its fans, many of whom regard 9:00 pm as “sorta late.”

The lineup consisted of a geographically diverse group of Michigan all-star musicians: cornet, Paul Klinger, Ann Arbor; clarinet, John Simpson, Lansing; trombone, Keith DeWitt, Flushing; banjo/guitar, Dave Kadwell, Grand Rapids; tuba, Ed Mallett, Big Rapids; drums, John Hill IV, Swartz Creek; and piano/leader, Dave Oppermann, Saginaw.

As promised, NRB compact discs (aka, CDs) were on sale at the reduced price of $10 each, complete with cello wrap. Rumor has it that someone bought one (or two!).

The festival lineup included 14 other headliner groups, but do we really care? Of course, we do, and you can find the list at SaginawOnStage.com and then be filled with remorse if you were one of those who missed out. But then, there is always next year, or so we hope.

Visit this website frequently so you can be one of the first to know when the news breaks of new additions to our NRB catalog of live performance recordings. Hotcha!

One of Mid-Michigan’s premier annual entertainment events is coming up Friday, February 26th, at the Temple Theatre Annex in downtown Saginaw, when the Saginaw Rotary Club will present its 13th Annual Saginaw on Stage Music Festival.  The club’s annual major fundraiser will occupy all three floors of the historic facility. Doors open at 430pm and the performances go continuously from 500pm to 1100pm+.

Attendance is limited and fans are encouraged to get tickets in advance. For more information on getting tickets (1) go to the Website: www.SaginawOnStage.com, (2) call the Temple Theatre: (989) 754-SHOW, (3) or call the 24-hour Saginaw On Stage hotline: (989) 776-9425.

Tickets can also be purchased at these Saginaw locations:

• Temple Theatre Box Office, 201 N. Washington; 754-7469
• Westside Decorating, 5789 State; 793-6182
• Oppermann’s Cork N Ale, 2940 Midland Road; 797-8466

The New Reformation Band will be appearing in the 3rd Floor Ballroom from 6pm to 7pm. (Each participating band plays one full set.) The NRB cast of characters: Cornet: Paul Klinger, Ann Arbor; trombone: Keith DeWitt, Flushing; clarinet/saxophone, John Simpson, Lansing; banjo/guitar, Dave Kadwell, Grand Rapids; tuba, Ed Mallett, Big Rapids; drums, John Hill IV, Swartz Creek; piano, Dave Oppermann, Saginaw.

For a list of the other 14 groups, and their performing times and locations, go online to www.SaginawOnStage.com.

For many years, the event was held on the Saturday of Easter weekend when the participating bands who donate their services were less likely to be booked, but last year show producer Dave Oppermann (yes, the same guy as the piano player) said they wanted to venture off that date to get potentially closer to “good weather.”

This year they have gone the opposite direction and made the focus on having fun indoors during the winter month of February. By moving the event to Friday and adding a buffet dinner the hopes are that music lovers will come right from work, and once inside the building can enjoy the performances that start at 5pm, and dine in one of the venues anytime from 530pm until 800pm. The $30 ticket includes all performances plus the dinner.

So in effect, last year’s “15 bands for 15 bucks” is modified to: be, “15 bands for $15 plus $15 for what really is a $25 all-you-can eat buffet.” The dinner will include Mixed Greens Salad and a Caesar Salad; the entrees are Grilled Herb Crusted Chicken plus Penne Pasta with Shrimp; Pacific Blend of Vegetables; Rice Pilaf; and for dessert, Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce.

Funds raised by the Saginaw Rotary Club in previous Saginaw On Stage productions have helped fund (1) the mural of Saginaw’s history, now displayed in the atrium of the Dow Events Center; (2) dictionaries for 3rd graders throughout Saginaw County; (3) Youth Leadership Camp for selected local high school students; (4) the Covenant Kids program; and (5) the Clean Water Project for rural communities in the Dominican Republic, plus many more.

Attending the event will present another opportunity for NRB fans to buy any of the band’s currently available 8 CDs at the reduced price of $10/each. Hope to see you there. Loud cheering and sustained applause is not only permitted but encouraged and may result in good things happening to you.

NRB and ‘Saginaw on Stage’

Friday, Feb 26TH
Temple Theatre Complex
Saginaw on Stage – 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM

201 N. Washington Ave.

Saginaw, Michigan 48607

877.754.7469

Price: $30 for all events

Saginaw’s Entertainment Event of the Year
Temple Theatre Complex
ALL EVENTS TICKET $30 (Includes Buffet Meal)
Featuring NRB on the Jazz and Variety Stage (Otherwise known as the 3rd Floor)

TICKETS
www.temple.com
Westside Decorating, 5789 State Street, Saginaw
Oppermann’s Cork N Ale, 2940 Midland Rd., Saginaw

The band had a grand time in Big Rapids on February 9th.

The private gig February 6th in Ann Arbor at The University of Michigan was equally excellent.

I’m organizing memories, bad jokes and anecdotes from each gig to share shortly. In the meantime, I’m honored to pass on the following compliment:

“Thanks so much once again for a terrific show last night here in Big Rapids. A good time was had by all!

Don’t know exactly when or for what, but I’m looking forward to having (NRB)  back again. Cheers!”

— Ed

New Ref has a gig Saturday, February 6.

But we cannot invite you.

It’s a private affair, and we’re glad to be there celebrating a significant corporate event.

It’s in Ann Arbor, and the cast of New Ref characters include:

Mark Sluiter, West Olive, trumpet

Keith DeWitt, Flushing, trombone

John Simpson, Lansing, clarinet/saxophone

Gary Stutsman, Charlevoix, tuba

Dave Kadwell, Grand Rapids, banjo/guitar

Rick Bryant, Millington, Drums

David Oppermann, Saginaw, piano/leader.

Bob Barcalow, Saginaw, sound tech/road manager

We’re bragging about this to remind you that we enjoy opportunities to perform in front of ‘by invitation only’ audiences.

Be sure to join us February 9th in Big Rapids (Cranker’s Restaurant) and February 26th (Saginaw on Stage)

NRB AT CRANKER’S, BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN FEB. 9

Optional Cajun Buffet at 5:30 PM  $15.00 pp

NRB on stage at 6:30 PM

Mardi Gras Party!
with (NRB) New Reformation Jazz Band (No additional chage)

Cast of Characters (AKA All-most All-stars)

Dave Tatrow, Otisville, trumpet
Keith DeWitt, Flushing, trombone
Dave Bennett, Waterford, clarinet
John Hill IV, Swartz Creek, drums
Gary Stutsman, Charlevoix, tuba
Dave Kadwell, Grand Rapids, banjo/guitar
David Oppermann, Saginaw, piano/leader

6:30 PM

231.796.1919 for reservations

REPEATING OURSELVES (Hey! You get to be our age, you’re allowed.)

February 9, 2016

Cranker’s Restaurant
213 S. State St. – Big Rapids

$15.00 pp for Cajun buffet at 5:30

then NRB at 6:30 PM (No additional charge. Seriously.)

Reservations Required. Limited Seating.

231.796.1919 for reservations

HOT BAND (NRB) WINS COLD BATTLE WITH ICE AND SNOW IN PETOSKEY

It’s Saturday, January 9. A major storm warning is in effect throughout Michigan. Normally it would be the normal to stay snuggled up at home. But wait! The New Reformation Band — also known as NRB — is scheduled to perform a much-anticipated first concert at Petoskey’s Crooked Tree Arts Center.

Would the seven extremely grown-up musicians be able to make the trek up the snow-covered lanes of I-75 and then challenge two-lane backroads to the historic auditorium? Could they do so in time for the performance? Will the dedicated jazz fans, and the quizzically curious, brave the elements?

At 7:30 PM the manager of the hall took to the stage to welcome a sold-out crowd – not a single empty seat — and invite from stage left the ‘well-seasoned’ Dave Oppermann, leader of the NRB. Murmurs could be heard as Dave sat at the piano without the six all-most stars. Sighing, he suggested he may have to perform single-handedly. The murmurs got louder, but Dave tried not to listen.

With a modicum of self-assurance, DW indicated he felt the rest of the boys were “in the area” and might be attracted to the stage lured by his emotional version of “Momma Don’t Allow No Jazz Boys Playing Around Here.” The ploy worked. As Dave played, appearing one at a time out of the darkness — to enthusiastic applause — were the six missing rascals.

2-1/2 hours later, the crowd was on its feet pleading for “just one more encore.” Using its usual ‘smoke and mirrors’ gimmickry, the NRB notched another victory on the show business scoreboard.

Days later, the band is still reaping the harvest of its efforts. Sue from Torch Lake emails:

”Dave, I was privileged to enjoy your concert at the Crooked Tree Arts Center last Saturday night. It was a great evening of musicality and humor. Nobody could walk away without a smile. Somehow you’ve managed to slow time, maybe even use it to your advantage. Loved every tune and minute of it. Thanks for a great memory.”

We can assume that there are dozens of similar letters on their way that have not yet been received due to postal slothfulness or misdirected email. But we take comfort knowing that if we are asked to make a valiant return to Petoskey, Sue of Torch Lake may likely be there to welcome us.

Thank you, Sue, and Petoskey.

Dave Oppermann, for the NRB

Mardi Gras! with NRB

6:30 PM

February 9, 2016

Cranker’s Restaurant
213 S. State St. – Big Rapids

$15.00 pp for Cajun buffet at 5:30

then NRB at 6:30 PM

Reservations Required. Limited Seating.

231.796.1919 for tickets

New Reformation Jazz Concert – 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM

CTAC Theater

461 Mitchell St.

Petoskey, MI 49770 

231-347-4337

Price: Members, $25; Non-Members, $35; Students, $10

The All Most All-Star cast:

• Trumpet: Dave Tatrow, Otisville MI
• Trombone: Keith DeWitt, Flushing MI
• Clarinet: Bud Bechtold, Bellaire MI
• Tuba: Gary Stutsman, Petoskey MI
• Banjo/Guitar: Dave Kadwell, Grand Rapids MI
• Drums: John Hill IV, Swartz Creek MI
• Piano/Leader: Dave Oppermann, Saginaw MI

 THE DIRECT LINK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

https://mynorthtickets.com/events/new-reformation-jazz-band