Mardi Gras Brunch with Blue Lunch

Bob Michael is a seasoned member of Blue Lunch who brings a wealth of musical experience to the band. A great trombone player, Bob also comes from a musical family. His Dad, Irv Michael, frequently joins the band on alto saxophone and clarntet. Prior to joining Blue Lunch Bob played with several salsa bands including Impacto Nuevo. Married with two children, Bob makes his home in South Euclid, OH where once a year he puts together several dozen jars of the best home-canned dill pickles on the face of the earth.

Chris Burge began his musical career during his years at The Ohio State University, where he studied saxophone and music theory with Gene Walker and Hank Marr, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance in 1997. During that time, Christopher performed with many musical groups, both on campus and off, toured Thailand with free-jazz group “Honk, Wail, and Moan”, toured Europe with the OSU Jazz Ensemble, played on a USO tour of maximum-security prisons, and performed with Barry White, Louie Bellson, Stanley Turrentine and The National Black Music Caucus Big Band, and the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.

Since moving to Cleveland in 1998, Christopher has continued to perform with groups of various styles, including Ernie Krivda and the Fat Tuesday Big Band, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, The Jazz Heritage Orchestra, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame House Band, Cleveland-based musicians such as Evelyn Wright, Helen Welch, Dave Sterner, Ray Porrello, and Bill Ransom, and nationally known artists David Sanborn, Cyndi Lauper, Mavis Staples, Ronnie Spector, David “Fathead” Newman, “Little” Jimmy Scott, Bobby Caldwell, Benny Golson, Eddie Holman, and Nancy Wilson. Christopher also is active in the recording studio, playing saxophone, flute, and clarinet for American Greetings e-cards, and is heard on the theme song of the WVIZ-PBS show Applause.

Pete London is the frontman, harmonica player, vocalist and un-official leader of Blue Lunch. Pete was one of the original founders of Blue Lunch and has been with the band through all of its incarnations and for all of its eighteen years. At 6’3″ Pete is formidable presence at the front of the band and fills the spaces between songs with rapid-fire one liners. Pete relates to an audience with the aplomb of a borscht-belt comic and is every bit as funny. He plays the harp with a full-throated Little Walteresque tone and sings with full-bore enthusiasm. Offstage, Pete is a family man, married to Shelley and father of Eli and Ayla, and works for the Cleveland Public Library system.

Trumpet player Mike Rubin brings a lifetime of professionalism to the Blue Lunch band. Mike is much-in-demand session player and has played in the pit-bands of many of the Playhouse Square shows. Artists he has performed for and toured with include the Count Basie Band, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Diane Schur, The Manhattan Transfer, Al Martino, The Four Tops, The Ink Spots, and Amhad Jamahl. Mike also played for fifteen years with the house band for the Ringling Brother’s and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He is also the owner of Prospect Music, Cleveland’s oldest music store. Mike, his wife Lisa and daughter live in South Euclid, OH. His contributions and unique approach to big band swing refines our horn section on our latest release Big Sound Blues.

Holding the drum position in Blue Lunch, now for his second time go-round, is Scott Flowers. Born and raised on a diary farm in Gustavus, OH, Scott set out early to make his mark as a musician by moving to the Washington, DC area where he soon landed the drum chair with the well-known touring and recording act, The Star Spangled Washboard Band. Scott also toured extensively with Eddie & Martha Adcock, Bob Margolin, Tex Rubinowitz, the Neanderthals, the Falls City Ramblers, and many more. Scott played on the first Blue Lunch recording, Recorded Live at Wilberts, and now plays again on their fifth and newest CD, Sideswiped.

Bass-master Ray DeForest is nothing less than a legend on the area music scene. Ray, his wife and their four children make their home in Cleveland Heights, OH. Expert on both electric and upright basses Ray has performed with such notable area groups as the Mr. Stress Blues Band, ACO, Aces & Eights, Princess Ladia and the Natural Facts.

If you’ve been a blues or traditional jazz fan in the Cleveland area during the past thirty years or so, you’ll probably recognize Mike Sands. The back-bone of the Mr. Stress Blues Band for many years, Mike, known as “The Professor”, now brings his solid, traditionally based piano playing to the Blue Lunch band. His Contributions and fresh sound is displayed on our latest release Big Sound Blues.