THE VOCALISTS:

Eric Thomas (Vocalist) has been a featured vocalist at civic, religious and corporate events for more than 30 years. He began singing in the children's choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church where he sang his first solo at the age of seven. While in college he joined SCLC's Operation Breadbasket choir under the leadership of Rev. Jesse Jackson. It was in Operation Breadbasket's choir where he really began to grow as a vocalist. Eric traveled and recorded with Rev. Jackson's brother Chuck in an R&B group called the Independents. The group had one gold record entitled “Leaving Me”. Eric traveled all over the world and had the opportunity to work with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips and many others. Eric's first love is gospel music and he is currently working on his first solo CD. Eric can be seen on Rainbow PUSH's weekly telecast where he continues to sing with the choir he loves where it all began. He has been a featured vocalist with Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra for 15 years where he brings the sum total of his experiences to each engagement.

Sandy Caulfield (Vocalist) Sandy joined Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra in 2002. Sandy's singing career is multi-faceted. In the 1980s she was part of an “all-female” band “Tantrum” which released 3 albums and which has now been re-released as a 2-cd package on the Escape Music label. Sandy has recorded with Dennis DeYoung (Styx), and Survivor. She has sung in numerous commercials for McDonalds, Kraft, Miller Beer, United Airlines, Budweiser, Kelloggs, Amoco, and numerous others. As a voice-over artist, she has worked for many companies including Time Life books, Famous Footware and Kraft. Sandy also was a voice-over character for 5 seasons on the PBS children's show “Noddy”. Sandy has also sung the National Anthem for both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks.

Vicki Dorsey (Vocalist) Vicki was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. Since the tender age of 10, Vicki learned how to sing by  listening to different genres of music like Motown, and to old school music groups like Enchantment, The Emotions and Earth Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. Other influences were rock bands like The Rolling Stones and Heart, as well as jazz legends like Pat Methany and Michael Franks. Some of her favorite recording artists are The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin Gladys Knight.

After moving to Chicago she has sung with The Big Fun Band , The Jake and Elwood Show (The Brooze Brothers Show) as Aretha, Souled-Out, The Fundamentals, Sydz Orchestra, and De Ja  Vu.   Vicki has also toured with Blues Rock Sensations, Wayne Baker Brooks and the Brooks Family  Band.    She joined Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra in 2007,  bringing a dynamic presence to the band, adding her unique flavor to each and every song she sings!

THE PLAYERS:

Jon Paul (Bass) Jon joined Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra in 2007!  Jon Bring’s tremendous versatility and energy to each party, and serves as the anchor of the rhythm section!

Jon’s decade-plus association with guitarist Fareed Haque has resulted in a trio of superb multi-culti jazz recordings: Opaque (Blue Note), Déjà Vu (Blue Note), and Cosmic Hug (Magnitude).  For the past four years, he’s toured with keyboardist Jesus “Chuchito” Valdes and his Afro-Cuban Ensemble, and appeared on the band’s three albums Herencia (Sony), La Timba (Sony), and Encantado (Town Crier).  Alongside neo-bop pianist Deanna Witkowski, he performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and cut Having To Ask (Jazzline) and Wide Open Window (Khaeon).
As comfortable as he is in the studio, Jon ain’t no slouch in concert.  He’s gigged with pianist Danilo Perez, singer/songwriter Tony Furtado, saxophonist Frank Catolano, saxophonist Mark O’Connor, guitarist Paulinho Garcia, pianist Steve Million, and vocalist Grazyna Augiscik.

Jon received his Bachelor of Music Degree with a concentration in Jazz Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington sometime back in the 90’s.  While there, he studied with revered jazz educator David Baker, and performed with Baker’s 21st Century Bebop Band.  In addition to his dozens of private students, Jon has taught combo and improvisation at Benedictine University, Rolling Meadows High School, and Benet Academy High School.
       

Larry Beers (Percussion) was practically born with a pair of drumsticks in his hands. By the age of seven he was taking lessons (prodigy had been bantered about) and by the time he was in high school, down in Champaign, IL, he was already a professional in the jazz and R&B scene and was continuously honing his skills performing big band, bebop and free jazz. CBS recording artist Champaign saw an opportunity and scooped up Larry to record "Woman in Flames” and took him on the road for his first U.S. tour. Upon moving to Chicago Larry performed, recorded and toured with some diverse characters in multiple genres including Bobby Enriquez, Fred Simon, Ghallib Ghallob, Daryl “Munch” Jones, Action Figures, Buddy Miles, Melvin Taylor, Chameleon Records recording artist The Way Moves, Charming Beggars, Arista recording artist Crash Test Dummies, Capricorn/Calliope Records recording artist Sonia Dada, The Freddy Jones Band, and Dennis DeYoung. Presently Chicago's busiest and most prolific drummer, Larry Beers spends his nights playing drums with current and continuous projects including: society big band Larry Eckerling and his Orchestra; zydeco and everything else with Nick Tremulis; the eclectic circus punk of marching band Mucca Pazza; pop rock with song stylist and crooner Brad Peterson; the Yankee country songstress of pop and fiddle player Heather Horton and new jazz with The George McRae Trio. His days are spent in the studio recording award-winning commercials and upcoming albums for a plethora of artists and sharing his craft with future drummers. From prodigy to master, his is an ever-evolving musical talent with legendary possibilities.

Dave Dorsett (Guitar) Guitar Dave currently holds the longest tenure with Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra, having been lead guitarist since 1986. Over the last 30 years Dave Dorsett has played in numerous situations with many of Chicago's finest musicians in a variety of musical settings, including Free Street Theater, the TV show "That's Chicago", clubs, musical theater, and recordings for creative as well as commercial purposes. Dave has played for or opened for such acts as Danny Ganz, Bill Cosby, The Smothers Brothers, Frankie Laine, Chubby Checker, and Jim Belushi. Dave also has taught numerous guitar students in the Chicago area. A lifelong interest in travel has led Dave to seek out indigenous music in countries as varied as Bolivia, Nepal, Iran, Cuba, and China.

Nick Drozdoff (Trumpet, Flugelhorn) Nick has been with Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra since 1992. He has performed with everyone from Bob Newhart to Bill Cosby to Sammy Davis, Junior to Dennis De Young of Styx to the Temptations, The Ojays, etc. In 1981, Drozdoff did three world tours with the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra. Since leaving Maynard's band, he settled in Chicago to embark on a free-lance career in the studios and show scene. After completing his music masters in classical trumpet at Roosevelt University, Drozdoff re-directed his music career into a more creative mode. He has been writing and producing music in his own digital multi-track recording studio. Drozdoff currently works days as a high school physics teacher at New Trier High School. With a masters in music and a masters in physics, Drozdoff is sought after as an expert in musical acoustics as well as a trumpeter.

Steve Eisen (Saxophone,flute) Steve has been a free-lance saxophonist and flutist in Chicago for 30 plus years in all types of live performance and recording work. Whether it be Jazz, Rock, R & B, Caribbean, Brazilian, Funk or Folk he is at home in any contemporary musical genre. He joined Larry Eckerling & His Orchestra in 1995. Throughout his career, Steve has worked such artists as C.J. Chenier, Styx, Roger Waters, Arturo Sandoval, Toninho Horta, Dave Valentin, Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Ivone Lara, The Temptations, Nancy Wilson, Louis Bellson, Jimmy McGriff, Four Tops, Barry White, Andy Montanez, Kurt Elling, Bebe and CeCe Winans, The Commodores, Chuck Mangione, The Smithereens, Johnny Winter, Dennis De Young, Harvey Mandel, Ramsey Lewis, Joffery Ballet, The Soul Stirrers, Willie Dixon, Al Kooper, Bonnie Koloc, Steve Goodman, Elsa Suarez, Manfredo Fest, Cat Anderson, Vassar Clements, Manhattan Transfer, Asleep at the Wheel, Sonia Dada, Frank Mantooth, Nicholas Tremulis, Enuff Z'nuff, Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows, Jesus Enriquez and many others. Steve also maintains an active career in the Chicago jingle music industry while playing numerous night club Jazz, Latin and R & B gigs.

Stephen Berry (Trombone) Stephen has performed throughout the world and has recorded or performed with such artists as Tony Bennet, Lou Rawls, Frank Sinatra, the Dells, the O'Jays, Nancy Wilson, Lena Horne and Edward Wilkerson's Shadow Vignettes. As an educator, he taught trombone and theory classes at the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) School of Music, and he coordinated the Jazz Express and Classical Express music education programs in Chicago Public Schools for WBEZ-FM. In the Chicago area he performs with the New Horizons Ensemble, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and Malachi Thompson's Africa Brass and Freebop Bands, Chicago Sinfonietta, Ensemble Stop-Time, New Black Repertory Ensemble and Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. He has performed with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Mike Mason's Exploratory Ensemble and Marshall Vente's Project 9. Berry has several compositions recorded and released on the Delmark label. Recent highlights include a series of workshops and performances with New Horizons Ensemble at the Banellieu Blues Jazz Festival in Paris and the Debrecen Jazz festival in Hungary, as well as performances of the South African Opera, Princess Magogo at Ravinia with The Chicago Sinfonetta. Along with Ernest Dawkins and Sherman Storey, Steve formed Chicago Creative Arts Online, Inc. an online video streaming company featuring legendary and young Chicago creative improvisers on its website, chi-creates.tv. 

Stephen Berry received his Bachelor of Music in Performance from Roosevelt University.

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