Cooke Harvey
Cooke has been playing bass since high school and has
been in a variety of musical situations.
During his last two years in college, Cooke played with well known vibraphonist Arthur Lipner in a jazz trio and was a founding member with Rob Sparre of Centerpeace, a local fusion band in Delaware.
In the 80s, he co-founded Home Cookin, a local wedding/party band that helped pay the bills and fill in the classic rock and Motown repertoire. Various stints with friends, as in The Trauma Unit and Fatfinger, allowed Cooke to play original music.
A year later, 2003, found Cooke as the pulse of the tight rhythm section of Big Package, a 10-piece funk band playing in Delaware and Pennsylvania. In 2004 while mixing sound at The Point, Cooke met Kate Gaffney, an energetic young songwriter. Kate hired Cooke in 2005 to play in support of her debut CD release, “Highways.” Since then, Cooke recorded with the Kate Gaffney Band on the well-received, follow-up release, “The New Then.”
Cooke also experienced new musical challenges in a duo with veteran of the music business, Lili Añel. Her music combined a variety of styles to present a bass player's dreams—to accompany, solo, orchestrate and groove. He co-produced her 3rd CD "Dream Again" in 2006 which received a very complementary review in Jazz Times.
For more info: www.cookeharvey.com
Rob Sparre
After writing a mostly original music show to raise money for his high school yearbook back in 1973, Rob decided to major in music on trumpet. Playing in numerous horn bands through the 70's, the draw of keyboards and composition were too tempting, and Rob switched to writing and playing original jazz fusion in a local band Centrepeace in the early 1980's.
Joining bassist Cooke Harvey for both the high school yearbook concert and then Centrepeace after college, it seems only natural that Rob join Cooke once again in The Big Package Band over 20 years later. With his punch of organ and clavinet for those Tower of Power and Stevie Wonder tunes, Rob provides the rhythm section with a little extra funkification to complete the package.
The opportunity to re-combine in füsionhouse was natural. Never satisified, Rob is also working with Cooke on a contemporary beat/synth approach to classic jazz and rock standards. You can download some of Rob's original music at www.sparre.us.
Dave Bozenhard
After a year of playing air guitar to Jimi Hendrix and U2 records Dave began playing the electric guitar at the age of 14. Like many budding guitarists the first few years of playing were very influenced by blues and rock and roll; Hendrix, Page, and Vaughan were all critical influences.
After six years of being a 'self-taught' player Dave began to study music theory 'with a jazz leaning' with guitarist Tony Janflone, sr., of Washington, PA. This led to a broadening of interest in many musical styles that included the guitar, most notably jazz and jazz fusion, and four years later Dave enrolled as a music major at the University of Delaware with a concentration on classical guitar performance. At Delaware Dave studied classical guitar with Christian Taggart and jazz guitar with Tony Ventura, and participated in the University jazz bands, early music ensemble, and many different chamber music configurations.
Since graduating Dave has worked with flutist Jennifer Janson in a classical chamber music ensemble, West Chester based group One Alternative, Delaware based 'Big Package Band', singer-songwriters Lili Anel and Darren Keith, and several other area bands playing styles that include blues, jazz, funk, rock and swing.
Vince Marinelli
Growing up in a musical household, Vince has been exposed to music all his life. Son of the noted Delaware musician of the same name, Vince started playing piano at age 6. Following in his father's footsteps, he added clarinet four years later. But a career in classical music was not in the cards for young Vince. He began listening to artists like Count Basie; Cannonball Adderley; Miles Davis; John Coltrane; Jimmy McGriff; Maceo Parker; Stevie Wonder; Blood, Sweat and Tears; and David ‘Fathead’ Newman to name a few. He fell in love with the freedom and expression of the jazz idiom and by the age of 12 had traded in his clarinet for the tenor sax.
Studying with great area musicians like Larry McKenna, Hal Schiff, Larry Spencer, Pete Hill, and of course Vince Marinelli Sr., Vince honed his jazz chops throughout his high school and college years. Taking his first professional gig at the age of 16, Vince has worked with many of the area’s most recognizable names in jazz, funk, blues, and rock.
John Cassidy
As a drummer of 31 years, John has played in a rainbow of musical environments in every style of music from country to fusion, in venues up and down the east coast, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and casinos all over the west and midwestern US. He traveled the world via the cruise ship industry playing in lounge and show bands. In 2003 John returned to his native Delaware and has since been playing in area bands.
John's formal training began on piano at age nine but his interest in drums prevailed 4 years later. He studied with Richard Kenny and Tim Laushey in Delaware and after moving to California, with such notables as Joe Porcaro, Efrain Toro and Ralph Humphrey at LA's famed Musician's Institute where he graduated with honors.