Who can't relate to the Jazz, Latin, Broadway Classics from our Great American Songbook!? The E-Lazztic Duo of Mary Schaffler (vocals) and Joe Ross (guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals) offers something for everyone from the eclectic repertoire of the 1920s through today. It's much loved music for dining, dancing, lounging and enjoying at restaurants, lounges, parks, fairs, festivals and special events.
The duo calls themselves "e-lazztic" because of their appreciation for a large, diverse, variety of eclectic music under the jazz umbrella. They emphasize flexibility and elasticity to entertain and leave audiences with memorable musical experiences. "E-lazztic" also because the duo sounds like a much bigger band by using programmed accompaniment tracks of drums, bass with occasional saxophone or trumpet. "It's a real fun experience for all." says Ross. "Our accompanists are real tight professionals, and they're very dependable, reliable and easy to get along with." Take a twirl through the musical decades with Schaffler and Ross. Like two mint juleps on a foggy night, their relaxing music goes down easily from dusk 'til dawn.
Check out
this video on You Tube that captures some of the variety offered by the Schaffler & Ross Duo, as well as the excitement they generate! Ross also performs regularly as a soloist, such as in these videos featuring his guitar ("
What a Wonderful World") and mandolin ("
I'm Beginning to See the Light").
Mary Schaffler’s love of jazz music started in childhood. Both her
parents lived through the golden era of jazz and swing of the 30s and 40s.
Mary’s mother played Fats Waller and Benny Goodman on the stereo with original
78s. Mary’s former vocal and music instructor, Gayle Caldwell was
a gifted songwriter and vocalist with the New Christy Minstrels in the 1960s.
Gayle encouraged Mary to perform jazz standards such as Billie Holiday’s “God
Bless the Child”.
Mary has appeared as a guest vocalist with many Northern
California jazz artists such as Richard Cooper, Terry Simick, Francis Varnek
and Queen Jane. She was lead vocalist for the jazz group “Ain’t Misbehavin”
from 2013 to 2014. Mary enjoys singing many different forms of jazz including
swing, bossa nova, samba, big band, Latin, tin pan alley and fusion. She
feels that singing jazz fuels her desire for self-expression as an individual
in a cooperative effort. This open collaboration can be highly rewarding while
entertaining the audience. She also currently manages and sings with a 5-piece band called
Local Honey. The honeys do a variety of music including
western swing, indie rock, classic rock, country rock, jazz and world music.
Blessed with ten thumbs when born in Virginia, many years of practice have paid off for Joe
Ross who now dabbles with many instruments. Raised a “military brat” in Japan, his
music career started on organ in sixties rock/soul bands in Yokohama.
Bluegrass, Celtic and Old-Time music entered his life in the 1970s at the University of Oregon. Over the years, he’s picked up guitar, mandolin, bass,
banjo, dulcimer, concertina and ukulele. He's also branched into Western Swing, Polka, Latin and Jazz Music.
Performing regularly as a soloist, Joe can also be seen
with
Umpqua Valley Bluegrass Band,
Celtic Tradition,
Keynotes Polka Band and
Alamojo Western Swing Band. His eight albums
(available at
Amazon and
CDBaby) span from Celtic to Bluegrass, Swing to Jazz, Folk to Children's music. He also writes for music magazines and blogs, gives lessons at
Absolute Sound & Music (Roseburg), and tells stories. Happily retired in 2010 from his
day job supporting the U.S. Marine Corps, Joe now works
full-time to share and encourage the “enjoyment, fun and camaraderie of making
music together.”
For more information about The "E-Lazztic" Duo of Mary Schaffler and Joe Ross, please call 541-673-9759 (Joe) or 541-404-1505 (Mary). You can also reach them via
Joe's Facebook,
Mary's Facebook or by e-mailing to rossjoe@hotmail.com or marys42@yahoo.com
