Orcas Horns

Orcas Island treasure, Gene Nery is a professional musician who has travelled the world performing as a vocalist and guitarist for Princess Cruises. He settled down on Orcas in the 1980's but originally comes from just north of here in Vancouver, BC.  He performed as an entertainer at Rosario Resort for 20 years performing solo and with his band.  His music ranges from swing to contemporary pop, providing quality and memorable entertainment that appeals to many generations. He has several CD recordings available under the Pure and Simple record label where he has worked as a recording artist, producer, arranger and engineer.  He earned a platinum record award for singing "Above The Northern Lights" on Mannheim Steamroller’s CD "A Christmas Song" which also features Johnny Mathis and Olivia Newton John. Gene is our resident computer guru, expert in audio technologies and an avid photographer who knows far too many jokes.

Martin Lund, one of the most diverse musicians in the universe lives and breathes music in many different colors and cultures. He has played with some of the great blues artists of our time and worked in the studios of LA as a composer, arranger and musician with artists like Mel Torme to Isacc Hayes. His eclectic background has allowed him to move freely through any style of music from classical to rock and from jazz to Broadway. He is equally adept at clarinet, saxophone, flute and piano. Martin is a well-known performer and teacher on Orcas and he produces one of the Orcas Center’s most popular summer music events, The One World Music Festival. The festival is a two-night only jazz-based musical variety show with Orcas Island’s best musicians and top-notch talent from beyond the islands. Martin graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in music and a BA in music education.

Longtime visitor and new fulltime resident of Orcas, Steve Alboucq is a classically trained trumpet player with deep roots in Symphonic, Jazz, Pop and Latin music styles.  After receiving a music performance degree from WSU Steve performed in Seattle as a freelance trumpet player with Seattle’s premier salsa band – Bochinche, The Northwest Symphony, Freddie Pink and the Hightops, Roadside Attraction, Brass Band Northwest, Rhythm Syndicate, The Music Works Jazz Orchestra and worked shows with The Temptations, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and many others.  He has studied with a variety of world-class teachers including: Arthur Statter, former principal trumpet with the New York Ballet and NBC Symphony Orchestra; Gerald Webster, classical trumpet recording artist, educator and author; Gary Harding, internationally acclaimed Latin; and jazz trumpet legend Willie Thomas. 

Tony Morales, is a second-generation drummer. His father, Lloyd Morales, has worked with various big bands and singers for the last 30 years, including Frank Sinatra, Les Brown, Barbra Streisand and Dean Martin.  Tony was born in Los Angeles, CA, went to Eagle Rock High School, and was a member of the school's award-winning jazz big band. After that, he went on to record over 30 records and/or perform live with: The Rippingtons, Rickie Lee Jones, David Benoit, Patti Austin, Diane Schuur, The Benoit/Freeman Project, Kilauea, Pocket Change, Peggy Lee, Eric Marienthal, Stan Ridgeway, Grant Geissman, The Grandmothers (Zappa's old band), The Fowler Brothers, Nelson Rangell, Full Swing and Carl Anderson, to name a few.   His film and television credits include:   Two "Charlie Brown" specials, "The Young and the Restless" (featured on-camera with the band), "Into the Night" (with The Rippingtons), "Arsenio Hall" (with the Benoit/Freeman Project), "KTTV's 35th Anniversary Special" (with Full Swing), "Dream On" (the HBO series), "Cheers," "The Pink Panther" cartoons, "The Mask" (Jim Carrey movie), "Encyclopedia Brown" (for HBO), "Frasier," "All My Children."  He has also done some producing (He co-produced the Top 5 NAC album "The End of the Sky" (Full Swing) for Cypress/A&M; and writer ("Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Runaway with the Rich and Famous" for TV).  

Orcas Island High School Science teacher and saxophone wizard Gregory Books has been blowing a mean saxophone since first picking one up at age eight.  In his teens, he bought a beautiful, new King Super-20 baritone saxophone, which has been his close companion for the last 40 years.  Along the way he played with many jazz and rock bands, and is currently quite adamant about the Orcas Horns being the best group of musicians he's even had the pleasure to play with.  Around the island you’ve seen his enthusiastic performances with The Sons, The Community Band, Island Sinfonia, The Orcas Choral Society, Dustin Fox, the Olga Symphony, Chief Baker, Orcatrazz, and several Funhouse benefit bands.

In the beginning, there was a bass. (It was probably a Precision, though nobody knows for sure). Man learned to play it and it was good. Bruce Russell, bassist, is also an electrician on Orcas and provides the under current of funk and fun for the Orcas Horns.  Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, Bruce started off his professional career with the Mark Ford Blues Band.  He joined the Phil Alvin Blues Band in Los Angeles in 1972 and then played acoustic hot jazz till 1976 with David Balakrishnan, Darryl Anger and John Reischman.  He spent the late 70’s around the San Rafael area as the bass player for the jazz-fusion and funk band The James Vest Group.  He took a musical hiatus until he reemerged on Orcas Island in 2000 as the bass player for musicals at the Orcas Center and freelancing with local groups. 

YMCA Camp Orkila Director and Orcas Island’s low brass expert, Dimitri Stankevich received a degree in Music Education from Western Washington University. He mastered his tuba and trombone skills while studying with Dr. Gary Nyberg and Dr. Carla Rutschman.  In addition to Orcas Horns where he is the foundation of the horn section, Dimitri is a member of the Orcas Island Community Band, the Islands Symphonia and Five Bells - an Orcas Island based Brass Quintet.  He has been seen performing with the Olga Symphony, the Orcas Choral Society and at Martin Lund’s One World Festival. 

Craig Canine, trumpet and flugelhorn.   Craig grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, where he joined the trumpet section of his school band in third grade. He was a band nerd through high school, then put away his horns for an undisclosed number of decades. Inspired by the creative atmosphere on Orcas to revive his old passion, he has found trumpet nirvana as the newest member of the Orcas Horns. 

Alumni Members

 Saxophonist, Emily Miner epitomizes what the Orcas Horns persona is all about.  She is an enthusiastic, fun loving, hard working, friendly musician who is always striving to improve her music skills and contribute to the overall good of the Orcas community.  She originally played saxophone in the jazz band at Washington University in St. Louis where she earned her degree in Environmental Science.  She is now involved in the Jam Cats, Jazz Experience, and Emily's Jazz Encounters programs with IAJE Hall of Fame teacher Willie Thomas, which aim to improve jazz education opportunities for young Orcas students and online jazz students.  Outside the jazz world, Emily is the assistant coach of the Orcas Vikings Girls' Basketball team. 

Jennifer (Jade) Ismaildiscovered her love of music at age three when she received a piano for Christmas.  This was the beginning of what would become a life long passion. After taking piano lessons for several years as a child, she began playing trombone at age 11 in the middle school band. At age 14, she auditioned for and was accepted into the Pinellas County Center for the Arts – a rigorous pre-professional performing arts High School.  This would be the foundation of her career as a trombonist. In High school, she delved into every genre, playing in the symphonic band, jazz band, brass choir, and at age 16 joining her first touring band, playing Ska with Hopscotch.  Playing with Hopscotch gave Jade her first taste of playing live shows, touring the state and recording her first studio album. Eventually it became quite natural for her to be attending school by day and performing on stages at night.

Upon graduation from High School in 1997, Jade began attending The University of Miami School of Music, majoring in Music Therapy.  Relocating to California after graduating college in 2001, Jade worked as a Music Therapist and played with several bands.  ‘Fish out of Water’ – an all original funk/reggae/hip hop band toured the Hawaiian Islands and played all over California. Jade also played with ‘Bangoshe’ Afro-beat band -in the San Luis Obispo area of California, before being hired to play with Michael Bolton in 2006. During this time, Jade played with the ‘Sugarhorns’, an all female horn section who toured with Michael Bolton for 2 years and also played with the artist Seal. In 2010, Jade relocated to Orcas Island and began playing with the Orcas Horns. She currently resides on Orcas Island where she enjoys playing music of all styles, gardening, yoga, reading, traveling and volunteering.