Bob Hoefler comes from a musical family. His father, Ervin, a trumpeter and music store owner in Kent, started Bob on the trumpet, but it soon became apparent that Bob's real success would come from playing the trombone. Bob's mother, Mercedes, is still playing jazz piano in her 90's. Bob attended Kent State University and received a bachelors degree in music education and a masters degree in education administration. His numerous professional organization memberships include NEA, OEA, The Ohio Music Education Association, MENC, OMEA Adjudicator, American School Band Directors Association, and he is a lifetime member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity. He has been the Director of Instrumental Music at Nordonia High School since 1989. Bob has played for many performing artists including Jerry Lewis, Connie Stevens, Pat and Debbie Boone, The O'Jay's, jazz singer Joe Williams, and jazz instrumentalists Jeff Jarvis, Rusty Higgins, Clark Terry, and Thad Jones. He also performs currently with The John Trapani Big Band, and The Jack Halkides Big Band and Combo. Listen for Bob to be featured in our Tommy Dorsey numbers "Song of India," and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Here is Bob soloing in a Latin rock number, "Pescados Frescos" and the Glenn Miller classic "Little Brown Jug". Bob is a charter member of the Swing Machine Big Band and attended the band's first rehearsal in 1987. Kevin Tanner began his study of trombone privately with Mark Scatterday. At Kent State University, he studied trombone with Paul Wallace. He has been a member of the Swing Machine Big Band since 2002. He has a degree in mathematics from Kent State and a masters degree in education administration from The University of Akron. Kevin is an associate principal at Nordonia High School. Larry Dickerhoff has been playing trombone for fifty years. He became interested in playing jazz in the late 1960s. Larry attended Kent State University as a music education major and studied trombone with Paul Wallace. Additionally, he has studied jazz improvisation with trombonist Garney Hicks. Larry has been playing trombone professionally around northeastern Ohio since 1970. Currently, Larry is the booking agent for the Wanda Hunt Band and has been with the old-school rhythm and blues group since its inception in 1994. His musical talents are not limited to the trombone as he also plays electric bass occasionally with the Tim Coyne Jazz Quartet. Larry also works as the logistics manager for Selinsky Force, LLC, a heavy and specialized machinery moving company in Canton, Ohio. Joe Kralik has been playing trombone and drums since junior high school and is a very active musician in the Akron/Canton area. Joe studied music education at The University of Akron and played in the jazz ensemble there under the direction of jazz educator, Roland Paolucci. Joe played in the Kent Jazz Society big band, quartet, and quintet, and the Akron Big Band. He also plays in The Dave Banks Big Band, The John Trapani Big Band, the Trinity Gospel Temple band, and the Canton Concert Band. Joe occasionally plays drums for the Swing Machine allowing our regular drummer, Rich Moore, to play vibes and other percussion instruments. Joe works as the senior buyer for B/C Machine in Barberton. He has been a member of the Swing Machine Big Band since 1995.