Central City Stompers Kick Off 2025 Branford Jazz Concert Series

Complied by Victor Amatori, Branford Jazz Series Committee

BRANFORD, CT — Known for their classic jazz tunes, the Central City Stompers will kick off the 2025 Branford Jazz Concert Series on Thursday, June 26, 2025, starting at 6:30 p.m.

The Central City Stompers is a 10-piece band that plays classic jazz – often called Dixieland or New Orleans style – and blues, stomps, rags, and popular songs from the first half of the 20th century - music that makes people of all ages smile. This is American music that has stood the test of time, like Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Count Basie, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, and many more.

Art Hovey is their Music Director and often called “Connecticut’s Tuba Player.”

Art Hovey learned tuba from his father, starting at age 10. While majoring in physics and mathematics between 1960 and 1965 at Yale he performed in various Yale School of Music ensembles. He was principal tubist with the New Haven Symphony between 1967 and 1977, is a founding member of the Galvanized Jazz Band, performs frequently with the Connecticut Symphonic Winds and the Civic Orchestra of New Haven, and has taught low brass at the NMS for 25 years.

Trevor Davis has played drums since his early teens, learning rock & blues. By 17 he was playing 5 nights/week while going to college. Trevor then learned more formally percussion and big band in Vermont. He returned to Connecticut where he freelanced playing country, society, studio work. During the last two decades he has specialized in the Dixieland genre.

Guy Iaccarino is a singer, songwriter, and guitar player who is a life-long New Haven area resident. He’s run the Branford Road Race many times with his cousin, his kids, and his friends, and in his spare time he’s also a technologist who helps nonprofits for Greenleaf Advancement. He’s been playing music in area venues for longer than he cares to admit but loves it more and more every year.

Jimmy “The Hat” Caplik started at an early age by playing a bugle in CT drum and bugle corps. He stopped playing when he left college but decided to return to music in 2009. Since then, he has played with musical groups such as the Magnificent Brass ensemble and Center Stage Jazz big band. Currently, he is a member of the Plainville Wind Ensemble and, in addition to the Central City Stompers, enjoys playing traditional and hot jazz style music with the Juniper Hill Jumpers, Corinthian Jazz Band and Tenpenny Bounce.

Brooks Low is a retired Yale Professor (microbial genetics). He has always loved
fine choral music, especially singing in choirs of Robert Shaw, Robert Fountain and currently the Yale Camerata. He started clarinet in 3rd grade and after a long after-high school break took it up again with Neighborhood Music School groups about 20 years ago. He is currently repairing antique phonographs and music boxes and enjoying the old music.

Patty Shea is a semi-retired Southern California cabaret singer and actress and is thrilled to be here in Connecticut singing with these talented musicians in Dixieland Jazz.

Branford resident Ed Stern has been playing traditional jazz piano with multiple bands for a decade, after a fortuitous meeting with Art Hovey at a swing jam which changed his musical trajectory. Before that his musical interests were lounge piano and bluegrass banjo, having success in the latter from the late seventies to the present. In between the music he squeezed in a marriage, raised 4 children, and had a technology career.

In addition to playing silver clarinet with The Central City Stompers, Andrew Anello is the Principal Clarinetist and in addition to playing silver clarinet with The Central City Stompers, Andrew Anello is the Principal Clarinetist and Concertmaster with the Connecticut Symphonic Winds and has performed at Toad’s Place and CBGBs. His philosophy in life is ‘to keep moving’ as he enjoys board sports, motorsports and pinball.

“The Central City Stompers are looking forward to playing at Branford Jazz because we rehearse in Branford, although we are far more diverse geographically, from Norwalk to Middletown to Guilford,” said Davis.