Portions reprinted from the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday. January 30, 2005.
Versatile 10-member band keeps the crowd moving
By Gloria A. Hoffner
Inquirer Suburban Staff
The strong, running-note style of guitarist Jeff "Big Muff" Raffie and the smooth, flowing sounds in the tenor-sax solo by Alex Bancer back up the crisp vocals of singer Amy Caparo in Chatterband's arrangement of "Jump and Jive."
It's a musical clarity heard consistently in the band's tunes, such as David Rand's light keyboard style blending with soft, sweet rhythms from percussionists Jake Wiener and Chris Leggerie in "At Last."
The ability to work well as a 10-member ensemble performing dance tunes ranging from Glenn Miller to Chicago keeps Chatterband playing at about 250 clubs, weddings and corporate affairs annually, bandleader Paul Martone says."We all love what we do," Martone said of the band he formed in 1986. "We have a professional-musician respect for each other that crosses into our friendships."
Band members live in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and, away from the stage, hold full-time day jobs that include music teacher, college professor, stock trader and construction worker. The sound of Chatterband is a blend of individual musicians whose talents come from years of study, practice and performance.
Paul Martone, Chatterband’s leader, sings vocals with Chatterband.
Tenor-sax player Alex Bancer, of Brookhaven, has been with the group since its beginning. He went to Hillside (N.J.) High School with Jeff Raffie, also of Brookhaven, who plays lead guitar.
David Rand, of Bensalem, has played keyboard for Chatterband since it formed. Sound engineer Ken Rhein, of Sicklerville, started with Chatterband in 1986, too. Trumpet player Steven Hyde, lives in Mount Ephraim, and Amy Caparo, is a resident of Conshohocken.
Billy Garrett, of Newark, Del., provides vocals and plays lead guitar and bass guitar. Percussion in the band is shared by drummer Jake Wiener, of Clayton, N.J., and electric-drum-pad player Chris Leggerie, of Northeast Philadelphia.
"We play a lot of good music that's always danceable. That's the theme of the band. We don't compromise music for dance - we do both," Martone said."We are like an audio slide show. We put together musical medleys."
One example is a mix that begins with James Brown and winds up into Rick James, Raffie said. Another - designed to "exhaust the best dancer," he said - begins with "The Twist" and includes "Sea Cruise" and "Palisades Park."
Each summer, Chatterband is the featured artist at Moore's Inlet in North Wildwood, where during July and August the group plays for fans ages 25 to 80, Martone said. This summer, it is scheduled to perform there on Sunday evenings from July 10 to Aug. 14.
Chris Curran, a fan from Upper Providence, said listening to the band evokes fond memories of summer days.
"It's the variety of music they play. They have something that appeals to everyone," Curran said.
"The way they connect with the audience, you are almost guaranteed a good time when they are performing."
With a song catalog of more than 500 tunes, the band defies description, Hyde said. We are a horn band, a party band, and a rock band playing disco and Rolling Stones," Hyde said. "People of all ages like music when it is played well. We nail the music."
Its versatility makes Chatterband "a sort of living jukebox," Caparo said. Added Garrett: "Every one of us brings so many different types of music to the band that together we can go from the B-52s to the Beatles."
Arts and Things To Do
Chatterband will perform at a beef-and-beer benefit for a local Catholic Youth Organization at 8 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Knights of Columbus, 18 W. Baltimore Pike, Springfield. Tickets cost $30 per person. For more information, call 610-627-9008.
A full list of scheduled performance dates is on www.thechatterband.com.
