Band Bios
Little Debra
Debra Hope Miller, a.k.a. Little Debra,
became interested in the blues just four years ago. She has been influenced
by many great pianists including Ray Charles, Otis
Spann, Erroll Garner and Erwin Helfer.
Her musical education began with formal training in classical piano and
music theory in college. She then took many years off from playing the
piano in order to build a business. She loves many styles of music, but
recently chose to delve into the blues and boogie
woogie.
Debra plays a lot by ear and with her soul. She is an arranger, pianist
and also a self-taught composer and songwriter. The title of this debut
CD comes from Little Debra's composition, Cat Walk Boogie,
which is a nod to the playful and inquisitive attitude that our feline
friends bring to everyday life - the same kind of attitude Little Debra
brings to the piano.
On
Cat Walk Boogie, Debra teams up with friends Jim Murray on drums and Jay
Olaszek on bass, to bring her musical stylings to a world that's still
in love with the greats. On behalf of Debra, Jim and Jay, we hope you
enjoy this tribute to piano blues and boogie woogie...and invite you to
feel the music in your hearts.
Jim Murray - Drums
Jim has played in, recorded and produced many different styles and projects
including Skip Towne & the Greyhounds, Midnight, RPM, Nightflight,
"Brother John" Kattke, Soul Shakedown, Michael McDermott and
Three Fingers; Commercials and jingles for clients such as Crown: and
has been musical director, working on composition, score, and sound design
for films such as "Carnival" and "Changingman". Influences
include Buddy Rich, Jim Keltner, Ringo, Barrett Deems, and Clyde Stubblefield.
He usually plays a Sonor Designer Kit and a variety of Zildjian, Paiste
and Sabian cymbals.
Jay Olaszek - Bass
Jay's been all over the place. He's played blues, glam-rock, jazz, bluegrass,
funk, weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, sports events, and at the local
bowling alley. He's sung the National Anthem at White Sox games, at Kane
County Cougars Games, and at St. Francis Spartans games. He's played standing
on the sidewalk and in front of thousands of people. It's been a long,
fun ride that he hopes is nowhere near halfway over.
Jay currently works with a number of projects and people. You can often see him working with the inexorable Carolyn Brady-Riley at Circle Theater and at various theater venues and productions throughout the city. He's also known to jump in quite often, bass in hand, at churches here and there. He is currently in the studio with his beloved indie project, Small Shiny Things. On occasion he has the pleasure to play with the Grasslands Quintette, and in particular enjoys gigging with "Brother John" Kattke and his smokin' band, as well as Skip Towne & the Greyhounds. As far as influences, Jay does his best to invoke the feel of Donald "Duck" Dunn as much as possible. He also enjoys the stylings of Johnny B Gayden and Nathan East. Jay plays a beat-up Fender Jazz V and is partial to SWR heads and Yorkville bottoms.