Criss Ashwell      VOCALS	Criss is an amazing vocalist who has spent many years acting, producing, and directing theatrical productions at The Renaissance Theater.   Criss' bio will be beefed up when she provides this webmaster with more info!
Tom Bahder      ALTO SAXOPHONE	Tom was born in Poland and came to the U.S. when he was six years old. His interest in music started early when he felt the emotional power of music. When he was 13, he began taking classical guitar lessons.  After practicing regularly for some time, he was ready to work on Fernando Sor etudes.  Professionally, he has been trained as a theoretical physicist, and works in a wide range of subjects such as general relativity, satellite navigation, solid state physics, quantum optics and quantum information. Tom always wanted to play a wind instrument to experience the exhilaration of producing sound with his own breath.  The saxophone was his first choice of instruments due to its expressive voice.  When he finished his Ph.D. in physics, he finally had enough money to buy a saxophone. He has been fortunate to study with a number of excellent musicians, including John Coulehan (Concert Master of U.S. Navy Band, Washington, D.C.) and Chris Vadala (Chuck Mangione Band and the Tonight Show Band).  For several years in Maryland, he played second alto with the Columbia Jazz Band, the Columbia Concert Band, and soprano sax in a saxophone quartet.
Mark Bailey    TRUMPET	Mark has played trumpet for over 30 years, starting when he was in the sixth grade. In high school, he auditioned and was accepted to play in two East Tennessee Band Clinics during his junior and senior years. He also played trumpet for his school's choral ensemble. While attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, he played in the marching band during his sophomore year, which took him to the Sugar Bowl. Electrical Engineering studies took priority for the remainder of his college years, but he continued playing on the side. He moved to Huntsville, Alabama after graduation. A few months later, a good friend back in Knoxville called to ask him to sit in with Soul Sanction, a local soul and R&B band, which led to six years of commuting to Knoxville to play lead trumpet with Soul Sanction. The long commute paid off when the band opened a 2500-seat, sold-out concert for B. B. King, and shortly thereafter opened an outdoor evening concert for Ray Charles at the site of the 1982 World's Fair. Mark earned a Master's Degree in Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and currently works as a software and electronics engineer.  In addition to Moondust, he plays in the orchestra at Southside Baptist Church.
Jim Bradas      TENOR SAXOPHONE	Jim Bradas was born in New York City and raised on Long Island. He has been playing clarinet and sax for over 45 years. He started playing clarinet in 2nd grade and saxophone in the 3rd. His elementary school band director was Bill Barber, considered at the time one of the world's greatest jazz tuba players. Bill recorded several albums with Miles Davis. Bill started a jazz swing band in elementary school, so Jim had the great opportunity to learn jazz rhythms and phrasing from an early age. His junior and senior high school band director, Al Langstaff, was a world-class jazz trombonist who played with Claude Thornhill. Jim attended college on a music scholarship, playing clarinet in symphonic and marching bands, and jazz sax (both alto and tenor) in a college jazz band. He switched to physics as a major when he decided that making a living playing music would leave him permanently poor. After a 30 year hiatus, Jim re-started his musical career about a year ago. As well as playing lead Tenor for The Moondust Big Band, he plays clarinet with the First Baptist Church Orchestra and Clarion Winds clarinet choir, and studies jazz improvisation with Jerry Coker whom he met while attending the Jamey Aebersold jazz camp held each year at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.
Richard Campbell      TRUMPET	Richard is a very talented trumpet player who is a past member of the University of Alabama and Jacksonville State Jazz Ensembles. He currently plays the trumpet with The Rocket City Jazz Orchestra, The Brass Band of Huntsville, the Willowbrook Baptist Church, and The Moondust Big Band.
Judy DiMaso   BARITONE SAXOPHONE & CLARINET	Judy has musical roots - her father attended Valley Forge Military Academy on a music/academic scholarship; his father played the baritone in a street band in his home town in Italy. She began playing one of her dad's clarinets at the age of seven in grade school in Mount Laurel NJ. She studied classical and popular music, including a stint in the All South Jersey Band as a high school freshman. She remembers going into Tower Records with her dad in 1977; they split up - he showed up at the register with Eric Clapton's 'Slowhand,' she chose 'Benny Goodman's Greatest Hits.' Good music was always playing in the house and her love of Big Band music began at a very early age.   She first played alto saxophone in high school when she found out about this thing called "Jazz Band." She played it in concert, jazz, and marching bands throughout high school. Her first paying gig was playing in the ridiculous Mummers Day Parade on New Year's Day in Philadeplhia in 1977.   Interrupted by life, the universe, and everything, she put her instruments down for 25 years. She began playing again in 2005, first with The Madison Community Band, then with Ray Hanson's Senior Citizen Big Band. She plays lead alto sax and clarinet with Ray, and baritone sax and clarinet with Moondust. Her prized possession is her Conn 'Naked Lady' baritone sax. It was played by Harry Carney with Duke Ellington's Band back in the day. She's also pretty enamored with her silver Yanagisawa alto and soprano saxes, mostly because she married the guy (Eric) who a friend told her to call to chat about them. Thanks, Ray Reska!
Steve Ennis    TRUMPET	Steve is an excellent trumpet player who we are thrilled to have with the band!
Chuck Everhart     DRUMS & PERCUSSION	Chuck was in the “All Ohio Boy’s Band” for three years. He received Music Scholorships to the Julliard School of Music. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Symphonia, the National Music Honorary.   Chuck has spent more than 45 years playing in Big (and small) Bands in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Chicago, and now in Huntsville. He played with Charlie Lyle back in the day.
BASS GUITAR
Ray Irelan   TROMBONE	Ray Irelan, a Huntsville native, learned to play the trombone in the 6th grade at Chaffee Elementary School. He was first exposed to jazz in the Whitesburg Jr High Jazz Band under the direction of Robert Shuck. In High School, he played in the Virgil I. Grissom Jazz Band for three years and was mentored by jazz experts Dave Ward and Jim Sparks. This experience sparked his lifelong addiction to jazz music. After a long break (about 27 years), he was reintroduced to playing jazz trombone when he was invited to play in Asbury Methodist Church's Big Band Dinner Theater Show in Madison, AL. He now plays regularly in Willowbrook Baptist Church's Orchestra (since 1994) as well as in the Moondust Big Band. Ray works as a Computer Analyst for the defense contractor ERC, Inc., has been married to his wife Penny since 1981 and has three children.
Addison Mauldin TROMBONE	Originally from Columbia, MS, Addison began playing trombone in his middle school band.  Throughout high school and college, he studied trombone performance under the likes of Raymond G. Young and Gary Cook.  Addison was first introduced to jazz performance at Jones County Junior College, where he was a member of JC Jazz under the direction of Jeff Brown.  Addison was also a member of JCJC's marching band, the Maroon Typhoon, which has achieved national recognition, performing at Marshall Field's Jingle Elf Parade in Chicago, IL, the largest Christmas Parade in the Midwest.  Graduating from Mississippi State University, Addison currently works as a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center located on Redstone Arsenal.
Dave McConnell VOCALS	We seriously think that Dave channels Frank Sinatra! We're thrilled to have him with the band. You should totally check out his website for his solo and combo gigs:  http://www.retrovoice.com/
Niki Russell TENOR SAXOPHONE	Niki Russell joined the band in July 2008 and we're so glad to have her with us! She usually dresses much snappier than this, and may cut me for posting this photo.
Eric Rogers ALTO SAXOPHONE	Eric comes from a very musical family. He began playing alto and tenor saxophones in the early 1970s.  Guided by his dad, Ron, a jazz and big band guitarist and bassist whose playing had helped put him through college in Fargo in the 1950s, Eric progressed rapidly.  Within his first four years of playing in the Minneapolis area, Eric made it to the Minnesota All-State Band, recorded a solo with the North Suburban Wind Ensemble, saw Paul Desmond, Jimmy Heath, Phil Woods, Eugene Rousseau and Dexter Gordon play live, and performed his first jazz and big band gigs.    Eric has had professional private instruction and substantive masterclass participation with saxophonists Reuben Haugen, Eugene Rousseau, Bobby Millitello, Eric Alexander, Daniel Joffe, Mel Martin, Jim Snidero, Dennis DiBlasio, Denis Solee, Jamey Aebersold, Don Aliquo and Jeff Coffin, trombonist Roy Agee, trumpeters Ken Watters and Rod McGaha, pianists Lori Mechem, Dan Haerle and Bruce Dudley, and bassist Roger Spencer.  Most of his work in recent years has been through the Nashville Jazz Workshop.   Eric has performed with numerous artists and groups in Nashville, Birmingham, Minneapolis (including gigs with his brother Jeff, a professional drummer there) and locally as well.  He was a founding member of the Rocket City Jazz Orchestra (formerly known as The Band in Demand) and has also performed and recorded with The Nightlife Saxophone Quartet, UAH Jazz Ensemble, Charlie Lyle Big Band and Combo, Ray Hanson Combo, Sentimental Journey, Painted Melodies, Latin Rhythms, Devere Pride, Mike Palmieri and Eddie "Spanky" Alford.  Eric was the founder and bandleader for the jazz combos "No Chaser" and "Stolen Moments" with local guitarist Stan Lee.  Eric also founded and led the Moonglow saxophone quartet with Nancy Hallman.
Jeff Stewart TRUMPET	Jeff started playing the trumpet at the ripe young age of 12.  Throughout junior high, high school and college, he played in every type of musical group imaginable, including marching band, jazz band, concert band, and various brass ensembles. He was also bitten by the drum corps bug and is an alumni of the Royal Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. Life got busy and Jeff put his horn to rest for the better part of 25 years.  After raising the kids, life slowed down and he began playing again, getting involved with the Madison Community Band, the Twickenham Winds and the Moondust Big Band. Never quite recovering from drum corps fever, he is also a member of the Music City Legend Drum and Bugle Corps, an all age competitive drum corps based in Nashville. Jeff is a retired Naval Flight Officer and an engineer with the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He has a wife, two kids and one cat, who doesn't like the trumpet one bit. Or maybe the cat doesn't like Jeff's playing one bit... it's hard to tell.
John Williams TROMBONE	John Williams earned his Bachelor of Music Degree in Trombone Performance while minoring in Business at the University of Texas, Austin.  From 1974 through 1981 he taught private trombone and low brass in the Austin, Richardson and Plano, Texas school districts while performing as principal trombone for the Austin Symphony, Austin Opera and Austin Ballet Theater Orchestras.  After entering the business world in 1981, John focused on Christian, Classical, and Jazz performance through professional, church and community ensembles in Dallas, TX and most recently, Huntsville, AL.
Tom Winstead BASS TROMBONE	Tom played with Charlie Lyle, and we're glad to have his help!
Mystery Pianist PIANO	Help Wanted