About Us
We entertain audiences of all ages with our favorite jazz standards from the Great American Songbook. We are available for weddings, parties, events, concerts, and dances.
Bill Smith
Bill has been performing in bands and as a solo musician in Northern Colorado since he and his family moved to Fort Collins in 1986. While singing with Choice City Singers, he developed a love for jazz standards and all the rich music from the Great American Songbook. As a solo jazz GUITARIST and VOCALIST, he performs regularly in restaurants, clubs, and charity fundraisers in the area. He is excited to be contributing his talents to The Jazz Section
Kelsey Mckelfresh
After years of feeling like she was born in the wrong decade, Kelsey is thrilled to be singing all her jazz favorites. Her career in music, voiceovers, dialect coaching, and theatre has taken her to NYC, Europe, and around the country, but NoCo will always be home. A mother and an entrepreneur, Kelsey relishes every second she gets to make art with this talented group of fellas.
Eric Wollan
Eric picked up the DRUM sticks at the age of six when his grandfather taught him to play the snare drum. During his elementary and junior high school years, he studied drums with Dallas jazz great Charlie Hamilton.
Eric continued honing his skills and studied symphonic percussion with Mitchell Peters, principal percussionist with the Dallas Symphony and later the LA Philharmonic. There are no forms of music he doesn’t enjoy and embrace as a valid art form!
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Peter Parnegg
Peter is from Albuquerque, NM, and started playing guitar in 9th grade. In college, he switched to bass because, as often the case, there was one too many guitar players and no bassist. He says “I fell in love with the instrument. I fell in love with it’s role, and I continue to love being a bass player.” Playing in jazz bands and rock bands for almost 40 years, he studied electric bass in Los Angeles with Bunny Brunel and upright bass with the principal chair of the New MexicoSymphony Orchestra. Peter is a recording artist on MCA records with the rock band Stone Fury.He moved to Fort Collins in 2014 and after joining the band in 2024, he shared, “Landing with the Jazz Section has been a joy for me because I love the repertoire of great jazz standards, I love the musicians in the band, and a 6 piece group is just a perfect size.”
Todd Gamble
Todd grew up in what would be the Von Trapp family in the middle of Illinois. His entire family wore lederhosen and drapes while performing shows (unfortunately without a governess).
Todd gravitated to PIANO and, after a stint with classical music, moved through rock and roll, the blues, and finally to jazz. He loves playing with his fellow musicians in The Jazz Section: “Great mates playing great tunes!” He would like to thank his parents, his wife, and his favorite dog for their support.
Luke Heter
Luke was raised in Ft. Collins, CO, and graduated from Regis University with a BA in Music Education in the Spring of 2018. He is going to find a job teaching in a public school in the Denver area. He has been playing the saxophone for twelve years.
Some of his notable Jazz experiences include playing lead alto and lead tenor in the Regis Jazz Ensemble and being the SAXOPHONIST for the Denver-based groups Half Eaten Pear and Garage Cat. Luke loves to perform and grow in his musicianship, and is very excited to be a part of The Jazz Section