Member Bios
Saxophones | Trombones | Trumpets | Rhythm | Vocals
Saxophones
Carolyn Palmer - Alto Sax
Carolyn holds a degree in Music Education and Jazz Studies from Elmhurst College, where she was very active in the music department. During her college years she had the opportunity to play countless gigs and tour Canada with the jazz band, play at the IMEA All-State conference with the wind ensemble, and be a member of several jazz combos and saxophone quartets. At EC, she studied jazz with Mark Colby and Frank Portolese.
Originally from Chicago's northwest suburbs, Carolyn recently relocated to central Illinois for her first teaching job. When she's not "working," she teaches private woodwind lessons, assists with high school marching band camps, subs for area big bands, and plays in pits for musicals (her most recent show being "The Wizard of Oz" with the Springfield Muni Opera).
Paula Cebula - Alto Sax
Paula has been playing saxophone on the jazz scene for the past seven years, having trained as a classical saxophonist. She is the founder and soprano sax player in the "No Strings Attached" saxophone quartet performing throughout the Chicagoland area as well as at the Maastricht Festival in the Netherlands. Paula's latest educational accomplishment is the completion of a Masters in Music degree in 2004 which, coupled with an MBA in marketing, serves her in her position as manager of New Philharmonic orchestra and DuPage Opera Theatre. Continued inspiration comes from participating in master classes with some of the greats - Phil Woods, Nick Brignola, Ralph Lalama, and Ernie Watts - and studying with local greats Mark Colby and Stephen Duke. Paula's musical calendar also includes private studio instruction of saxophone and clarinet, as well as performing in pit orchestras for local theaters, concert bands, small jazz combos, percussion ensembles, and flute choir.
Linda Kottis - Tenor Sax
Linda is a co-founder of the Chicago Outskirts and plays tenor sax. After several years away from playing jazz, she could not take it anymore, and began playing with the Warrenville Moonlighters and studying with Mark Colby. Linda subs with the Wheaton MusicMakers and has appeared with the College of DuPage Arts Center Jazz Ensemble and the Swing Street Big Band. She is active at the College of DuPage's jazz combo program and has appeared numerous times at the College's Jazz at Sunset as well as with small combos professionally.
Jami Bhatti - Tenor Sax
Jami is currently a student at Illinois State University, studying Music Therapy. At ISU, she studies saxophone under Paul Nolen. She plays in jazz band and in a saxophone quartet there also. Jami has an Associate of Fine Arts degree from the College of DuPage, where she participated in the DuPage Community Jazz Ensemble and in the Small-Group Jazz program. Jami studied under Mark Colby and Tim Omerod while she was at COD.
Martha Lambert - Baritone Sax
Martha Lambert plays Tenor Sax and Bari Sax for Chicago Outskirts. She also plays keyboards. Her recent music courses were at College of Dupage, with Tim Omerod, and Skip Green as her private teachers. She also learned jazz the traditional way, by playing in various community bands with the "old-timers" that demonstrate and explain the era's style. Workshops with the Three Rivers Saxophone Quartet in the Pittsburgh PA area, and the Weekend Program with Berklee School of Music in Boston MA, and The Fox Valley (IL) Chapter of the American Guild of Organists continue her performance training.
Martha's musical mission: "I think music has the power to develop a focused mind and promote world peace. You can't fight with people when you are practicing scales on your horn. I think live music performance is an art that brings beauty to an otherwise stressful and edgy world - for players and listeners."
Shari Albrecht - Sub
Playfully referring to herself as a Muse and Renaissance Woman, Shari constantly surrounds herself with a forest of artistry. In her portfolio, she carries a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Graphic Design from St. Xavier University in Chicago and a Master of Music Performance on clarinet from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. She makes a living teaching clarinet lessons and doing freelance graphic design work. Along with playing tenor for the Outskirts, she performs with the 85th Army Band and a new group, thesix.
The journey has only begun, yet there are so many mentors and teachers that have helped nurture Shari that she would like to thank them with all of her heart, specifically: Mel Warner, Dr. Gregory Barrett, Mark O'Connor, Tim AuBuchon and Joe Caruso.
Trombones
Colleen Riordan
Originally from Lansing IL, trombonist Colleen Riordan recently returned to Chicagoland after seven years in Boston. She received her degree in trombone performance from Boston University, where she studied with BSO principal Ronald Barron and soloist Scott Hartman. She was a member of the New England Philharmonic, Newton Symphony (principal), and toured with the Synergy Brass Quintet, coached by Eric Ruske of the Empire Brass Quintet. She currently free-lances and teaches trombone privately in Libertyville and Schaumburg. She also serves as assistant director of the Merit School of Music summer Low Brass Festival. In addition to trombone, Colleen has also studied voice and performed widely as a narrator. She is recorded on the Cedille and 3FM labels.
Jennifer Thompson
Jennifer Thompson has taught elementary and middle school band for seven years in the Chicago suburbs. For three years, Jennifer served as the District 1 Chairperson of the Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) Junior Jazz Festival. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelors degree in Music Education. She earned her masters in Music Performance from Bowling Green State University where she served as a teaching assistant for the University Band Department. Her primary instruments are trombone and euphonium.
In her spare time, Jennifer is the Orchestra Manager for the Elmhurst Symphony. And she gets out to hear live jazz whenever possible.
Hannah Martens
Hannah has been playing trombone in jazz bands, concert bands and orchestras since junior high. At Hoffman Estates High School, Hannah played in the wind ensemble, marching band, jazz ensemble, orchestra and pit bands for musicals and the yearly variety show each of her four years. Her senior year, she was Co-director of the Variety Show pit band. She also played in the District 211 Honors Orchestra for two years and the IMEA District 7 Orchestra one year. Hannah has also played with the Schaumburg Youth Symphony Orchestra and still subs for them on bass trombone from time to time. She has traveled to Germany, Austria and Japan with the SYSO. Hannah graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. While at Marquette, she played in the concert band, orchestra and pep band under the direction of Nicholas Contorno and the late Jim Krofta, in addition to brass quintets, a big band and a punk/ska band. She has also played with the Nick Contorno Orchestra (professional jazz big band). Most recently, Hannah has taken jazz ensemble and theory classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music with David Jennings. In addition to the Chicago Outskirts, Hannah is beginning her fifth year as a member of the Chicago Businessmen's Orchestra where she also serves as Vice President of the board. Hannah loves playing trombone in any way, shape or form, and especially loves the fun and excitement of playing jazz and blues music. In her professional life, Hannah is a senior engineer and project manager for Lintech Engineering, where she is involved in water and wastewater treatment plant design and rehabilitation, and serves as Assistant Village Engineer for the Village of Pingree Grove. She loves civil engineering almost as much as she loves playing music!
Trumpets
Sandy McCurdy
Sandy is a native of Chicago and has been playing trumpet for over 40 years, both in classical and jazz genres. As lead trumpet in the award winning Maine East High School Jazz Band, Sandy was selected to the All-Star Band at the legendary Oak Lawn Jazz Festival in the 60's. During that time she also began trumpet studies with Vincent Cichowicz of the Chicago Symphony. At Downbeat's National Stage-Band Camp, Sandy met jazz legend and teacher David Baker and was invited to attend Indiana University where she played lead trumpet in the jazz band. While at I.U. she was was honored to be chosen as the first female student of the legendary Bill Adam. After receiving a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Indiana University, Sandy moved to Montreal where she played in the Nick Martin Jazz Ensemble at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, did free lance and studio recording work, and played for the 1976 Olympics. Sandy received her Master of Music degree at Northwestern University in Chicago where she continued as a trumpet student of Vincent Cichowicz. Highlights of Sandy's classical music career include years as Principal trumpet of the Victoria Symphony and Principal Trumpet with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra. She was named Associate Professor of Trumpet at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and Department Head of Music at Port Arthur Collegiate High School in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Sandy currently plays Solo Cornet with the renowned Illinois Brass Band, six time National Champions of the North American Brass Band Association.
Karen Olsen
Bio coming soon!
Carol Dickenson
Carol began playing trumpet at Lane Technical H.S. in Chicago, and graduated from North Park College with a B.A. in Music, studying trumpet, guitar and ethnomusicology. She is a founding member of the Prairie Brass Band, where she plays cornet and serves as music librarian, and where she was named Prairie Bandperson of the Year in August 2005. She has most recently studied with Terry Schwartz at the Wheaton College Conservatory. Her favorite trumpet player and inspiration is Philip Smith, principal trumpet with the New York Philharmonic.
Rhythm
Anne O'Neill - Percussion
Anne has been playing percussion since she was 8. While in high school, she studied with Bobby Christian for several years and she was an alternate percussionist with the Notre Dame Orchestra. Throughout college she played in a number of rock, pop, and jazz bands. After a 15-year musical hiatus, she began sitting in with a number of people. She can be heard on the practice CD for The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Bass and on two tracks on Todd Mack's 2006 recording Square Peg, Round Hole. Anne regularly plays in the Chicagoland area and the Berkshires with her good friends Kathy Reichert and David Hodge.
Michelle Akin - Bass
Michelle began her music studies as a girl in Kansas, studying piano and cello before joining the jazz band on bass guitar. She was asked to travel with different high school ensembles across the US as well as overseas, and was especially fortunate to be interviewed by Down Beat Magazine about being a female bass player. Michelle was pretty much self-taught on the bass until college when she began studying with Larry Gray at DePaul University. Since graduating from DePaul, Michelle has been teaching and playing around Chicagoland
Cheryl Fort - Guitar
Cheryl began playing guitar while in high school studying classical guitar at the American Conservatory of Music. Several years ago, she developed an interest in jazz music and began studying off and on with a variety of musicians and teachers in the Chicago area, Bloom School of Jazz, Lee Metcalf, and Paul Kugot to name a few. She is currently studying privately with Mike Allemana at the Old Town School of Folk Music. She's played with a variety of jazz combos over the years. Her inspiration comes from the great jazz musicians past and present and a family history of musicians where she was exposed to jazz music at a very young age. She considers herself an advanced beginner.
Laura Hoffman - Piano
Ms. Hoffman studied jazz piano with many excellent teachers including Alan Swain, Skip Green, Jack Hubal and Willie Pickens. She toured nationally playing piano for a choral swing group that served as a warm-up act for Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, Bob Hope, Al Hirt, Redd Foxx, and Liza Minelli. She was the music director on several Broadway shows that ran at the Water Tower Theater in Chicago, including Cy Coleman's "I Love My Life", and "Evolution of the Blues", starring Marilyn McCoo. She led a jazz quartet that appeared at the Chicago Marriott Hotel for ten years, featuring Lou Washington on the tenor sax. In 1991, she was featured as one of the Fifty Women of the Year in "Today's Chicago Woman", a Chicago monthly magazine. She was featured as a guest artist with the New Horizons Band when they performed at the Orrington Hotel, under the direction of Debbie Katz Knowles. Laura has performed in jazz trios and quartets all over the Chicago area, and recently returned from a tour of the South Pacific. She has been involved in outreach programs through the Ravinia Festival, and maintains a private practice of students in her Winnetka, Illinois studio.
Vocals
Carol Bennett
Carol is a native of Chicago and is well known to the area, having sung with numerous orchestras. She can also be heard on WDCB 90.9 FM radio. Having studied voice in high school, she has performed in many musicals including Carousel, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Music Man, and Into the Woods. Carol appears with jazz combos and more recently started singing with the big bands including Switch Time Jazz Orchestra and more recently joined the Chicago Outskirts and is enjoying being with the all-girl big band.