Throw in some blues, and jazz, a dose of irreverent humor, 
and you have the Swunk Brothers.

Born and raised near Chicago, music was always an escape.  Playing trumpet as a teen-ager, singing harmony with his brothers and friends, it was always an escape.  Kenny’s introduction to the guitar came in the late sixties during a two-year stint in the army while stationed in Washington DC.  He borrowed a guitar from a friend in the barracks.  A natural lefty, Kenny started playing the guitar upside down – big string on the bottom – an unorthodox style he still maintains. 

 He performed at local coffeehouses where he jammed with other musicians and explored various styles of music. He moved to West Virginia where he performed as a soloist and with two bluegrass groups, The Late Harvest Band and the Roberts Brothers Band.   

Songwriting came naturally and his creative desires led him to several song credits early on.  One song, “No Way For A Good Woman To Feel” won honorable mention in the Sheet Music Magazine’s1981 songwriters’ contest.  Another song, “Toast To West Virginia” received considerable airplay over local radio stations.  More recently Ava Dupree covered a bluesy tune called “This Heart Ain’t Breakin’ for You” on her 2006 release of “Blues for Sistah Dupree”, and former front man for Indigo Swing, Johnny Boyd licensed a jazzy ballad written in 2002 called “Now You’re Here”. 

Stephen Ullman grew up in Oregon. Steve's earliest musical influences included Chet Atkins and  Carlos Santana.  In the early 1970's he played coffee houses around the northwest with Don Smith, a songwriter from Eugene, Oregon.

When we met at a Saturday morning jam session in a small music store, our complimentary styles were almost effortless.  His melodic bass lines and creative solos made me want to just sit and listen. 

The combination of my swing rhythm and his funky grooves gave rise to the term "Swunk", penned by his fiance Debby.   So, in 2003 Steve and I began performing as the Swunk Brothers and continued until the winter of 2005 when he had to scale back performing while he battled a serious illness.  Presently an inactive member of the Swunk Brothers, Steve still makes an occasional open mic session, and still amazes me with his playing and love for music.

Steve Organek (Steve O) is a multi-talented musician who plays guitar, bass, violin, and keyboards.  While his demands as a full time music teacher in the Manchester public school system keep him very busy, his passion for performing is obvious.  A true student of music, always learning, Steve O can't resist a challenge.  From rock to country to jazz to funk, Steve O is a musician's musician.

Mick Dunn is an Australian transplant and lucky for us he brought his tenor sax with him.  I sometimes refer to Mick as the second vocalist because of his uncanny ability to harmonize with my vocals.  Steve Ullman and I met Mick at an open mic session in Concord and just plain had too much fun.  Mick lives in southern Maine now so we don't get together very often.  But when that special occasion happens, forget the charts and throw away the lead sheets - Mick has one of the best ears in the business.  Give the bloke a pint of ale to keep his reed wet, and let the good times roll.

Sonny Feliciano has been performing all his life.  He would readily admit that his musical ambitions far exceed available time.  But such is the wonderful pain of addiction, and like the rest of us Sonny is addicted to performing.

Whether he's playing with the Sonny Feliciano Jazz Trio, The Granite State Jazz Band, sitting in with the Swunk Brothers, or performing with a chamber group, he's always playing.

It's always a blast to perform with Sonny.   On stage, his energy is compulsive, infectious, and cool.

Gene Bouffard (Geno) has been my friend for nearly twenty years.  We've always been aware of each other's musical interests, but not until a year ago had we ever played together.  Distance is the culprit.  It's not like he's gonna pack up his drums and drive three hours from Vermont to jam with us on any given evening.  But when I asked him to come over for two weekends last winter to record a live CD, he couldn't resist.

Initially we intended to lay down individual tracks, but our rehersals were so much fun, we said screw it - let's record the live ensemble.  It was meant to be.