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Doug Finke

About Me

I discovered jazz in the 1950's as a young band student at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. I was heavily influenced by the simple, gutsy style of Chicago trombonist Jim Beebe. By the early 1960's I was playing and touring with the Original Salty Dogs Jazz Band, the Smokey Stover Firehouse Band, Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band, Art Hodes and Wild Bill Davison. These early years took me to clubs and festivals in and out of the United States. In 1964 I made a difficult decision and left the music business to focus on raising a family and pursuing a corporate career. I made a brief return to music during the Vietnam years, playing and writing arrangements with the 3rd Marine Air Wing Band in El Toro, CA.

It wasn't until 1996, at the urging of drummer and longtime friend Wayne Jones, that I began studying anew. With the guidance of fellow trombonists Dan Barrett and Glenn Dodson, I immersed myself into the rigors of daily practice and the search for opportunities to play traditional jazz. I found few in Philadelphia, where I had resided since 1988. In response, in early 1997 I merged my long dormant musical aspirations with my business acumen and assembled what I believe to be some of the finest musicians in the country to play classic jazz. I named it the Independence Hall Jazz Band, in honor of my adopted home. Shortly afterward, I formed the small group Sterling Jazz in response to the universal cry for refined performances of jazz standards. It also gave me a chance to explore my other love for the more modern jazz trombone sound.

In 2003, shortly after moving to Louisville, Kentucky, I formed the West Market Street Stompers, seven pieces playing New Orleans and Chicago style traditional jazz. We appear weekly at The Jazz Factory in downtown Louisville. Lots more details at www.jazzfactory.us

In addition to the Independence Hall Jazz Band and Sterling Jazz, I often play with the Bob Schulz Frisco Jazz Band and Jim Beebe's Chicago Jazz. I work alongside the likes of Warren Vache, Delfeayo Marsalis, Kenny Davern, Jim Cullum, Bob Barnard, Butch Thompson, Evan Christopher, Richard Wyands and James Chirillo. I appear regularly at the Jazz Factory and various venues in and around Louisville, KY. I also perform steadily as a guest and sideman throughout the country at jazz festivals and parties, clubs and jazz societies.

My complete calendar can be viewed at my website below.