If you didn't know and asked Tom what instrument he plays, you'd better be ready for a loooong answer. It would include the piano, cornet, trombone, tuba, banjo, ukulele and string bass!

The answer to the groups he plays with comes in two shorter parts. Besides the Jelly Roll Jazz Band, he's a regular with the Jazz Salvation Company (which he founded and still leads), the Zenith J.B., Barneby's Hot Four (leader) and Beyond Salvation J.B. (leader). On occasion he fills in with the S.F. Feetwarmers, Devil Mountain J.B., Fourth Street J.B. and others.

All this started with birth on the east coast: New York City and growing up on the west coast: LA's San Fernando Valley. Music started with formal lessons on the trumpet at age 12. From then on it was self teaching all those instruments! Trad jazz bands and banjo bands came into the picture in late high school and early college.

College was just over the Santa Monica mountains in Westwood Village where he attended UCLA, marching in its band and receiving BS, MS and PhD in Physics.

Before moving to the Bay Area, Tom was a Physics and Astronomy instructor at El Camino College and UCLA. He also played with Ted Shafer's Jelly Roll Jazz Band while it was in LA, the Smog City Stompers, Eclectic J.B. and others JBs as well as many pizza parlor singles, duos and trios.

In the Bay Area he's also instructed at Sonoma State in Physics and Astronomy and consulted in acousitics. He makes his home with his wife, Jan.