In 1966, the Barroom Buzzards of Buffalo, New York, first came together as a Dixieland quartet comprised of banjoist Phil Santa Maria, clarinetist Paul Preston (doubling on soprano), trumpeter Jim Koteras, and Carl Conrad on bass and tuba. They had a regular gig at the Speakeasy Restaurant in Niagara Falls, New York, which allowed them to develop their repertoire and a lively group sound.
Over time there were personnel changes with trumpeter Koteras and clarinetist Preston operating as co-leaders for many years. The trumpeter was with the group until 2005 when Lew Custode became his successor while Preston retired in 2017 and was succeeded at first by trombonist Ray Skalski and then in 2021 by Harry Fackelman on clarinet and soprano. Guitarist-banjoist Santa Maria departed in 1968 and was followed by Danny McCue (1968-99), Warren Stritzinger (1999-2016), and George Kane (2016-present), while Carl Conrad on bass and tuba was succeeded by Craig Hodnett (1967-68), Dick Brownell (1968-72), Dick Hull (1972-1994), and Paul Zapalowski (1994-present). Lew Custode has been the bandleader since Preston’s 2017 retirement. The Barroom Buzzards are now going on 56 years, quite an impressive run.
Along the way, the Barroom Buzzards have recorded five albums. Dixieland Chestnuts was cut in 1991 when the group was celebrating its 25th anniversary. It is a perfect introduction to the band for it f
