Biography of the Sierra Stompers All-Stars:
Marc Caparone - Leader, Trumpet
As the son of a jazz trombonist, Marc was exposed to jazz at an early age. Growing up, he listened to many great bands of the trad jazz revival and became an avid collector of records and vintage instruments. He also became a scholar of early jazz history. Marc began sitting in with the High Sierra Jazz Band in 2008 and took over full-time on trumpet in 2013. When HSJB retired in 2018, Marc continued with the newly formed Sierra Seven Jazz Band until it disbanded. Soon after, he took leadership and formed the Sierra Stompers. Covid had a devastating effect on live jazz and the festival circuit but since that time, Marc has joined forces with many great new jazz ensembles and has been collaborating with all stars such as Dave Stuckey, Carl Sunny Leyland, Danny Coots and Clint Baker to name a few. When not playing music, Marc is a Vintner at his family’s winery in Paso Robles, California.
Howard Miyata - Trombone
Howard began playing jazz with the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra and the Monterey Bay Classical Jazz Band. Now a retired junior high school band teacher, Howard can spread his love and passion for music. An accomplished tuba player, he received his BA in music from San Jose State University. Howard joined the High Sierra Jazz Band, switching to trombone in 1989 when Vic Kimsey retired. Turk Murphy and Jim Snyder were major influences on his trombone playing style. When High Sierra retired, Howard continued with The Sierra Seven and now is a senior member of The Sierra Stompers. Howard’s vocals are fun and lighthearted, and his fans adore his enthusiasm.
Nathan Tokunaga - Clarinet
Nathan burst onto the Trad Jazz scene at the ripe old age of 15 years old. He has been a member of the Sierra Stomper’s for 3 years. Nathan was mentored by Evan Christopher (clarinet), Patrick Wolf (saxophone), and multi-talented jazz musician, Clint Baker. The Bay Area High School student is now preparing for graduation and is currently auditioning at several prestigious colleges throughout the US. Because of his exceptional talent, Nathan has had the opportunity to perform with the Peninsula Youth Orchestra as principal clarinet, as well as at the Summer Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center under the Directorship of Marcus Printup. He was chosen for the outstanding Soloist Award at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Nathan has been the recipient of many scholarships and awards as a soloist and small ensemble member for CMEA since 2019. He has participated in the Healdsburg Jazz Festival since 2021. Another highlight was playing at Birdland Theater with David Oswald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band. Nathan also leads his own band, “Nathans Fearless 5” (who initially were all high school students).
Katie Cavera - Banjo, Vocals
Katie is a rhythm guitar player who specializes in the style of Freddie Green and Al Casey. She also plays hot 20s plectrum, tenor banjo, New Orleans style string bass, and she sings in the 20s pop style of Helen Kane and Ruth Etting. Her parents ‘ruled’ that she must complete 2 years of piano lessons (which she did) before gaining ownership of the treasured family banjo she had been eyeing her whole young life. Katie majored in Theater Arts in college and took many jazz music courses under David Baker at Indiana University. Katie currently lives in Los Angeles and has been working at Disney California Adventure since 1998. She was the first female musician chosen to play in the “Five & Dime Band”. Besides being a member of the Sierra Stompers Jazz Band, she is the leader for her own popular Trad band called “Katie and The Lost Boys” and "Dave Stuckey’s Hot House Gang."
Paul Hagglund - Tuba
Paul hails from Seattle, Washington. He began playing tuba with the Market Street Jazz Band. In 2016, he started filling in periodically for Earl McKee in the High Sierra Jazz Band. Earl loved Paul’s style of playing (very much like his own), and Paul officially took over on tuba in 2018. Paul was also a member of The Sierra Seven and still enjoys being a member of the Sierra Stompers as well.
Recently, the rhythm section of the Sierra Stompers which includes Paul, Katie Cavera, Gareth Price and led by pianist Brian Holland, formed a new band called "The Ragabonds" celebrating vintage ragtime music. Paul’s tuba playing is the baseline and backbone of this nostalgic genre.
Bruce Huddleston - Piano
Bruce is the only remaining member of the original Jazzberry Jam Band and The High Sierra Jazz Band from 1973. He has seen it all. Majoring in classical piano and music theory in college gave him a thorough understanding of structure, harmony and composition. Music was a way of life for Bruce and the Huddleston family. His father was an evangelist minister as well as a musician, so he and his brother, Stan, often joined their father’s swing band. Growing up in the Bay Area, the boys remembered hearing jazz as they walked the streets of San Francisco and bought records of the early Dixieland masters. At 84 years old, Bruce is now retied and enjoys exercising, playing music for his church and teaching a few piano lessons.
Riley Baker - Drums, Trombone
Riley was raised in a musical family. His mother was in jazz radio and his father, Clint Baker, (is) a professional musician. He picked up the drums when he was 6 and by the age of 12 was playing professionally in his dad’s jazz bands.
While in junior high, Riley picked up the tuba and became a professional soloist while in High School. Moving on to UC Northridge, Riley majored in music, with emphasis on trombone. At UC, Riley discovered that he had great aptitude for arranging and composing music.
He now resides in Los Angeles, CA and is a freelance musician playing with the likes of Dave Stuckey and The Hot House Gang, Natalie Mendoza and her Tiger Five, The Jonathan Stout Orchestra, The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony and many more…..freelancing on bass, tuba, drums, and trombone.
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