Introducing the Ragabond Seven

The cheerful ragtime combination of piano, banjo, tuba, and drums was first recorded more than 80 years ago by members of the Lu Watters Yerba Buena Jazz Band. Their recording of the "Black and White Rag" caught on and helped to kickstart the first ragtime revival wave in the 1940s.

Imagine the vibrant sounds of ragtime music filling the air once again. In 2024, Brian Holland and The Ragabond brought this dream to life with their spirited revival of classic ragtime instrumentation. The Ragabonds have now joined three top-flight musicians to form the RAGABOND SEVEN.

Ragabond Seven: from left to right, Riley Baker, Katie Cavera*, Andy Schumm, Brian Holland*, Gareth Price*, Paul Hagglund*, TJ Muller (*Members of the original Ragabonds)

Brian Holland

Leader, piano

Background: Brian Holland is a musician, composer, and entertainer who specializes in early American music. His career spans more than four decades, and he has performed at venues and festivals worldwide.

Achievements: He won the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest three times and was retired as 'undefeated' after his third win in 1999.

Holland has a Grammy nomination for his work with Bud Dresser on their 2006 album, Ragtime-Goodtime-Jazz. He has also released numerous solo and ensemble recordings.

From 2015 to 2020, he served as the artistic director of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival. Additionally, he was the artistic director of the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival from 2021 to 2022. He is also a co-creative consultant for the Monterey Jazz Bash by the Bay.

Associated Acts: He has performed with various jazz bands, including the Sierra Stompers, Holland-Coots Jazz Quintet, Groovus, and Big B.A.D. Rhythm.

Leading the charge is Brian Holland, a renowned pianist and composer. Alongside him are six other talented musicians, each bringing their unique flair to the group.

Katie Caver

Banjo

Background: Katie Cavera is a musician from Southern Indiana who has established a reputation for herself by performing classic jazz from the 1920s and 1930s on the West Coast and in Europe. She is a multi-instrumentalist who plays rhythm guitar, plectrum and tenor banjo, New Orleans-style string bass, and sings. She is known for her upbeat singing and sunny stage presence, which earned her the nickname "California Sunshine Girl" from jazz critic Jim Leigh and bandleader Clint Baker.

Achievements: Cavera attended Indiana University, where she studied jazz performance and composition under the guidance of Dr. David Baker. She has worked with numerous notable artists and bands, including Jug Band legend Jim Kweskin, Jim Cullum's Jazz Band, and members of Turk Murphy's Jazz Band. From 2006 to 2009, she was part of a musical production called "à la recherche de Josephine," which premiered in Paris and toured extensively. Her discography includes a wide variety of collaborations with artists such as The Bobby Gordon Sextet, Hal Smith's Rhythmakers, and Ray Skjelbred & His Cubs. She has also released a collaborative album with Clint Baker, titled "Who's Foolin' Who?"

Associated Acts: She is a member of Brian Holland and The Ragabonds, and has also been part of other groups, including Katie & the Lost Boys. She has worked at Disney California Adventure, playing with The Pixarmonic Orchestra, and as the first female bass player with the "Five & Dime" group.

Paul Hagglund, tuba

Paul Hagglund is a musician known for playing the tuba. Hagglund is described as providing a "steady pulse" and fine intonation for the band's ragtime-inspired sound.

In addition to his work with The Ragabonds, he has also played with the Sierra Stompers and The Sierra Seven. He was a member of Seattle's Uptown Lowdown for an extended period, traveling and playing at various festivals and on cruises. He is also a multi-instrumentalist who has played in pit orchestras for theater productions and has occasionally been a featured vocalist.

Gareth Price, drums

Gareth Price is a drummer who is a member of the group Brian Holland and The Ragabonds. He is described as a "Youngblood" who provides a "swinging orchestral variety of sounds" and never rushes the beat.

Price has a background in jazz, having completed six years at the Tucson Jazz Institute. He has placed first in several music festival competitions, including the Monterey Jazz Festival. He also had a brief period in New York, where he played with jazz musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Lee Konitz, and Terence Blanchard.

Gareth Price has also worked at Disney's California Adventure, where he played the role of "Baby" (drummer and actor) in the "5 & Dime" show. His work as a musician has also led to acting roles, including a cameo appearance as a marching band bass drummer in a Gwen Stefani music video and a drumming role in the movie Being the Ricardos. He also appeared as a trumpeter in a Target commercial. 

TJ Muller, trumpet

T.J. Muller is a musician and bandleader who specializes in early American music, particularly historic St. Louis jazz, ragtime, and blues.

Originally from England, Muller began his musical career performing with his family's jazz band. He later toured with the Newcastle-based group, Rob Heron and the Tea Pad Orchestra. This led to a contract playing trumpet with the St. Louis Americana band, Pokey Lafarge. Muller toured worldwide with Pokey Lafarge for three years, performing on programs such as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Grand Ole Opry, and A Prairie Home Companion.

After his time with Pokey Lafarge, Muller settled in St. Louis and focused on reviving and performing historic St. Louis jazz. He established two of his own groups: The Arcadia Dance Orchestra, an 11-piece band that aims to recreate the music of the Roaring Twenties authentically, and The Gaslight Squares Jazz Band.

Muller is also a radio host, with a weekly jazz and ragtime show on Classic 107.3 FM. In 2023, he appeared as a musician in Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.

Andy Schumm, reeds

Andy Schumm is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and bandleader based in Chicago, specializing in the jazz and popular music styles of the 1920s and 1930s. He is primarily known as a cornetist and pianist, but he also plays saxophone, clarinet, drums, banjo, and other instruments.

He is a full-time musician who leads the Chicago Cellar Boys and is a staff arranger for the seven-piece classic jazz orchestra, the Fat Babies. He can be heard regularly with various bands, including the West End Jazz Band and the Red Rose Ragtime Band. He is particularly known for his interpretation of Bix Beiderbecke's music.

Schumm has also been involved as an educator with the Archipelago Project, a non-profit brass group dedicated to bringing music education to young students. He is a collector of original 78rpm records, instruments, and sheet music from the 1920s, which he uses to help piece together the history of American popular music.

Riley Baker, trombone

Riley Baker is a multi-instrumentalist who specializes in jazz, particularly early jazz and swing. He was raised in a musical family; his father, Clint Baker, is a musician, and his mother worked in jazz radio. He began playing the drums around age six and was performing professionally with his father's jazz band by the time he was 12.

In middle school, he learned to play the tuba and became a proficient classical soloist. In high school, he also picked up the trombone and upright bass. He moved to Los Angeles to study jazz trombone at California State University, Northridge. While in college, he developed an interest in arranging and composition.

He is a member of the group The Alcatraz Islanders. He has performed with numerous other acts, including Jonathan Stout and his Orchestra, The Four Freshmen, and The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Dave Stuckey and his Hot House Gang, Natalie Mendoza and her Tiger Five, Michael Gamble and his Rhythm Serenaders, and Holland-Coots Jazz Quintet.

He has also been a member of his father's bands, Clint Baker's New Orleans Jazz Band and Golden Gate Swing Band, and was a founding member of the Hot Baked Goods jazz band.