Ralph Eppel Biography
Born:
March 8th., 1951.
Bradford, Yorkshire, England.
Residing: Vancouver, Canada.
stressed an eclectic outlook to my explorations of all styles of music that I listened to and performed.
We played music from Medieval to Modern classical, from Dixieland to Tijuana Brass. What we learned
there was an equivalent to a university level. His influence I still feel today. Fellow KGSS classmates that
have become professional musicians are Bill Buckingham, Gene Ramsbottom and Carl Graves.
Whilst at KGSS I had the opportunity to play in a U.B.C. alumni big band, on stage with professional
musicians five to ten years older than myself, and to audit classes at Vancouver City College, where
trombonist Dave Robbins was directing big bands.
For 3 years I was in the Vancouver Junior Symphony conducted by Simon Streatfield. A highlight
of this time was premiering R. Murray Schaefer's Threnody in 1968.
Playing in the Kerrisdale Kiwanis Concert Band under Carl (Bud) Kellett gave me the opportunity
to meet Lorne Kellett, Rick Kilburn and Tom Keenlyside and form our first band playing standards.
R&B and horn-band groups were huge. When I was 17, Bill Buckingham, Paul Cram, Tony Genge
et al formed GASTOWN and for 4 years played, at that time, the many clubs in Vancouver.
In 1970 we spent 10 months working in Montreal and Quebec.
GASTOWN
l.-r. Tony Genge, Dennis Prokopetz, Ken Stacey, Paul Cram,
Cookie Courchaine (sitting) Gordon Hall, me, Bill Buckingham.
Five years after high school I went to Douglas College, for 2 years, studying under Len Whitely,
Wally Robertson and Bill Trussel. I went to the University of British Columbia for third year and
completed my B. Mus. in 1979. There I studied with Sharman King and Gordon Cherry.
During those years I joined SUNSHYNE. Led by Bruce Fairbairn, with players Ross Barrett,
Tom Keenlyside, Dave Sinclair, Richard Christie, Peter Bjerring, Dave Pickel, Jim Vallance and
Lindsey Mitchell, Sunshyne could do concerts of originals, dances of top-ten tunes and gonzo music
on the streets in parades.
SUNSHYNE
me, Steve Sullivan, Peter Bjerring, Tom Keenlyside, Bruce Fairbairn, Jim Vallance, Richard Christie, Bill Buckingham.
In '77, Paul Cram, Paul Plimley, Lisle Lansall-Ellis, Gregg Simpson and myself started the
NEW ORCHESTRA QUINTET and the New Orchestra Workshop (N.O.W.) Society. The Quintet
developed our creative voices. Our original compositions went from utilizing Hard-Bop grooves to world
and modern improvising techniques. The Society received a Canada Council grant to form C.O.R.D.
(Community Orchestra Research and Development). This 17 piece ensemble would eventually become
the N.O.W. ORCHESTRA, still together today.
l.-r. Plimley, Ellis, Simpson, me, Cram
We opened our first space for performance and workshops. Here we had many collaborations,
initially with Karl Berger, reinforcing our involvement in improvised creative music and Vancouver's
place on the world's stage. In '79 the Quintet recorded the album Up 'til Now. The band ESB (Eppel,
Simpson, Bell) with Bob Bell on guitar, recorded the 1981 album Music for the Living.
The next four years had me involved with groups: Paul Plimley Octet, The Flying Undercups and
Roger Baird's Sirius Ensemble.
In 1987, needing a space for our non-commercial music, the N.O.W. Society asked Roger Baird
and myself to operate The Glass Slipper. By organizing the Musart Cultural Society, a non-profit
society, we set up volunteers and quickly had a world class cabaret style performance space and
gallery for local and visiting musicians. Open seven days a week, many young and veteran musicians
now had a venue to showcase their creative efforts. During the almost ten years of the Slipper's
operation, at two locations, I led bands and participated in many bands that owe their existence to
the Glass Slipper. Fire, in 1997, levelling the Slipper, left a void for live creative music in Vancouver.
The N.O.W. ORCHESTRA , through the 90's to 2004, has recorded four CDs and performed at
various festivals in North America and Europe.
N.O.W. ORCHESTRA
back l-r: Paul Plimley, Paul Blaney, Clyde Reed, Peggy Lee, Ron Samworth, Dylan van Der Schyff
front l-r: Coat Cooke, Graham Ord, Saul Berson, Bruce Freedman (not seen), George Lewis,
Kate Hammet-Vaughn, John Korsrud, Rob Blakeslee, Brad Muirhead, me.
Over the years I have played in pit orchestras for musical theatre, doing Guys and Dolls,
Pajama Game, Mame, My Fair Lady and West Side Story. In 1978, I went on the road with
the rock band PRISM, 1981 ESB toured and the Vancouver band SALSA BRAVA, played
four concerts in Cuba in 1997, representing Canada at a festival. The need for a change,
after the loss of the Slipper, gave me the impetus to do cruise ships. I spent 4 years seeing
the world and playing everyday all the styles I had garnered years earlier.
Returning to Vancouver, Gregg Simpson and I began the project of digitizing our Quintet
album with other studio material and, in 2004, releasing the 2CD set titled Up 'til Now.
A 2CD entitled Gravity Boots documents groups I led through the 90's, also released in 2004.
Future releases include a second volume of the N.O.W. Quintet, a re-release of ESB
with extra material and the C.O.R.D/Arkestra ensembles.
Bradford, Yorkshire, England.
Residing: Vancouver, Canada.
stressed an eclectic outlook to my explorations of all styles of music that I listened to and performed.
We played music from Medieval to Modern classical, from Dixieland to Tijuana Brass. What we learned
there was an equivalent to a university level. His influence I still feel today. Fellow KGSS classmates that
have become professional musicians are Bill Buckingham, Gene Ramsbottom and Carl Graves.
Whilst at KGSS I had the opportunity to play in a U.B.C. alumni big band, on stage with professional
musicians five to ten years older than myself, and to audit classes at Vancouver City College, where
trombonist Dave Robbins was directing big bands.
For 3 years I was in the Vancouver Junior Symphony conducted by Simon Streatfield. A highlight
of this time was premiering R. Murray Schaefer's Threnody in 1968.
Playing in the Kerrisdale Kiwanis Concert Band under Carl (Bud) Kellett gave me the opportunity
to meet Lorne Kellett, Rick Kilburn and Tom Keenlyside and form our first band playing standards.
R&B and horn-band groups were huge. When I was 17, Bill Buckingham, Paul Cram, Tony Genge
et al formed GASTOWN and for 4 years played, at that time, the many clubs in Vancouver.
In 1970 we spent 10 months working in Montreal and Quebec.
l.-r. Tony Genge, Dennis Prokopetz, Ken Stacey, Paul Cram,
Cookie Courchaine (sitting) Gordon Hall, me, Bill Buckingham.
Five years after high school I went to Douglas College, for 2 years, studying under Len Whitely,
Wally Robertson and Bill Trussel. I went to the University of British Columbia for third year and
completed my B. Mus. in 1979. There I studied with Sharman King and Gordon Cherry.
During those years I joined SUNSHYNE. Led by Bruce Fairbairn, with players Ross Barrett,
Tom Keenlyside, Dave Sinclair, Richard Christie, Peter Bjerring, Dave Pickel, Jim Vallance and
Lindsey Mitchell, Sunshyne could do concerts of originals, dances of top-ten tunes and gonzo music
on the streets in parades.
SUNSHYNE
me, Steve Sullivan, Peter Bjerring, Tom Keenlyside, Bruce Fairbairn, Jim Vallance, Richard Christie, Bill Buckingham.
In '77, Paul Cram, Paul Plimley, Lisle Lansall-Ellis, Gregg Simpson and myself started the
NEW ORCHESTRA QUINTET and the New Orchestra Workshop (N.O.W.) Society. The Quintet
developed our creative voices. Our original compositions went from utilizing Hard-Bop grooves to world
and modern improvising techniques. The Society received a Canada Council grant to form C.O.R.D.
(Community Orchestra Research and Development). This 17 piece ensemble would eventually become
the N.O.W. ORCHESTRA, still together today.
NEW ORCHESTRA QUINTET
l.-r. Plimley, Ellis, Simpson, me, Cram
We opened our first space for performance and workshops. Here we had many collaborations,
initially with Karl Berger, reinforcing our involvement in improvised creative music and Vancouver's
place on the world's stage. In '79 the Quintet recorded the album Up 'til Now. The band ESB (Eppel,
Simpson, Bell) with Bob Bell on guitar, recorded the 1981 album Music for the Living.
The next four years had me involved with groups: Paul Plimley Octet, The Flying Undercups and
Roger Baird's Sirius Ensemble.
In 1987, needing a space for our non-commercial music, the N.O.W. Society asked Roger Baird
and myself to operate The Glass Slipper. By organizing the Musart Cultural Society, a non-profit
society, we set up volunteers and quickly had a world class cabaret style performance space and
gallery for local and visiting musicians. Open seven days a week, many young and veteran musicians
now had a venue to showcase their creative efforts. During the almost ten years of the Slipper's
operation, at two locations, I led bands and participated in many bands that owe their existence to
the Glass Slipper. Fire, in 1997, levelling the Slipper, left a void for live creative music in Vancouver.
The N.O.W. ORCHESTRA , through the 90's to 2004, has recorded four CDs and performed at
various festivals in North America and Europe.
N.O.W. ORCHESTRA
back l-r: Paul Plimley, Paul Blaney, Clyde Reed, Peggy Lee, Ron Samworth, Dylan van Der Schyff
front l-r: Coat Cooke, Graham Ord, Saul Berson, Bruce Freedman (not seen), George Lewis,
Kate Hammet-Vaughn, John Korsrud, Rob Blakeslee, Brad Muirhead, me.
Over the years I have played in pit orchestras for musical theatre, doing Guys and Dolls,
Pajama Game, Mame, My Fair Lady and West Side Story. In 1978, I went on the road with
the rock band PRISM, 1981 ESB toured and the Vancouver band SALSA BRAVA, played
four concerts in Cuba in 1997, representing Canada at a festival. The need for a change,
after the loss of the Slipper, gave me the impetus to do cruise ships. I spent 4 years seeing
the world and playing everyday all the styles I had garnered years earlier.
Returning to Vancouver, Gregg Simpson and I began the project of digitizing our Quintet
album with other studio material and, in 2004, releasing the 2CD set titled Up 'til Now.
A 2CD entitled Gravity Boots documents groups I led through the 90's, also released in 2004.
Future releases include a second volume of the N.O.W. Quintet, a re-release of ESB
with extra material and the C.O.R.D/Arkestra ensembles.
