Our Story

Jim Slike (trombone) and John Mullen (drums) were chatting after directing a high school marching band rehearsal in 2016, remembering their college days and comparing their jazz ensemble experiences when they were music majors at different schools. While both had similar big band stories, Jim also shared his experience with the quintet he got to play with for a year. Both agreed how easy it would be to assemble a quintet like that as professionals with all the musician friends they had.

Enter John Koch (bass), with whom both Jim and John M spent high school and early adulthood playing musicals at Rabbit Run Theater. John K’s training and experience on the bass also revolved around jazz big band music, so when Jim got in touch with him again, he jumped right in to the excitement of putting this thing together.

Within the same 48-hour period, Jim talked with his dad, Joe Slike (guitar), about this project, and casually floated the invitation for him to join. Joe was already an accomplished guitarist and band leader in the genres of rock and praise music, but jazz was not in his portfolio. Nonetheless, Joe dug in to the rich new songbook and became the fourth core member.

To complete the quintet in the early years (2017-2020), Jim’s wife Erica (saxophone) played, even while 8 months pregnant on Madtown Jazz’s debut gig. Then from 2020 to 2024, Eric Sconyers (saxophone) served as the regular fifth member.

Nowadays, Madtown Jazz functions as a core of the original four members, and welcomes the talents of many different musicians to serve as guests on quintet shows, and as members of the larger group, the Madtown Jazz Expansion, which debuted in 2021.

The Band

Jim Slike

Trombone

Jim has been playing trombone professionally since 2007. In addition to serving as “front man” for Madtown Jazz, Jim has enjoyed playing for the Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland party band Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean, Lakeland Civic Orchestra, Lake Effect Concert Band, and multiple pit orchestras for Rabbit Run Theater and local schools and churches. He also directs the music ministry of his church, and served as a school band/choir director for 14 years before transitioning to administration. Jim holds a B.M. from Ashland University (2011) and a M.Ed. from Notre Dame College (2024).

John Mullen

Drums

John Mullen is an educator and freelance percussionist in the greater Cleveland area, playing professionally since the summer of 2006. As an educator, he works as one of the band directors for the instrumental program at Saint Ignatius High School, as well as the drumline instructor for Lake Catholic High School. Performing most regularly with Madtown Jazz, he also plays in the pit orchestras for various community theaters and schools, as well as groups like the Snowbelt Symphony Orchestra. He has performed overseas, in venues such as the Severance Hall and the Cleveland Playhouse, and in the recording studio. John holds a B.S. and B.A. from Elon University (2013), and an M.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

John Koch

Bass

John Koch has been active in the live music scene in Lake, Ashtabula, and Geauga Counties since his youth. As a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and all-around audiophile, John has been a student of 20th century music and its history as long as he remembers. He has used those skills in assorted bands and music projects, both community-driven and professional. John currently plays most regularly with Madtown Jazz, as well as with local theater projects and events.

Joe Slike Sr.

Guitar

Since the mid-’60s, Joe has aspired to develop his guitar skillset to include many styles of music as well as hone various guitar techniques supporting different music genres. He has performed in various rock bands covering such groups as Chicago, Eagles, Beatles, Sly and the Family Stone as well as various Motown artists. These entailed utilization of various electric guitar techniques. He also performed at several coffee houses over the years at various colleges featuring material from such artists as Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and James Taylor which showcased various acoustic guitar finger picking styles and techniques. To continue his efforts to develop his craft, he pursued a minor degree in classical guitar at Mercyhurst College, where it was reinforced by music professors that a true musician should possess the ability to play all styles of music. He has performed with Madtown Jazz since its inception, performing jazz standards, big band standards as well as contemporary and modern progressive pieces. For approximately 35 years, Joe has played in the music ministry at Immaculate Conception Church in Madison, Ohio as a member of the guitar group which provides music for Liturgical services, ecumenical services, contemporary praise & worship, traditional hymns and youth group activities. He has been involved in several pit orchestras supporting musicals for local high schools and summer theaters such as: Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris; Little Shop of Horrors; The Wedding Singer; Mamma Mia; Seussical, Godspell (Original & Updated Versions), Pippin, and the Addams Family.

“The Friends of Madtown Jazz”

Tim Carlson

Trumpet

Tim has appeared with Madtown Jazz several times in the past few years, especially for their Christmas Show at Joey’s in Madison. He retired in 2022 after 33 years as a public school band director. He is a former conductor of the Ashtabula Area Orchestra and has appeared with the Cleveland Winds, the Hiram College Wind Ensemble, the Ashtabula Orchestra, Geauga Hunger Task Force performances of Messiah, and the Ashtabula Brass Band. He is currently a Para-Professional for Music at Champion Local Schools and is on the staff of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, where he has been a brass coach since 2013. In addition, he has performed in over 110 pit orchestras for musicals in Northeast Ohio schools, Rabbit Run Theater, Geauga Lyric Theater, The Fine Arts Association, Rubber City Theater, Otterbein College, and Bowling Green State University. He also performs regularly in the Northeast Ohio area with the Warren Brass Quintet and Erie Heights Brass Ensemble.  He holds degrees from Otterbein College (1989), VanderCook College of Music (1993), and Kent State University (2001).

Keller Shea

Saxophone

Keller Shea is a saxophonist and woodwind doubler based in the Cleveland area. He has played in jazz ensembles like “The Dan Zola Orchestra”, “The Skatch Andersson Orchestra” and “The Don Kubec big band”. Currently, He is a senior a Bay Village High School and plans to study jazz saxophone in college. He is a member of the OMEA all state jazz ensemble and 2 time winner of the Playhouse Square musical apprenticeship award. In addition, he works as an active woodwind doubler in the northeast Ohio theatre industry and has performed at venues such as “The Beck Center for Performing Arts”, “Cassidy Theatre”,“Nearwest Theatre”.

Cade Pastor

Percussion

Cade is a drummer and percussionist based in Northeast Ohio, active as both a performer and educator. He currently serves as the Percussion Advisor at Eastlake North HS, working closely with student musicians across a variety of ensembles and performance settings.
Since 2019, he has appeared in numerous musical theatre pit orchestras throughout Northeast Ohio, performing a wide range of styles from classic and contemporary Broadway to pop, rock, and jazz-influenced scores. From 2021–2024, he performed with the Madtown Jazz Expansion Group. Cade continues to work as a freelance percussionist, contributing to ensembles and productions across the region.

Marty Witczak

Piano

Marty is a freelance piano player in the northeast Ohio area.  He spent 15 years as a band director in NE Ohio in addition to performing with many local community groups.

Marty has also performed as a pianist and brass player with the Air Force Bands program, as a member of the Air National Guard Band of the Great Lakes (555th AF Band) the Band of the Southwest (531st AF Band), and the Band of Midwest (566th AF Band).

John Comenschek-Slike