Adam Swanson is one of the world’s foremost pianists and historians of vintage American popular music, including ragtime, early jazz, the Great American Songbook, and more. Adam has been a featured performer and lecturer at ragtime and jazz festivals across the United States and abroad, and he is the only four-time winner of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest. He made his New York debut in Carnegie Hall at the age of nineteen, where he performed with Michael Feinstein. Adam appeared alongside pianist John Arpin at the Bohem Ragtime and Jazz Festival in the Republic of Hungary, and he has also toured Switzerland and Australia. Adam has accompanied silent films at the prestigious Cinecon Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and performed privately for Oscar-winning Disney/Hollywood composer Richard M. Sherman (Mary Poppins, etc.). At the age of twenty-one, Adam performed a solo concert at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C.
Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in classical piano and a master’s in musicology from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. He has been mentored by other ragtime artists including the famed Max Morath and legendary 1950s recording artist Johnny Maddox, who was one of Adam’s greatest influences. Adam has recorded albums with noted musicians such as former rock star Ian Whitcomb, the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, and the Bar D Wranglers. In 2025, he was selected as “Artist in Residence” for the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation in Sedalia, MO. Adam’s recordings have been used on the CBC TV show Murdoch Mysteries. He lives in Durango, Colorado, where he frequently performs in the Diamond Belle Saloon at the Historic Strater Hotel. Adam is also the director of the Durango Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival. Listen to Adam’s livestream virtual concerts on his Facebook page and YouTube channel. Visit Adam online: www.adamgswanson.com.

Born and raised in England, T.J. Muller first began performing with his family jazz band. Finding work with local groups in the north of England and touring the UK and Europe landed T.J. a contract playing trumpet with St. Louis Americana band, Pokey Lafarge.
As a trumpet player T.J. Muller toured worldwide with Pokey Lafarge for 3 years, performing classic styles of American music and making TV and radio appearances including The Late Show with David Letterman, The Grand Ole Opry, A Prairie Home Companion, and PBS Documentary: American Epic. In 2023, he appeared in Martin Scorsese’s film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.
After working with the Pokey Lafarge band T.J. settled in St. Louis full time, establishing The Arcadia Dance Orchestra and The Gaslight Squares Jazz Band. T.J. turned his focus to historic St. Louis jazz, ragtime and blues, performing and speaking around St. Louis and hosting a weekly jazz and ragtime radio show on Classic 107.3FM.
T.J. Muller is known for his charismatic approach to early jazz, energetic performances and passion for sharing the stories and history behind the music.

Sharing his birthday with Fred Astaire, Matt Tolentino was born May 10, 1985. For nearly two decades he has worked to perform and preserve ragtime, hot jazz, and the roots of swing for today’s modern audience.
A true multi-instrumentalist, he plays accordion, piano, clarinet, saxophone, banjo, guitar, tuba, and vibraphone. As a vocalist, Matt has been praised for capturing the flavor and spirit of the 1920s and 1930s with sincerity and authenticity. His ensembles include small combos and multiple large ensembles including The New Liberty Dance Orchestra, named for the Liberty Dance Orchestra, a 1920s Cincinnati society band. Recent performance highlights include Transatlantic crossings aboard the Queen Mary 2, featured vocalist with the Maui Pops Orchestra, and appearances in the latest Scorsese picture, Killers of the Flower Moon. In his native Dallas he founded the Jazz Age Sunday Social, a lawn party centered around the wonderful music of the Roaring Twenties.
With a collection of over 6,000 band arrangements, hundreds of 78 rpm records, and notable artifacts including Adrian Rollini’s bass saxophone, he doubles as an archivist to further the preservation of America’s treasured musical past.
Matt makes his home in Cincinnati, Ohio, sharing his 1890 Victorian with his wife Danielle and a 1952 Kaiser Deluxe. For more information on Matt, his bands, and his music, please visit www.MattTolentino.com.

Danny Coots began playing drums at the tender age of 6 years old. Since then, he has studied with Nick Baffaro, Rich Holly, Alan Koffman and Jim Petercsak in percussion. Danny attended The Crane School of Music and St. Lawrence University. He eventually served as adjunct faculty at St. Lawrence University, Clarkson University and Potsdam State University from the 1970s into the 1990s. He continued traveling and performing with David Amram, Ray Shiner, Daniel Pinkham, Herb Ellis, Will Alger, Jack Mayhue, Speigle Wilcox, Mimi Hines, Phil Ford, Bob Darch, Pearl Kaufman and Arthur Duncan.
In 1996 Danny moved to Nashville, Tennessee and has lived there ever since. Danny has recorded extensively in Nashville, New York and L.A. and has appeared in over 100 countries. He has played on over 100 recordings, one of which won a Grammy in 2005. After moving to Tennessee, Danny joined the Jack Daniel’s Silver Cornet Band for 5 years and helped found the Titan Hot Seven. During this time he played and recorded with Dick Hyman, Houston Person, Bob Wilber, Johnny Varro, Jeff Coffin, Tim Laughlin, Harry Allen, Dave Hungate, Bill Allred, John Allred, Randy Reinhart, Ron Hockett, John Cocuzzi, John Sheridan, Dan Barrett, Vince Giordano… to name a few. www.dannycoots.com.

Frederick Hodges is hailed by the press as one of the best concert pianists in the world, and has established a reputation specializing in late romantic music as well as Ragtime, Broadway and Hollywood musicals of the first half of the 20th century by America's best composers, such as George Gershwin and Cole Porter. He maintains a busy concert schedule of stage, television, radio, and film appearances around the globe.
Additionally, he is a much sought-after silent-film accompanist for both live performances and DVD. He performs regularly at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in California, the Cinecon Film Festival in Hollywood, The TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, The San Francisco Silent Film Festival, and at other silent film festivals around the country. He also performs at music festivals such as the Sacramento Music Festival, the West Coast Ragtime Festival, and the Sedalia Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival. His website is www.frederickhodges.com.

Originally from the South Coast of England, Carl Sonny Leyland was drawn as a youngster to sounds of American music, including Traditional Jazz and Swing, Rock and Roll of the 1950s, and early Country and Western. At age 15 Leyland discovered boogie woogie. Captivated by the sound of the repeating eight to the bar left hand pattern, he was inspired to go to the piano and begin on the path that would become his life’s purpose.
Initially influenced by boogie woogie greats Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade 'Lux' Lewis, Leyland went on to fully explore the piano blues genre, becoming an authority on early and obscure styles such as those played by Cow Cow Davenport, Little Brother Montgomery, Montana Taylor, Roosevelt Sykes, Speckled Red, and others. In 1988 Leyland came to New Orleans and became active on the club scene, quickly gaining a reputation for his authentic blues and early rock and roll stylings. He also toured with the Dallas based band Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets whose line up included blues great Sam Myers.
In 1997 Leyland relocated to Southern California where he joined Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys with whom he toured for over three years. By this time his repertoire had expanded to include ragtime and early jazz styles which enabled him to become part of the traditional jazz scene around Los Angeles. In the years since, Leyland has made frequent appearances at festivals, concerts, and recording sessions.
Whether playing solo or in a group setting Leyland’s playing displays an infectious spontaneity, providing plenty of surprises for the listener. While he possesses the necessary vocabulary to pay tribute to the greats of old, he refuses to be limit himself to this and prefers to let each performance be an opportunity to say something new. His repertoire spans the ragtime era through the 1950s, and includes a large amount of self-written songs and instrumental compositions.

Making his first appearance at the Durango Ragtime Festival, Dr. Dave Majchrzak is excited and honored to be here. He has performed around the United States at ragtime and early jazz festivals for over 25 years. He has performed for the Emperor of Japan during his 1994 US visit as well as many other dignitaries. Dr. Dave served as the Artistic Director of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival in Sedalia, MO for 6 years, Music Director for the Chippewa Valley Ragtime Festival in Eau Claire, WI for 4 years, and was the President of the Friends of Scott Joplin ragtime group in St. Louis for many years. During his career, he has played on the St. Louis Riverfront and brought ragtime back to the Missouri State Fair. Dr. Dave has been honored as a Missouri State Touring Performer. His CD folio has 6 solo compilations and 9 traditional jazz titles. If you want to bring him home, buy a CD—it is much easier than having Dr. Dave around the house!

Domingo Mancuello is a stage manager currently on tour with Back to the Future: The Musical. When not backstage, he devotes his time to playing ragtime and music of the 1920s. He has placed as high as third in the regular division of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest. Domingo has performed as pianist and vocalist at the “Blind” Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival in Columbia, MO, the Central Pennsylvania Ragtime and American Music Festival, and more. He has played a wide variety of ragtime festivals, house concerts, and non-profit fundraisers.