John Salerno - Saxophone, Flute
One of the most respected musicians in Wisconsin, saxophonist John Salerno has worked with a variety of notable groups and artists including The Spinners, The Jacksons, Engelbert Humperdinck, Roberta Flack, Joe Williams and many others. John is a published composer and arranger, and has written works for a variety of styles and media. He is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator, judging at many jazz festivals throughout the country, including the prestigious University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival. In addition to saxophone, John also plays a mean flute and writes many killer arrangements for the band.
Greg Pagel - Keyboards
Often regarded as the most unusual jazz keyboardist in Wisconsin, Greg Pagel began playing the piano and composing at the age of 9. He has performed at Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall in Boston, as well as Lincoln Center in New York. He has shared the stage with such notable musicians as Kenny Wheeler, Benny Golson, Joe Maneri, Cecil McBee, Bob Moses, Luciana Souza, Janet Planet, Ricky Ford, Matt Turner and Bobby Vinton.
Greg's latest CD, “Plastic Machine Music,” is a daring fusion of jazz with hip-hop and electronica. CD Baby gave the CD 5 stars, calling it “an ingenius hybrid of jazz fusion backdrops, experimental electronic innovation and a poprock-informed writing,” and praising its “creative development of motives and ideas, an overall giddy enjoyment of urban, industrial and machine noises.”
Craig Hanke - Bass
Craig Hanke has been playing bass for 30 years (after he was asked to stop playing violin). He completed degrees in Biology and Music at Lawrence University in Appleton and a PhD in Pharmacology from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Craig still can’t make up his mind and teaches in the Human Biology and Music departments at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. He teaches Human Physiology, Comparative Physiology, Neurobiology and other stuff Greg and Terry never heard of, as well as giving bass lessons.
Equally facile on upright and electric bass, Craig has a reputation as one of the most solid, dependable, hard-swinging and hard-grooving bassists in Wisconsin. Craig has performed with Diane Schuur, Clark Terry, JJ Johnson, Ellis Marsalis, Ernie Watts, Bobby Militello, Sunny Wilkinson and locally with Janet Planet. In addition to Open Interest, Craig plays with Bay City Swing and many of the area's top musicians.
Terry Iattoni - Drums
Terry Iattoni, an active performer and educator, has been playing percussion for over 30 years and teaching music for 25 years. Terry’s performance credits include working with Richie Cole, George Graham, John Harmon, David Hazeltine, Geoff Keezer, Ellis Marsalis, WAMI Award Winner “The Mr. Lucky Syndicate”, Jeff Pietrangelo, Chris Salerno and ZIJI, Toni Tennille, Allen Vizzuti, Ernie Watts, Sunny Wilkinson, chart-topping doo-wop group – “The Diamonds”, and Green Bay jazz group, Open Interest.
Terry is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he studied percussion with Cheryl Grosso and Roger Braun respectively. Terry has taken lessons from drummers Carl Allen and Matt Wilson and has provided clinics, master classes, and camp instruction throughout central and northeast Wisconsin . Terry’s favorite quote by Chick Corea, “Only play what you hear. If you don't hear anything, don't play anything.”
Special Guest Vocalists
OPEN INTEREST is often joined by some of the area's finest vocalists, with a repertoire ranging from Blues to Swing to Pop/Rock to Sinatra to Motown. Frequent guests include Dino Bilotti, Laela Cyr, Jana Nyberg, Shelly Kanzelberger and Jerry Burton.
One of the most respected musicians in Wisconsin, saxophonist John Salerno has worked with a variety of notable groups and artists including The Spinners, The Jacksons, Engelbert Humperdinck, Roberta Flack, Joe Williams and many others. John is a published composer and arranger, and has written works for a variety of styles and media. He is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator, judging at many jazz festivals throughout the country, including the prestigious University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival. In addition to saxophone, John also plays a mean flute and writes many killer arrangements for the band.
