Beltway Brass Quintet

About the Artist

The Beltway Brass Quintet is a working group led by Zachary Smith of the nationally acclaimed Dixie Power Trio.  The members of the quintet reside in the Washington, D.C. area and frequently spend hours slogging around I-495, D.C.’s infamous beltway, which inspired the Quintet’s name in 2003. The repertoire for the quintet emphasizes Twentieth Century jazz harmonies and styles.  Mr. Smith and Chas Peterson have written most of the arrangements for the group—many of which can be heard on their first album Holiday Drive.  Each player in the ensemble has a background rooted more in commercial playing than classical, allowing the incorporation of improv jazz techniques into their performances.

Zachary Smith is a professional trumpet player best known for his 16 years and seven albums with the Dixie Power Trio.  He graduated from the University of North Texas in 1986.  Mr. Smith’s writing credits include a jazz articulation instructional book for high school and college big bands and the Barnhouse Publication Ten Holiday Favorites for Brass Quintet.  The Beltway Brass Quintet is a project he began in 2003, with the help of Mr. Peterson.

Chas T. Peterson graduated from the University of North Texas and received a masters degree from Virginia Tech. He's a member of Cityscape and the Quintessential Brass Repertoire, and he operates the Web site trumpetunes.com.  Mr. Peterson plays a wide variety of shows around the D.C. area and has written numerous brass quintet and trio arrangements.  He can also be heard on several big band albums as well as his own solo album, My Tribute.

A long-time friend of the Dixie Power Trio, Merry Beth Hall is co-principal horn with the Richmond Philharmonic.  She studied music at James Madison University where she also played trombone with the jazz ensemble.  Along with her orchestral duties, Ms. Hall is a very active freelance player in the Richmond, Virginia area.

Dan “Big Daddy” Haverstock has worked as a freelance jazz trombone player for over 20 years in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas.  Along with countless show and variety bands, he has performed many times with the Dixie Power Trio and the New Line Brass Band.  Mr. Haverstock has been a regular member of Baltimore’s Zemer Orchestra, and is the leader of the Black Sombrero Brass—the world's foremost Herb Alpert repertory ensemble.

A native of Geneseo, Illinois, Tom Holtz received his bachelor of music degree in 1991 from Arizona State University in Tempe. After completing his undergraduate work, he began his current position as a tubist with “The President's Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. He is also an active freelance musician in both classical and jazz genres. In addition to the Beltway Brass Quintet, Mr. Holtz is a regular member of the Last Chance Jazz Band and Big Bertha's Rhythm Kings.