Funky Gumbo

Bill Engebretson Leader, Drums

Some might consider growing up in a small rural town such as Glenwood, Minnesota to be limiting. But Bill says that musically he was exposed to a wide variety of styles at an early age. Thanks to his parents the recordings of Doc Evans, Buddy Rich, and Ray Charles were frequently heard around the house. "I also liked rock oriented music and listened to Jethro Tull, Yes, Rush, and a host of other groups. I didn't really care what style of music it was - just as long as it was good."

Like many others just starting out, Bill gained his early experience in the school band programs and also through private piano lessons. Although piano and the concert band were of interest, he began gravitating towards the drum kit and jazz program. Eventually, Bill bought a kit and began performing with local groups in the area. "That was around 1981. It was a real growth period for me because the musicians in these bands were older and a lot more experienced than I was. Luckily, they were very patient and offered a lot of useful advice that really shaped my playing early on."

After graduating in 1985, Bill enrolled at St. Cloud State University and studied classical percussion under Morris Brand. Morris had studied with Fred Hinger - the former principal percussionist for the Philadelphia Orchestra and former timpanist for the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. "I took a lot of the things Morris had learned from Fred and applied them to the drum kit. Like pulling the sound out of drum rather than pounding sound into the drum."

In 1988 Bill moved to Minneapolis and spent the next fourteen years powering a variety of Twin City groups and artists including No Warning, The Dirty White Boyz, Hip Bone, Elijah Blue Band, 2nd Generation and Don King. Bill has shared the stage with such artists as Chicago's Barbara LaShore, Twin City legend Cornbread Harris, and 1991 W.C. Handy Best Single Record co-recipient, Curtis Blake. Bill has opened for national country recording artists Brad Paisley and Don Williams, and was a 2005 University of Minnesota Morris featured drum set artist. Bill has also performed at various festivals in Minnesota including Winstock, WE Fest, and Moon Dance Jam.

Although Bill enjoyed the wide variety of music he was performing in the Twin Cities, he decided to move his family back to Glenwood in 2002. "Naturally, the music scene wasn't comparable to that of the larger city. So the only way to make it happen was to form a band of my own. In Funky Gumbo, we play a lot of blues, funk and R&B covers. But we usually take them way out. I'm playing my versions of classic grooves by Ray Charles, The Meters, James Brown, Average White Band, Stevie Wonder, and many others. I'm very happy with the band because my drumming style - which is decidedly funky with a good dose of jazz thrown on top - is able to really shine through. Most importantly, we stay pretty busy!"

Kevin Johnson Saxophone & Vocals

Kevin is currently a senior at the University of Minnesota Morris and is pursuing a degree in music education. Kevin's soulful playing and killer vocals are a cornerstone of Funky Gumbo's sound. Whether hittin' it high like Stevie Wonder, or layin' it down smooth like Paul Simon, Kevin really delivers.

James Jarvey Trumpet & Vocals

James Jarvie is a senior music education major at the University of Minnesota, Morris. He was born in Arizona and raised in Cokato, Minnesota since the age of six. In fifth grade wanted to play the clarinet, but when the time came to try out instruments with the band director, he could hardly make a squeak, so the director handed him a trumpet and said to try this, and Jarvie giggled at the noise that came and the director said, you're a definitely a trumpet player and has been since. And his trumpeting has taken him to many places around the country and the world. Just recently, he returned from a big band jazz tour through Europe, performing at such prestigious venues such as the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

Other than Funky Gumbo, Jarvie has performed extensively with UMM Jazz I as lead trumpet, with UMM Symphonic winds as principle trumpet, with the UMM Brass Quintet, and many various jazz combos. Last year James was selected as the principle trumpet of the North Central Intercollegiate Honor Band in Omaha, Nebraska, which consisting of top players from colleges in the North Central division; the states in this region include from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Benjamin Cook Guitar

Ben also attends the University of Minnesota Morris and is focusing on music performance. Ben is one of those gifted guitrarists that is able to push the paremeters of musical genres. Rather than focus on one style, Ben is able to capture the right tone and mood of any piece. In Funky Gumbo, Ben gets his chance to be funky. But we can tell he goes into over-drive when it's time to shred!

Craig Sandberg Bass & Vocals

Craig has played around the West Central Minnesota area for some time before deciding to attend the University of Minnesota Morris. Craig took on a huge challenge when joining the band. In addition to the electric bass, we asked him to play stand up bass as well. Craig more than rose to the occasion, oftentimes prefering the acoustic bass for it's warmth and depth of play. That being said, when the music is right Craig can slap that bass as good as any seasoned funkster in the Midwest area!