The Red Hot TradJazz Band

The Red Hot TradJazz Band (formerly Red Hot Dixie) plays at parades, summer park concerts, and private parties throughout southern Wisconsin. We love bringing the joy of Dixieland Jazz to our listeners.

Endorsements

"I hired Red Hot Dixie for my daughter's wedding reception. They played during cocktail hour. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the variety of music that was played. Their music definitely contributed to the celebratory atmosphere. They added a perfect touch to a perfect day!"

Paula Magargee
Pardeeville, WI

"The Red Hot Dixie Jazz Band has been a part of Shorewood's 4th of July celebration for many years. We have had the Red Hot Dixie in our parade and as our main musical entertainment in the evening at Atwater Park. The group is easy to work with; they are very accommodating to our needs. They are friendly, fun, talented, and always a crowd favorite. I love these guys!"

Jan Zehren
Shorewood 4th of July Coordinator

"Red Hot Dixie provided fantastic musical entertainment for a large banquet that my husband and I coordinated. The banquet was for 500 tandem bicycle enthusiasts who attended the Midwest Tandem Rally on Labor Day weekend 2012. The biggest advantage to having "Red Hot Dixie" was their versatility. The were able to provide a high-quality hour of light-jazz dinner music during the banquet and then follow that with a Red Hot Jazz performance for an additional 45 minute show. The group even "went the extra mile" and modified a tune to fit new lyrics for a song about tandem biking. We highly recommend this group."

John & Joan Laabs
Waupaca, WI

"Thank you for a great evening of music! Lots of feet were moving in the crowd and lots of happy people! Thanks again!"

Portage Concerts in the Park

"I hired the Red Hot Dixie for my daughter's wedding as easy listening music during the time we served hor d'oeuvre's. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only were people enjoying their sound, but that there were a lot of people dancing. They play a variety of music from slow, danceable tunes to up tempo, just plain fun music. The group is first class and is made up of all professional musicians. I guarantee you will be pleased with their performance. I would give them five stars! "

Bill Johnson
Portage, WI

"I wanted to say how AMAZING the band was at our wedding. Our entire wedding theme incorporated vintage, antique, romance and the band for the cocktail hour was icing on the cake for us and our guests! The band set up outside the restored barn and the guests danced and mingled the entire cocktail hour! Getting folks to dance that early in the evening could not have happened without the band and the amazing fun songs you performed. I only wish I could have spent more time dancing with the band. All the guests raved about the energy and talent of the live band. Thanks for making our special day even more special! I would love to hire the band again for ANY party or special occasion. Thanks again!"

Nate and Erin Cutsforth
Denver, Colorado

"On Wednesday, August 7th I enjoyed the live music of The Red Hot Dixie Jazz Band. The concert was located at the Bayshore Town Center Stage, right in the midst of Bayshore Mall. Among the audience were individuals of all age groups including older couples sitting in lawn chairs, families huddles on large blankets, and younger individuals sitting in the outdoor seating of nearby restaurants. The undoubtedly appealed to a huge variety of people.

What really impressed me about the performance was how well the band members worked together and also how well the band communicated with the audience. I definitely enjoyed the music that was played during the performance. The band kept us fascinated with some selections being upbeat and full of energy while others were softer and more relaxing. The band was clearly engaged in both the audience as well as the presentation."

Emily Blaski

"If that performance wasn’t the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long, long, long time… I don’t know what it would have been. When Red Hot Dixie performs, people don’t simply enjoy it for a couple hours. The memory lasts forever."

Portage Center for the Arts Concert

Meet The Band

Douglas Terhune

Doug grew up in Hopewell, NJ and attended Princeton High School. He came to WI and attended Carroll College where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education. In 1978 he received a Masters of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music. He taught for 34 years in the Monona Grove school District. In his spare time he is a freelance musician and has performed with the Jimmy Hartwig Orchestra, Dick Jurgens Orchestra, Jan Garber Orchestra, and Guy Lombardo Orchestra in addition to small combo work. He has played with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the Beloit/Janesville Symphony Orchestra. Doug served as a clinician for the Ladies Must Swing Jazz Band. He is co-director of the Red Hot TradJazz Band. In retirement he became a Wisconsin School Music Association Clinician. He currently performs with the Capital City Band and the VFW Bands in Madison. Doug has a private lesson studio teaching sax and clarinet students ranging from middle school to adults. His leisure time is spent with his grandchildren and playing tennis with his wife, Karen.

Ian Melrose

Ian Melrose is currently an 8th and 9th grade band teacher at Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School in Sun Prairie, WI where he teaches concert band, jazz band, and small group lessons. He was director of the Sound of Sun Prairie Marching Band from 2011 - 2016. Ian has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from UW-Madison, a master’s in Tuba Performance from University of Georgia, and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from UW-Madison. Ian is grateful to be a part of the the Red Hots to learn and perform this music with wonderful people and musicians. Ian and his wife, Cindy, have three children (Maddie, Jersey, & Theo).

Al Anderson

A native of Austin, Minnesota (home of Spam) Al Anderson has been a resident of Watertown since 1977 and taught middle school band there for 30 years. An active professional trombonist, he has performed with a variety of jazz groups, including Dick Jurgens, Guy Lombardo, Jan Garber, and the Avenue Sizzlers. Retired from teaching, he spends time playing trombone, sipping coffee with friends, and being a grandfather.

Joel Engelland

Joel has played banjo/guitar most of his life, starting in high school back in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Hired as the first banjoist to play at the Showboat Saloon in Wisconsin Dells, back in the 'banjo sing-a-long heyday' of the late 60's and 70's, lured him to Wisconsin during his college years. He ended up playing there 11 seasons as band leader. Joel's participation in music ensembles has included Sioux Falls; the University of South Dakota; Lincoln, NE; south central Wisconsin, including Madison (the Avenue Bar "Sizzlers"); and Germany. While stationed with the US Army in Germany in the early 70's, he formed a duo with a Philadelphia musician and won a US Army-Europe Entertainment Contest in Berlin, competing against contestants from all the Army bases throughout Europe. Joel also plays jazz/classical/folk guitar and is a Landscape Architect.

Brad Klotz

Brad teaches fifth through eighth grade band in Lake Mills and lives with his wife and daughter in Watertown. Originally from Franklin, WI, he earned his bachelors degree in music education through UW-Whitewater in 2001 and a masters in 2006 through UW-LaCrosse. Brad is happy making music in a variety of styles, having played with the progressive rock trio Strange Land, the Quark Quintet, Main Street Big Band (bari sax), and recorded with Direct Hit! (bari sax, flute). He also has played drums for Wisconsin’s ska sweethearts Something To Do for the past ten years. Al had a lapse of judgment and let Brad (a drummer) marry his daughter. The upshot has been having a sub drummer for Red Hot over the years. In 2016, Brad took over regular duties and has enjoyed diving deeper into the style of traditional New Orleans jazz ever since.