Delicious rhythms
at Casino Deli

By Ruth Rovner
For the Times

Several Tuesdays a month, patrons at the Casino Deli find more on the menu than their favorite deli foods. They also get a generous serving of big-band jazz performed by a 17-piece band.
The Brian Pastor Big Band has been playing at the deli for five years, and they’ve built a loyal following.
"Our fans are so warm and friendly. We love playing here. It’s the most unlikely place for a big band, but it really works," Pastor said of the deli, at 2425 Welsh Road, near Roosevelt Boulevard.
The musicians perform in the banquet room, where patrons sit at long tables and enjoy the food while the band plays from 8 to 11 p.m.
"It’s an intimate atmosphere," said Pastor, the band’s principal trombonist. "We can feel the energy of the audience, and they feel the energy of seventeen musicians. It’s an up front and personal experience. "
The ensemble’s repertoire is varied. It includes the music of such favorites as Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich, plus original arrangements by several of the band members. These numbers are also on Common Men, a CD released by Pastor’s band in June 2006.
Quite a few of the musicians have roots in Northeast Philadelphia. Pastor, a lifelong Northeast resident, lives at Bustleton and Welsh. Tenor saxophonist Andrew Neu also lives in the Northeast, and four other musicians — tenor sax player Ed Etkins, trumpeters Rick Gazda and Kevin Rodgers, and drummer Tony Vigilante — grew up there.
Pastor founded the band in 1994.
"We got together to play some good music and have a lot of fun," recalled the bandleader, who has played with two of his colleagues, Ed Etkins and Alan Kirschner, since age 13. "This was a chance to play the music we really wanted to play."
The band started playing at the Casino Deli when its previous venue, the Cherry Hill Hilton, closed for renovation. Pastor’s search for a new outlet led him to cross paths with Steve Cohen, a friend who owns the Casino Deli. One day Pastor floated the idea of having his band play in the banquet room.
"He said, ‘OK, we’ll give it a try,’" Pastor recalled.
Now, five years later, the Brian Pastor Big Band often plays to sellout crowds. The fans are so loyal that when the musicians made their New York debut earlier this summer, on June 5, a busload of 47 fans from the Northeast traveled to the place, a club called the Cutting Room.
The New York performance was just one milestone in the band’s 13-year history. The group first performed at the 23rd Street Café in Center City, a well-known jazz venue, and enjoyed an extended engagement. Since then they’ve played throughout the Delaware Valley, at jazz clubs, private engagements, school concerts and festivals, such as the Penn’s Landing Summer Series.
Last month they were the featured act at the opening concert of the Bandshell Concert Series in Reading, playing for an audience of more than 3,000. Then came a sellout performance at the Jazz in July series at Centenary College in Hackettstown, N.J. Most recently, the band performed at the Bethlehem Musikfest on Aug. 9.
The band’s first CD, Common Men, encompasses 14 selections that include original compositions and arrangements by band members, including two of Pastor’s compositions and five of his arrangements.
The title Common Men echoes Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, one of the selections and a tribute to the late American composer. The compilation also is intended as a salute to the band members.
"It’s dedicated to the guys in the band; they’re a great bunch of guys who love to play," Pastor said, noting that it’s also a tribute to the hard work of the group’s administrative manager, Julie Hoffman.
Common Men has earned good reviews in jazz circles, including its selection by aficionado Bob Bernotas, radio host of Just Jazz on station WNTI in New Jersey, as one of the top 10 jazz CDs of 2006.
Pastor’s own career path has taken him down other musical roads. For 15 years he has been principal trombonist for Peter Nero & the Philly Pops.
"Every time I play with Peter," Pastor said, "it’s a thrill, a wonderful experience."
Nero, a Grammy-winning pianist and conductor, has become a major fan of the Brian Pastor Big Band. Nero stopped by the Casino Deli on a recent evening to sit in and play with the band. He enjoys the group, and he also gives a thumbs-up to the CD.
"The arrangements are wonderful . . . the ensemble is tight, and the solos are of the highest quality," Nero said.
Pastor also is a member of an 11-piece rhythm-and-blues ensemble, Soul Purpose, and as a freelance musician he has played with Manhattan Transfer, Tony Bennett, Grover Washington Jr. and jazz flutist Nestor Torres, among others. A special highlight for him was taking part in the city’s Fourth of July concert in 2005, a show that teamed Nero and Elton John.
Pastor’s musical roots can be traced to those days of growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, days when music filled his home and his father, Herb Pastor, was an amateur trumpet player who passed his musical knowledge to his son.
At the Gilbert Spruance School in Oxford Circle, Pastor initially was interested in drums. But when a trombone player quit the school band, Pastor went to see the director.
"I told the bandleader, ‘I can get a sound out of that instrument,’" Pastor recalled. "He couldn’t believe it, but he gave me the trombone, and I did it. He said, ‘Congratulations! You’re my new trombone player.’"
Pastor went on to play for school bands at Samuel Fels Junior High School and George Washington High, as well as earning selection to the all-city band and orchestra. At West Chester State College, Pastor earned a degree in music education, then moved on to Trenton State College for a master’s in music arranging.
After graduation, he began a career as a music educator in the School District of Philadelphia. That career continued for 35 years, including 14 years as director of instrumental music at Frankford High School and four years handling the same responsibilities at Grover Washington Jr. Middle School.
During those years, Pastor maintained a second career as a performing musician.
Although he’s the only professional musician in the family, his two adult daughters, Heather Moran and Amy Wynn Pastor, "have great appreciation for music," he said, and attend his concerts whenever possible.
Pastor retired from the school district in 2004. It has enabled him to focus on a full-time career as a musician, especially his association with the band that bears his name.
"They’re terrific performers, and they’re great guys," Pastor said of the band members. "For me, it’s an honor and a pleasure to perform with them." ••
The Brian Pastor Big Band performs on alternate Tuesday evenings at the Casino Deli, 2425 Welsh Road. Next month, the band will perform on Sept. 11 and 25. Call 215-676-0200 for information, or visit the band’s Web site at www.brianpastorbigband.com