The Buffalo Rhythm Kings has evolved from a hot band playing Dixieland standards to a driving combo leaning towards small band swing music. With a pair of vocalists they are riding the crest of the renewed interest in dance-type swing music, appealing to audiences who remember the music or those just discovering it. The Buffalo Rhythm Kings, with vocals by both Ron Montague and Joan Murphy, will play for the Watchung Arts Center's Jazz Series on Friday evening, October 16. Tickets are only $10, including intermission refreshments, for the 8 PM performance.

The band was acclaimed a sensation at a recent Pee Wee Russell Memorial Stomp (a day-long jazz festival run by the New Jersey Jazz Society). As the surprise runaway hit, the band

"stood out from many others... through its buoyant rhythmic approach... and the remarkably strong, versatile cornet work of Scott Ricketts, whose work recalled that of Warren Vache and Bobby Hackett." So wrote esteemed critic George Kanzler.

The group has played for Watchung's decade-old Jazz Series before, and was even selected for the Art Center's 20th Anniversary Dinner Dance. In addition to Scott Ricketts on cornet, the musicians include Norm Paley playing multiple reeds, Bud Hartkern on trombone, Joe Katz on piano, Don Robertson at the drums and leader Bill Moulton on bass.

The veteran local musicians in the band are mainly from the Morris County area. They've been together as a unit for over five years, playing throughout northern New Jersey. Their sound

is so "full" that they have even played for the Big Band Dance Society, unusual since they are a somewhat smaller unit than those usually invited for that audience.