To all the folks who came out to see us at Porchfest 2025:

THANK YOU!!!

Owls at Porchfest 2025 (stage view)
Owls group photo, Oct. 11, 2025
Owls 2025 (L-R): Gayle Thompson, cello; Paul Shaw, drums; Tom Campbell, keyboard; Sam Garafalo, alto saxophone and clarinet; Craig Rafuse, guitar; Bob Visentin, bass; Larry Smith, tenor & soprano saxophones
Gayle
Paul, Bob, and Craig - Porchfest 2025
Tom
Larry solos on tenor while Sam is ready with his alto
Porchfest 2025 – Photos by Jim Hynson

The Owls are an Atlanta (mostly) jazz group with (usually) seven musicians.

Our repertoire consists mainly of jazz standards, tunes composed in the 1940s through 1960s by people like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, etc. Although this makes us a “cover” band, we like to interpret the music in an original way, and we all improvise, so it’s not like hearing somebody attempting to imitate a record.

Every now and then we try something a little “different” like “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath, “Lively Up Yourself” by Bob Marley or a funkified version of “Summertime.” A partial song list is available.

Some of us have been playing together since the late 1980s. Over the years we’ve gotten together about once a week to play just for fun, learning jazz standards together. We play for other humans once in a while – at a party, an art opening, a festival, a wedding, etc.

We enjoy playing in public whenever we get the chance, and (given enough advance notice) we’re available for Atlanta-area events. Contact us if you want more information.