Current Musicians
"I would like to introduce some of my current musicians. Since coming to Australia in July 2000 and making Melbourne my home, I have had the privilege of playing with many of the very finest musicians in Melbourne. They have all given generously to me over the years and contributed to my growth as a Jazz singer and entertainer and I am eternally grateful to them all".
"As I experimented and dipped my toes into the honey pot of gold of musicians I had on offer, I met a singers dream, pianist Joe Ruberto, my dear friend and Musical Director of 10 + years. Between us we have built up a hand-picked crew of musicians that we are proud to have on our gigs. They are all unique and have been chosen not only for their musical abilities but also for their personalities, warm, fun loving, generous and great sense of humours. We all have a ball playing alongside each other creating beautiful music".
Joe Ruberto - Piano/Vocals...Musical Director
JOE RUBERTO has been an entertainer since the age of 13 playing both the piano and the piano accordion. He has performed on television and in concerts throughout Australia and overseas. It was at an early age that he won numerous competitions including Network Ten's Showcase and Channel Nine's New Faces and recorded a number of very successful albums for WNG Records.
Joe is regularly in demand as musical director for local and international acts and has accompanied Normie Rowe, The Drifters, Phyllis Diller, Ernie Sigley, The Coasters, Rick Sonata, Elvis To The Max, Nilla Pizzi, Luciano Tajoli, Manuela Villa, Dario Sebastiani and a host of others too many to list here.
He also led a thirty piece orchestra for the International Song Festival held in Melbourne and staged at the prestigious Palladium at Crown.
Joe has performed at various jazz festivals including Wangaratta Jazz Festival, New Caledonia Jazz Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival and Nagoya (Japan) Music Festival. He has also performed on the cruise ship “The World”.
Joe can be seen frequently playing piano at Melbourne’s top venues such as Paris Cat Jazz Club and Bennett’s Lane Jazz Club.
He's a singers dream pianist, Joe Ruberto, my dear friend and Musical Director of 10 + years.
Dean Addison - Double Bass
Dean Addison began studying guitar at the age of 11. He started double bass studies at the age of 13 with Stephen Martin – Principal bassist with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra - as well as with his own father, and later with Michael Fortescue.
Dean performed with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and in jazz ensembles from the age of 15 in the Tasmanian jazz scene. He performed with many artists - John Hoffman, Urbie Green, Ian Green, Christine Sullivan, Simon Patterson, Alf Properjohn, Dave Van Kreidt, Phil Treolar and Fred Bradshaw as well as casino acts such as Ian Turpie, John St Peters, Barry Crocker and Ricky May.
Dean moved to Melbourne in 1990 and has since worked with and toured with Bob Sedergreen, Jimmy Witherspoon, Steve Sedergreen (as a member of Mistaken Identity for eight years), Vicka & Linda Bull, Mark Fitzgibbon, Ollie Olson Swingin’ Sidewalks and the list goes on.
Dean also played bass guitar and double bass on many recordings and toured with a number of bands including ‘The Leatherbacks’. He is a full-time member of ‘My Friend The Chocolate Cake’, the Paul Retke Trio, Kerri Simpson R&B and gospel outfits and Andy Baylor’s ‘Cajun Combo’.
Dean has been playing for Ruby Page for over 10 years and is an established member of The Ruby Page & Joe Ruberto Jazztet team of musicians who you can find performing regularly at jazz venues around Melbourne most weeks and quite often at festivals and events in Melbourne
Dean Cooper - Drums
Dean Cooper started drumming at age 3 as his father is also a drummer. From the age of 16, Dean learnt from studio drummer Ron Sandilands for several years and at 18, Dean joined the Frank Traynor band and spent the next 4 years touring and gigging.
Over the last 30 or so years, Dean has performed with many of Australia’s leading jazz musicians such as James Morrison, Andrew Firth, Tom Baker, Keith Hounslow, Bob Sedergreen to name a few.
Two major highlights, have been working with American legendary trombonist Bill Watrous at the Melbourne Brass Festival with the Daryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra and sharing a stage with the king of soul Ray Charles on two concerts. (Dean played percussion as Ray toured his own drummer).
Dean has also performed throughout Australia and Asia in some of the biggest professional theatre shows. Ie The Lion King, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, The Producers, Chicago, Spamalot, Man Of La Mancha. In fact a total of over 40 different shows! He has played on countless recordings, TV commercials and backed many Australian and overseas artists.
Dean is a regular performer and can be found at one of Melbourne’s renowned jazz venues or theatres every weekend.
Bob Venier - Trumpet and Flugle Horn/Vocals
Bob Venier is recognised as one of Australia’s leading trumpet players. He has been in constant demand as both a studio session musician and a jazz soloist for the last four decades. He began his career in Ballarat playing dixieland, mainstream and big band music with local bands before moving to Melbourne where he played with Smacka Fitzgibbon.
Bob joined the Garry Hyde Tradition quartet in the sixties, playing brass and percussion as well as singing, and played with them in Australia, England, Europe, Asia and on cruise ships for 6 years. In the early 70’s he joined the ABC Orchestra playing percussion for 2 years and then brass for 10 years. In 1978 he joined the highly acclaimed modern jazz quartet Pyramid, with David Hirschfelder, David Jones and Roger McLaughlin. They performed to considerable acclaim at the Montreaux and North Seas Festivals in 1983.
During the 80’s and 90’s Bob was a regular musician on leading TV shows including The Don Lane Show, The Bert Newton Show, Young Talent Time and the Steve Vizard Show. In 1988 Bob toured Australia and the USA with the Bi-Centennial Australia Jazz Orchestra and also featured as a flugelhorn soloist with Don Burrows and James Morrison.
Bob has been the featured soloist on many albums by various artists, most notably the Little River Band track ‘Reminiscing’ and with artists such as Guy Sebastion, Lisa Edwards, Anthony Warlow, Split Enz, Mondo Rock and the Black Sorrows. He is currently performing around Melbourne as a member of the Ruby Page & Joe Ruberto Jazztet.
Barrie Boyes - Saxophone
Barrie Boyes began playing Tenor, Alto, Soprano and Baritone Saxophones at a young age and began performing in various ensembles, covering genres from classical, rock and roll, jazz and swing during his early childhood.
Barries music endeavours were curtailed for 20 years or so during the sixties and seventies, due to business commitments. Since then he has been in demand as both a small group front line player and a section leader in big bands.
Barrie is an active volunteer with the Australian Jazz Museum (AJM) – Music Co-ordinator and Exhibition Planner – responsible for organising and performing with various jazz groups at AJM events. He is also often found performing at many jazz festivals throughout Victoria and New South Wales.
Barrie has been a regular member of the Ruby Page & Joe Ruberto Jazztet since 2013, which is performs regularly at various clubs, restaurants, festivals and venues around Melbourne and Victoria.
Dan Gordon - Double Bass
Accomplished on both the double bass and the tuba, Dan grew up in Adelaide, where he played with the popular outfit etypejazz and appeared with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Ray Charles Orchestra, Don Burrows, Tommy Emmanuel and James Morrison.
He spent 2000 and 2001 playing with the onboard orchestras of cruise ships in the United States and Europe, before settling in Melbourne in 2002. He is currently completing an Arts degree at LaTrobe University majoring in politics and philosophy, while maintaining an active music career, playing with Melbourne bands including the Radio Rhythm Orchestra, The Mood Merchants, and the Marinucci Trio.
He is also in demand as a freelance musician and an experienced composer and arranger.
Dan is part of The Ruby Page & Joe Ruberto Jazztet team and has been playing steadily with Joe and Ruby for approx 8 years.
Michael Rochford - Drummer
MICHAEL ROCHFORD has played drums in all types of musical groups around Australia. His experiences include performing in orchestras, rock & funk bands, small and large jazz groups as well as theatre and cabaret.
As well as appearing on all major television stations, Michael has accompanied and toured with international acts such as * Elvis to the Max (Acclaimed as world’s best Elvis impersonator) *The Drifters (Famous Motown group from the 1960s) * Don Burrows ( Australian ambassador of jazz) * Sheila Jordan (American Jazz singer)*Australian Showband (Australia's leading big band) *Tony Gould + Joe Chindamo * New Caledonia Jazz Festival *Performances at Australian Jazz Awards Ceremony * Michelle Nicole, Christine Sullivan, Allison Wedding, and Nina Ferro.
A Graduate of Melbourne University, Michael has a double major in music education and has been teaching music for over 20 years with 10 years at Australia’s largest music institution: Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE.
Michael is another steady member of the Jazztet playing alongside Joe Ruberto over a 20 + year period and Ruby Page approx 14 years.
Eric Budd - Trombone
Eric Budd is a multi-instrumental musician that plays both brass and woodwind instruments, including many ethnic and unique instruments of the yesteryears. This versatility has placed Eric in a larch array of work settings, allowing him to evolve as quite an eclectic and proficient musician.
The array of instruments Eric plays is quite extensive and includes Trombone – from Piccolo Trombone to Contrabass Trombone and everything in between; Trumpet, Cornet and Flumpet, various Flugelhorns and Euphonioums; a range of Flutes from the Piccolo Flute to the Contrabass Flute; Clarinet to the Bass Clarinet; Saxophones including Soprano Saxophone to the Bass Saxophone – just about every wind instrument from the Tuba to the Tin Whistle.
Eric has performed with numerous leading international artists and has established himself as a fine player and educator. Eric plays as a session musician on several television shows including Australia's Got Talent, X Factor, The Singing Bee and Everybody Dance Now.
Trombonist Eric Budd was thankfully included at the last minute at Joe’s recommendation and will at every opportunity for the seven piece be included at gigs as part of the Jazztet.
Nane Page - Vocalist
Sister, Nane Page, has performed with Ruby over the last few years as a guest singer at Ruby's Jazz gigs, however, more prominently during 2019.
Ruby and Nane, performed together in New Zealand during 2017, at the Tauranga Bay Court Theatre; a Tribute to some of the greatest Jazz singers of all time, after not having performed together since the early 1990's, due to residing in different countries.
Nane moved to Melbourne in 2019, which made it possible for them to sing together again, and join Ruby singing at Ruby's Jazz gigs and concerts, that developed into including Blues, as well as spinning their own musical twist into duets.
During 2019, Ruby and Nane teamed up to record Gospel classics, a long lingering passion in this genre, and golden opportunity to showcase their signatory harmonies, in the soulful way they magically blend together.
In February 2020, they released their first Gospel song, "My God is Real" to the market. Before the end of 2020, they will have released a total of 11 songs.
You can follow their Gospel music by clicking their image to the left.