MONUMENTAL TALKS 2026 – Musicians
Dehner Franks
Dehner’s original song, “Your Legacy, Our Purpose”, was composed for and featured at the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation’s annual Celebration of Reading program, sharing the stage with Leon Carroll Jr., spokesman and cowriter for the CBS television series NCIS; US Navy 4-Star Admiral William H. McRaven; Novelist, Brad Meltzer; Actor and Comedian Rob Riggle and Grammy Award winner Yolanda Adams. Dehner performs for the foundation annually, once with President George W. Bush as the featured guest speaker.
Performed at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival with a Jazz Big Band, featuring Jens Lindemann and Jon Kimura Parker.
Tours regularly as Pianist/Musical Director for the Broadway Musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’ which features Franks’ skill at playing Harlem Stride Piano.
Performances with the Governor’s Chamber Music Series at the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia, WA with a fellow concert pianist, Judith Cohen featuring Dehner’s own Two Piano Jazz arrangement of music from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. The second half of the concert featured Dehner playing and singing a Vocal Jazz set with his wife, Jan
Franks is pianist/musical director for an improv comedy club in Houston, The Good Friend Theatre, performing improvised games and improvised musical comedy shows.
He is author of the books, “Accessing My Inheritance” and most recently, “Riddles of Life”.
His inspirational self help books have opened the door to speaking engagements and mentorship.
Dr. Jack Klitzman
Master of Saxophones, Flutes, Clarinets, and All Things Musical
Dr. Jack Klitzman is an accomplished saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, orchestrator, bandleader, and contractor whose career has spanned virtually every corner of the musical landscape—from jazz, swing, R&B and big band to pop, rock and Latin music.
Jack’s approach to arranging is grounded in balance, subtlety, transparency, and soul. Whether performing, composing, arranging, or assembling a band, he combines technical precision with an instinct for what makes music connect with an audience.
As Music Director for Seattle Theatre Group, Jack is responsible for selecting and hiring musicians for performances at Seattle’s Paramount, Moore, 5th Avenue, and Neptune Theatres. Over his career, he has performed and collaborated with an extraordinary roster of artists, including Natalie Cole, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Newton-John, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Hope, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The O’Jays, Perry Como, Lou Rawls, George Benson, Julio Iglesias, Ben Vereen, Roberta Flack, George Burns, Rodney Dangerfield, Howie Mandel, Mickey Rooney, and many others. He has also performed with the Seattle Symphony.
Jack is the founder and bandleader of Nearly Dan, a 12-piece ensemble devoted to the music of Steely Dan. Over many years, he has created and refined demanding arrangements that capture the sophistication and distinctive sound of Steely Dan while bringing his own voice as an arranger and musician to the music.
After a lifetime immersed in music, Jack continues to write, arrange, perform, and experiment with new musical ideas. And, yes, he still believes there may be no limit to how many saxophones, flutes, and clarinets one musician actually needs.
Outstanding Band Members
Scott Ketron – Drums
Scott Ketron is a professional musician and teacher with over 40 years of experience spanning classic cabaret and Dixieland, jazz and world percussion ensembles, symphonic percussion, rock, and country. He currently performs as vibraphon st for Buena Vibra, a Seattle-area salsa band, and plays drum set with the Jazz Police, Joey Jewel and the Swinging 60’s Orchestra, Show Brazil, and Captain Mojo and the Horns of Discontent. Scott earned a Bachelor of Music in Percussion from Eastern Washington University and a Master of Music in Percussion from Central Washington University, where he also served as a teaching assistant in the Jazz and Percussion departments. A longtime advocate for music education, Scott served as Artistic Director at Music Works Northwest from 2006–2014, and before that as a percussion and jazz faculty member from 1991–2010, overseeing 65 studio teachers and ensemble programs including Zimbabwean Marimba, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Jazz Combos, Big Bands, and marching percussion. As head of the percussion department, he supervised five private studios serving over one hundred students in symphonic percussion, drum set, and mallet keyboard. From 2015 to 2025, Scott served as Executive Director of the Washington Music Educators Association, overseeing All-State, the WIAA/WMEA Solo and Ensemble Contest, and the WMEA Professional Development Conference, and edited the WMEA Journal. He also served on the Board of Directors for Music Aid Northwest, which has provided over $1,000,000 to Washington school music programs through its Music Matters License Plate program. Scott lives in Renton with his wife, Akiko, and his son, Elliott.
Clipper Anderson – Bass
Bassist Clipper Anderson is one of the most highly regarded musicians on the Northwest jazz scene today. Known for his improvisational virtuosity, his steady presence in the pocket and his command of multiple styles, he plays with genuine reverence for the music and an unassuming mastery that speaks for itself. Clipper has enjoyed a distinguished career as a composer, studio musician, performer, vocalist and educator. He plays at jazz festivals throughout the United States and Canada and has appeared on numerous recordings, including five with Northwest vocalist Greta Matassa and two with the award-winning group Max Hatt and Edda Glass. His 2012 CD “The Road Home,” (Origin) marked his debut as a solo artist and his 2013 CD “Ballad Of The Sad Young Men” (Origin) marked his debut as a jazz vocalist. Throughout the years, Clipper has had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz including Michael Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer and Buddy De Franco to name just a few. Clipper is an annual guest artist at the Blaine Jazz Festival. He is currently on the jazz faculty at Pacific Lutheran University.
John Sanders – Keyboard
John Sanders is a northwest native, growing up in South Seattle. His college studies took him to Mount Hood Community College and Central Washington University, where he earned bachelors and masters degree in music education and composition. John is entering his 24th year as full-time faculty at Edmonds College, teaching music theory and directing the Jazz and Salsa Band.
Mike Mines – Trumpet
Mike Mines is a graduate of Central Washington University, and taught Band and Jazz Band at Valley Middle School in Snohomish from 1985 through his retirement in Spring of 2023. His concert and jazz bands were known for their consistent excellence throughout the Puget Sound region and won numerous awards. He served on the Mount Pilchuck MEA Board for many years, including a term as President, and was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) “Hall of Fame” in 2014, He is currently an Adjunct faculty member at Edmonds College as trumpet instructor and is an active clinician at many schools and events. You can see Mike performing throughout the region with Many groups, including the Jazz Police Big Band, The Pony Boy All Stars, Orquestra Nueva Era, and Alex Dugdale’s DecaDance. He has played lead trumpet in several Paramount Theatre productions and has appeared with touring artists such as The Temptations, Bobby Shew, Ingrid Jensen, Tito Puente, jr., and many others.
Dan Marcus – Trombone
Dan started playing semi-professionally at age nine alongside his father in several Bay-area Dixie bands. He toured extensively with the Ray Charles and Woody Herman Orchestras, among others. Dan performed for a number of years in Teatro Zinzanni and now appears regularly with the Oliver Groenewald “NewNet,” Jay Thomas’ “Cantaloupes,” “The DNA Trio” with his brother, Michael, and son, Max; along with extensive arranging, freelancing, studio and Broadway musical work at the 5th Avenue and Paramount Theatres.