Rusty Averitt
Drums
Rusty added his musical skills to DCJB in 2002. In addition to DCJB, over the years Rusty has played with a diverse group of musicians including Steve Allen of the Tonight Show, the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band, Sherman Andrus of The Imperials, David Phelps of the Gaithers, the 5th Army Band, San Antonio Little Theater and numerous musical productions at Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving. Rusty is a retired Letter Carrier with the U.S. Postal Service but stays very busy teaching private percussion lessons in the Irving Independent School District as well as at Murphy’s Music in Irving. He is a member of Oak View Baptist Church, where he plays in the orchestra and works with the student ministry
Brenda Schlender-Bucher
Piano / Keyboard
A classically-trained keyboardist who has been playing since she was 5 years old, Brenda has been a member of DCJB since 2010. She studied organ performance and church music in college and focused on classical music until she made the transition to jazz about five years before joining DCJB. In addition to tickling the ivories for DCJB Brenda regularly plays in worship services, weddings and other special events and she is also a composer who has written about 20 tunes. Here’s how Brenda describes her DCJB experience: “Playing with the DCJB has been a great challenge, wonderful learning opportunity, and a bunch o’ fun.”
Monte Butts
Bassist
Monte joined DCJB in 2024 as a member after subbing on a few occasions. He began playing jazz as a pianist in Albuquerque in his high school jazz band, and took up bass in college at Southern Nazarene University, earning outstanding bassist at the 1993 Wichita Jazz Festival and the Louis Armstrong award for outstanding jazz band member in 1994. After college he performed regularly with Stephen Fulton of the Clark Terry Jazz Institute and with such jazz musicians as Don Lanphere, Bill Easley, Champion Fulton, and Sharel Cassity. He can be seen locally in DFW in the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, and various small group settings. He is active in the worship band at his home church St. John the Apostle United Methodist of Arlington.
Tori Burnett
Vocalist
From the time she was just two years old singing “Amazing Grace” to one of her newborn sisters, music has been a central part of Tori’s life. Raised in a musical home with a mother always singing and a dad with his trombone and love for jazz, she grew up surrounded by melodies, stories and rhythms that have come to shape her musical journey. Over the years, she has had the pleasure of performing in a variety of settings from coffee shops to festivals, developing not just a love for music but for connection through song. For more than a decade, Tori has been leading worship at various churches and currently serves at St. Andrew Methodist Church, where she has continued to grow in her passion for using music to encourage, comfort and bring people together. She is always looking for opportunities to make music with incredible people and is especially excited to be a part of the DCJB, glorifying God one note at a time.
Dallas Christian Jazz Band 