Although the Shenandoah-born and Lansford-raised Dorsey brothers Tommy and Jimmy passed on fifty years ago, their band or as some call it "ghost band" is still alive and periodically touring with two of the original band members: trumpet player Daryl "Flea" Campbell and trombonist Buddy Morrow.

Morrow—now 88 years old and a former bandleader before joining the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, took over its direction over thirty years ago with the original band's arrangements and the blessing of the Dorsey family. The drummer with the Dorsey Orchestra is Rudy Petschauer of Nesquehoning.

Petschauer, who has been with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra for three years, is the band's main drummer, although he calls it a part-time job. "Buddy Morrow is the Last of the Mohicans," said Petschauer. "He is one of the few, maybe the only one, who is still playing and leading a band, who was a bandleader back in the days of the big bands."

But since Petschauer has joined the band, they have cut back from a touring schedule of upwards of 49 weeks a year to road trips of two weeks duration—a pace that an aging Morrow can sustain.

So, Petschauer calls himself a freelance drummer. He's part of a network of professionals that pass one another's names around bands and clubs in the greater New York area and regularly gets gigs with bands, in clubs or for weddings.

But when the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra goes on the road, Petschauer answers the call. Life for a band on the road hasn't changed much since the Tommy Dorsey days. The band travels in a converted "Greyhound" bus that takes them to the venue, where they do a sound check, play the concert, return to the hotel, and leave the next morning to travel to their next engagement.

"Sometimes we do a 'hit and run,'" explained Petschauer. "That's when after the performance, the next date is so distant that the band sleeps on the bus." He has a double seat to sprawl out upon to get as best a rest as possible.

Rudy Petschauer was born in Vancouver Canada in 1958. At seven, he learned to play accordion from his father. At 13, he began playing the snare drum in school and two years later, convinced his parents to buy him a drum set "with the understanding that I wouldn't stop playing the accordion I did."

He studied performance at Mount Hood Community College in Portland, played on the side, began earning a living playing drums, dropped out and returned to Vancouver, where Fraser McFerson -an established tenor sax player introduced him to the local music scene.

At 26, he received a grant from the Canadian government to study in New York. After receiving his Green Card, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn located above a store and below an apartment with fellow musicians. Between his neighbors and his roommates, at various times they had a trumpet player, a bass player, a piano player, and a drummer. Other musicians visited and joined in their jams and they were invited into the network of floating jam sessions. The network became a source of contacts and jobs.

"The gig that put me on the map was working with a famous jazz organ player, Brother Jack McDuff," said Petschauer. Organist Jack McDuff hired him to be the drummer for his quartet The Heatin System in 1987. He is featured on five of McDuff's Concord releases including his last recording, which also features George Benson.

Although McDuff's band was integrated, he was best known on the "Chitlin' Circuit"—the once all-black clubs of the large citiesÑHarlem, Chicago, and Detroit—that had embraced jazz during the days of segregation. Petschauer recently played at one of the remaining clubs—Showman's Café in Harlem.

After McDuff moved to Minneapolis, Petschauer returned to freelancing but continued to join McDuff on tours. The freelancing led to an 18-month stint with the Glenn Miller Orchestra before joining the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

He was freelance drumming with the Howard Williams Orchestra at the Garage in Greenwich Village when trombone player Jeff Bush recommended him for the Dorsey Orchestra. When they did a gig at a private club in New York, he showed up, read the book, and played without any rehearsal. Between playing over the years and listening to recordings, Petschauer was familiar with all the songs and arrangements. "They started calling me and I became the main drummer," Petschauer said.

"I really enjoy playing big band music—I always find it challenging," Petschauer said. "Playing in a small group comes naturally. A big band always feels like I have to work harder."