I lived in Rochester, New York where the band programs started at most schools in the 4th grade. There was never any question in my mind what instrument would play. One of my best friends who was a year older than I played the trumpet. I always heard him practicing and loved the sound. Combine that with the TJB and Louis Armstrong records my parents always played and it was a no-brainer for me!
Where did you go to school and with whom did you study?
I joined the Army right out of high school so my first real "music" school was the "Armed Forces School of Music" in Norfolk. Being a medium sized fish from a very small pond I was blown away by some of the players I heard there. Some amazing pro players who had just gotten tired of the inconsistent pay checks or of being on the road constantly. That was a real eye opener for me. Time to practice! After "graduating" from the school of music I spent about 2 1/2 years with the Army Band at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Military bands offer such a wide variety of playing opportunities. The experience I gained was invaluable. While there I studied with Bob Fleming who was playing 2nd in the Honolulu Symphony at the time. He was a wonderful teacher who exposed me to a lot of ideas. Always very generous with his time. His background was quite varied. His most notable gig was as lead trumpet for Walt Disney studios from 1947-58. I believe that he is the trumpet player doing the original "Woody Woodpecker" theme! In the Disney section with him was Jimmy Stamp so Bob did use his concepts quite a bit and helped me set up some lessons with him after I left Hawaii. That was an experience that I hope everyone can have --lessons with a master teacher. You leave every lesson thinking "I can play this horn!" Then after a couple of weeks when that wears off you go see them again! After the service I went to a local community college in Florida where I studied with Sue Whitney who was playing in the Florida Symphony in Orlando. A marvelous player who was a finalist when Rob Roy McGregor when he won the L.A. Phil job. At the University of Florida I studied with Gary Langford who does a great job of helping be your own teacher.
Like a lot of players I am always on the alert for excess tension. It is such a detriment to every aspect of playing; tone, endurance, range, technique...In the past I have found myself falling into the trap of wanting to play the biggest equipment I could find and that exacerbates the tension issue if you are not able to handle the gear. With age comes a degree of wisdom I guess. Efficiency is the key. If you can play the big gear easily be my guest but I figured out awhile ago that I won't be getting a call from the CSO or NY Phil. Most of those guys need the big gear to fulfill the job requirements but the great majority of us do not. Once I accepted the blow to my ego (!) I was able focus on full, relaxed breathing without trying to fill up the Grand Canyon.
Who are your musical influences today?
Wow, today?? The trumpet players I find myself listening to the most would be Hakan Hardenberger, Ryan Kisor, Roy Hargrove and Alison Balsom, I love her sound. I enjoy hearing new repertoire for brass so I listen to the American Brass Quintet quite a bit. I also listen to quite a bit of chamber music as well as vocalists like Dawn Upshaw. I also like hearing artists like Victor Wooten and Stevie Wonder both of whom I got to hear recently at the NAMM show. But...I'm still a trumpet player at heart and Doc is my all-time favorite. I love the greats like Miles, Maynard, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Dorham, Maurice Andre.....the list goes on and on!
What gigs do you play? Any
interesting gig stories?
Having a full time business like
The Horn Section tends to limit the time I can spend on the horn and
away from the shop these days. I played with the Brevard Symphony
Orchestra in central Florida for about 15 years and was featured
with my friend John Kuntz on the Vivaldi "Concerto for Two Trumpets"
one season.
We also performed that piece recently on a chamber music series with
the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra. I was a founding member of that
group when I was in college so it was a bit of a homecoming for me!
I have been lucky enough to play for a wide variey of talents
including Dave Brubeck, Kenny Rogers and The Letterman on the high
end and a cheesy Elvis impersonator at the county fair on the low
end! I also played in a Polish Polka band for a couple of years and
that's where the best stories come from. The leader of that group
would book us anywhere!! My last gig with them was right out of the
scene in the Blues Brothers movie....."What kind of music do you
have here? We got both kinds: Country and Western!" Let's just
say they were not thrilled with a Polish Polka band!
My main playing outlets these days are the two brass quintets I play
in: the faculty group at the college and another group,
"Constellation" that does the usual quintet gigs; weddings, outreach
concerts, etc. I also do a some free lance stuff with pick-up
orchestras in the area.
Do you teach or conduct clinics?
I am adjunct faculty at Brevard Community College in Melbourne. I taught privately until this year but it got to the point where something had to go! The days just were not long enough. I will certainly get back to it at some point because it is one of my favorite things to do. Working with a motivated student keeps me motivated and inspired. I have had a number of students go on to careers in music. It's quite rewarding.
Describe your experience with GR.
I was lucky enough to spend three days with Gary at his shop. His knowledge of the physics is astounding. Several times during my visit he would pull down a book about flow dynamics or acoustics. I'm not sure if he saw my eyes glaze over....it was just so far over my head. But the important thing is he understands it and knows how it applies to mouthpiece design. Every change is going to affect some aspect of the piece's performance. Working with the playing tests is an eye opening experience for even the strongest players because it points out, shall we say...areas of concern!! That certainly was the case with me!
As a GR Consultant, what are the typical playing / equipment issues you see with customers?
Overcoming traditional beliefs such as bigger is better or I need a smaller piece for the high stuff. It works out that way for some players but not always. The big one for a lot of players is the additional aural feedback GR pieces give will often have players think they are sounding "too bright". It is so important to get feedback from players who know your playing and/or to record yourself with some decent equipment. Do not rely on your perception of the sound from behind the horn as it can be quite deceiving! The other big one in my opinion is that many people are on gear (horns and mouthpieces) that is bigger than they can comfortably handle and this causes them to use a lot of physical manipulation that detracts from their sound.
Any final thoughts?
Yeah-Let's be musicians first and trumpet players second. We (yes, I absolutely include myself!!) can easily get caught up in the higher, faster, louder race and forget what the point is. Very few people want to hear the famous trumpet call "SKA-REEEEEE" but everyone likes a beautiful melody well played.
