Big Bands
Robert Fleming has been a long time member of NAPBIRT, missing only a few annual meetings during his long career as a repairman. He worked with Pete Valentino on how plastics could be used in instrument pads such as the flute. Patrick’s Music hired Bob as their repairman, which he enjoyed very...
Bobby Dukoff was a big band saxophone player during the swing era when he looked for ways of improving his own sound. While working for the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Bobby began playing his own mouthpiece, which showcased his style. Soon other musicians were asking for the mouthpiece and the Bobby...
Jack Simpson worked for RCA for nearly 40 years beginning at the time when the electronics and recording company was a regular exhibitor at the NAMM Trade Shows. Jack also became a jazz broadcaster in Florida, where he took to the airwaves in 1967. His show and his reputation expanded over the...
Sam Eisenman grew up in New York during the heyday of the Big Bands and BeBop. As an ardent music fan he saw many of the great Big Bands, including Benny Goodman's Orchestra in 1938 at Carnegie Hall! In retirement, Sam spent over 15 years teaching children to read in the Carlsbad School District...
Elliot Fine is best known to percussion students for the method book he wrote with Marvin Dahlgren called 4-Way Coordination, which was first published in 1963. Over the years, he has published several method books on drumming including Accent On Accents. He played for several big bands before...
Lyle Bird grew up in a musical family with his mother playing the piano daily. As a teenager he played trumpet in several swing bands during the big band era including with such leaders as Henry Busse. He played in a band during his navy service during World War II and again played in several small...
Roz Cron was a member of the all female swing band known around the world as The International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She toured with the group during World War II when many of her male counterpoints were drafted. Although a war was going on, it was a time of great opportunity for female players...
Fred Morgan was one of the few GI’s, returning home from World War II, who were accepted to the Conn School of Musical Instrument Repair the first year it started. The year was 1946 and Fred was excited to learn first hand at the factory from many of the craftsmen who built the instruments from the...
Ronnie Drumm has had a full and fulfilling life in music! As a child he picked up the trumpet, which he used during his time as a big band leader, musical director and educator. Ronnie worked with a who’s who of entertainers such as Steve Allen, Bob Hope and Jack Benny as well as a long stint as...
Barry Zweig played jazz guitar professionally since he was a teenager. His passion for music was as clear as the smile on his face, and the great style he contributed to music has graced recordings and live performances since the 1960s. Among his most noted gigs were recording with Buddy Rich, Herb...