Duke Ellington
Joel Silverman, the sales and marketing guy behind several innovative pro audio products and the founder of Silverfish Audio, has had quite a musical journey! As a kid he played clarinet, drums and guitar in school and looks back fondly on his high school band director and the day the Beatles...
Jim Armstrong worked in the music publishing industry for many years, both for Charlie Hansen and Columbia Music. His music career began at the famous music retailer in southern California, Wallich’s Music City in 1968. He soon switched to working for innovative publisher Mr. Hansen in Florida,...
David Duane took over as President of McMillan Music when his uncle, Don McMillan, retired in 2017. David grew up in the business as his mother, Don’s sister, brought young David to the factory at a young age. David has been involved ever since, not just filling orders of the band and orchestra...
Gunther Schuller said he always had a passion for music. As a small boy he was photographed playing a conductor, a position he would later hold for many symphonies around the world. However, his passion for music was not limited to the classics but also with jazz. So, when he combined the two types...
Kenny Burrell is among the most beloved guitarists of post-war jazz. Kenny’s influential recordings and strong interest in musical education has helped establish his name among students and educators alike. His expertise on all things Ellington has parlayed into a popular course at UCLA begun in...
Ron Modell is among the most popular musicians/school band directors in the United States. As a trumpeter he worked with the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and Mel Tormé. His first teaching experiences took place at Kansas State Teachers College in...
Irwin Berg has a million great stories, like the one when Glenn Miller ensured that his father not serve in the infantry during World War II, but instead, design and manufacture all the mutes for the Army Air Force band and those of the Navy bands as well. Irwin has since expanded the business to...
Jimmy Cheatham was one of the coolest jazz cats in the industry. Having worked with many of the top jazz players such as Duke Ellington and Ornette Coleman, Jimmy brought the sounds of traditional jazz to film scores and television programs over several decades. Jimmy’s warm personality was only...
Tony Schmidt was the very first volunteer of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music (located in the NAMM building) to provide 1,000 hours of service. As a kid, he saw Duke Ellington perform in his hometown of Chicago and was hooked, not only on Ellington (for which he was a noted expert), but...
This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Stanley Dance was the noted jazz historian who wrote several Grammy nominated liner notes as well as books and magazine articles over his long career. He began writing for...