Jazz
John Clayton loves music! Since the age of 16, the future Grammy winner enjoyed being able to express himself with his music. He studied with Ray Brown before becoming the bassist for Henry Mancini while he was still a teenager. He toured with the Monty Alexander Trio and the Count Basie Orchestra...
Johnny Mandel brought his unique talents as a composer and arranger from jazz clubs to the big screen during a brilliant career that spanned over 60 years! As a songwriter, he spent several years in the 1940s and 50s plugging his songs in the Brill Building in New York which was the hotspot for...
Joe Cardinale played jazz bass in clubs and theaters all around New England. He created his own trio and studied at what would be Berklee College of Music. He joined the wholesaler Harris-Fandel in the pre-Beatles era and witnessed first hand the impact the British Invasion had on the industry....
Howard Rumsey may have played the first electric bass to be recorded on a jazz recording. While performing with Stan Kenton’s first orchestra in the early fall of 1941, Howard was asked by the bandleader to experiment with a new electric bass. The instrument had no name on it and Howard was never...
Roy Haynes knows jazz! His ideas and techniques have made him a legendary drummer who in many ways helped develop Bebop and Free Jazz, a form of post Bop jazz that was popular beginning in the 1960s. With graceful motion Roy brought a new feel to drumming and encouraged an entire generation of...
Charles McPherson has thoroughly enjoyed his life as a music maker. The jazz saxophonist was strongly influenced by the players of the big band era, such as Johnny Hodges who played in the Duke Ellington orchestra for many years. Charles took what he heard and played his own style during the...
Gary Burton, the renowned vibraphonist, provided wonderful and detailed insight into the Musser Company that he has been linked with for most of his life. He traced the company’s history through the Ludwig purchase and included his thoughts about the company’s percussive product line. He also spoke...
Larry Coryell enjoyed a long career as a jazz guitarist. In addition to touring and recording on his own, Larry worked with some of the greatest names in jazz. Over the years he developed his own method of playing, and wrote a series of teaching books and DVDs. His educational publications have...
Shep Shepherd co-wrote the now classic instrumental “Honky Tonk Part 2” while playing in the Bill Doggett band. The recording became a hit in the late 1950s and helped build a stronger audience for rock instrumentals, which remained popular throughout the mid 1960s. Shep began playing drums and...
Gerald “Wig” Wiggins was a world renowned composer, arranger and jazz keyboardist. As an early pioneer in playing jazz on the Hammond B-3 organ, Wig had a strong interest in new and inventive sounds. His creatively can be heard in hundreds of recordings and motion pictures beginning in the 1930s....