Jazz
Jim Plank grew up in San Diego, California and can tell you all about the music stores in and around the area, especially since he began playing drums in the 1950s. Jim became a professional musician playing with the likes of Mike and Joe Pass. He later added to his musicianship by mastering the...
Tom Dorn studied jazz trumpet at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. The experience cemented his passion for music and soon Tom found himself working for the Wurlitzer retail stores in the Chicago area. It was 1976 and the Mighty Wurlitzer was a powerhouse with over fifty stores, including...
Jaee Logan was introduced to a number of innovative synthesizers in the early days of development. These include the Oberheim 2 Voice, the Arp 2600, and the Mini Moog. He beta tested software for Sequential Circuits, Robert Keller PC48 Track, and Passport Design and was hired by Jim Miller's ...
Larry McWilliams developed the jazz program at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He joined the faculty in 1970 and soon organized a jazz band that turned into two and three and then seven or eight combos. Having played jazz as well as classical trumpet, Larry had a real clear...
Vaughn Wiester recalls the day he played with the Woody Herman band for the first time. The famed leader called out a tune he knew and Larry was ready to jump right in. "They started playing all of these different notes, playing off each other and making such great music I was lost. I realized I...
Stanley Clarke was influenced heavily by music teachers he had as a young student and felt blessed that there was a neighborhood music store that he could explore. Stanley’s amazing career has covered many styles of music and he has witnessed the changes in acoustic and electric basses along with...
Chick Corea loved being a music maker! Nominated over 60 times for a Grammy, Chick was among the most high profile musicians we have been blessed to interview for the NAMM Oral History program, and yet he was also one of the most down to earth men we have ever met. Around the time of his two NAMM...
John Tumpak is the author and music historian who has focused most of his writings on the golden age of swing during the Big Band Era of the 1930-40s. As a result, John has interviewed and written about many of the big names during that time as well as documenting some of the lesser known...
Chaim Rubinov played the piano in his home as a child and when school age he began playing the trumpet , thanks to the encouragement of his band director. He grew up in Montreal, where the high school he attended had a strong music program that included band exchanges and tours not only in Canada...
Rudy Van Gelder was the recording engineer for countless jazz records beginning in the 1940s. To say he was a pioneer seems like an understatement when you take into consideration not only the classic recordings he was involved with, but also the techniques and the studios he built that redefine...