Clarence

O.K. I guess it,s my turn sorry it,s so long.so i,m gonna give it ya in two part,s cause there,s alot of real history here.


My name is Clarence kyle,
I was born in newport R.I in the jazz year of 1958.
On my eighth birthday my mother took me to what they use to call JAZZ SUPPER CLUBS.
Not only was it the first time i had a real steak to myself,i also had a table 5 feet from the stage!
As i was injoying my dinner ,I was watching this four piece combo.
Little did i know i was checking Dave Brewbec playing take five!
That also was the first time i ever felt a bass go thru my chest ! It felt so strange i thought something was wrong with me.
Anyway,s my mother was a singer and she knew every one.
After take five ended, Dave said he had a friend he wanted to bring up on stage.
My dear friends at TrumpetMaster,in strolls this tall dude in a shark-skin suite holding under his arm the most shinyest horn i ever seen!
It was none other then Mr Chet Baker!

After the set my mother introduced me to the whole band, we were the only kids in there any way so the fella,s didn,t mind.
I asked Mr Baker what the shiny thing with three buttons was, he said a trumpet.
I asked him was he the best in the world,he said there is always some one better so try to be that some one!
Right then and there i knew what i wanted to do!
At the age of 14 i was already playing full time six night,s a week in a dance and show band making about $400.00 a week.
On sunday,s my friends and would go to three jazz clubs in one night sitting in with the big boy,s(They loved to showcase us)we would play three songs then jet to another club.
We were all under age so we couldn,t stick around.
One time after walking off tne stage from finishing a 3 minute solo from Freddie hubbards LITTLE SUN FLOWER,i heard a voice behind me say HEY BOY!
I turned around in shock to see my father smileing.
He said were did you learn to play like that?
I said from all your jazz albums.
Now of course i played in every band class you can think of will playing six night,s a week however they became boring.
After all i was getting lessons from the streets for real!
at sixteen i had my first studio gig, playing the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS THEME SONG!
And was in down beat mag for most prominate 16 year old trumpet player!
That was the same year my brother(who played trombone,james zollar who played trumpet)sat in with freddie hubbard.
I already told that story.
Anyways the same day i got my diploma, was the same day I caught my first plan to japan to play for nine months.
After that ,i went on tour the a band called BRICK.
That lasted for almost two years, thru that i hooked up with the GapBand,the checkmates,Tina Marie.
Well im gonna have to stop for now, cause there,s lot,s more to tell..........to be continued!

__________________
You heard it here 1st, in what ever u do if u buy the ticket u take the ride!
Stage 1XH Bb
Phaeton 2030 Bb
Jupiter flugle 846bl black
Kersting Pocket trumpet
Stage1 MP
schilke 11 MP
Sdsytems LCM77 wireless
Shure PGX wireless

Double_G

I'm really enjoying reading all of these. I hope others post...now to add my humble description.

My name is Andrew Tyler Kennedy. Born May 8, 1989 (16)in Lebanon, Tennessee to (hopefully)proud parents Retta and Micheal Kennedy. Lived in Carthage Tennessee for nearly all my life, but recently move across county to Gordonsville. My sister is the real musician of the family. She can sing like a bird and did play the flute...well...I'm not so sure she played it very well, but she did own one . My Grandfather (or Pap as I call him)is probably where I got my "musical talent". He plays a couple of instruments, guitar being one, and my grandmother played piano. Both are wonderful people and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I've been playing for 7 years. Nothing compared to the careers of some on these forums, but I'm hoping I'll be able to say I've played trumpet for 30, 40, 50 years someday. My first MUSICAL experience came in the form of church on Sundays and Gospel singings. I've always been a fan of Southern Gospel. 4 part harmony is one of the coolest things I've ever been introduced to. Hopefully I'll learn to read bass clef someday and be able to sing tenor well...eventually.

My first audience with a trumpet actually came in the form of sitting on the front row of one of my sister's concerts with the high school band where I attend now. I remember seeing the first trumpet player, silver horn in hand, playing notes up around the top of the staff and thinking to myself...man that guy is awful . Really, I did. I originally wanted to play saxophone when it came time for 5th grade beginner band with Mr. Steve Dowell, my band director for one year. He wasn't exactly the greatest influence I could have had, I used him as a foundation upon which I began my studies in trumpet. 5th grade year went as expected. Terrible. I wanted to play saxophone, but we couldn't afford one at the time, so I settled on trumpet. Boy, am I glad I did. I played 2nd part. Sounded terrible, blared every chance I got. I was a terror for a band director. But, going into 6th grade something change. First day of band in 6th grade I walk in pull out my trumpet and sit down. I look around expecting to see M.r Dowell, yet the man that strongly favors a walrus was nowhere ot be found. In his place on the podium was a young energetic-looking young woman named Mrs. Anne Hunley. Her husband had taken over the position of band director in the high school since Mr. Dowell had accepted and administrative position in the office of the high school.

Mrs. Hunley is a short woman no taller than 5'5" I am quite sure, but was she (and still is) a hero of mine. She brought something to band everyday that wasn't just a way to get out playing a stupid little recorder. She made band fun. It was crazy to me to think of band as being fun. I was planning on dropping out the next summer anyways. I was going to play football and be star quaterback. Well, 6th grade went well...sort of. I played 1st part, but I was not quite up to par with everyone else. I guess I was a late trumpet bloomer. Anyway, summer came and my dreams of being quaterback became and short, chubby little boy and I quit football after about 6 weeks. So, first day of 7th grade I got my schedule changed.

Back in band, for good this time, my junior high career went by rather quickly. I had a good year 7th grade and 8th grade year I got my first taste of glory. A song full of trumpet solos. In a patriotic tune called the "Road Unknown" after a poem by some old poet with a beard whose name escapes me(The poet it actually very well known, but I cannot for the life of me think of his name, but I'm wanting to say Robert Frost). I had my first concert festival performance that year as well. Went travelled to Atlanta to recieve two 2s and a 3, yeah we didn't do great. I played all of my solos very well though. But, apparently one little trumpet player wailing on a Holton student model wasn't enough to sway the judges. Oh well. Then, Spring Festival came around, our yearly spring recital for the high school, junior high, and elementary school bands. All of my solos go well except for the very last one. The highest note was a G on top of the staff. I completely clam it and have another two measures of solo to go. So, I struggle through and absolutely breakdown after we finish. I was so disappointed. Looking back now, I think that wa the moment I decided I really wanted to do this.

So, summer between 8th grade and 9th gets here. I have my first private lessons with a fellow named Matt Kirkpatrick. He was good, REALLY good, but he didn't stay around long(He plays in the Kansas City Orchestra now I believe). But, he was there long enough for me to know that I wanted to be better than him someday.

Freshman year rolls round I'm making leaps and bounds during marching band. With a new band director Mr. William Hunley, Mrs. Hunley's husband, I'm ready for anything. My tone is getting better. Range is going up. I'm thrilled. But, then chair placements for concert season come around. I tank. I beat a 1st trumpet player form marching season, but I got eat by a guy I knew I was better than. It made me sick. I wanted to beat him so bad(I never got the chance he switched to French Horn last year). Anyway, I have a good concert season. I don't make Mid-state which makes me a little mad, but I'm ok with it. Sophomore year gets hear. Goes down hill fast. The first trumpet play I beat last year is a senior and thinks she deserves a duet in the halftime show just because of "seniority" which I don't buy into, but whatever. Anyway, she misses a week of practices one week due to sickness or something. I was never really clear on what happened, but my band director gave me the duet the Wednesday before a big ball game because she had missed both practices and she quits the next day when she gets back to school and finds out. She actually slapped me . Can you imagine the look on the face of a nervous Sophomore terrified because of Friday night getting his head knocked off by a senior girl he pissed off and it wasn't even his fault. Yeah it was funny.

Anyway, concert season gets there and chair placements happen. I get second chair and I am absolutely esstatic. So, we have an awesome year and I get to feel good because I got second chair. Mid-state again.I bomb again lol. This time it makes me extremely upset, but I live. Spring Festival is awesome too because I was solo trumpet in the jazz band. It was cool stuff and I finally got to feel like big man on campus for about 5 minutes lol .

Now, middle of marhcing season Junior year. I have a duet on field with my best friend which is great. And I'm gearing up for Mid-state again. I'll hopefully make it this year. I think I got a chance. Anyway, concert season is just around the corner too and I'm so ready.

So, there you go. Excluding gory details, that's my playing history in a nutshell. Hope you enjoy reading it.

__________________
King Silver Flair 2055S
Getzen 770 SG Gold Series
Bundy Series II cornet

Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education. -Plato

Solar Bell

Clarence wrote in a smickety smack way:
Tell us more!

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

MrLT

Hi Manny

No I didn't! you got me bang to rights guv. Nice to know theres a lot of respect out there for HA &TB

__________________
"I was minding my own business when something says to me, "you ought to blow trumpet." I have just been trying ever since." - Miles Davis

Eclipse LR/Warburton 3MD
Olds Custom/Warburton 3M
Eclipse Red Flugel/Bach 1 1/2C
B&H "78" cornet/ DW2B

eclipse trumpets

Fantastic subject Manny!

If you wish to save yourself from this long explanation, please skip to the end of the post to read a brief outline

My name is Leigh Sean Mckinney, i was born on 25th January 1971 to Catholic Irish parents, Pearl and Sean.
I have two older sisters (Donna & Dawn) and one younger brother (Dean)

My Father came to the UK in his teens as a building apprentice, as many young men from Ireland were doing at that time.
By the age of 24 he had already achieved a great deal by starting his own Building and Engineering company which by the age of 30 was the biggest in our 3 County area.
We all had everything in life that we could have possibly wanted.
In 1976 at the age of 5 my whole world fell apart when my father died of severe kidney malfunction. He was my hero and still is to this day.

Life after this changed hugely almost overnight as my Mum so stricken with grief could not take the company forward and it fell.
Times were difficult, my Mother had no money and several hungry mouths to feed, but she got through it all and gave us a great childhood built soley on attention and love for her children.
We had nothing like many other kids around us did, but we did'nt seem to need it as long as we were warm, fed and cared for.

I have explained all of this so that you may understand why i did what i did next!

I was doing very well throughout my schooling, and was an above average student with the future firmly pointing towards College, then University.
However as i have explained, times were hard financially so i decided that it would be better to get out there earning money for the family as soon as i possibly could (thinking maybe i could take college later! yeah right)

So in 1986 at the age of 15 i left school and went out into the big world to look for work.
My attention was drawn to an advert in a local newspapers job ads section, a company was asking for a "Trainee Musical Instrument Maker", i'd always liked making things and thought it sounded different and challenging.I went for the interview and got the job.
The company was called Brass Band Instruments and was made up the most highly skilled workers that had left Boosey & Hawkes and had decided to start their own Factory.

Over the next 9 years i learnt everything i could about making brass instruments from scratch.
At 24 i was the chief maker for all instruments from Cornet up to Tuba.

Around this time my boss came to me and explained that he had been offered a teaching post for just 2 weeks in a music University in Oslo Norway (teaching brass repair). He could'nt go for some reason and asked me if i would like to take his place as the money was fantastic.

I flew out to Norway to teach for the 2 week contract but was asked after the first week to stay on.
I went back to England and explained the situation to the bosses and they gave me their blessing to go.
I then taught in Norway for 3 years until the Norwegian government stopped the funding to the college.
Needing work i then decided to take a job offered at the B& S factory in Germany, so off i went!
I was not happy there for several reasons and decided upon a return to the UK to again work for my previous employers.

While working back there i was offered work with a big company in Japan , and a big company in the US , but did'nt take either as i had a plan of my own for the future.

In September 99 i left the company, it was in financial difficulty and no-one was getting paid.
I thought that given the choice of working for someone else and not getting paid, or working for myself and getting nothing, then i'd choose the latter!

I managed to persuade my now business partner (John Yianni) to come into this with me.
He thought i was quite crazy and said that he thought we would both be standing in line at the social office within a month.
Anyhow we left that day with £400 each in our pockets to find a small workshop to use for our new repair business.

A kindly landlord took pity on us and let us have the keys to a small dirty workshop without any advance payment at all. He simply said " go in there and do your thing and if you can pay me at the end of the month that's great! if not then we will call it quits"
We paid him on time every month for the 5 years we stayed there prior to moving.
It was slow to start with and i had to get a second job to pay bills while it picked up.
I was working the night shift in a huge Mcdonalds freezer warehouse, then i'd drive from there to the old workshop and do the day shift repairing what little work we did have.

Several years later just prior to us moving to our new factory the landlord told me that he never thought we would ever be able to pay him, but he needed someone around in that workshop to keep it warm and damp free

Meeting my wife Radka (a Czech National) in 1999, has to be one of the best moves i ever, or will ever make!
She is the most supportive person i have ever known and is a fantastic mother to our daughter Shannon, and my best friend!

Back to work!
In 2001 i decided that i would be extremely stupid and invest everything the company had in developing a new range of trumpets.
John was not over keen and again thought that i had lost my mind! , although he must be just as crazy as he agreed within 5 minutes or so.

Over the next 2 years we developed the first Bb, s and launched in Frankfurt at the music fair in 2003.

Looking back at it now it frightens me to think how crazy i was, and just how much i was gambling with.

The company has grown steadily and continues to show great promise as long as we keep giving folks what they want and dealing with them in a more relaxed old fashioned way (the way i like to be treated)

After all of this i do sometimes wonder what i may be doing right now if i had gone to College and furthered my education? But then i wake up most mornings excited at the thought of going to the workshop to make or repair trumpets.
Could that be beaten? I don't think so!!!

What's in the future? who knows? I'll simply continue to hold onto the bars of this rollercoaster i'm on and wait to see what track it decides to take me on!

Well that is about it! sorry to bore the socks off of you, but you did have the opportunity to skip all of this at the top of the post!! so you did it to yourself

In brief:-

Leigh Mckinney, born 25/01/71, Trumpet Maker, 2 sisters, 1 brother, wife (Radka), Daughter (Shannon), very happy thankyou!


Best Wishes to all

Leigh

__________________
Eclipse Trumpets

Eclipsetrumpets.com

Solar Bell

IF YOU HAVE LEAPT RIGHT TO PAGE 4....GO BACK AND READ LEIGH'S STORY!!

Leigh,

THAT is a GREAT story.

Somewhere in the musical hall of fame someone should make a movie!

I'm sort of speechless right now, unusual for me.

I would like to meet you someday.

Is your mother still alive?
I bet if she is she is very proud of you. I am.

Thanks again for a very heartwarming and inspirational success story.
You are also a successful MAN.

-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

Manny Laureano

Yes, misted my eyes a bit as did Clarence's.

It's truly what I had hoped to accomplish with this. Let's get to know who we are.. it can only lead to good things.

ML

eclipse trumpets

Hi Chuck, Manny

Yes my Mother is here with me right! rolling around the floor with her grandchild

She is a very cool Mum and a rock to all of her children.

I have read all of the other posts on this thread and found them all very interesting.
We spend so much time on here chatting about the equipment, music, players etc etc, which many would say is what this site is about.

But i feel maybe like Manny and several other folks that before we make, repair, play or listen to Music, we are people first and foremost.

We have many more interesting things to say about ourselves other than our choice of horn or preference in music.

Music and playing are important of course and form part of who we all are to lesser or greater degrees, but there is so much more that completes the whole picture.
To give a little of this info away can be a daunting prospect, but when you have it can also be a rewarding experience.

As a manufacturer i sometimes feel a little restrained as to what i can say or remark on within the trumpet world for fear of reprisals, however with the great thread that Manny has presented us with i feel perfectly at ease to explain "WHO I AM" and where i came from.

Best Wishes

Leigh

PS yes i would like nothing more than to meet all the folks from here! we all share a passion for these strange shaped pieces of brass that some people find very strange to grasp.
I am very happy to find so many others that are just as strange as i am!

__________________
Eclipse Trumpets

Eclipsetrumpets.com

trumpetmike

There are many that might be close, but you are in a league of your own, I'm afraid, mate

Clarence

Oh yea, trumpet players are way out there!

__________________
You heard it here 1st, in what ever u do if u buy the ticket u take the ride!
Stage 1XH Bb
Phaeton 2030 Bb
Jupiter flugle 846bl black
Kersting Pocket trumpet
Stage1 MP
schilke 11 MP
Sdsytems LCM77 wireless
Shure PGX wireless