| Re: So how did you get into playing trumpet?
I thought Herb Alpert was really cool. I wanted to be HIM. So, I used money I made from mowing lawns to pay for lessons on an old Olds my mom rented from Mel Bay Music in Kirwood, Missouri. Then, I bought a bunch of old Decca sides of this crazy Mexican trumpeter, Refael Mendez! Now I was really hooked! I wanted to play like THAT! So, I started learing all his tunes by ear and buying the charts from Mel Bay. THEN, I discovered Doc Severinsen. At this point the deal was completely sealed. After that I got into Clark Terry and Maynard. I didn't play a lick of jazz till I was a sophomore in college. I hooked up with the Merrimac Community College Big Band to cut my teeth. Before that it was just the concert bands at UMR and Wash U along with a few odd gigs here and there around St. Louis. My very first trumpet teacher was Bill Bay, Mels son. When he had to take over the store, I took from Eddie Brauer through the rest of high school.
That's the start, in a nutshell.
Peace, all!
Nick |