Dizzy Gillespie

Candido Camero was born in Cuba on April 22, 1921. By the age of four he was already interested in percussive instruments--a field he would revolutionize by blending Latin beats with jazz. Working with other pioneers on the concepts of Latin Jazz, such as Dizzy Gillespie, Candido opened up the endless possibilities of jazz percussion. Candido performed with an incredible list of music greats, recorded 15 solo albums and worked with Marty Cohen at Latin Percussion as an inspiration and endorser of Marty’s innovative products.

Jonah Jones endorsed the HN White King line of trumpets as well as the FE Olds products during his noted career as a jazzman beginning in the 1930s. Jonah played lead trumpet for Stuff Smith and Fletcher Henderson before joining the Cab Callaway Orchestra and recording key trumpet solos for several of the band’s greatest hits including “Minnie the Moocher.” Jonah went on to record a string of popular albums in the 1950s and 60s including “Muted Jazz” and “I Dig Chicks,” which earned him the first Grammy for a jazz recording when the awards were established in 1959. Jonah’s interview was recorded 4 years before the NAMM Oral History program was established and accepted into the collection in 2010.

Jackie Mills as a drummer put down the beat for jazz and big band stars such as Tommy Dorsey, Charlie Barnet, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. As a record producer, he played a critical role in the careers of Janis Joplin, Irene Kral and Bobby Sherman. As the co-founder of Choreo Records (later known as Ava Records) he worked with Tommy Wolf to create a music publishing company (Choreo Music) that provided a wide range of songs by several key songwriters for over 40 years. As a songwriter, he gave songs to cartoon and other children’s programs including three classic songs for the Brady Bunch in the early 1970s. And all the while Jackie Mills loved being a part of music making! 

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 1958. In the early 2000’s, Ron was asked to write a regular column for the Instrumentalist magazine. The articles contain his memories of his long career apply titled “Love being here with you.”