Jazz

Leo Adelman spent much of his life playing the jazz trumpet. In retirement, he spends a great deal of time playing and promoting jazz throughout San Diego County. When the NAMM Oral History Program was established in 2000, Leo was among the first to help arrange interviews with many of his friends, who happened to be top jazz performers. These musicians provided helpful insight into the history of their instruments as well as the art of playing jazz, including: bassists Chubby Jackson and Artie Shapiro, pianist Donn Trenner, drummer Don Loeffler, and the world-renowned arranger an

Jamey Aebersold’s name is synonymous with the play-a-long style music books, which have aided and inspired thousands upon thousands of musicians! Jamey does not refer to his publications as method books, but rather as a tool to have musicians tap into their creativity and use their imagination within their playing. His first play-a-long book was published in 1967. His goal was to create books that would encourage improvisation and debunk the notion that only high level musicians can improvise.

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Manny Albam was taught how to arrange jazz for a big band while working with Georgie Auld's Orchestra. Georgie's arranger at the time was Budd Johnson who took Manny under his wing. Manny developed into one of the most noted arrangers and composers of jazz music particularly during the 1950s. Leonard Bernstein and Stan Kenton personally sought out Manny for projects as did Count Basie and Thad Jones. Image courtesy of the Downbeat archives and RCA.

Gerald Albright is a renowned saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist whose dynamic career has spanned contemporary jazz, R&B, and pop. Known for his expressive tone and technical precision, Gerald has built a reputation as one of the most respected voices in modern jazz, performing and recording with a wide range of artists while maintaining a successful solo career. A key element of Gerald’s sound is his close collaboration with Cannonball Saxophones, where he has contributed to the development and refinement of instruments that reflect his musical style and performance needs.

Van Alexander co-wrote “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” with Ella Fitzgerald while both worked in the Chick Webb Orchestra back in 1938. The success of that song led to a job as arranger for Webb as well as Benny Goodman and Paul Whiteman and super stardom for Ella. Van formed his own band during the wonderful swing era but gave it up to work in the movies when Bing Crosby offered him a job in 1948.

Frank Alkyer has asked a lot of questions. As a writer and editor of Music Inc., he has interviewed music retailers and suppliers alike. In addition as a writer and editor for DownBeat Magazine, Frank has interviewed countless jazz and big band performers. With this background, you can imagine how meaningful it was for the NAMM team to have the opportunity to interview Frank for the Oral History program. Frank has been an active member of the industry supporting music educational programs, as well as professional development efforts such as the series of sessions he has hosted at

Mark Altekruse, like so many passionate members of the music industry, specifically remembers the lessons he learned from one of his earliest and most influential music instructors. Trombonist Bugs Beddow was a local musician in Detroit who served as a musical mentor to young Mark, who went on to form his own band (Rhythm Kitchen) which ultimately led to a long career with Roland, BOSS and Apple. Along the way, he had some incredible musical experiences including playing in the Hex Orchestra on their recording of Human Experiments. Within the music products industry, Mark worked o

John Altman, the world-renowned composer, grew up in a musically rich family and found his own passion for music at an very young age. His uncles (Woolf and Sid Phillips) were successful arrangers, bandleaders and conductors and his cousin Simon Phillips is best known as the drummer for Toto. John played saxophone in several bands growing up with the likes of Peter Green, Jimi Hendrix and Hot Chocolate for whom he served as the groups musical director. Playing as a Studio Musician for several years led to arranging and composing projects including movies such as James Cameron’s Ti

Dori Amarilio is a composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist whose career spans film, television, and video game scoring, as well as performance in the Los Angeles jazz scene. Born into a musical family as the son of award-winning composer Moni Amarilio, Dori began studying guitar at a young age and quickly developed into a professional musician, performing, composing, and serving as a musical director while still in his teens.

Chaco Amazè fell in love with music at a young age, after all his father was a music teacher and his mother was a dancer of Mexican folklore music. His father introduced young Chaco to Jazz, which led to his interest in making music. He started on the guitar at ten and the saxophone a year later, which not only became his main instrument, but years later became his preferred instrument to repair. In November of 2018, Chaco was hired at the Magic Flute and become an apprentice to the store’s owner, Christian Dean, who taught him instrument repair. Chaco approaches his repairs as h

Jon Andersen has enjoyed playing music nearly his entire life.  A jazz saxophonist, Jon played in a number of small and large bands over the years and found work with several noted musicians in and around his neighborhood, Santa Barbara.  When he was approached by his longtime friend Nick Rail, to assist with his band instrument business, Jon jumped at the opportunity.  For over 25 years Jon has hit the road for Nick, calling on band directors over a very large part of southern California, and enjoying each visit and new friend he makes.  When he reflects back on the hundreds of k

Ralph Angelillo grew up inspired by Joe Morello. His dad was a bassist for big dance bands in the 1940s and '50s and his four brothers all played music. In 1961, at the age of 17, Ralph purchased his first Ludwig drum set, with money earned working as a busboy in local hotels. While working in the music industry, Ralph established several music magazines across Canada. At that point, he had the idea of putting on a drum festival.

Ron Anthony can be heard playing his jazz guitar on several classic recordings of George Shearing as well as on the top selling album, Frank Sinatra’s “Duets.” His love of music goes back to his childhood and the very first time he held a guitar.  After taking just a few lessons he began playing professionally.  In addition to performing, Ron was a music teacher and a songwriter. His songs have been recorded by many artists including Stan Kenton, Tex Beneky, and Les Brown. He co-wrote “It’s Always 4am” with legendary songwriter Sammy Cahn, which has been recorded by such artists a

Billy Arnold played drums behind several Motown recordings including those with saxophonist, Junior Walker. While he often played a Gretsch kit, Billy never fussed about having to set up his kit in the recording studio and gained a reputation for using the drums that were already set-up. After serving in the United States Army, Billy moved to Springfield, Massachusetts and hit the night clubs in the area and on up to Boston where he played with a long list of jazz musicians and singers. Billy is also a sought after drum teacher who has developed several methods that he uses for st

George Avakian produced so many pop and jazz recordings over his 50 plus year career with several labels it might be easier to list the recordings he did not take part in. Before entering World War II George had already produced his first recording, as well as writing about the music that he loved so dearly--jazz. While in college he became friends with the great Louis Armstrong, whom George would work with in the 1950s on such products as an album dedicated to the music of W. C. Handy. George played a very important role in reissuing recordings that otherwise may have been lost.

Bob Barry is a noted jazz photographer who started his career as an actor, always expressing a passion for the arts! While having a successful acting career on stage and in commercials, Bob developed his skills as a photographer during his down time. In 1997, he was first invited to John Pisano’s Guitar Night in Los Angeles for which he brought his camera. Over the years hundreds of musicians have played with John on stage and for nearly all of them, Bob was there with his camera! Bob’s images have graced the cover of dozens of album covers as he has captured jazz musicians such a

Louie Bellson was one of the World's premier drummers and listed in every jazz encyclopedia. Even with great success, he remained humble and was one of the true gentlemen of American popular music. With his noted double bass drum kit, a series of method books, and respected clinics, Louie made a major impact on the music products industry. Over the decades Louie was an endorsee and performer at the NAMM show and served as vice president at REMO, Inc. During his playing career, which included years with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Duke Ellington, Louie became an in

This audio only interview was conducted by David Schwartz and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Tony Bennett, the legendary jazz and pop music singer, provided his thoughts about the recording process to David Schwartz, who interviewed Tony for MIX Magazine in 1986. During the interview, Tony reflected on the changes in the studio process since his recording career began. He first entered the pop charts in 1951 and recorded his signature tune a decade later, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”.

Max Bennett was among the jazz world’s most percussive bass players. With a strong knowledge of drums, he explored and helped design the rhythm of jazz of the 1970's and 80's in the pre soft jazz era, a style he referred to as cool-whip. With his group, LA Express, he was able to showcase his own compositions and intertwine his artistic creativity within the bass parts, which helped drive the rhythm of the song as much as the drum part. His many contributions to the music products industry include being an endorser for MTD Guitars and an enthusiastic supporter of the NAMM Oral His

Betty Bennett was inspired to pursue a career in music when she was brought along to gigs by her mother and was allowed to sing with her. After Betty’s first paying gig, making 50 cents for singing a song, she would continue singing throughout her high school and college years, hitting it big when she auditioned for and was accepted in to the Midwest Territory Band led by Royce Stonner. She eventually worked with big names like Claude Thornhill, Alvino Rey, Charlie Barnett, and Benny Goodman.

George Benson recalls befriending Bob Cavanagh at the EU Wurlitzer Music store in Boston long before his noted career as an entertainer took off. George often visited the store and spent hours playing the instruments while Bob often showed him chords, provided picks and let him try out various guitars and amps. As George stated in his NAMM interview, Bob’s support was a key to his success. The audio only interview was conducted by David Schwartz and donated to the NAMM Oral History program

Lee Berk’s father had a unique approach to teaching music, bringing the passion and fun of music making into the classroom. The Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, was founded with those ideas and in the decades to follow his son Lee built upon that vision. Lee ensured that jazz programs were created and that important interactive programs were part of the educational experience for each student. As a result of his father’s vision and Lee’s execution of those ideas, the Berklee School of Music has become a respected and honored college for music education.

Gunnar Biggs grew up in a deeply musical family, guided by his father, Dr. Millard Biggs, a professional French horn player and longtime professor at San Diego State University. Following in his father’s footsteps, Gunnar became both a performer and an educator, teaching double bass at SDSU for over 25 years and directing jazz ensembles at Palomar Community College, while also maintaining a thriving private studio.

Keith Bishop is an accomplished woodwind musician and educator whose early passion for performance set the stage for a remarkable career. After earning dual degrees in music and music education from Carnegie-Mellon University, he embarked on a professional journey that quickly brought him to the national spotlight. From 1981 to 1983, Keith toured with the legendary Buddy Rich Big Band, performing on alto and baritone saxophones, flute, and oboe, and arranging several charts for the ensemble. He recalls this period as a pivotal and inspiring learning experience that shaped both his

Hal Blaine was perhaps the most recorded drummer from the California recording studios of the 1950s-'70s.  His influential style can be heard on more than 170 number one hit songs and 450 tunes that made the top 40 on the charts during those decades.  His beat can be heard on hundreds of albums by artists ranging from the Beach Boys and Elvis Presley to the Carpenters and Barbra Streisand.  As a creative performer, Hal became one of the early studio players to gain such notoriety that he was asked to endorse drum kits, heads and sticks.

Terence Blanchard remembers with pride the special way Lionel Hampton coached and encouraged him.  It was his first professional gig and Hamp took the time to share with young Terence, an act of kindness that continues to give to this day.  While having a successful jazz career, Terence never forgot his roots and has worked extremely hard in providing musical opportunities and education for young players, especially in his home town of New Orleans.  And the tradition continues!

Bugs Bower was one of the great characters of music publishing that helped re-direct the industry following World War II. Before and during the war, Bugs was a musician and arranger who played with dance bands on stage and on radio. After the war he continued arranging and was given a job at the Brill Building in New York, the hub for music publishing. In 1946 he wrote the method book “Bop” published and edited by Charles Colin, which paved the way to countless books over the years including “Christmas & Cartoons” and duet books intended for students and their parents to play

Michael Bradford grew up in Detroit and found he had a deep passion for the electric bass.  After playing for local bands before and after school, Michael met guitarist Earl Klugh and the two began playing jazz together.  Michael later developed into a well-rounded musician having had the opportunity to work in recording studios, playing alongside a wide variety of artists.  Among those Michael recorded with were Anita Baker, Madonna; Kid Rock, Dave Stewart and Ringo Starr.  The Gibson 5-string models and Washburn basses are among several of the basses he plays, as both companies 

Will Brahm’s father gave him a guitar when he was in eighth grade. It is then, as Will puts it, that his career began. He played all throughout school developing his skills and his drive to make his living with his guitar. He has always been captivated by the theory and technical elements of jazz as well as the rich history of those who helped develop the art form. After attending California State University in Long Beach, Will joined the trio New West Guitars in 2015. During his NAMM interview, Will spoke of his love for arch-top guitars, in particular the one he brought with him

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Nick Brignola’s baritone saxophone can be heard on several important jazz recordings beginning in the 1960s. He helped define the role of the baritone saxophone in the contemporary style of jazz of the era, including free and modern jazz. As a young player, Nick surrounded himself with the older veterans of jazz and learned techniques and phrasing from other instruments that helped shape his own unique style.

This audio only interview was conducted for a radio program by Dan Del Fiorentino and donated to the NAMM Oral History program: Bob Brookmeyer played trombone for several name big bands during the great swing era including Tex Beneke, Claude Thornhill, and Ray McKinley. Bob began focusing on Cool Jazz and West Coast Jazz, playing with the likes of Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan. In the late 1960s, Bob moved to Los Angeles and began a second career as a studio musician.

Dave Brubeck played Baldwin Pianos for most of his long career. As a classically trained performer, he added poly-rhythmic concepts to jazz. Among his most celebrated recordings is the world famous “Take Five.” While he never caught the teaching bug, he was greatly influential on countless performers and musical professors who have been inspired by his blend of the classical techniques and the feel of jazz. Mr. Brubeck symbolized the high art of music and has thus given jazz a great deal of its needed respect. As a supporter of musical education, he appeared and performed for musi