Les Brown

Jack Redmond began playing the trombone at the age of nine, thanks largely to the support of his mother, who herself had played the C-Melody Horn in movie theaters during the silent film era. Jack played throughout school and during his Air Force career, then soon hit the road, touring with a number of Big Bands during the great swing era. He performed with the bands of such leaders as Les Elgart, Claude Gordon, Jerry Gray, and Sy Zentner—yes, he played on Sy’s biggest hit, “Up a Lazy River”—as well as Les Brown and His Band of Renown.

Jim Semeizer started playing saxophone when he was a kid and went on the road with the Les Brown Orchestra in 1962 for two and a half years. He learned repairs from his father, who was a watchmaker. The mechanics of instruments came easy to Jim and provided a career path. That career was put on hold when he was drafted and served in the army during the Vietnam War. Upon his return home, Jim worked on and off for his father before landing retail jobs at Brook Mays Music in Texas and later at Shoemaker Music in Florida. Those experiences cemented in Jim’s mind his interest in runnin