Favorite pro you met in person?

[trickg]

I guess it depends on who we're including in that definition of the word "pro."

I met doc back in 1987, and he was very nice and gracious to the version of me that was a 17-year-old kid. My takeaway from the conversation we had was that if I was only going to get one of the Tonight Show Band albums, I should get the 2nd one because he personally felt it was the better of the two. That's the one that has "In the Mood," "Stardust," "Airmail Special," "Take the 'A' Train," "Georgia On My Mind," etc.

With that said, I live in an area that's full of pro players, and everyone I've known or gotten to meet has always been very very nice. I could rattle off a bunch of names, but many of these players, while being world class players, are military, so they aren't exactly super well known outside of the trumpet player community.

A friend of mine "met" Wynton and the experience was not a good one. He saw Wynton in the lobby of a hotel he was in, and his girlfriend convinced him to approach Wynton to say hi.

He walked up to Wynton, politely waited for an opportunity to speak, and started off with, "Hi Mr. Marsalis, my name is ***** - I'm a trumpet player too and I really enjoy your..."

Wynton: "I don't give a f*** about you." Then Wynton proceeded to ignore my friend as if he wasn't even there.

I wish I could say that was the only story like that I've heard about Wynton, but it isn't. I've personally never met him.
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[Brassnose]

Philly memories: hanging out, playing, and taking lessons with Roger Prieto in the early 2000s at Ortliebs Jazz Haus. Great guy, great player, and the one responsible for bringing me back into playing.

Also met Terrell Stafford briefly. Very nice cat, too, but only chatted for a few minutes.
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[tmaudlin]

I met Maynard Ferguson in a small bar on the beach in california in 1967 or 68
I was only 15 I was with my dad. Maynard was practicing with a small
group. He signed a small bar napkin for me. There was no customers in the bar
it was just the band my dad and me. I was just 15 feet from the band
just sitting at the bar. I could not believe it...
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[SSmith1226]

Freddy Hubbard: I had the opportunity of meeting him in the late 1960’s when he performed at my college, NYU (Uptown Campus). During intermission we both ended up in the Men’s Room, standing side by side at the urinals. As we were in the midst of relieving ourselves, I of course started a conversation, since he was not talkative, and told him how great he played, and how much I admired him. I further qualified my opinion by identifying myself as a fellow trumpet player. Fortunately, at that moment there were no secret hand shakes. Anyway, as you can see I will remember that awkward moment until my dying day. I’m not sure that the conversation was as memorable to him. It might have even been one that he wanted to forget.
Maynard: I attended a Maynard Furgusson with a friend of Maynard. We spent about a half hour to an hour with him after the concert. He was very cordial and level headed. He asked me for advice in the field I was in, many years before my comeback. 
Thomas Gansch: I spent six or eight weeks in Vienna in 2018, two years after my comeback. As a long shot, I requested through the JAM MUSIC LAB and was accepted. I took at least 10 lessons from him. He was very cordial and patient in spite of my shortcomings. He also arranged for us to attend a sold out performance of the Mnozil Brass at the Melk Abbey with VIP seats, and two of his performances without the Mnozil Brass. A great guy and a great experience.
Chris Botti for a few minutes after a performance in Boston. I mentioned that I “blamed” him for the high price I paid for my Martin Committee. He had a good sense of humor.
Bijon Watson: I met him at a Stomvi presentation at Symphony Music in Dartmouth, MA as well as took a lesson from him in my home much later. He also is a very pleasant individual.
Bryan Davis: In 2018 I took a lesson from him at his home. Another gentleman.
Trent Austin: Before he moved his location from Reading, MA, I took a few lessons from him. He was another excellent teacher who had lots of patience. 
Steve Ahern: I met Steve Ahern when he was performing on Cape Cod. He plays in MA and FL. He is not well known like the others named above, but he is a great player, a great multi Instrumentalist, very approachable, and nice. We spoke between sets. Later I saw him in the parking lot of the venue and he ran to his car to present me with one of his CDs.
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[giakara]

Bobby Shew.

Regards
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[deleted_user_34face8]

[Steve A]

I met Wynton after a Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra concert when I was a teenager. Wynton stayed for what must have been well over an hour after the concert ended, meeting anyone who wanted to meet him. He was nice, warm, encouraging, and extraordinarily generous with his time. A friend of mine brought his trumpet and played for him, and Wynton gave my friend his number to give him a call for setting up a future lesson in NYC.

The story from trickg's friend could be true - everyone has bad days (and/or the friend was selectively presenting information to leave out ways in which they might have acted inappropriately), but my own experience, and that everyone I know who's personally met Wynton has been uniformly extremely positive.

[scatanas]

I met Wynton on several occasions.

On one occasion we started talking about some life issues. I said I’d like to speak more to him about these issues. He gave me his cell phone. A few weeks later I called him, and after a few tries over a couple days he actually picked up and we spoke for about 10 minutes. He was not in a rush. I actually ended the conversation out of respect for his time.

Then, on my son’s birthday I texted him asking if later in the day we can call him on FaceTime. He didn’t reply but I called a few hours later and he picked up. He spoke on FaceTime with my son for quite a while and was very encouraging.

Lastly, this last November I took my son in person to the concert hall and we brought my son’s cornet along. He is 7. Wynton not only met with us but gave my son a trumpet lesson backstage for about 15 minutes.

I wish I knew how to post pictures from that lesson on this thread.

Anyways - all that to say that Wynton has been such a kind and encouraging individual, whether it was when I met him in person or spoke to him on the phone.[/img]
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[LaTrompeta]

[LaTrompeta]

I've had a few negative experiences of my own, but I don't think they are necessary to share. I'll give people the benefit of the doubt unless they really are egregious.
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[kehaulani]

[ProAm]

Byron Stripling played with our local orchestra maybe 20 years ago. He complemented the trumpet section during his set. Afterwards, he hung around and talked with us as if we were his equals when, really, I didn't feel worthy enough to carry his mute bag. Great performer and great person.

Terry Everson played a recital at our local college, also many years ago, and involved some of the local players. A great player and great, Christian person who shows his love of Christ in how he interacts with others.

The time I spent with both of these gentlemen was brief but I will never, ever forget them.

[Jaw04]

Wayne Bergeron is very nice and self-deprecating in a way that is endearing. Actually the vast majority of the great players I've interacted with have behaved that way when meeting fellow trumpet players.

In fact, I think sometimes in clinics and masterclasses, top players are too gracious and kind and don't want to hurt anyone's feelings when sometimes people need to hear the truth (but that's a whole 'nother story). I'm talking about things like masterclasses and lessons, not how to treat a person or fan on the street or after a gig.

[trickg]

[Jaw04]

[Halflip]

This is the "Favorite pro you met in person?" thread, not the "Least favorite pro somebody you know met in person?" thread.
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[Equiner]

In the course of my career as a high school music teacher I've had the opportunity to meet so many great trumpet players. Several were at my school doing workshops and we got to perform with quite a few.

At my high school:
Wayne Bergeron
Terrell Stafford
Randy Becker
Bryan Lynch
Adam Rapa
John Daversa
Derrick Gardner

Others I've met at concerts, workshops or conferences:
Bud Herseth
David Hickman
Armando Ghitala
Vince Chicowicz
Phil Smith
James Thompson
Doc Severinson
Clark Terry
Arturo Sandoval
Chase Sanborn
Thomas Gansch
Jon Faddis
Sean Jones
Ingrid Jensen
Byron Stripling
Ronald Romm
Allan Vizzuti
Marvin Stamm
Guido Basso
Bobby Shew
Jens Lindemann
Al Muirhead My favourite, for reasons that go far beyond just music
and I'm sure there are several more I can't even recall.

Jens is from my "neck of the woods" so I've known him for a long time and I am very pleased to call him my friend. Personality +, he is one of kind.

I can't thank him enough for making a very special project happen this coming weekend. At the same time it saddens me to see only one women listed above.

Thanks to Jens, maybe one of the girls involved in our big Girls in Jazz Day event with special guests Ingrid and Christine Jensen will appear on a list like this in the future. Thanks again, Jens!
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[trickg]

[Halflip]

[Bill Ortiz]

Adding to my earlier post-I was friends with Mic Gillette. He was a wonderful person, had a good sense of humor and was very positive and encouraging with other musicians. I hung out in an airport with Ingrid Jensen in Europe waiting for out flights. She had just switched to the Resonance mouthpieces and we talked about gear. Very nice and humble.

I was backstage at a gig of mine in Southern California a number of years back and Chris Botti was also on the bill of the show and was milling about backstage with all the musicians. I was playing some bootleg live Miles stuff I picked up in Japan on my laptop and he lit up and asked “what the heck is that?” I told him I bought a bunch of bootleg Miles recordings and offered to send him some of it. A couple of months he got back off the road and found the CDs I sent him. He left a message on my phone machine (it was a few years ago) and was thrilled, and said “next time you’re in NYC dinner’s on me” lol We never did hook up.

I didn’t meet Wallace Roney in person but we have some mutual friends and ended up chatting on Facebook a number of times. He told me about what Miles liked in a horn-same with Dizzy. Wallace was a very warm guy.
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