Favorite pro you met in person?

[deleted_user_34face8]

[jadickson]

Arturo and Phil Smith were both kind, authentic, and generous. Eager to share information and help, not to show off. Two of the best people I have ever met. Pretty good at playing the horn, too 🙃
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Justin Dickson
Middle school band director. Still learning.
www.BandmateTuner.com

[jhatpro]

Met Lee Chicago’s Lee Loughnane near DePaul and asked him how he built his range. He said “Playing on Oak Street Beach and sending the notes to Michigan.”
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Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[shoreman]

I saw Chris Botti after he played at the Blue Note. I found him to be a real nice guy.

[jhatpro]

I've found pros a lot more approachable than one might expect give the fact that they are probably at a gig or on tour or otherwise busy and really don't need to chat with strangers.

A case in point is an experience I had with Nic Payton who I met at the break at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. I knew he was in town for a few days so I asked him if he'd like to have lunch the next day.

He said, "Sure," and was clearly delighted. We went to Wishbone for some down home specialities and then drove to Scott Laskey's shop where Payton bought a mouthpiece and I got to try his horn!

I guess the lesson is "Pros are people, too."
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[trickg]

[so what]

The most interesting and enjoyable trumpet pros I've talked with are Mike Vax and Carl Saunders. This was after they played in a truly tiny venue (a coffee shop really) in Carrollton TX. They played great. We all ate after their show and talked. Interesting history from both of them. Interesting comments about playing and about trumpets, and about making a living playing music. They gave (much appreciated) encouragement to my trumpet playing son, who was in high school then, playing an old Benge, kind of like Carl's. It is, obviously great to hear the music, but it is also great to connect with the people making the music and to learn something about them.

[LaTrompeta]

I did meet both Phil Smith and another trumpeter, a jazz trumpeter from Baltimore, I am sorry but his name is escaping me right at this moment...oh wait, it was Sean Jones I believe! They were both really neat. I picked Jones up from an airport and we got talking about his career, and somehow we talked about Chris Botti, too.

I met Ryan Anthony toward the end of his life, he was quite ill but a genuinely nice guy.

Also, I have met Allen Vizzutti multiple times and he seemed to be very down to Earth, which is not how I would describe his playing!
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[trickg]

Back around 1995 I had the opportunity to meet Quincy Jones. As some may recall, before he became a writer, arranger, producer, etc, he was a trumpet player.

We were playing at an event in the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas where Quincy was one of many honored guests. (I also met George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Nastasia Kinsky, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Selleck, Naomi Judd, Tom Clancy and Herschel Walker at that event)

As the guests were coming down the corridor after the event to go to the reception area, Quincy approached me and wanted to know about my Lawler one-valve bugle I was holding, so I handed it to him, and explained how we had two different slides - one slide was the equivalent of using a trumpet 1st valve, and the slide I had in was the equivalent of using 1&3, which allowed us to have some fairly intricate parts between the players using the two slides.

There was a photo someone snapped of me talking to Quincy, but I don't know who had the photo - someone else who was on that gig clearly, but that was still back when cameras used film, and to date I haven't been able to figure out whose photos they were. I wish I knew so that I could get a scanned copy of it.

In any case, I knew who Quincy was, but I didn't "know" who he was at that point - I didn't realize the musical giant he was, and in hindsight, it's pretty cool that he took the time to talk to me - he approached me, not the other way around.
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Patrick Gleason
- Jupiter 1600i, ACB 3C, Warburton 4SVW/Titmus RT2
- Brasspire Unicorn C
- ACB Doubler

"95% of the average 'weekend warrior's' problems will be solved by an additional 30 minutes of insightful practice." - PLP

[John Mock]

Easy choice for me:

Wayne Bergeron. Got to meet him at Maryland Trumpet Day some years ago. He was very candid in his comments during the clinics, was very approachable, and pretty much the nicest performer in any genre that I've ever had the privilege of meeting (I'm kinda also lumping in pro athletes, at least in my mind, as I've met several of them). Wayne was also very down to earth and came across as being very humble, with a great sense of humor.

Also, for me a close second would be Roger Ingram. Got to meet him at Chuck Levin's Washington Music Store when they were introducing the new Jupiter Roger Ingram model trumpet. My friend also had a lesson with him that day. Roger, too, was very down to earth and candid in his remarks during the clinic session that was held, and he too seemed kind and just an all-around great guy.

I once attended a trumpet clinic with Wynton Marsalis before his concert in Williamsport, PA (actually I think he has appeared there more than once). He was very nice, and did not come across as a few other people have described. We each got to play a little for him and then he offered comments regarding what you needed to work on most (for me he said breathing technique).

Finally, I've not met Bobby Shew in person, but in the emails I've exchanged when buying cd's and a method book directly from him, he has been great, too.

When I've had the opportunity to meet both pro musicians and pro athletes, I've generally found them to be humble, down-to-earth, regular people. I suspect it is because they know how much work and sacrifice that it takes to do what they do, and they have a lot of respect for anyone who is even trying. My son is an aspiring baseball pitcher, currently playing in college, and he has done lessons with a number of former professional pitchers, all of whom have been great to him. However, I've never met one of the current 40 million dollar a year athletes...But Mariano Rivera is also a fantastic person and comes to my son's university pretty often because the president is a close friend.

John
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Kanstul 1500 trumpet
Kanstul 800-2
GR WB Classic and Studio M mouthpieces

[Shark01]

Like many, met the great Maynard Ferguson one night after a concert at a junior college in North Florida in 1978.

When the show ended, I walked around the building and just barged my way into his tour bus. Very odd behavior for me. He was sitting up front in a pool of sweat, having a cold drink. Didn’t mind that I just trespassed, spoke for probably 5 minutes discussing equipment and the concert. He finally signed 4-5 album covers I brought with me. Saw one of those covers on a shelf in our closet a few months ago.

[peanuts56]

Met Jumbo when I was a kid. Very cool. Looked at me when I called his name and came over. Stuck that huge hand out and said, hey, how ya doin??
Freddie Hubbard was playing a club in Boston in 81 or 82 when I was at Berklee. He hung around the bar between sets and talked shop for a while.
I snuck backstage at the Bushnell in Hartford after a Chuck Mangione show around 77. I was with my girlfriend and one of my sisters. We were positive someone was going to spot us and throw us out. We hear, hey how are you? Look up and it was Chuck. He walked over and talked with us for about 5 minutes.
Whackiest one I met was Lin Biviano when he was with Maynard. From another planet but he was pretty friendly.
Got to play with Clark Terry once as well. He was a prince.

[ebolton]

[Mike Sailors]

Gotta be John Lake and Sam Hoyt for me.
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www.mikesailors.com

[Yamahaguy]

I have many favorites that I have been fortunate enough to meet and take lessons with:
Wayne Bergeron, Roger Ingram, Scott Wendholdt, Ingrid Jensen, and Tony Kadleck just to name some...

But I have to say that I miss Claudio Roditi the most- just an absolutely beautiful human, and
I always loved being invited into his home, enjoying his gourmet coffees, and playing jazz together!

[jhatpro]

Around 1980 I met Bud Freeman who was playing on a TV program I was producing in Chicago. He was in his 80's and sharp of mind and dress. We were shooting the show at the Green Mill and he told me about playing on that very stand during Prohibition.

He said in the middle of a tune the cops arrived and hauled the crowd and the band to the station where a guy from the union showed up with a bag of money, bailed out the musicians, and drove them back to the Mill where they played the rest of the night for a new crowd of drinkers.

Those were the days.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

[PH]