I was into all kinds of music as a kid and my dad was a big jazz fan and i grew up listening to Miles, Coltrane, Cannonball but in 1973/74 I was listening to alot of rock and then I discovered the group Chase. As a young trumpet player I thought I was pretty good and the I heard Bill Chase play....he OWNED his trumpet and while the 3 albums of jazz infused rock didn't stand the test of time like say Blood, Sweat & Tears it did open up my mind that the lines can sometimes be blurred in the hands of the right person. Anyway, Bill Chase died in a plane crash and the lead trumpeter Jay Sollenberger joined Stan Kenton's Big Band and I was like WTF? A year went by and I was invited to study at 1 of the Kenton clinics his band put on each summer and I jumped at the chance to get to study with a guy like Sollenberger. Well, I went, absorbed knowledge like a sponge and discovered i didn't have the commitment to be really great...those guys lived their craft but it in infused in me a lifelong love of jazz and serious music in general. Mr. Kenton was committed to education and while we don't often hear his name mentioned, he almost single handedly kept the big band alive and furthermore, his gifts, guidance and relationship with North Texas State and their jazz program will continue to pay dividends for all of us. There are more working pros come out of that program today than probably any other University anywhere. Their 1 o'clock lab band is the nuts.
