College
I was accepted to the Berklee School of Music in Boston and moved into the dormitory
on Massachusetts Avenue just before Labor Day in 1972. I knew that Buddy Rich got many
of his musicians from Berklee and Boston, and that was a big part of my motivation in
going there. Being placed into the school's accelerated program meant I could finish
the first two years of class in just one, but it meant lots and lots of homework.
Studying saxophone with Joe Viola was an epiphany, and all of my teachers there where
"real world" musicians, including Gary Burton and Phil Wilson. Larry Coryell and Cannonball
Adderly were in for master classes. My dorm mates where nearly all guitarists, which gave
me an advantage as a saxophone player. But what I really learned that year was just how far
it was from the woods of Oregon to the living in the middle of an east coast city. The
culture shock was enormous, and I wasn't prepared for it. It was tough, very tough, and I
didn't return the following year.
In the fall of 1973, I moved in with high school friends Phil Neuman and Paul Paddock and a new acquaintance, Dave Barduhn,
who had attended Roosevelt High in Seattle. I knew of Dave and Roosevelt, because they had a legendary vocal jazz group there
and Dave had been a big part of that. He and I became fast friends, and both of us were very involved with the jazz ensembles,
both instrumental and vocal, at Mt. Hood Community College. Dave was a stalwart Stan
Kenton fan, and the following summer, he and I traveled the country, following the band bus, attending the concerts, and
working at the summer jazz clinics. Dave currently heads the music department at Mt. Hood Community College.
This is a shot of me conducting the Mt. Hood Vocal Jazz Ensemble in one
of my arrangements (Doug Beeler on drums, Steve Christofferson on piano, Jeff Uusitalo on trombone).
The Salvaged Army Band had its genesis at McMinnville Junior High when Phil Neuman discovered some old school band uniforms in the band
storage area. We dug them out and began playing "Bringing in the Sheaves" and "Rock of Ages" in the manner of a run down
charity band. Over time, Phil created many special arrangements for this group, all very tongue-in-cheek, and the band became
a popular fixture at school functions for years. Of course, we caroled at Christmas time, and this shot is from one of our
last caroling tours, which took us from Salem and McMinnville to as far north as Seattle. L to R: Mark Barbour, Joel Johnson,
Paul Paddock, Kay Irvine, Phil Neuman, me, Dave Peck. Paul Paddock designs award winning speakers and speaker systems. Dave
Peck teaches at Cornish College and is an important figure in the Seattle jazz scene.
I was accepted to the Berklee School of Music in Boston and moved into the dormitory
on Massachusetts Avenue just before Labor Day in 1972. I knew that Buddy Rich got many
of his musicians from Berklee and Boston, and that was a big part of my motivation in
going there. Being placed into the school's accelerated program meant I could finish
the first two years of class in just one, but it meant lots and lots of homework.
Studying saxophone with Joe Viola was an epiphany, and all of my teachers there where
"real world" musicians, including Gary Burton and Phil Wilson. Larry Coryell and Cannonball
Adderly were in for master classes. My dorm mates where nearly all guitarists, which gave
me an advantage as a saxophone player. But what I really learned that year was just how far
it was from the woods of Oregon to the living in the middle of an east coast city. The
culture shock was enormous, and I wasn't prepared for it. It was tough, very tough, and I
didn't return the following year.
This is a shot of me conducting the Mt. Hood Vocal Jazz Ensemble in one
of my arrangements (Doug Beeler on drums, Steve Christofferson on piano, Jeff Uusitalo on trombone).
The Salvaged Army Band had its genesis at McMinnville Junior High when Phil Neuman discovered some old school band uniforms in the band
storage area. We dug them out and began playing "Bringing in the Sheaves" and "Rock of Ages" in the manner of a run down
charity band. Over time, Phil created many special arrangements for this group, all very tongue-in-cheek, and the band became
a popular fixture at school functions for years. Of course, we caroled at Christmas time, and this shot is from one of our
last caroling tours, which took us from Salem and McMinnville to as far north as Seattle. L to R: Mark Barbour, Joel Johnson,
Paul Paddock, Kay Irvine, Phil Neuman, me, Dave Peck. Paul Paddock designs award winning speakers and speaker systems. Dave
Peck teaches at Cornish College and is an important figure in the Seattle jazz scene.