I began my musical career at the tender age of 5. My father played the trumpet, so naturally I wanted to. He tells me I was bugging him to play at age 4, but I was too small to hold a cornet. He gave me a mouthpiece and said "When you can play Happy Birthday on the mouthpiece, I'll let you play the cornet." I blew on the mouthpiece for a year. By the time I stuck the mouthpiece into the horn, my chops were pretty well formed. 1966 was the year, and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass were huge then. My father bought the sheet music for their songs, and wrote the fingerings on pieces of cardboard, since I couldn't read music (I couldn't even read words yet!). I would put the LPs on the phonograph and play by ear using just the fingerings, to entire sides of Herb Alpert records in one sitting! In my mind I wasn't practicing, I was just having fun. But that was all I needed. I got into the school music program in 5th grade, and began trying other instruments. I played trombone in the Halloween parade with our marching band my 8th grade year. I arranged the "Hogan's Heroes" theme song, and none of our trombones could play the counter melody, so I stepped in. I picked up guitar my junior year in high school and began transcribing rock guitar solos. I also got into recording myself, trying stuff with reel-to-reel and cassettes. I got a full ride scholarship, and graduated with a Bachelor in Music Performance from Arizona State University in 1985. I helped form the Side Street Strutters Jazz Band while at ASU, and the band became the house jazz band at Disneyland in 1985. In 1997, I picked up the trombone again, and also tap dance. I enjoyed tap dancing so much, I developed a system of notation for tap on a musical staff. I'm in the process of developing a teaching method for it, and will hopefully begin teaching tap dance as a musical instrument soon. My biggest project so far is the recording of Granada, found in my music player. I recorded the song in my bedroom studio. I also wrote the arrangement, and played all the instruments, which include:
4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 3 acoustic guitars, acoustic upright bass, 10 tap dancers and various percussion.
This tune is indicative of the direction I'd like to go with tap dancing in music. Stay tuned!
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