1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk, SA, what's going on? What are you 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: doing in la? He says, I'm playing with Frank Zappos Brandoazoo. 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: He says, By the way, our tuba player, Howard Johnson 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: is moving back to New York. 5 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:12,639 Speaker 2: Do you play tuba, don't you? Tom? 6 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: I said yeah. He says, you want to play with Frank? 7 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: I said sure. So he calls it Frank from the 8 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: hotel room phone. Frank, I know this guy? Yeah, my dad, 9 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: And then his face drops to a frown. He says, well, Frank, 10 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: I've never actually heard him play the tuba, Tom, how 11 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: do you sound on the tuba? So I picked up 12 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: the tuba and played it over the telephone, and Frank 13 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: hired me. 14 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 3: Welcome to the Taking a Walk podcast, where your host 15 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 3: Buzz Night interviews some of the most influential musicians in 16 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 3: music history. If you love this podcast, please share it 17 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 3: with your friends and ask that they subscribe and follow along. Today, 18 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 3: Buzz speaks with Tom Bones Malone. Bones has enjoyed an 19 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 3: illustrious career as a brass player, a composer, and an arranger. 20 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 3: He has left an indelible mark on the music mystery, 21 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 3: working with some of the biggest names in music, likes 22 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 3: James Brown, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa the Band. 23 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 3: He also led the band for SNL and the legendary 24 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 3: Blues Brothers. Let's welcome Bones Malone with Buzz Night. Next 25 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 3: on taking. 26 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 4: A walk, Tom Bones Malone, welcome to take it a walk. 27 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 5: I'm so grateful that you're here. 28 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 2: It's so nice of you to have me. 29 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 4: So can you distill for a beginning musician or a 30 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 4: non musician such as myself, the important disciplines that go 31 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 4: into being successful in your craft. 32 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 2: Well, the secret to my success is practice. 33 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: It's a long story, I'll try to make it brief. 34 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 2: I was born in Honolulu in nineteen forty seven. 35 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: My father was a US Navy pilot Pearl Harbor survivor, 36 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: and so he was in the military until I was 37 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: ten eleven years old, until I was going into sixth grade. 38 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 2: And we did lived a different place. 39 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: Every year, you know, we moved, made new friends every year, 40 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: when a different school every year. Suddenly, when my father retired, 41 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: he bought a farm in the middle of nowhere in 42 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: South Mississippi. Suddenly, you know, in the military we had 43 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,079 Speaker 1: Asian friends, Black friends, Jewish friends, we had every kind 44 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: of and suddenly I'm cast into this racist society and 45 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: I didn't like it. I didn't understand it. It didn't 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: make sense to me. So I thought music was going 47 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 1: to be my escape route. Music was going to take 48 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: me out of the South and send me someplace. So 49 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 1: I practiced four or five hours a day in junior 50 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: high and high school because I knew that was going 51 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: to be my meal ticket. I wanted to move to 52 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: New York and be a professional musician. I bought this 53 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: album by a guy named Irbie Green, who was a 54 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: famous studio musician trombone soloists in New York. I bought 55 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: that when I was about thirteen. It was the only 56 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: record I had. Didn't have a lot of money, but anyway, 57 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: I played along with this record, and if I can 58 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,639 Speaker 1: play this music, if I can play like Herbie Green, 59 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: then I should be able to move to New York. 60 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 2: And eventually I got there. 61 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 4: So it sounds like you were a no plan B person. 62 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 4: This was it, Yeah, this was it. 63 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: I had actually started out on the violin when I 64 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: was five and I played until I was ten. Suddenly 65 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: we're in the middle of the South, Southern Mississippi in 66 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: the middle of nowhere, and there was no there was 67 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: no symphony to play with. So I got a tuba 68 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: and started playing in the marching band. 69 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 2: And then. 70 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: I got a trombone and then a trumpet. And then 71 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: when I'm fourteen, some kids come over to my house. 72 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,119 Speaker 1: This is nineteen sixty and they come over. Some kids 73 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: come over to my house. We're going to start a 74 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: rock and roll band. 75 00:03:58,280 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 2: You want in. 76 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: I'm like, sure, yeah, I want to hang with the 77 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: guys and meet girls. So I got out my trombone 78 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: and they looked at me like I was crazy. 79 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 2: And I said, what's up. 80 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: They said, you don't have trombones and rock and roll bands, 81 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: and that was true in nineteen sixty. So I said, well, 82 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: I want to be in the band. What do I 83 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: have to do? They said, you got to play saxophone. 84 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: So my best friend in high school was there. He 85 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: had an alto sax and a tenor sax. He started 86 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: teaching me how to play tenor sacks right then and there, 87 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: and I was motivated to be in the band. So 88 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: we worked out some song parts that night, and I 89 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: got the finger and chart and I practiced, and a 90 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: month later we're at our first job. So during the 91 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,479 Speaker 1: middle of one of the songs, the leader of the band, 92 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: the lead singer guitar player, lian Zoberman, says, play a 93 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: solo and I'm like, what am I supposed to play? 94 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,799 Speaker 1: Says anything you want? So I jumped in there, and 95 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: I quickly found out that some note cented better than others. 96 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 2: And I'm like, oh, well, what key are we in it? What? Uh? 97 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 2: And what quarter are we playing on? And uh? That 98 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 2: was my beginning of improvisation. 99 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 1: It was kind of like throwing a baby into the 100 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: swimming pool and they'll learn how to swim. 101 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 4: So was that a light bulb moment that sort of 102 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 4: you know, took you on a path where you knew 103 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 4: what your sound was or does your sound evolve constantly? 104 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: Well, it does indeed evolve constantly. I started listening to 105 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: saxophone players, recordings of saxophone players playing in the style 106 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:38,359 Speaker 1: of the music that we played. 107 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 2: Rhythm and blues guys. And that's that's. 108 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: Where a musician learns, is you know, you listen to 109 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,359 Speaker 1: the guys that you want to sound like. 110 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 2: You listen to the people that are setting the pace 111 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 2: on your instrument. 112 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: And then now I'm already playing tuba and trombone and 113 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: trumpet and saxophone. When I got to college, I bought 114 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: a flute, so a cheap flute on the builting board, 115 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: and I had enough money in my pocket. I started 116 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: playing with that rock and roll band, and I played 117 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: with several rock and roll bands when I was in 118 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:09,719 Speaker 1: high school. 119 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 2: I had a unique, unique experience too, that nobody else 120 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:19,119 Speaker 2: had in South Mississippi. When I was seventeen. The farm 121 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 2: we lived on was in a dry county. You couldn't 122 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 2: buy a beer. 123 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: But right over the county line there was a nightclub 124 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: where they sold beer and they had bands. The only 125 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: night I can remember that I ever went out to 126 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: a club with my dad. My dad and his friend. 127 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: His friend was the game warden for the county. They 128 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,279 Speaker 1: took me along with him to this nightclub. Now I 129 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: wasn't old enough to drink, but I went along with 130 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: them and tagged along. There was a back then you 131 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: had white bands and you had black bands, And there 132 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: was a black band playing this club, Terry Leggett and 133 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: the Jewels of Swing. It was an R and B band, 134 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: Rhythm the blues band made up of adults and they 135 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 1: were all quite good, and it kind of blew my 136 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: mind because there were so much better than the high 137 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: school kids I was playing with. 138 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:08,800 Speaker 2: I got a little complex in my head. 139 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: I said, maybe, maybe maybe I'm the wrong color to 140 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: be a really good musician. These guys sounded so good 141 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: they blew my mind. Terry Leggett and the Jewels of 142 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: Swing was the name of the band. Okay, So a 143 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: couple of weeks later, I go into Hattiesburg. That's the 144 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,559 Speaker 1: big town. It's eighteen miles away from where we lived 145 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: on the farm. It was a town of about one 146 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: hundred fifty thousand people, not a big town. 147 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:34,320 Speaker 2: They had a little university there. 148 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: I go into Johnson's Music Store to get my trombone repaired, 149 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: and they have a new repairman. It's Terry Leggett, the 150 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: drummer leader of the band. So we start talking and 151 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: we like all the same music and everything, and I 152 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: told them that I arranged music. I had started arranging 153 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: music when I was thirteen. At home, I heard a 154 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: record and I wanted to know how the notes, what 155 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: notes went together in what order to make that record 156 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: sound like it. So I transcribed it and then I 157 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,559 Speaker 1: found at Johnson's music in the back of Johnson's music. 158 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: One time I found the arrangement published and I was 159 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: able to check my homework and I made about a 160 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: ninety eight on it. So I continued to arrange music. 161 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: So anyway, I told Terry about all the music that 162 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: I liked and that I arranged music, and he said, 163 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: you know, my band could learn these new songs a 164 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: lot faster if we had an arrangement. You want to 165 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: write an arrangement from my band? I said yes, So 166 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: he asked me to write an arrangement of a record 167 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: called Summertime by Billy Stewart, was a big hit on 168 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: R and B radio, and so I wrote it out 169 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:41,520 Speaker 1: and I showed up a rehearsal, loved all the guys, 170 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: hit it off with all the guys in the band, 171 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 1: and so then he asked me to write a arrangement 172 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: another song, went to another rehearsal, just loved hanging out 173 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: with these guys. And then Terry calls me up and 174 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: he says, one of my horn players has to lead 175 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: music for church revival next week. Now, next week was 176 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 1: between Christmas and New Year's He says, you want to 177 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: play with my band? You want to play horn with 178 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: my band. I said, sure, well, I said, where are 179 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 1: we playing? He says, well, just meet me at this 180 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:16,679 Speaker 1: gas station, leave your car there and on the highway, 181 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: and we'll just go with us in the car. We'll 182 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: all go in my Cadillac. And so we drove up 183 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: to Laurel for the first gig. We did five nights 184 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: in a row, including Palmer's Crossing Mississippi on New Year's Eve. Yeah, 185 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 1: trying to remember the name of the club and the 186 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: High Hat Club and Palmer's Crossing Mississippi a history of 187 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 1: civil rights right there. 188 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 2: There was never any trouble. 189 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: The clubs we played in were so far in the 190 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 1: ghetto that there was no white people to cause trouble. 191 00:09:54,760 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: And I realized that racism was completely invented by people. 192 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: It had nothing to do with black people. Everybody treated 193 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 1: me nice. I treated everybody nice, and I learned something. 194 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: It stuck with me for the rest of my life. 195 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: And once again it was motivation for me to get 196 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:15,439 Speaker 1: out of Mississippi because I wanted to play with Stevie 197 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: Wonder and Ray Charnols and James Brown and Pretha Franklin 198 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:20,719 Speaker 1: and all these people. I knew it wasn't going to 199 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: happen at Mississippi, and I did. I got to play 200 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: with little CV Wonder when he was sixteen. I played 201 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: on Funky President James Brown. I played live with James 202 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: Brown for two weeks in New York City, Oh my god. Yeah, 203 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: at the Coke Cabanah for two shows a night for 204 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: six nights, and an R and B club called the 205 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: Cheetah West fifty second Street. It later became Sir Rehearsal Studios, 206 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: but it was a rhythm blues Latin club and played 207 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: there for five nights, two shows a night with James Brown. 208 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 1: The second show started at two thirty am. 209 00:10:58,520 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 2: Yeah. 210 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,080 Speaker 6: By the time the thing was over and he got 211 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 6: paid and packed up, and it was the son was 212 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:03,839 Speaker 6: coming up. 213 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 4: I have to ask you, did you ever get fined 214 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 4: by James Brown for any infractions? 215 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 1: No, but you know you may have heard that if 216 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: he hears a horn player or somebody in the band 217 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,360 Speaker 1: miss a note, especially horn players, he turns around and 218 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,720 Speaker 1: flashes five like that. I mean they mean it's five 219 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: dollars out of your pay. So he never called me 220 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: missing enough, but I was I was prepared. James ran, 221 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: He ran a strict band. He wasn't a loose band 222 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: leader at all, and he knew exactly what he wanted. 223 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: He told people what to play, and he told the 224 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: organ player what to play, to go over and show 225 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: and what to you know, he really invented his own 226 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: style of music. He was quite I was quite impressed 227 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,280 Speaker 1: with him. James Bran Live at the Apollo nineteen sixty 228 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 1: one was a big influence on me. I played in 229 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: a band in Mississippi, a high school band in Mississippi 230 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: that played well, we were actually college, but we played 231 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,240 Speaker 1: the first side of that album, all five songs. 232 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 5: It's amazing. So back to Stevie Wonder. 233 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 4: You knew of Stevie Wonder, certainly you had aspirations to 234 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 4: play with Stevie Wonder. But what was your reaction when 235 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,720 Speaker 4: then you first, you know, were in the presence of 236 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 4: Stevie Wonder and you saw it was even further magical 237 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 4: than the music that you were listening to. 238 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: Well, I went to school my first two years of college. 239 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: I went to University of Southern Mississippi. That was a 240 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: little town at Hattisburg. It was eighteen miles away. Started 241 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,839 Speaker 1: out as a major in music. Took them of course 242 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: called music theory one oh one, where they explained the 243 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: relationship of the notes. So I answered all the questions 244 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: for the first two weeks. Teacher takes me out in 245 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: the hall. He says, you don't have to come to 246 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: class anymore. He says, you already know all this stuff. 247 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 2: You know. 248 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: I had taught myself this, all this stuff, and so 249 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: I changed my major to psychology. I ended up getting 250 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: a degree in psychology, went to Southern Mississippi for two years. 251 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,199 Speaker 2: I played, I played and arranged that played. 252 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: Solos with the Big band, the Big Jazz Band at 253 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: Southern miss We went to the Mobile Jazz Festival in 254 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: the spring of nineteen sixty seven. I wrote some arrangements, 255 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: played some solos. I meet Lou Marini from. 256 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 2: North Texas State. He's with North Texas State, and he wrote. 257 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: Some arrangements and played some solos, and we met each 258 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 1: other and heard each other play, and Lou says, man, 259 00:13:33,559 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 1: you should really move to North Texas next year. You 260 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: should really, you should really transfer to North Texas next year. 261 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 2: So I did. 262 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: Went out on the road with Lee Castle and the 263 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: Jimmy Dorsey Band for the summer. Made enough money to 264 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: pay a couple of months rent and first first first tuition, 265 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: first semester or port or whatever it was. For semester's 266 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:59,320 Speaker 1: tuition in North Texas, I had started contracting. I played 267 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: a job when I was in Mississippi. I played a job, 268 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: a big band job with Warren Cummington and the Tommy 269 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 1: Dorsey band. Now this was a one nighter. Warren flies 270 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: in from New York to Biloxi, Mississippi, as he has 271 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: a local contractor from Jackson, Mississippi who hired me. He 272 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 1: shows up and he passes out the music and hands 273 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,320 Speaker 1: out the He brings the jackets and the bow ties 274 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: that you're supposed to wear, and he counts off the 275 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 1: songs and you have to be able to sight read 276 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: to do this type of job. So after the job's over, 277 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: Warren pulls me over and he says, the contract that 278 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: had hired me was one of the trombone players. Warren 279 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: pulls me over and he says, this old guy on 280 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: the trombone can't play. And he used a four letter 281 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: word and starting with this, and he says, I like 282 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: the way you sound, kid. He said, I'll bet next 283 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: time I come down to this part of the world, 284 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: you could get a band from me. Right, a good band. 285 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,720 Speaker 1: I said, yes, sir, gave him my business card. I 286 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: always had a business card because I knew that would 287 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: open doors for me. So next time Warren came to 288 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 1: that part of the world, it was down south of 289 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: New Orleans, down where they grow the red sauce, Avery Island, 290 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: where they make Tabasco red sauce. I got him a 291 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: great band and he loved it. Next thing, you know, 292 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: I moved to North Texas State. So I called Warren 293 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 1: and said I'm in Denton, Texas now at North Texas State. 294 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: He says, great, you'll be my contractor. 295 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 2: Okay. 296 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,320 Speaker 6: So, and he gave my name to everybody in New York, 297 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 6: you know, the contractor for the Glon Millar and you 298 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 6: know every big man that was doing this kind of 299 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 6: one night or stuff. 300 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 2: And there was quite a few. 301 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: So I was able to put myself through college by 302 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: contracting gigs and playing on these gigs. After doing this 303 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: for a period of time, somebody gave my name to Motown. 304 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: They asked me to contract a horn section for the 305 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: Supremes and the Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips three 306 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: night tour, and they brought a rhythm section from Detroit. 307 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: So I hired eleven players, and it blew my mind. 308 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 1: Changed the rest of my life. 309 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 2: The Original Temptations, the Original Supremes. 310 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: So the next time Motown called me, we have two 311 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 1: gigs with little Stevie Wonder and Albert Kerque and El Paso. 312 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: Can you get a horn section for us. We're bringing 313 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:36,080 Speaker 1: a rhythm section from Detroit. So I went out there 314 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 1: and immediately hit it off with Stevie Wonder. He just 315 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: took me in. He says. At the time he was 316 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: only recording songs that were written by Motown staff writers. 317 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: So he says, man, I'm writing my own songs. 318 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 2: You want to hear some. 319 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 6: He had a nice cassette portable cassette recorder and some 320 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 6: nice headphones. 321 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: I said sure. So I listened to this music. Blew 322 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: my mind, I said. Stevie who played on this? 323 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 6: He says, I played everything drums, bass, guitar, piano, organ, 324 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 6: and all the vocals. 325 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 2: Years later that. 326 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: Music came out, I think it was called Talking Book 327 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: around nineteen seventy six. Some of those same original songs 328 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: Boom and We're big, big hits. But anyway, I got 329 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: to play with Stevie on many occasions during my career 330 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: and he always remembered me. I'd say, Stevie, it's Tom 331 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: the trumpet player from Albuquerque, and he was, oh, yeah, man, 332 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: how you doing. What's he been up to? You know, 333 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:37,479 Speaker 1: we just right back where we left off on Saturday 334 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: Night Live, The Letterman Show. I remember we did a 335 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 1: TV special called Save of the Music in Washington. He 336 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: was a fund raiser for kids didn't need instruments. So 337 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 1: Stevie's on keyboard recording his song this Christmas. He wasn't 338 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: actually singing the song. Some girl singer was singing the song, 339 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 1: but he was in the band and he's so he's 340 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: at the keyboard and it's a pre recorded TV show, 341 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: so that the director says, band, take a break, but 342 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: don't go anywhere. Stay in place. We're going to change 343 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,719 Speaker 1: the lighting a little bit. So they changed the lighting. Well, 344 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,879 Speaker 1: they're changing lighting. Stebee starts playing Giant Steps, which is 345 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 1: a complex jazz song bad and then he starts improvising 346 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: on it. You know, it's a complex song, and he's 347 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: literally he's all over it. And middle of his solo, 348 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: the director says, cut going back to work, guys, But 349 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,719 Speaker 1: you know, you don't think of Stevie wonder as being 350 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: able to play complex jazz like that. The guy, you know, 351 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:44,119 Speaker 1: he's the musical genius. So anyway, Yeah, I played with 352 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 1: him on on Saturday Night Live, played with him on Letterman. 353 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: The last time I saw him was in two thousand 354 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:51,920 Speaker 1: and fifteen. 355 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 6: I arranged a song called I Wish for the Letterman 356 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:57,840 Speaker 6: Band backed up Stevie. 357 00:18:57,920 --> 00:18:58,680 Speaker 2: It's on YouTube. 358 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,640 Speaker 1: Ran into Stevie and the Elevator and I said, Stevie, 359 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: it's Tom the trumpet player from Albert Quirky and he says, 360 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 1: it's nice to see you. 361 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:10,720 Speaker 2: I'd love that. 362 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 5: Oh my god. 363 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 4: Okay, I have to ask you your time with Miles Davis. 364 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 5: What was that like? 365 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 2: The first one was. 366 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,639 Speaker 1: Nineteen eighty three Gil Evans and Miles Davis too of Japan, 367 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: and it wasn't what you thought it would be. You 368 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,360 Speaker 1: would think it would be Gil Evans accompanying Miles Davis. 369 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: It actually was Miles Davis was the opening act with 370 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: his own band, and then the Gil Evans band would 371 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: come on after that, and Miles Davis say says, I'm 372 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 1: not following Gil Evans. You know, we had multiple synthesizers, 373 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: multiple tubas, we had it was a very sort of 374 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: powerful sound. Miles was still playing quite well. I had 375 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: a really good band, you know, just smaller band and 376 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: are more subtle. Music is more subtle than what Gil 377 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: Evans was doing. But and and Miles was. He was 378 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:04,399 Speaker 1: really rough on the guys in his band, you know, 379 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 1: he was always giving him a hard time. But he 380 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,679 Speaker 1: was off drugs. His girlfriend on the road was Cecily Tyson. 381 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: But here in his band play every night, was was inspirational. 382 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 3: Uh. 383 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: You know, in spite of his personality, you know, the 384 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:24,199 Speaker 1: music was always uh uh. You know, Miles had a 385 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 1: long career and he didn't play the same old tired 386 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: music the whole career. He changed the style of his 387 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:32,159 Speaker 1: band to you know, he updated the style of his 388 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 1: band to update with the trend of music. You know, 389 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: he made drastic changes in the style of his band. 390 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: When he added Herbie Hancock to the band, Miles Ahead, 391 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,879 Speaker 1: Suddenly you know, it's a whole new sound. And you know, 392 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: he kept up kept up the interest of his fans 393 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,800 Speaker 1: for an awful long time. I have all of Miles Davis' recordings, 394 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: and you know, I've learned a lot from not only. 395 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,639 Speaker 6: Listening to him, but listening from the musicians that he 396 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 6: now Sometimes, if you notice the way Miles play is 397 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 6: it's pretty much the. 398 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: Same, but when he changes the background to a rock background, 399 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: it changes the effect of what he's playing, even though 400 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,199 Speaker 1: what he's playing is pretty much the same. You know, 401 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: it's the background that makes it changes the style of 402 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,360 Speaker 1: whatever's going on. I also played on the last recording 403 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: with Miles Davis in Montreux. 404 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 6: In nineteen ninety one, Miles Davis and Quincy Jones fifty 405 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 6: eight piece Orchestra. It was three big bands that happened 406 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 6: to be there. I was on the road with Gil 407 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 6: Evans at the time. There were three big bands and 408 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 6: they also got some woodwind players from the Zor Symphony. 409 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 6: And Miles died about three weeks after That was Miles 410 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 6: Davis's last recording. 411 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:50,560 Speaker 3: We'll be right back with more of the Taking a 412 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 3: Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. 413 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 5: And then another incredibly unique meeting. 414 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 4: Of the minds that you were part of, your genius 415 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:08,439 Speaker 4: and Frank Zappa's genius. 416 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 5: Can you talk about that? 417 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: So I moved to New York in nineteen seventy. In 418 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,400 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy one, Lou Marini moves to New York. He's 419 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,399 Speaker 1: already got a job. He's playing with Doc Severanson's weekend band. 420 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,959 Speaker 1: Doc Severson in nineteen seventy one was leading the Big Man, 421 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: that Johnny Carson Show in New York. The weekend band 422 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:31,639 Speaker 1: was a separate band, even though there was a few 423 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: guys from Doc Severanson's big band at Shaughnessey, John B. Williams, 424 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 1: Ross Tompkins, Snooky Young. It was a few guys, yeah, 425 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 1: a few guys. It was six horns and four rhythm. 426 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,919 Speaker 1: We played every Saturday and Sunday. We just went to 427 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: the airport, flew wherever. But we worked every Saturday and Sunday. 428 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,199 Speaker 1: It paid two hundred and fifty dollars a gig too, 429 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: which was a lot of money in nineteen seventy one, 430 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: and there was about five six girl and boy singer 431 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,160 Speaker 1: dancers playing pop music of the time. 432 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:06,920 Speaker 2: Doc would come out and play a bravado trumpet solo 433 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:10,120 Speaker 2: every other tune and then go change outfits. 434 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: So during that year, in nineteen seventy one, the Tonight 435 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: Show with Johnny Carson moves to Los Angeles. The weekend 436 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 1: band keeps going. We just go to the airport and 437 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,840 Speaker 1: we fly wherever it is. Suki Young was inspiring. He 438 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: never missed a note. He was the nicest guy. He 439 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: played trumpet with Fletcher Henderson in nineteen thirty nine. So 440 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 1: the Tonight Show moves to LA. So one night we 441 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: find ourselves the weekend band. We find ourselves the guest 442 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:43,160 Speaker 1: music on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at Los 443 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 1: Angeles and we play only the beginnings by Chicago. So 444 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: I play at trombone solo on National TV. We go 445 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: back to the hotel and the Loumrini and I are roommates. 446 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: This trumpet player from North Texas that we had gone 447 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: to school with named Sal Marquez. He was in Branford's 448 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,359 Speaker 1: band on The Tonight Show was a Jay Leno. 449 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 2: I'm trying to remember. 450 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, anyway, Sal, this is before any of that happened. 451 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: Sal comes over to the room to hang out with us. 452 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 1: We haven't seen him in four or five years. So Sal, 453 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:18,640 Speaker 1: what's going on? What are you doing in La? He says, 454 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: I'm playing with Frank Zappa's Grand Wazoo. I said, what 455 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,679 Speaker 1: the hell is that? He says, It's a twenty piece 456 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: all electric instrumental band. Every instrument has an electric pickup 457 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 1: on it, and there's no vocals. It's all instrumental music. 458 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,640 Speaker 1: He says, By the way, our tuba player, Howard Johnson 459 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,120 Speaker 1: is moving back to New York. 460 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 2: We're looking for a tuba player. Do you know anybody 461 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 2: who plays tuba? 462 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,639 Speaker 1: About that time, he trips over the tuba that's on 463 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,399 Speaker 1: the floor in my hotel room and he says, you 464 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: played tuba. 465 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 2: Don't you? Tom? 466 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 1: I said yeah. He says, you want to play with Frank. 467 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 1: I said sure. So he calls it Frank from the 468 00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: hotel room phone. Frank, I know this guy, Yeah, my dad, 469 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: And then his face drops to frown. He says, well, 470 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:02,479 Speaker 1: I've never actually heard him play the tuba, Tom, how 471 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:04,359 Speaker 1: do you sound on the tuba? So I picked up 472 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: the tuba and played it over the telephone, and Frank 473 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: hired me. 474 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 2: I just improvised some jazz. 475 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: The next day, Lou and I and Sal go over 476 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: to Frank's house way up on the top of Laurel Canyon, 477 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,880 Speaker 1: Mulholland right near there Woodrow Wilson, it was called. So 478 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: we're hanging out and Frank says, Sal tells me you 479 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:27,879 Speaker 1: play some other instruments besides the tube, and I said yeah, 480 00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: So he says, give me a list. So I put 481 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:39,199 Speaker 1: down based trombone, trombone, trumpet, flugel horn, piccolo, trumpet, tenor, sacks, 482 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,199 Speaker 1: flute and piccolo. Two weeks later he had rehearsals on 483 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: Tuesday and Thursday. 484 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 2: For two weeks. 485 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 1: I was in at the Sands in Las Vegas with 486 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: Doc Evers' weekend band. So I commuted into La from 487 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 1: Las Vegas, in and out on Tuesday and Thursday for 488 00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,919 Speaker 1: two weeks to make the rehearsals. 489 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 2: I show up for the first rehearsal. 490 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,280 Speaker 1: Frank has rearranged all his music for the Grand Wazoo, 491 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 1: so I have a part on every instrument. Yeah, so 492 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 1: that made it quite interesting. So we rehere's the band. 493 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: We played the Hollywood Bowl was our first game, and 494 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,360 Speaker 1: then we went to Europe. And on the way back 495 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: from Europe, I think it was we played Boston Symphony Hall, 496 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: but we played Rotterdam. 497 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:28,640 Speaker 2: We played West then all over the place. Yeah. 498 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,439 Speaker 1: It was just really interesting music and it was interesting 499 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:34,159 Speaker 1: to work with Frank who because Frank he ran a 500 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:37,960 Speaker 1: tight ship. There was no fooling around his rehearsals. He 501 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: his way of getting your attention psychologically. I have a 502 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 1: degree in psychology. His psychological method was he would write 503 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: something for you that you had to take home and practice. 504 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:51,399 Speaker 2: It wasn't you didn't just show up and play the 505 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:53,600 Speaker 2: music and oh oh oh you. 506 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: No, he'd write something that you had early, and when 507 00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: you come into the next rehearsal, you'd be on the 508 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: on the edge of your seat ready to play this part. 509 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:03,679 Speaker 2: We did. 510 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,199 Speaker 1: So we did the tour and then Frank decides to 511 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: do the next tour with a twelve piece band called 512 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 1: the Mothers of Invention. And he said, cut down version 513 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,400 Speaker 1: of the band he had before, and he starts throwing 514 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 1: some vocals back into the show. So we do, We rehearse, 515 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:22,479 Speaker 1: We do the twelve piece tour of the United States, 516 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 1: and then we come back and then he cuts the 517 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: band down to ten pieces for the next tour, Mothers 518 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: of Invention. This is still nineteen seventy two. So we rehearse, 519 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:33,679 Speaker 1: We go on a tour in the United States for 520 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: several weeks, we come back. Frank says, next tour is 521 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 1: going to be a six piece band and we're only 522 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: going to have one horn, and it's going to be 523 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:45,400 Speaker 1: Bruce Fowler. He's my dear friend from North Texas State, 524 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:49,159 Speaker 1: unbelievable trombone player. We're still friends, still hanging out. He 525 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:53,160 Speaker 1: lives out here in La. I said cool. Frank says, 526 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 1: Bruce tells me you play electric bass. I said yeah. 527 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:00,400 Speaker 1: He says, you want to audition for the tour as 528 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,440 Speaker 1: the bass player. I said sure. So I went over 529 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: to his house to audition, and Ralph Humphreys was there 530 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 1: on drums. George Duke was there at Vienna. 531 00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. So I thought it sounded pretty good. 532 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: You know, there was the music was hard, but I 533 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: thought it sounded really good and felt good about myself. 534 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,679 Speaker 1: So a couple of weeks go by, nothing from Frank. 535 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: I hear through the grapevine. He's auditioning other people, people 536 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: who played with him before, people who sing and play. 537 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:34,400 Speaker 2: So a couple of weeks go by. 538 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,640 Speaker 1: I call Frank, leave a message on his phone. Frank, 539 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: it's Tom. Let me know what's going on. Another week 540 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: goes by. I'm sitting around La with no gig. I 541 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: got a call from Lou sol Off in New York. 542 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:50,960 Speaker 1: He says, Chuck Winfield our other trumpet players leaving blood, 543 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:53,480 Speaker 1: sweat and tears. You want a job, can you be 544 00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: in New York tomorrow. I said sure, So I gave 545 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 1: away my car, checked what I needed on the plane, 546 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 1: threw everything else away, and moved to New York. 547 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:04,040 Speaker 3: Just like that. 548 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,360 Speaker 1: Day after I left, Frank calls to say I had 549 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: the job playing electric bass with Sean mccanti George Duke 550 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:14,960 Speaker 1: on three tours of Europe and a tour of Japan 551 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: for double the money, double the money that Blood Sweat 552 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 1: and Tears is to me. I was already in Dallas 553 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: playing trumpet with Blood, Sweat and Tears. So I recommended 554 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: Tom Fowler, who was Bruce Fowler's brother, a very competent 555 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: bass player, and he played with Frank for several years. 556 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 1: Sounded great. Frank loved him, so you know, I covered 557 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: my tracks. Frank called me. He said, we're going to 558 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 1: do a five nights in New York. Can you get 559 00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 1: a horn section. 560 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 2: Together for me. We did an album called Zappa in 561 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 2: New York. 562 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: I think it was nineteen seventy eight, and I got 563 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 1: Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, and Ronnie Kuber baritone sacks. Yeah, 564 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 1: and it's with Terry Bozzio on drums. 565 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,040 Speaker 2: I did some of the Horner rangements for that too. 566 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 1: And that's an album worth listening to. I played piccolo 567 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 1: on the Black Page. Break wrote a song called the 568 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:15,960 Speaker 1: Black Page. And you know, a lot of his songs 569 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: had a story behind them. The story of the Black 570 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 1: Page was that a guy moves to New York or 571 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 1: LA anyway. Guy moves to New York out of college 572 00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: and he wants to be a studio musician. 573 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 2: He's meeting people and. 574 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: Handing out business cards and one day he gets called 575 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 1: for a recording session. So he's on the subway and 576 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:37,360 Speaker 1: he's on his way to the session and he's thinking 577 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,320 Speaker 1: to himself, Wow, man, this is my first recording session. 578 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm in the big time now. And then 579 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 1: he has this little doubtful thought that goes across his mind. 580 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:48,880 Speaker 1: What if the music's so hard I can't play it. 581 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 1: So the guy shows up at the recording session and 582 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:54,880 Speaker 1: it's all whole notes. 583 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:56,440 Speaker 2: You know, he gets out of his horn and plays, 584 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 2: Oh this is great. Okay. 585 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:01,640 Speaker 1: Thirty years later, the guys living over in New Jersey 586 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: drives in and is a nice sports car. 587 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 2: He knows all the guys. 588 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:08,640 Speaker 1: It's a session, you know, it's a contractor and all 589 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:11,840 Speaker 1: the different people they hand out the music and it's 590 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: the black Page and he can't play it. 591 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 2: That's the story. That's Frank's story about the black Page. 592 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 2: That's incredible. My god. 593 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 5: So you had a lot of history with one of 594 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 5: my favorites, the band, and. 595 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:33,640 Speaker 4: I think actually one of those stories that I'm going 596 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 4: to ask you about, I think I even was there 597 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 4: in person. You were with the band when they played 598 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:41,200 Speaker 4: the Academy of Music in New York. 599 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 5: Is that correct for the Rock of Ages? 600 00:31:43,920 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, when I met I started in the band 601 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 1: at Saturday Night Live October tenth, nineteen seventy five, and 602 00:31:55,080 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: I was a musician arranger for the show for ten 603 00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,200 Speaker 1: years seventy five to eighty five, and I was actually 604 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 1: the music director from eighty one to eighty five. That's 605 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Martin Short, Billy Crystal nineteen, Spring 606 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: of nineteen seventy six. The band comes on the show 607 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:13,960 Speaker 1: and I was a big fan of theirs and then 608 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: music director. I was the arranger for the show too, 609 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 1: and the music director asked me to write three horn 610 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:22,720 Speaker 1: arrangements for the band, so I wrote out to I 611 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 1: wrote to these arrangements and they fell in love with 612 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,320 Speaker 1: me and they took me on the road with them 613 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:29,520 Speaker 1: in the summer. You know, Saturday Night Live had three 614 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: four months off in the middle of the summer, so 615 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: I went on the road with the band in the 616 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: summer of seventy six. We played some huge concerts, Oh 617 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 1: my God, yeah and Thanksgiving nineteen seventy six. After the tour, 618 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: they asked me to be at a big concert that 619 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,320 Speaker 1: was shot by Martine Sase called The Last Waltz. They 620 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:54,000 Speaker 1: had all these incredible guest artists, you know, Eric Clapton and. 621 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,760 Speaker 2: B. B. King and on and on. 622 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:05,320 Speaker 4: Justy Mitchell and Tony Mitchell, Yeah, that Neil Young, Yeah. 623 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,840 Speaker 2: Just all these people doing those songs. 624 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 4: Van Morrison, I mean it goes on and it's like 625 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 4: your it's like your resume goes. 626 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 2: On and on. You know. 627 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: Well Van Morrison actually brought his own band, but our 628 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: horn section played with him. But Van Morrison was He 629 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,040 Speaker 1: was on fire that night. He might have been the. 630 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 2: Best thing in the whole on the whole show. 631 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: There's a few shots in that movie where they they 632 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:29,479 Speaker 1: completely redid them in Hollywood studios. You know, you can 633 00:33:29,480 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 1: tell the real footage from the real concert. There's a 634 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:34,760 Speaker 1: kind of smoke in the background and you see Rody 635 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:38,560 Speaker 1: sitting on top of roadcases in the background. But they 636 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: actually completely redid a lot of this stuff. All the 637 00:33:41,640 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: music was re recorded, all the vocals, all the instrumentals, 638 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: orange everything, everything was re recorded except Levan refused to 639 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:55,440 Speaker 1: re record his drums for his vocals. Now his his 640 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 1: vocals sounded good to me. They were always perfect far 641 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,800 Speaker 1: as I was concerned. Anyway, that was a very memorable night. 642 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:06,320 Speaker 1: I've done several anniversary concerts. I've got one coming up 643 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,680 Speaker 1: for the fiftieth anniversary. I've got one concert coming up 644 00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:11,759 Speaker 1: in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a couple of nights in January. 645 00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 2: And we did one of Muscle shoals on the fortieth anniversary. 646 00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:15,919 Speaker 2: And you know, they. 647 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:20,520 Speaker 1: Keep people keep redoing that. There's a band called chess Fever, 648 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: a five piece band that's touring around and I did 649 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,840 Speaker 1: a big concert with them in Massy Hall. They augmented 650 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:33,800 Speaker 1: Massy Hall in Toronto. That was last November. They instead 651 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: of just the five piece band, and the five piece 652 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,760 Speaker 1: ban is incredible. It's two keyboard players, drums, bass, guitar. 653 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 5: That's Daniel's Servantes band, right, chess Fever. The artist named 654 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:47,160 Speaker 5: Daniel Servantes. 655 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:50,600 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, and they're they're but they're all great. 656 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,759 Speaker 1: They also everybody sings and for this big concert in 657 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:57,160 Speaker 1: Massy Hall and Toronto, they they had a guest artist 658 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 1: for almost every song and they were mostly well known 659 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:02,640 Speaker 1: Canadian artists. 660 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 2: But uh, it was an incredible concert. Loumarini came up 661 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 2: for that too. Uh. 662 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 1: I always loved the band, always loved all their music. 663 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 1: After the after the last waltz, Levon Helm forms a 664 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 1: band called Levon Helm and the r CEO All Stars. 665 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: It was indeed an all star band. It was Paul 666 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 1: Butterfield on harmonica, Doctor John on piano, Booker T. Jones, Booker, 667 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: T v EMGs on Oregon Duck Dun, Steve Cropper on 668 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,960 Speaker 1: guitar and bass horn, section, Alan Ruman, Lomarini, myself, and 669 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 1: Howard Johnson on baritone. 670 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:40,319 Speaker 2: So uh, we did a. 671 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:42,920 Speaker 1: Couple of albums and we did two of Japan. We 672 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:44,879 Speaker 1: did a few gigs in the United States, not too many, 673 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:50,040 Speaker 1: but that was a really fun experience toos. And then 674 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:54,520 Speaker 1: after after Levon's band broke up, I still continued to 675 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 1: record and do horner arrangements for the band albums. You know, 676 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:02,360 Speaker 1: there was only Richard Manuel passed away, so there's basically 677 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:06,600 Speaker 1: three guys left, but we still continue to do albums 678 00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: by the band. It wasn't quite the same without all 679 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 1: five guys, but we continue to do those. 680 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 2: Aaron Hurwitz, Professor Louie. 681 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 1: Up in Woodstock was produced those records and I arranged 682 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:18,760 Speaker 1: the horns on them. 683 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:20,840 Speaker 2: Some of the songs I played the whole horn section. 684 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,960 Speaker 4: So I have to close with what are you working 685 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 4: on new that you want to share? Maybe because I 686 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 4: know you're always busy, You're always your mind's always working. 687 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,000 Speaker 4: You've got such an amazing resume. What are you adding 688 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:35,760 Speaker 4: to the resume? 689 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:36,120 Speaker 5: Sir? 690 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:41,920 Speaker 1: Well, I've got a couple of things going on. I'm 691 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: writing a book working title his name Dropper. Because I've 692 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:47,400 Speaker 1: played with everybody in the business at one point or another. 693 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:51,320 Speaker 1: I've got one hundred chapters written so far. I'm recording 694 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:53,839 Speaker 1: a big band album by myself at my house because 695 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:54,920 Speaker 1: I play all the instruments. 696 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,760 Speaker 2: I've got about seven songs done for that album project. 697 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:03,880 Speaker 1: And I'm playing with Dan Akrod and Jim Belushi Blues 698 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 1: Brothers band. They have a band out of la Akroyd 699 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: and I are the only original members in the band. 700 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:12,239 Speaker 1: But there's no shortage of great musicians in la as 701 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:15,399 Speaker 1: you might know. So, I mean, it's an incredible band 702 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,759 Speaker 1: if you ever get the opportunity to hear them. I 703 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:21,040 Speaker 1: know we're playing in Dallas on October seventeenth, and I 704 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 1: also do some other little gigs around with Lou Marini 705 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:26,120 Speaker 1: and Frank Green. 706 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:28,040 Speaker 2: Frank Green is a trumpet player that was on The 707 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:29,640 Speaker 2: Letterman Show for the last six years. 708 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:32,640 Speaker 1: He's currently the lee trumpet with the Count Basie Orchestra, 709 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:34,839 Speaker 1: which is kind of a part time job. 710 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:36,719 Speaker 2: They go out every three or four weeks for three 711 00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:37,360 Speaker 2: or four days. 712 00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 1: They did in Japan recently in the Las Vegas, but 713 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: incredible trumpet player. So the three of us are a 714 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:48,160 Speaker 1: horn section on several little VIP gigs here with various bands. 715 00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:52,600 Speaker 1: So I'm still out here doing stuff, trying to reinvent 716 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:53,840 Speaker 1: myself at seventy seven. 717 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:56,720 Speaker 5: Oh man, Okay, one last question, and. 718 00:37:56,840 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 4: I promise you, is there anybody that you said no 719 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 4: to that you maybe wish you said yes to working with? 720 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:09,839 Speaker 1: Well, I have all of Frank Sinatra's albums and I've 721 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: studied every arrangement. You know, he had all the best 722 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:16,560 Speaker 1: the best arrangers in the business. And oh, that's another 723 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,240 Speaker 1: thing I've been working on too. I have a pops 724 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:23,319 Speaker 1: orchestra act orchestral pop hits of the twentieth century. It's 725 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:30,000 Speaker 1: stuff like Georgia on my Mind, Unforgettable, MacArthur Park, I 726 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:34,360 Speaker 1: Bet You by Golly Wow, Kashmere, all kinds of stuff 727 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,239 Speaker 1: like that. I've done a few concerts so far. It's 728 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:40,440 Speaker 1: as sixteen arrangements for full orchestra and rhythm section. I 729 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 1: just played the melody to these beautiful songs. And the 730 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: biggest concert was at Murchison Performing Arts Center and did 731 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,760 Speaker 1: Texas where North Texas State is. And at the party 732 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:53,960 Speaker 1: after the lady older lady comes up to me and 733 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:55,040 Speaker 1: say she enjoyed the music. 734 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:56,520 Speaker 2: I said, well, thank you. 735 00:38:55,960 --> 00:39:00,279 Speaker 6: Did you recognize did you recognize any of the songs? 736 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:03,719 Speaker 1: She says, I knew the lyrics to every song, So 737 00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:06,239 Speaker 1: that's kind of the audience I'm trying to reach with 738 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:08,560 Speaker 1: this music. So that's another project I have going on, 739 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,480 Speaker 1: and I'm working on making a good sophisticated demo to 740 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:16,640 Speaker 1: promote that part of my career. But yeah, Frank Sinatra, 741 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: I have all of his albums. I've studied all of 742 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,600 Speaker 1: his arrangements. And when I was in New York. I 743 00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:24,560 Speaker 1: was in New York City for fifty two years and 744 00:39:24,719 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: I got called to play with him in Atlantic City. 745 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:29,319 Speaker 1: I had another job, so I had to turn down 746 00:39:29,719 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 1: Frank Sinatra. Three or four years later he's gone, and 747 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:37,799 Speaker 1: so that's that's the name. 748 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:42,000 Speaker 2: I can't draw, you know. 749 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,360 Speaker 4: The subtitle of Taking a Walk is music History on Foot, 750 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:50,600 Speaker 4: and you are, sir, music history. It's an honor to 751 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,920 Speaker 4: speak with Tom bones Malone on Taking a Walk. 752 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:55,160 Speaker 5: Thank you so much, sir. 753 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,600 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for inviting me on your show. 754 00:39:58,640 --> 00:39:59,960 Speaker 2: It was really a pleasure to talk. 755 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:03,799 Speaker 3: To Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking 756 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:07,399 Speaker 3: a Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your 757 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:10,560 Speaker 3: friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. 758 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:15,359 Speaker 3: Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 759 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,879 Speaker 3: and wherever you get your podcasts.