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I am a native of Tucson, Arizona and received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Trombone Performance in 1989 from the University of Arizona. Following the completion of this degree, I joined the Air Force Band of the Golden West at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California. While there, I played lead trombone in various ensembles to include the big band, the rock band and the concert band. In 1994, I won an audition with The United States Air Force Band of the Rockies, one of two premiere bands within the USAF. (They are now known as the USAF Academy Band.) I played trombone with and, for a time, was Musical Director of the Falconaires Jazz Ensemble in addition to performing as the Head Drum Major with the Ceremonial Band. In 2003, I won an audition for the Ceremonial Brass, an ensemble within The USAF Band Washington DC. That’s where I work now. My music has been featured during performances for the International Association of Jazz Educators conference, the Telluride Jazz Festival, the UNC Jazz Festival, the American Bandmasters Association conference, the Eastern Trombone Workshop and in public concerts across the country. I have two big band CD's of my music, entitled "To the Sky" and "New Horizons" available from the Sea Breeze recording label. The Air Force has included my arrangements and compositions on the following CD's to date: "A Touch of Jobim", "That Long, Long Road" and "Yuletide Treasures" (all by the USAF Academy Band) and "A Holiday Note from Home", recorded by the USAF Airmen of Note. I also have an extensive list of big band compositions and arrangements published with Walrus Music.
This name that I chose for my music company sparks a lot of conversation. Some musicians love it. Some musicians find it offense to the trombone and don't like it much at all. Some non-musicians don't understand it and think there is some sinister meaning to it (see the above comment regarding suicide-cults). Regardless, it is certainly a name that sparks comment, which I suppose is a good thing in the long run. We'll see. After joining the Air Force band career field, I began meeting musicians from all over the country. The consensus so frequently joked about among many was that the trombone was a "Dead Axe". The reason being that the instrument is so rarely used anymore, at least not like it was in the past. For example, many "pay gigs" do "big band" with 3 to 5 saxes, 2 or 3 trumpets and may only use ONE TROMBONE. Ouch!! There goes the middle of the sonic spectrum and the meat of the band. Additionally, because of the challenges of the instrument and it's disappearance off the map, fewer and fewer young music students take up the trombone. I suppose I can't blame them. It's hard to know what to say to young trombone hopefulls. "Hey kids. Work really hard for 10 or 20 years and you just might not absolutely stink at this instrument!!" (Guess that's not the proper educator attitude. Sorry about that.) For years I listened to "Dead Axe"-oriented trombone jokes and heard so many band leaders say things like, "Boy, my band is really great this year, except for my trombone section. They're horrible." So, I decided to join in the fight to keep the trombone alive, to show that it deserves respect and to demonstrate to young musicians that it really can be a cool, exciting instrument that makes the young girls swoon. (Well, at least in our imaginations, it does...) Teachers across the country, like Tom Ervin and Roy Main as well as performers and recording artists like Michael Davis, Steve Turre, Conrad Herwig, Wayne Henderson, Darren Kramer and Robin Eubanks are doing so much to inspire young trombone players and to show everyone how truly wonderful and versatile the instrument is. I'm pleased to join with them in that effort. My goal is to write good solid music that gives the trombone equal time with the other "Golden Child" instruments. Additionally, I want to make CD's that inspire young (and not so young) trombonists as much as I was inspired by the recordings made by people like Dave Steinmeyer, Rick Lillard, Bill Watrous, Carl Fontana and a host of others (see the liner notes from my CD "To the Sky" for a more complete listing of my heroes). As a result, Dead Axe Music was born - my effort to demonstrate that what is sometimes thought of as dead is, in reality, alive and kicking. (Well, I had to have something to do while counting rests instead of ledger lines.) So, I say to the young trombonists, "Stay the course and keep practicing!". To my fellow trombone performers, "Do what you can to inspire everyone around you with your dazzling trombone brilliance!". To my fellow performers who play those "other" instruments, "Lay off the bad trombone jokes. Heck, if anything, we make you all look good. Don't forget, it's easy to play that fast with all those buttons, switches and knobs to push. Big deal." And, lastly, to any music contractors out there, "You're missing out when you don't hire as many trombonists as possible. If anything, WE KNOW ALL THE BEST JOKES!!"
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