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I was born at a very young age!
I owe a lot to my parents, as they were a large
influence in my life, here in 1982 at their summer home.
My Dad was a great musician, and played the sax with many of the famous Big Bands.
That's my Dad on the far right, in the sax section.
We also "jammed" together at a neighbor's home.
I was very lucky to have Dad with me, until he reached 91.
He still had plenty of wind left to blow out the candles on
his 90th birthday. Kurt and I were there to help him celebrate.
While I was in high school, he let me pull out his tenor sax.
That's when I became a "multi-instrumentalist" .
I played trumpet in the high school band ... My good
friend Kurt and I formed a quartet called "The Aristocats".
I played trumpet and tenor ... When Kurt played the vibes, I played bass.
We played quite a few "gigs" ...At the same time I was learning
piano, which later became my major instrument....to this day!
At the same time, Pompano High School was totally rebuilt.
We had a new auditorium that held over 3,000 people!!
Every concert we played was S.R.O. Take a look ...
We were very fortunate to have one of the finest band directors
in the state ... Alan Drake ... now Dr. Alan Drake. We always
ranked the highest in State Competitions. This last year (2006) we had
a formal dinner for him in conjunction with our 45th Class Reunion.
It was held in a very upscale country club, and about 100 graduates
attended, who were all part of the "Golden Tornado Band."
A picture of Dr. Alan Drake when he attended
"Dinner with Drake"
Alan (we can call him that now, after 45 years) always tried to
get the very best from each student in the band. He encouraged
all of us to expand upon our musical talents ... Thus, the next article:
But that's not all ...
Alan allowed me the honor of conducting and playing another original score
for concert band, "Portrait of Love", not just at a high school band concert,
but for..... "The United States Naval School of Music"!
He also was a great influence on my life,
and we continue to keep in touch, after all these years!
While all of this music was going on, I was also competing in tennis tournaments! Yikes!
Click here for Tennis with Dr. Bob Video
My Mom encouraged me to have a formal education with a degree
behind my name, such as a doctor in some field. Sooo, I
became an Optometrist ... Fortunately, she was correct in many ways,
as I still enjoyed playing and composing music while making a nice living.
From 1965 to 1991, I really enjoyed playing
my vintage Steinway B grand piano.....along with
my own recording studio....to record all the great
musicians that dropped by to have a music party!
That's Jaco Pastorius, a great friend and student of mine in 1969. We had many good times,
playing and learning together. It's truly a shame that he died at such an early age.
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http://www.jacopastorius.com/default.asp
There were many others, such as Othello, the great jazz steel drum player,
and Duffy Jackson.....one of the best drummers in the jazz world!
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Duffy Jackson
Othello
Some of my fondest memories where in the mid-80s, when I was invited to play at the
world famous "Musician's Exchange" in Ft. Lauderdale ... Just to have my name
mentioned among some of the finest musicians in the country was wonderful!
There I was, listed among such names such as:
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Kevin Eubanks (The Tonight Show's band leader)
"Dizzy" Gillespie (The ledgendary "Bebop" trumpet man)
Gary Burton (Without a doubt the best vibe player to ever walk this planet)
Check out a quick lesson from Gary Burton: Gary Burton lesson
My good friend Kurt (who also plays vibes) heard Gary play when he
was just 16 ... Kurt said, "I wonder how much I can get for my vibes?"
My best achievement so far!!
My daughter Jeanne and her fine husband Chris ...
Now living in Georgia.
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Contact Dr. Bob at:
TheGreatDoctorBob@yahoo.com
