Me and King James

Quite often I post on Facebook about not only my 50-year love of the music of Chicago (the group has been around for 56 years, but I only became aware of them in 1973) but specifically just how much the writing and trombone playing — along with the electric stage persona) of Jimmy Pankow has been an influence on my personal style — both as a trombonist and a writer. Upon seeing them again on Tuesday (5/9/23) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and spending some time backstage with Ray Herrmann, Lee Loughnane, and the man himself, Jimmy Pankow, I was reminded once again of just how important this musical entourage, and specifically James is in my life.

In the early 1970s, a deeply eclectic offering of music was available to everyone in my community in Hattiesburg, Mississippi via the all-inclusive AM and FM radio stations of the day. While there were indeed “pay for play” scandals here-and-there, the DJs and program directors chose things that THEY thought was cool in multiple genres and disciplines and put it ALL on the air. The biz hadn’t become so style-name specific in those days (creating isolated “brand” specific silos as is the case currently), so a typical day of programming would include what we would now describe as rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, funk, heavy metal, prog rock, and more. Because of this wide-open gumbo of groove goodness, I was exposed to CTA, and soon thereafter hooked for life on the entire Chicago experience.

In those days, (the early 1970s) I was just starting out in my education as a musician with trombone as my voice of choice. When I was presented with the “rock band with horns” and told that it was the “hippest and newest thing” by the radio powers-that-be, I took notice BIG TIME” Here was sticky, catchy, grooving rocked out fare with a Beatles kind of ancestry…but the overall texture was TROMBONE! What-WHAT?!

Just as important as the wonderful voices of Robert, Peter, and Terry, Danny’s solid jazz-tinged drumming, and Terry’s EPIC guitar playing was a horn section with a prominent trombone mix! The music was intricate, timely, creative, and recorded with an obviously high level of craft. The whole thing imprinted on my heart and soul INSTANTLY! I bought every LP when it came out and spent hours basking in each one learning every note of every track while playing along with King James. Glorious!

But what I was really reminded of at the concert this week was Jimmy’s SOUND. He has two very distinct and iconic sounds that have become the heart and soul of my own approach: his horn writing, and his trombone playing. In the realm of his horn writing, at an impossibly young age, he created a new sound. And that was right when I started to pick up on it and followed its development all the way up to the present day. Not only did he write in such a way that the trombone took precedence, but his voicings were like nothing else on the radio, and highly effective (the iconic #9 sound spelled out 3, #9, b7 being one of my favorites) When you add to that mix his fat, bold, loud, pure trombone sound you really have something…in fact you have something that has influenced countless trombonists ever since. And it was on full display and sounding better than ever last Tuesday. In fact, the band Chicago just released their 36th album and sound better than they EVER have! Truly, the best live show on the road right now.

I mentioned this to James in Milwaukee in this way: “I was reminded of when we would end a tour with Maynard Ferguson and go home for the break between tours. We would play with some wonderful local trumpet player and think: wow, he sounds as good as Maynard! Only to return back to the tour and hear Maynard play one note and react with OH! …RIGHT…THAT is the sound!” And it’s TRUE, Jimmy’s sound is solid and infectious and exactly how I think a trombone should sound!

All of us have people we admire, be it a big brother, younger siblings, a celebrity, teachers, an artist, or a friend. As creative folk across all genres, we also all have mentors and role models, people that inspire us and help to give us direction. How lucky am I to have all of the above wrapped up into one fiery force of nature that is the one-and-only world’s greatest rock trombone player?!

Very lucky indeed Y’all. Very lucky indeed.

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