[Dixielandjazz] Story in The San Francisco Chronicle
Bob Romans
cellblk7@attbi.com
Mon, 1 Jul 2002 09:28:39 -0500
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Subject: Story in Today's San Francisco Chronicle
This is why I use Best Instrument Repair in Oakland!!! I feel SO =
furtunate to have such a great brass repaiman so close...however, they =
also have top-notch woodwind/string technicians there also!
Bob Romans
Subject: Story in Saturday's San Francisco Chronicle
Union Music right note for horn players <mailto:kgarcia@sfchronicle.com> =
Ken Garcia Friday, June 28, 2002 Much of the musical royalty that has =
passed through San Francisco in the past 80 years have found themselves =
in the same court -- a place so small it could barely contain a quintet. =
But somehow the Union Music Co. store has managed to overcome its =
diminutive size to remain a mecca for brass and woodwind artists =
throughout the decades -- a shop that has seen the musical styles, =
trends and equipment shift with the gradual ease of a multiple chord =
change. Most of the music specialty shops that once flourished in the =
Bay Area are gone, victims of chain conglomerates and mall-derivative =
tastes that have sent independent stores the way of eight-track tapes. =
During the heyday of jazz nightclubs in San Francisco, you could find =
music stores across the city. Now there are but a few, although Union =
Music has stood out from the beginning. "The shop has succeeded largely =
because it kept up this great tradition of supplying musicians with =
great instruments and service," said Christopher Leaf, the store's =
manager and a partner in the group that runs the store and its sister =
outlets. "It's been part of the music scene almost as long as there has =
been one." Union Music is owned primarily by Dick Akright, a giant in =
the field of horn-crafting repair in the United States who has honed his =
craft primarily in the East Bay the past 32 years. Akright is considered =
a brass customizing wizard who has built specialized instruments for a =
number of leading jazz players, at one time forming a partnership with =
trumpeter Doc Severinson of "The Tonight Show" fame. Together the two =
men designed a Bel Canto trumpet that is considered among the finest =
instruments of its kind in the world. Akright said he knew his calling =
from the beginning, a sense formed by his upbringing in Elk Horn, Wis., =
which happened to be the manufacturing home of the Getzen Co., a maker =
of fine brass instruments. He moved to the Bay Area to run a subsidiary =
for a large music affiliate and ended up starting the Best Instrument =
Repair Co. in Oakland -- which, from its popularity over the years, =
apparently lives up to its name. "For me, the way of the business was =
simple -- just work 13 hours a day on your craft until you perfect it," =
he said. "One of the things I always loved about the profession is the =
musicians form such great relationships because of the respect we have =
for each other's abilities." That respect certainly applied to a =
musician/machinist named Dan Regan, who opened the Union Music Co. in a =
spot inside the Golden Gate Theater in 1922, a place that made sure a =
lot of the world's top acts were within earshot. Regan treated brass =
instruments the way Louis Armstrong treated notes -- individually, with =
perfect technical skills and artistic passion. His ability to provide =
top instrumentalists with custom equipment led to an underground fame =
that made his tiny store in the Tenderloin a must-stop for traveling =
musicians since the Depression. Count Basie made time to visit the shop, =
as did Duke Ellington. Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich and Cab Calloway stopped =
by before the war, and Donald Byrd and Allen Smith made the pilgrimage =
more than once. Arthur Fiedler couldn't resist, nor could Clark Terry. =
Members of the San Francisco Symphony became the store's biggest =
customers -- and the lineup of musical stars continued for decades. But =
Regan couldn't keep up with the beat of time, and after more than 65 =
years in the shop and in ill health, he sold the store in 1989 to =
Akright and his partner, Bob Gross. Six years later, the pair moved the =
store to its present headquarters on Bush Street near Van Ness, an old =
brick building that is still severely cramped but makes the old shop =
seem like a dungeon. Though it is still a regular stop for professional =
musicians, Union Music is now less a part of the jazz virtuoso scene and =
more aligned with music education -- the stores rents close to 500 =
instruments each year to students in San Francisco Unified School =
District programs. It has also branched out to become a learning center, =
with nearly 100 pupils studying each week in the stamp-siz e rooms above =
the store. "This is the last remnant of music-specialty shops on the =
West Coast," said Leaf, a longtime professional musician who is part of =
the orchestra for "Beach Blanket Babylon." "It's not just that we have =
the best instruments -- we make sure that people are getting the right =
instrument -- right down to the perfect mouthpiece." And not many stores =
can make that claim, since Akright has long made custom mouthpieces and =
owns the rights to the venerable Parduba mouthpiece company, which also =
happens to be the name of the store's Web site =
(<http://www.parduba.com/> www.parduba.com). Such attention to detail =
and service has allowed him to expand his music empire to include A&G =
Music Products in Oakland and the House of Woodwinds in San Ramon. "I =
was lucky," Akright said. "I've gotten to meet all these great people -- =
Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Sly Stone, Ray Bown -- simply because of =
the business I'm in. But it's all happened because of my firm belief =
that you shouldn't let these great old stores die. "The original store =
was just a little hole in the wall, but we managed to save it, and now =
it's bigger than ever. And that's a testimony to people in the Bay Area =
who have always supported great music. I'm happy to be a part of that." =
You can reach Ken Garcia at (415) 777-7152 or e-mail him at =
<mailto:kgarcia@sfchronicle.com> kgarcia@sfchronicle.com.=20
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<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></DIV></FONT><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2><B>Subject:=20
</B>Story in Today's San Francisco Chronicle<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG>This is why I use Best =
Instrument Repair in=20
Oakland!!! I feel SO furtunate to have such a great brass repaiman so=20
close...however, they also have top-notch =
woodwind/string technicians there=20
also!</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Bob =
Romans</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Subject: </B>Story =
in Saturday's San=20
Francisco Chronicle<BR><BR></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><B>Union Music right =
note for=20
horn players </B><<A=20
href=3D"mailto:kgarcia@sfchronicle.com">mailto:kgarcia@sfchronicle.com</A=
>> Ken=20
Garcia Friday, June 28, 2002 Much of the musical royalty that has passed =
through=20
San Francisco in the past 80 years have found themselves in the same =
court -- a=20
place so small it could barely contain a quintet. But somehow the Union =
Music=20
Co. store has managed to overcome its diminutive size to remain a mecca =
for=20
brass and woodwind artists throughout the decades -- a shop that has =
seen the=20
musical styles, trends and equipment shift with the gradual ease of a =
multiple=20
chord change. Most of the music specialty shops that once flourished in =
the Bay=20
Area are gone, victims of chain conglomerates and mall-derivative tastes =
that=20
have sent independent stores the way of eight-track tapes. During the =
heyday of=20
jazz nightclubs in San Francisco, you could find music stores across the =
city.=20
Now there are but a few, although Union Music has stood out from the =
beginning.=20
"The shop has succeeded largely because it kept up this great tradition =
of=20
supplying musicians with great instruments and service," said =
Christopher Leaf,=20
the store's manager and a partner in the group that runs the store and =
its=20
sister outlets. "It's been part of the music scene almost as long as =
there has=20
been one." Union Music is owned primarily by Dick Akright, a giant in =
the field=20
of horn-crafting repair in the United States who has honed his craft =
primarily=20
in the East Bay the past 32 years. Akright is considered a brass =
customizing=20
wizard who has built specialized instruments for a number of leading =
jazz=20
players, at one time forming a partnership with trumpeter Doc Severinson =
of "The=20
Tonight Show" fame. Together the two men designed a Bel Canto trumpet =
that is=20
considered among the finest instruments of its kind in the world. =
Akright said=20
he knew his calling from the beginning, a sense formed by his upbringing =
in Elk=20
Horn, Wis., which happened to be the manufacturing home of the Getzen =
Co., a=20
maker of fine brass instruments. He moved to the Bay Area to run a =
subsidiary=20
for a large music affiliate and ended up starting the Best Instrument =
Repair Co.=20
in Oakland -- which, from its popularity over the years, apparently =
lives up to=20
its name. "For me, the way of the business was simple -- just work 13 =
hours a=20
day on your craft until you perfect it," he said. "One of the things I =
always=20
loved about the profession is the musicians form such great =
relationships=20
because of the respect we have for each other's abilities." That respect =
certainly applied to a musician/machinist named Dan Regan, who opened =
the Union=20
Music Co. in a spot inside the Golden Gate Theater in 1922, a place that =
made=20
sure a lot of the world's top acts were within earshot. Regan treated =
brass=20
instruments the way Louis Armstrong treated notes -- individually, with =
perfect=20
technical skills and artistic passion. His ability to provide top=20
instrumentalists with custom equipment led to an underground fame that =
made his=20
tiny store in the Tenderloin a must-stop for traveling musicians since =
the=20
Depression. Count Basie made time to visit the shop, as did Duke =
Ellington.=20
Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich and Cab Calloway stopped by before the war, and =
Donald=20
Byrd and Allen Smith made the pilgrimage more than once. Arthur Fiedler =
couldn't=20
resist, nor could Clark Terry. Members of the San Francisco Symphony =
became the=20
store's biggest customers -- and the lineup of musical stars continued =
for=20
decades. But Regan couldn't keep up with the beat of time, and after =
more than=20
65 years in the shop and in ill health, he sold the store in 1989 to =
Akright and=20
his partner, Bob Gross. Six years later, the pair moved the store to its =
present=20
headquarters on Bush Street near Van Ness, an old brick building that is =
still=20
severely cramped but makes the old shop seem like a dungeon. Though it =
is still=20
a regular stop for professional musicians, Union Music is now less a =
part of the=20
jazz virtuoso scene and more aligned with music education -- the stores =
rents=20
close to 500 instruments each year to students in San Francisco Unified =
School=20
District programs. It has also branched out to become a learning center, =
with=20
nearly 100 pupils studying each week in the stamp-siz e rooms above the =
store.=20
"This is the last remnant of music-specialty shops on the West Coast," =
said=20
Leaf, a longtime professional musician who is part of the orchestra for =
"Beach=20
Blanket Babylon." "It's not just that we have the best instruments -- we =
make=20
sure that people are getting the right instrument -- right down to the =
perfect=20
mouthpiece." And not many stores can make that claim, since Akright has =
long=20
made custom mouthpieces and owns the rights to the venerable Parduba =
mouthpiece=20
company, which also happens to be the name of the store's Web site=20
(<http://www.parduba.com/> www.parduba.com). Such attention to =
detail and=20
service has allowed him to expand his music empire to include A&G =
Music=20
Products in Oakland and the House of Woodwinds in San Ramon. "I was =
lucky,"=20
Akright said. "I've gotten to meet all these great people -- Miles =
Davis, Dizzy=20
Gillespie, Sly Stone, Ray Bown -- simply because of the business I'm in. =
But=20
it's all happened because of my firm belief that you shouldn't let these =
great=20
old stores die. "The original store was just a little hole in the wall, =
but we=20
managed to save it, and now it's bigger than ever. And that's a =
testimony to=20
people in the Bay Area who have always supported great music. I'm happy =
to be a=20
part of that." <I>You can reach Ken Garcia at (415) 777-7152 or e-mail =
him at=20
<mailto:kgarcia@sfchronicle.com> kgarcia@sfchronicle.com.</I>=20
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