[Dixielandjazz] Re Dixieland Jazz Bios

[Kmstrmldr at aol.com]

Well, O.K.  I guess I might as well also.

Born in Rochester Minn.when my father was taking a surgical residency at 
Mayo.
My first recollection of music was getting and trying to play a Martin 
baritone ukulele.  I finally got so I could play melodies up and down the neck with 
the proper chord inversions.
Learned to play (a bit) trombone, baritone, and tuba in school.
Started playing tenor banjo and tuba in local dixieland bands in East 
Cleveland and the eastern suburbs.
Went to Colorado College and played in a little dixieland band there in 
Colorado Springs.
Left school and went through Air Force pilot training.
Went back to college at Miami U. in Ohio.  I was fortunate to play, a bit, in 
a band there that was headed up by Kim Cusak who was playing keyboards at the 
time.....you could tell he was special, even then.
My brother Brad plays Trombone with great vigor.  His nickname is "Bliz" 
........... short for blizzard lips.
I went to dental school and after, set up a practice in a small town here in 
north central Ohio.
There was no dixieland here and in 1975 started to play the bagpipes in a 
pipes and drums band and became the pipemajor.
9 years ago my arthritis told me to quit playing the pipes and I started to 
fool around with a cornet that my son played in high school.
I never thought I would do anything with it but brother Brad persuaded me to 
go the adult jazz camp in San Diego.
I had been playing less than a year and probably shouldn't have gone.......I 
could not read trumpet music although I could get around reading fake book 
(concert) music.
Playing with Bob Schulz, Chris Tyle and the like, is a great inspiration and 
induced me to the woodshed and I have improved somewhat.
I now am the cornet with a band called "The Ribticklers"...............a 
dedicated dixieland (Traditional Jazz) band............not OKOM which is an 
umbrella to include other forms of music.
I also get a chance to go down to Indianapolis and play with my brother in 
the band he plays with and also participate in "pick-up bands.
I have had a bit of a checkered medical past which includes:
six total hip joint replacements
two discs removed from my spine
an artificial right shoulder joint
double coronary bypass surgery
neuro surgery to repair a sub-dural hematoma

Well, I told you I had a bit of arthritis.
The worst thing about all that is that it gets in the way of my playing.

that's about it
Playing this music is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Take care

Don
     given proper care and maintenance the human body should last a life-time
Hale