Thank You’s and Acknowledgements

Even so soon after its release, Trumpet Quasi Master is getting wonderful feedback. I believe it has been the most well received recording project I’ve done so far on my own.

We are in a the new, digital era of music and there are certain things that do not work as well with digital downloads. One of the things missing is the liner notes. Included with the liner notes was almost always  section or a page dedicated to thank yous and acknowledgments. Since Trumpet Quasi Master is only a digital music album, I feel it’s important to create an area of my website that serves as the liner notes, and this is the page for showing my gratitude.

People Who Made a Difference

Even though Trumpet Quasi Master was a solo effort, in every respect, there are still a lot of people who indirectly contributed to the project in a variety of different ways.

Pearl Lewis

(my wife)

Of course, there is always the “woman behind the man” stuff that prompts one to say thank you to his wife, but Pearl is far more than just that. In a hands on sense, she is the one who created the cover art for the recording. Then beyond that, she is the one who keeps everything running ship shape in our business so that I have the time to dedicate to writing music and recording it. Pearl is also the person I bounce my ideas off the most. It helps to have someone to work through ideas before they materialize, and Pearl has a special talent at making that happen.

Without her help, both directly and indirectly, I can promise you that Trumpet Quasi Master would never have gotten off the ground.

Jawn Glass

Trumpet Quasi Master would not have been possible if I had never started composing, and my very first compositions were trumpet duets that I wrote for me and my friends. This idea of writing music for my music friends and I to enjoy has been central to most of my composition work since high school. Jawn Glass was part of that time in my life when we actually had fun playing our trumpets. Not that we no longer enjoy. Of course we do. But it was different back then, and I think Jawn probably knows exactly what I’m talking about.

Dick Schaffer

Dick Schaffer was my last trumpet teacher. I studied with him for two years in the early 90’s. But he became more to me than just my teacher. Along the way, he became my biggest champion. He is the one who encouraged me in my creative efforts when it seemed as if the entire world was against me.

I am forever grateful that God put Mr. Schaffer in my life when I needed him to be there. None of my books and other musical projects would have ever been published if it weren’t for his enthusiasm and support.

The track on this album titled Divine Strength is dedicated to Dick Schaffer. It is a small token of gratitude for his continued support.

Sam Trimble

This album is completely trumpet. It may be something of a stylistic oddity, but there are decades of practice, composing, performance experience and education wrapped up in these 44 tracks. Sam Trimble played a very big part in getting me where I am today as a professional trumpet player. My first real gigs were with him as my section leader. In that sense, he was a teacher and a mentor to me, both on the jazz side of the instrument and the classical.

The track on this album titled Sacred Trinity is dedicated to Mr. Trimble. I wrote it as one of my miniature gifts. I later decided to include it in my The Calling book and this album.

Kenny Capshaw

Kenny Capshaw was my trumpet teacher in high school. He’s the one who helped me prepare and make it into the Texas All-State band, two times. Mr. Capshaw taught me how to work a piece of music up to a level of excellence that I had never been able to do before.

The track titled Creating Kindness on this album is dedicated to Kenny Capshaw.

Michael Hamm

Michael Hamm was my band director and trumpet teacher when I lived in Hawaii. I can trace my openness to playing different styles of music back to Mr. Hamm. Not only did we perform works with the band that covered a range of different styles, he also instilled in us a love and openness for all music.

The track titled Mighty Heart is dedicated to Michael Hamm.

Jesse Duran, Will Cruz, Jorge Lebron
Anibal Ambert, Ray Diaz

These guys and many others are the ones who taught me howto play salsa. As odd as it seems, my composition would not be what it is today if not for the many years I spent gigging with you guys. The clave is in almost every composition I write. Sometimes it is hidden deep. Other times the clave is the main feature of the composition. The Lotus Eater is a composition that not only uses the clave but also the cow bell rhythm. A Day in Galveston is one of those that is more obviously based on the clave.

And besides just the musical influence, you are all wonderful people who have showed me so much more than just the music side of what we do. So thank you for the education, the experience and the friendships.