Articles, Member Profiles

Young Pianist, James Francies, Inspired by Range of Influences

August 18, 2017

Twenty-one-year-old James Francies of Local 65-699 (Houston, TX), is not your typical college student. At the School of Jazz at The New School, where he studies jazz piano performance, he juggles course work with professional gigs, which these days include touring across Europe.

Paul Nowell: From Jazz to Hip-Hop, L.A.’s Trombone Evangelist

August 11, 2017

One of the first gigs Paul Nowell landed just out of Berklee College in 2007 was a world tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra

After Years on the Road, Joe Ely Takes a Literary Turn

July 28, 2017

Joe Ely of Local 433 (Austin, TX) was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters, which he says came as a shock, something he never saw coming.

Union Contract Bolsters Début Album for Pianist Paul Henning

June 30, 2017

For his first CD, Breaking Through, Paul Henning of Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) made sure it was done on a Limited Pressing Agreement with a live 48-piece

Flipper Flanagan’s Flat Footed Four Celebrates 50 Years

June 30, 2017

Flipper Flanagan’s Flat Footed Four, members of Local 591 (Thunder Bay, ON), will celebrate their 50th anniversary with concerts and events across the region beginning June 15 at the Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay, Ontario. According to band member and guitarist Jamie Gerow, the concerts are retrospective of all the songs their audience has enjoyed over the years.

Out of the Ball Park: Organist Plays the Big League

June 30, 2017

Gary Pressy of Local 10-208 (Chicago, IL) enjoys a seat at Chicago Cubs games like no other player. From his perch in the press booth overlooking Wrigley Field, the Cubs organist, since 1987, has played 2,446 consecutive games without missing a beat.

Dawn Hannay: Shining Light on the Union

June 30, 2017

Dawn Hannay of Local 802 (New York City) practically grew up on the stage of the New York Philharmonic. Having joined at 23, in 1979, the violist was one of a handful of women performing with the orchestra at the time.

Donn Trenner: Pianist, Musical Director, Arranger, and Author

June 9, 2017

Donn Trenner, a member of Locals 802 (New York City) and 47 (Los Angeles, CA), has done all of these things in his dream career characterized by consistent hard work, unstinting devotion to quality musicianship, and careful attention to making gigs run smoothly on all levels.

Peter Cho: Educating and Organizing in the Big Easy

May 12, 2017

At the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp, where Peter Cho of Local 174-496 has taught for the last 20 years, he says, “We make sure music students are well-rounded.

From Nashville to Paris: The Roots of a Jazz Musician

May 5, 2017

Andrew White is a quintessential artist. A sax player, classically trained oboist, composer, and arranger, a wildly eclectic and spirited genius who has transcribed 840 of John Coltrane’s free-flight solos.