Michael James:  

Some of you might remember that I played piano in the high school orchestra, and even played piano in the dance band that played for the BTHS 1965 Junior/Senior Prom. (I made money that night instead of spending it!) I was one of those rare nerds who wore a band letter on their BTHS jacket. I figured I was working at my musical activities as much as the athletes were working at theirs, and wore my letter proudly. I got a lot of teasing over that little letter, but sported it proudly. It was a real turning point for me when I played my first professional gig on December 17, 1964 with my dad in a local Belleville area dance band called "The Skyliners." In those days all the bands tried to use union musicians only. Dad couldn't find a union pianist for that night. Quickly I got into the union, played the gig and shortly thereafter went to my first union meeting with the Belleville Musical Union, Local 29. Immediately I met Chuck Eckert, who led the Sal Denron Dance Band, and was playing regularly on weekends. I met Ron Mitchell, a fine trumpeter who later led the band, and played many combo gigs with him. He was a public school band director and now plays with my uncle, Earl James and my cousin, Don James in the RSVP Dance Band. This is a band that plays for Senior Citizen Centers all over Southern Illinois. In that band also are Bob Young, who was in the Skyliners when I played my first professional gig and Margaret Keen, a former piano student of a really great musician in our family, Vin James. When I was working on my M.M. at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (January 1975) I took some time away from my scholastic work to prepare and perform Mozart's D minor Piano Concerto with the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra in the Belleville Township High School Auditorium That was a memorable occasion, but a little sad, because my dad passed away the following March. I am glad he got to hear me perform with orchestra before he died, because I would not be the musician or man I am today without his teaching, leadership and guidance.. From the days of my very first piano lessons when I was ten years old, I always wanted to become a professional pianist. As you can tell by what I have mentioned above, I came from a family of musicians that all played in the greater St. Louis area, mostly on the Illinois side. My grandpa had a cousin, the previously mentioned Vin James, who was well known in the St. Louis area around the twenties and thirties as the "master of the ivories". He also played organ for the silent movies at the Lincoln Theatre in Belleville--his name is mentioned on the Lincoln Theatre website in the "Theatre History" section. I grew up in his shadow, and he, along with several other musicians (inside and outside of my family, mostly from Belleville and Collinsville were my childhood heros. One of the outstanding musicians (who also played in the Skyliners) was Jack Hazzard. I don't think I have ever heard another sax player who can play as well and improvise such tasteful jazz as this man. He was amazing. I used to wonder how jazz musicians could improvise such beautiful lines of music on the spot. My first piano teacher, with whom I studied until the age of eighteen was the Belleville pianist and teacher, Art Buechler. For several years Art played with Muggsy Sprecher's Gaslighters at Gaslight Square in St. Louis. At various times he also played music with several of the musicians in my family. My dad used him as a model for me to emulate, and a fine musician he was. Sometimes at my lessons he would demonstrate the styles of various prominent jazz pianists of the time, and I looked forward to the day when I would eventually develop those skills. Among the piano teachers of my college years were Ruth Slenczynska, a world famous concert artist and Herb Drury, a wonderful jazz pianist, whose trio had a prominent place in the musical tapestry of St. Louis. When I served as an Air Force Bandsman from 1969 to 1973, I met and performed with many more fine musicians, some of whom are still friends to this day. Throughout my life I have been fortunate enough to make my living playing piano and keyboard. My last stint at formal musical education was from 1986 to 1994 when I earned my D.M.A. in Piano Pedagogy from the University of South Carolina. All through my doctoral program I performed jazz and taught piano in the greater Columbia, SC area. My wife, Nancy (Harris) earned her Ph.D. in Language and Literacy from USC, graduating in December of 2011. Her m...Expand for more