The Los Angeles Jazz Workshop

The Los Angles Jazz Workshop

Background

The Los Angeles Jazz Workshop (LAJW) was a well respected jazz clinic for up and coming musicians throughout the 1980's and 1990's. It was created and run by professional trombonist Bill Yeager in 1979. The workshop held high standards of professional musicianship that was expected in Los Angeles and throughout the country.

In order to get accepted into a LAJW band, you had to do a sight reading audition and solo audition with a live rhythm section. To earn a spot at the workshop was competitive. There were no participation awards given out at the LAJW.

Many of the musicians who earned a place at the the workshop, eventually went on to become professional musicians. There were also several professional musicians who enjoyed playing at the workshop because of the high quality of musicians and bands. Most of these professionals wanted to get more playing time and develop certain aspects of their playing like sight reading, soloing, or playing the lead chair.

About Bill Yeager

Bill Yeager had a history of success, and was an established professional Los Angeles musician. Prior to living in Los Angeles, he was the lead trombonist for the University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band. To this day, the One O'Clock Lab Band is one of the best university bands in the country, and has even earned seven Grammy nominations.

Bill was pretty intense and expected 100% commitment, not just from his students, but also from himself. I recall Bill saying that most University of North Texas music performance majors have a solo performance every quarter. If they are very serious, they will have a solo performance every month. Bill did a solo performance every week.

I also remember Bill telling me this particular story of when he was in college. It was during one of the summer breaks. His roommate went home for the summer, so Bill had the place to himself. He said he wanted to use that time as an opportunity. He decided that he would not speak for an entire month. Not say one word at all for a full month.

He was silent and did not speak as a test of mental discipline. He said that it was amazing what your mind thinks of, when you do not say anything. He also said that when the one month was over, speaking his first words meant so much more. Bill's intensity paid dividends for anyone who got to study with him.

In writing this post, I looked up the exercise of not speak for self improvement. It has a lot of insightful benefits and was very interesting. Psychology Today Magazine: The Benefits of Not Talking

Finding Out About The LAJW

In 1983 I was at Fresno State University, just starting back into music after three years of not playing. In the music department there an advertisement on the bulletin board for The Los Angeles Jazz Workshop. I had never heard about the Workshop, but it looked pretty awesome. The Workshop looked like a great place to learn more and hopefully, be a path towards playing in the Los Angeles area. Most importantly, I felt it was a great opportunity towards a music career.

This is the actual 1983 Los Angeles Jazz Workshop Poster. Pretty awesome endorsements by some of the biggest names in jazz: Louie Bellson, Ed Shaughnessy, Bobby Shew and many more.

Moving To Los Angeles

The short story here is, once I saw that poster, I could envision myself living in Los Angeles, attending the LAJW, and hopefully getting better as a musician. I was still immature, and at that time did not want to sit in a classroom reading books, I just wanted to play and get better on the trombone. By May 1984, I figured out a way to get my job transferred from Fresno to Los Angeles.

Next, I found a room to rent in nearby Chatsworth. It was a four bedroom house full of great musicians. They all were going to Northridge University (CSUN) for music and also attending the LAJW. CSUN had an incredible music program. It was not uncommon for professional bands to hire right out of CSUN, and the LAJW.

Note: 1984 was a great time to be in living Los Angeles, because the 1984 Olympics was being hosted in LA.

Auditioning At The LAJW

I remember, unfortunately, my first audition at the LAJW. It was horrible. There are no excuses, but.....I was just starting to play again after a few years away from the horn. I did not have the chops I once had at Fresno City College. At Fresno City College, I split the lead chair with a great trombonist named Scott, and he and I played the most of the solos. That was a great band and they had a history of getting first or second place every year at the Berkeley Jazz Festival.

After my first workshop audition, I remember Bill talking with me, aka counseling me in front of the rhythm section, on how conducting auditions usually take place at the LAJW.

There are two ends of the spectrum. One one side, the auditioning musician is so good that you are trying to find something that the musician does not know how to do. Then there is the other side, my side, is where you are trying to find something that the musician can do. My first LAJW audition was closer to that end of the spectrum unfortunately.

Going in, I knew I was not going to do well for that audition, but I had to do it if I wanted a chance to play at the workshop. I knew I could play, and with time, my chops and sight reading would come back.

I think Bill felt sorry for me because I had already moved from Fresno to Los Angeles just to play at the Workshop. Luckily, he had pity on me and gave the the last tenor trombone chair, the last band. I was the 3rd chair in Band "E". Even then, I was still so happy to just see me name on the LAJW roster!

Being A Member Of The LAJW

After getting accepted into the workshop, it became a challenge paying tuition. Bill was great and helped me cover my LAJW tuition by giving me a job. It was opening the workshop building for rehearsals. I would unlock the building, set up the chairs and music stands, and then make coffee. Then after the rehearsal was over, I would put everything away and lock up the building.

I remember Bill telling me that the coffee had better be good, or else. I think he was joking, but I could never really tell for sure.

A big bonus of this job was also opening the workshop building for professional big bands that would rent the space for their rehearsals. During this time, I got to meet so many famous professional musicians. It was awesome talking with them in person, and I also got to learn and listen to them rehearse. In my opinion, listening to a band or orchestra rehearse is almost more valuable than their performance, because you hear all the adjustments and how they sound so great.

For these rehearsals, there were many 'Wayne's World, I'm not worthy moments'. I grew up seeing their names on album credits, and now I was actually meeting them, and hearing them play in person. In the rehearsal room, it was the just the band and me. It was like a private concert and rehearsal lesson, all wrapped up in one moment.

Louie Bellson's Big Band At The LAJW

During Louie Bellson's rehearsal at the LAJW, he signed one of his Promotional Publications for me. He was the consummate professional and he so kind and humble. Louie Bellson Promotional Publication Front

Louie Bellson Promotional Publication Insert

Louie Bellson Promotional Publication Back

Ed Shaughnessy's Big Band "Energy Force" At The LAJW

Ed Shaughnessy from The Tonight Show would also rehearse at the LAJW. His band was called Energy Force. The band was big and powerful. Ed Shaughnessy was also very nice, and very hip as they would say in LA.

He really was 'Too Hip For The Room.' LAJW Alumni will get that reference. What a great person Ed Shaughnessy was, and what a great band he had.

After one of his rehearsals, I asked if he could sign one of the LAJW brochures for me, so I could send it my girlfriend in Michigan. Ed Shaughnessy was so cool and signed it of course, to her. (I was trying to impress her. I think it worked because years later she eventually married me.)

Getting Better: Lessons With Bill

If things weren't awesome enough already, they got even better. After a bit of time, I was able to become one of Bill's trombone students. Taking lessons with Bill was an huge opportunity. (My first trombone teacher in high school was Tom Ashworth who was the lead trombone at Fresno State University. Tom was one of Bill's students, who also became the lead trombonist for the University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band.)

In order to cover the cost for my lessons, Bill gave me an option. Instead of paying him money, I would clean his pool every two weeks, to which I said yes of course! I was more than happy to do this. It saved me so much money, and I got to have lessons with Bill Yeager.

I remember my roommate and fellow workshop trombone player Mark telling me that I was turning into Bill's slave. Mark was trying to be funny of course, but it was such an opportunity for me to finally be in Los Angeles and doing what I love to do.

Looking back on this time in my life, I realize how much Bill helped me, as a trombone player, and as a person.

LAJW Albums

1984 album: "Stan's Donuts"

Stan's Donuts Album Front Cover - This is the original album I purchased in 1984

Stan's Donuts Album Backside

1986 Album Shopwork Shuffle

This is a great album. Mike Daigeau did a lot of the scores. Mike went on to be The Tonight Show Musical Director.

1987 album: Medium Basie Swing

Another great album with lots of great charts

Regarding these albums, I remember one day arriving at Bill's home for my trombone lesson. Bill also just arrived. He said that he just got back from one of the LAJW recording sessions, where he recorded a feature solo. He was in great spirits and said that the solo had a high E, and nailed it. I could see that he was really happy, and it was a nice moment he was enjoying, as a musician.

I felt a little guilty that day, being there for a lesson. I thought the last thing a professional musician wants to do after a great recording session is to give a lesson to a student. Bill did give me that lesson though, and it meant a lot.

Los Angeles Jazz Workshop Brochure

LAJW Roster

This is just one of many LAJW personnel rosters that were made over the course of the LAJW history. This was when paper and pen was the go to, and everyone had a cassette tape answering machine. Even though these rosters are over 40 years old, the phone numbers have been partially covered to protect the innocent.

LAJW 1983 Roster Front

LAJW 1983 Roster Rear

I am trying to find my copy of what the LAJW jokingly entitled as their 'Official Audition Music.' It was this insanely difficult piece of music that appeared impossible to play, but kind of looked real??? If I do find it, I will add it to this post.

One Of Many LAJW Performance Posters

Merch in the 1980's Yes, this is one my actual LAJW tee shirts that I used to be able to fit into. A classic.

LAJW Related Events

LAJW Related Performances

Climbing the Band Alphabet

When I started at the workshop in 1984 I was the last chair in the "E" band. After lots of lessons and hard work I finally made it into the "C" band. It was a great band. All of the LAJW bands were very good in my opinion, and better than most bands around town.

Live At Carmelo's Jazz Club

This is a live performance of the "C" band I was in at that time, with some great friends and musicians. LAJW C Band: Live At Carmelo's Jazz Club

After a few years of playing at the workshop I made it into the "B" band. I was 3rd chair, but I was very happy to be a member of this band. The "B" band was awesome, and being 3rd chair in that band was a demanding chair to live up to. This was as far up the alphabet that I got, but I felt it was a success for me. The LAJW was a big part in preparing me for my next goals in life.

The LAJW usually had five bands in total, and several ongoing clinics and courses. The top LAJW band was the "A" band. They even had a grammy nominated album. The "A" Band was really the best band, not just at the workshop, but pretty much everywhere.

Memories:

There were so many great memories from the LAJW, too many to mention in one blog. Here are just a few.

One memory was during rehearsals, if we heard a police siren outside rehearsal, Bill would always yell: "BOWMAN!" referring to one of the great and crazy musicians at the workshop.

Then there was the time Bill recruited some of the LAJW members to do a house painting party for his house. It was about as much fun as you would expect, but there was a lot of pizza that day too. The painting went pretty fast though, and was not that bad at all. We felt good helping Bill, because he was always helping us.

I remember during one rehearsal, we got the news that Elvis had just died. You could imagine that was a very big moment in the world of music.

Then there was the time that Alex Isles appeared on the people's court tv show. It was regarding a trombone that was stolen out of the trunk of his car during an LAJW rehearsal. The trombone was on loan for consideration to be purchased, and now the replacement cost was in dispute. The nice thing about appearing on this court tv show was that they pay for any settlement, win or loose, as long as you have your case heard on the show.

And last of course, there was actually an official joke of the LAJW. We won't mention it here, but if you were a part of the LAJW, you most likely heard it during a rehearsal. It was pretty funny.

All Good Things

I'm not sure exactly when it was, but in the early 1990's, Bill was offered the head teaching position for the Department of Jazz Studies at UC San Diego. UC San Diego saw the success that Bill created at the LAJW and offered him the position, including tenure status just to start.

Bill was very goal oriented, and it was no surprise that after accepting the position, he learned to fly an airplane so he could continue teaching at the workshop, and then fly down to San Diego for his UCSD teaching schedule.

I remember during rehearsals, Bill would give us a little update every now and then of how his new teaching position was going and, in my opinion, the logistics of being in two places at the same time. Did I mention that Bill learned how to fly a plane while running an business, playing session dates, and teaching at UCSD.

Everyone could see that Bill's UCSD career was well deserved, and that it was also growing. In my opinion, as success progressed for Bill at UCSD, it appeared almost impossible for anyone to continue full-time schedules for both careers.

I'm not sure what year the LAJW officially concluded it's awesome history. We will always have Bill Yeager to thank for making The Los Angeles Jazz Workshop a reality for so many musicians, and a respected institution in the history of the Los Angeles music scene.

LAJW Alumni

Like the North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band which has a long list of Alumni in many professional bands, so too, does the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop.

The LAJW Alumni list is extensive. Many of the professional session players around the country today were a part of the LAJW music scene. Several have even gone on to win major awards in the music and entertainment industry.

Don't Forget To Lock The Door

I feel so lucky to have been a member of the LAJW. It was through the workshop, lessons with Bill, and lessons with other great trombonist like Slyde Hyde, and Andy Martin, that I was able to experience a little bit of success.

A gold and platinum record, a Selmer Bach sponsorship, and 25 years as a grammy voting member. Not in a million years could I have ever imagined these experiences becoming a reality. I'm just glad I got off my butt in 1984 and earned a chair to sit in at the Los Angeles Jazz Workshop. Thank you Bill.