Jules Greenberg was born in Philadelphia in 1929 to Mort Greenberg and Rose Bolen. He loved big band music so much that he studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and became a professional musician, starting as a drummer and winding up a versatile percussionist.
He joined the American Federation of Musicians in April of 1955 and went on to work on Broadway for years, playing shows like An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May, West Side Story, 1776, and many others.
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Legendary percussionist and lifetime AFM Local 47 member Bobbye Hall has recorded a variety of rock, soul, blues, jazz, and pop music and has made the Billboard Top 10 many times. She has appeared on magazine covers of DownBeat, Tom Tom, and International Musician, solidifying her reputation as a “liner-note legend.”
Hall’s exposure to music began very early as a child in Detroit. “My grandfather played what was called ‘bones,’ which is now known as spoons, but they were wooden,” Hall said.” And I still carry them in my percussion kit. My mother would sing around the house. She had a beautiful voice.”
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Vince DeRosa tribute album pays homage to the local living legend
words by Linda A. Rapka
photos by Bonnie Perkinson
In homage to one of the greatest brass players of the Hollywood Brass Golden Era, “Hollywood Epic Brass: The Vince DeRosa Tribute Album,” an album conceived by Kevin Kaska, debuts this month.
It was from listening recently to a massive number of film scores on which DeRosa played that Kaska hatched the idea for a tribute album. “I wanted to pay tribute to one of the world’s greatest brass players still alive,” Kaska said. “Many Los Angeles brass players have him to thank for the techniques he has taught.” Continue reading