A brief bio: The Early Years

June of 1979 marked my first released record album date and it took place at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California for the famous Fantasy Studios Records label based in Berkeley, CA.  This recording date was a “one and only” live onsite performance and recording which resulted in the Living Proof  album featuring world famous soul singer/artist, Sylvester. Sadly, this was his final album. I was the lead trumpet and quasi-section leader of the five-piece horn section. Two of the regular traveling horn players with the band were Marc Baum (alto sax), and Dan Reagan (trombone). The high-energy band was complimented by a string section of San Francisco Symphony musicians along with backup vocalists Martha Wash and Izora Armstead, (Two Tons O’ Fun) plus upcoming vocalist sensation, Jeannie Tracy. The live performance recording portion of this album spans the first three sides of the four for a double album set – a prized collector’s item today.

After that historic recording date my studio career took off.  The following four years resulted in more than thirty (30) soul and funk fusion records – including two for the band Collage. This period was important for me as an aspiring young trumpeter, composer and arranger. Most of my horn arrangements then were for three or four horns. I also had opportunity to write and arrange for as many as seven horns (as in the hit tune Imagination from The Whispers album of the same name). “Imagination” was written and performed entirely by our own Bay Area group, Arrival. 

Upon signing on with the SOLAR Records label (to be representative of the label’s EWF-type of band), the Arrival name was changed to Collage (to better showcase the diverse culture makeup of the group and to avoid confusion with groups of similar name). Collage carried on to record three albums for the SOLAR Records label.  From the first two Collage records: Do You Like Our Music and Get In Touch I contributed song writing and improvised flugelhorn and trumpet solos. It was so electrifying to hear the group on the radio, especially to hear my flugelhorn solo on When You Smile. And a year later, to hear my song writing contribution and trumpet solo on Love is for Everyone from the Get in Touch album (music and lyrics co-written by Dean Boysen and Larry Batiste). Hearing these tunes played on the smooth jazz stations was just so cool. Those years were quite interesting, exciting and full of personal growth. Collage was a phenomenal ten-piece band to hear (both in person and on record). This band had some downright fantastic talented musicians and writers. By 1983, however, the horn band thing had morphed into the synthesizer thing and then… it was time for me to move on….

I (literally) walked away from the “funky-soul,” nightclub band business in the late summer of 1983. The rhythm section desired to go forward with a smaller group and that meant without the versatile and tight-sounding three-piece horn section of Collage. Without the horn section the band no longer represented the SOLAR Records EWF-type power band.  (A third record was eventually released, then kaput). Keyboard synthesizers were now responsible for creating new sonic textures and were more firmly established in pop culture music suggesting a new path forward.  Horns and funk rhythm guitar seemingly were passé. I guess Bruno didn’t take much heed to that idea.

I am grateful for that period in my life. However, when looking back there were only a handful or so of us trumpeters recording for major record label soul/funk music artists. Most of the bands we recorded for usually had their own horn sections – road tested guys, but they were usually not efficient in the studio environment. (Time is Money) This funk/soul recording work has a great deal of history to it; It was great to have been in the midst of it all. 

If in doubt… respect the current state of the funkadelic groove.   – DB