In 1970, a young 7th-grade boy sat playing his French horn and began to figure out how to make very high pitched, dog-like, noises with his horn. His band director approached him one day and asked him to repeat the high pitched sound. After checking the shockingly high pitch on the piano, the director turned to Wayne and told him that he had a rare gift, a "freak lip" so to speak. He was then encouraged to switch to trumpet and the rest is history.
Early in his career, Wayne played in Maynard Ferguson’s big band. To say that he's recorded and performed with the world's best is no exaggeration: Ray Charles, Beyoncé, Earth Wind & Fire, Barbra Streisand, Michael Buble, The Dirty Loops, Seth MacFarlane, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Seal, Diana Krall, Tito Puente, Christina Aguilera, Dianne Reeves, Michael Bolton, Chicago, Quincy Jones, and Sammy Nestico... just to name a few. ;)
He is also well known for his incredible work with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band.
Wayne is also one of L.A.'s top session players for movie scores like: The Incredibles (1 and 2), Star Wars: The Last Jedi, La La Land, Finding Nemo (and Dory), Minions, Rocky Balboa, Mission Impossible (3 and 4), Despicable Me (1, 2, and 3), Princess & the Frog, and hundreds of other familiar titles.
Simply put, he is one of the world's greatest lead trumpet players to ever live! He has #MadMusicChops and the cool thing is that you can play along and mentor with Wayne through the A-ccompany App and Music Library.
Also, our All Access Jazz Package includes our Mentored by the Masters videos featuring artists like Wayne. These videos are filled with helpful tips and techniques. Here is a little taste test of Wayne talking about Turns.
If you love Wayne's playing, then be sure to check out his latest solo record, Full Circle.
Till next time,
A-ccompany
]]>What is your favorite music pun/joke?
(Please keep it clean as this is a family-friendly site)
]]>Our mission is to move the world through music and one of the ways we try to do that is by inspiring developing musicians with our #MadMusicChops videos! They are short videos of great musicians playing great licks!
Today we are featuring Brian Scanlon! While he is very well known for his work in Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, he has also been one of Los Angeles' top saxophonists since 1987. You can hear Brian on movies such as "La La Land", “Monster’s Inc.,” and “Moulin Rouge.” He has also recorded with a wide range of artists from Randy Newman to Rosemary Clooney and performed with Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, and the L.A. Philharmonic to name a few. Brian is also very passionate about jazz education and directs the jazz ensemble at Pepperdine University.
Brian has some serious #MadMusicChops and the cool thing is that you can play along and mentor with him and other incredible musicians through the A-ccompany App and Music Library!
As always, we love to receive #MadMusicChops video submissions from all you awesome musicians out there! Please feel free to send a 7-15 second video recording of your #MadMusicChops to info@a-ccompany.com.
God Bless,
A-ccompany
]]>It's not your everyday kid that'll join The Musicians Union at the age of 15 and immediately surface as an in-demand drummer and percussionist, but then again, Jay Lawrence was no everyday kid. Growing up in Reno, Nevada, he was passionate about making music that moves people! Today, he continues to carry that same passion and has moved audiences all over the world with that positive energy and talent!
Jay has performed with an impressive list of artist like: Paul Anka, Natalie Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight, Frank Jr. and Nancy Sinatra, Randy Brecker, Eddie Daniels, Brandon Fields, Carl Fontana, Wycliffe Gordon, Don Menza, James Moody, New York Voices, John Pizzarelli, Arturo Sandoval, Tom Scott, Bobby Shew, Diane Schuur, and Byron Stripling to name just a few.
He has released many solo records and today we're featuring his latest addition, Sonic Paragon. This album lives up to its title as a shining example of musical excellence and it's no wonder why... Sonic Paragon features some of the finest jazz musicians on the scene today including, John Patitucci (Upright Bass), Renee Rosnes (Piano), Harry Allen (Saxophone), Terell Stafford (Trumpet), Anthony Wilson (Guitar), Yotam Silberstein (Guitar), and Romero Lubambo (Guitar).
Besides putting together an all-star team, Jay also wrote and arranged almost all of the songs on the record. The group effortlessly weaves through different styles and genres; feeling completely at home in each setting. We think you'll absolutely love this record!
Check out this video featuring each of the artists on the project!
Here's a photo from the session. Pictured left to right: Harry Allen, Jay Lawrence, Renee Rosnes, Yotam Silberstein, and John Patitucci.
You may also want to check out Jay's comprehensive drum book: The Drummer's Workbook.
Jay is a world-class musician and we absolutely love working with him! Here's the cool thing, you can play along and mentor with Jay and other incredible musicians through the A-ccompany App and Music Library!
A-ccompany
P.S. Give Jay some love and let him know what you think of Sonic Paragon in the comments!
]]>At A-ccompany, we absolutely love great music and great musicians. And we're passionate about world-class musicians mentoring developing musicians!
Kris Johnson is an award-winning jazz trumpeter, composer, and educator. He has released several records of his own and appeared on an impressive list of albums, including three Grammy-nominated releases: Tony Bennett’s “A Swingin’ Christmas”, Karen Clark Sheard’s “All In One”, and The Count Basie Orchestra "All About That Basie". Kris is a currently a featured trumpeter and arranger with the Count Basie Orchestra.
The truth is that Kris does have some serious #MadMusicChops and he is one of the finest jazz soloist alive today. His taste, style, and improvisational creativity are off the charts! We love working with Kris and the cool thing is that you can play along and mentor with Kris and other incredible musicians through the A-ccompany App and Music Library!
Check out this beautiful flugal horn solo that Kris played on our recording of Chick Corea's famous song, Spain (arranged by Paul Jennings).
This arrangement is available through the A-ccompany App.
You can purchase the sheet music for this arrangement here.
As always, we love to receive #MadMusicChops video submissions from all you awesome musicians out there! Please feel free to send a 7-15 second video recording of your #MadMusicChops to info@a-ccompany.com.
God Bless,
A-ccompany
]]>Whether you are a choir member, a jazz band member or a singer performing in a musical revue, you need meaningful practice time. I have to admit that I was a poor practicer. I would sit down with my guitar to practice jazz charts by myself at home... it was death by boredom. I had no drums and bass to hold the rhythm down and I was insanely bored after about 10 minutes.
With the A-ccompany Jazz Library, I would have been in heaven. I would have plugged my smartphone into the stereo system, cranked up the A-ccompany App, and gone to town. If I wasn't sure about a rhythm or a chord, I could have soloed up the guitar and checked it out right then. To top it off, I would have navigated to the solo section, muted the recorded solo and experimented all day long.
Back then I was dreaming of the day I could play with great professionals like Wayne Bergeron and Al Kaplan. Now I can do that any time I like - even in my PJs. Being a part of the A-ccompany family, producing these amazing products, and helping developing musicians is truly a dream come true.
Enjoy!
Barry Gibbons
Co-Founder of A-ccompany
"With You Every Step and Half Step of The Way"
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