A few weeks ago, I received a call from Bob Kerwin about my retirement from the groups at MATC. We had a wonderful extended conversation about all that had taken place during this difficult process. It was decided that I would write a piece about the experiences that we had.
Back in 1972, the head of MATC, Norman Mitby felt that the school needed a music program to balance the other programs of the school. He appointed Roland Johnson, the symphony conductor, to hire staff to conduct new musical groups. I was lucky enough to be given the job of starting a band and other ensembles. The college band was started and continued for about ten years until the lack of a rehearsal room downtown and the increased length of the college class day took its toll. The MATC Jazz Ensemble made it for three decades and has had a terrific run. The first MATCJE was basically a group of the Madison Scouts along with an all female sax section. It was fun and a great success as we performed at concerts around the area especially at schools that loved how exciting the band was. As time passed, the level of musicians and experience grew and the quality of the group rose. This was at a time when were able to get sponsorship money to bring in name groups to share the school stage along with the Oscar Mayer Theater. We had the honor of sharing the stage with Buddy Rich, Mercer Ellington, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Toshiko, and Stan Kenton among others.
