Other Grammy Award Winning Artists whose instruments I have had the pleasure to work on are: Gerry Mulligan, Bob Mintzer (Yellowjackets) and Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band).
John has been in the music business for over 50 years. He had a quartet in Detroit that played every weekend for years and learned the repair trade from a second generation family of technicians. John rebuilt the instruments for many principal players in the Detroit Symphony when he worked for Herb Couf, the saxophone maker. He taught the ‘Design and Mechanics of musical instruments’ for 8 years at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, School of Music and serviced the instruments of the Omaha and Lincoln Symphonies. He spent many years at Yamaha Musical Products and Warranty Service in Grand Rapids, testing and setting up instruments prior to moving to Boston to build flutes for the Verne Q. Powell Flute Co. and perform restoration work for Wm. S. Haynes Flute Co. He also spent 5 years teaching a professional development workshop for school band directors for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and summer workshops for Gordon College.
John has been the general manager of numerous repair shops from Boston to California and has traveled to many countries, purchasing musical instruments for serious musicians here in the states. He has been involved in their design and manufacturing and has trained many workers in Asia to meet US standards. As many local musicians know, we have been developing our own line of Pro Flutes and Pro saxes. Mr. Mark Tulga bought our NorCal Baritone Sax and our J. Gill Professional flute to play in the Music Circus productions here in Sacramento. Adjunct Professor of Flute at the University of the Pacific and Principal Flute of the Sacramento Philharmonic, Mr. Mathew Krejci plays our J. Gill Artist Model Flute as his backup to his gold Brannan Flute.
