April, 2013 - Music & Sound Retailer

In Memoriam:Jerry OsieckiOne of the great names in music retail in the EriePA area over the last 70-plus years has been OsieckiBrothers Music. Sadly, one of the sons of the Founder,a longtime business partner with his brother, hasdied. Jerry Osiecki died on February 9 at the age of80. Osiecki grew up in the music industry. His fatherstarted Osiecki’s Music Store out of his parents’ homein the middle of The Great Depression. When he waslittle, his father died, but his mother kept the storeopen until Jerry and his brother, Harry, returned fromservice during the Korean War. During that time,Jerry played in the Army Band. Over the years, thestore grew. Jerry took great pride in the relationshipsthat were developed with suppliers from around theworld. As he neared retirement, the store finally closedits doors in 2008. To view a segment from his 2005NAMM Oral History interview, visit www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jerry-osiecki.Bill’s Makes A Trip Worth TakingLee Hirschmann of Bill’sMusic, located in Catonsville MD,recently attended the 37 th AnnualFlorida’s Flute Association(FFA) Convention. Hirschmann isthe Brass & Woodwinds Technicianat Bill’s Music, where hedoes everything from a simplepad replacement to a completeinstrument overhaul. At the FFA,Hirschmann was able to checkout the latest, highest qualityhandmade flutes, including aMiyazawa flute made out of 14Kgold that was valued at morethan $34,000 and a platinum flutevalued at $90,000. Hirschmannlearned about the latest set-up,repair and maintenance techniques, and he plans to implement them backhome in the Bill’s Music brass & woodwind repair shop.Terry Bozzio, Tom Shelley’s Clinic TourWhen a drumming legend like Terry Bozzio appears inclinic, it’s something special. But when Bozzio is joined by aprominent drum industry figure like Universal PercussionPresident Tom Shelley, a skilled artist in his own right, whatwas special becomes truly unique. Such was the case this pastFebruary, when Bozzio and Shelley hit the road together, performingat drum shops and music stores across the Midwest.The tour included performances at Stebal Drums, WillowickOH; Hubbard Music, YoungstownOH; C.A. Music House, ClairsvilleOH; Drum Center of Lexington,Lexington KY; Drum Depot, ToledoOH; J.C.’s Drums Of Detroit,Rochester MI; Vic’s Drum Shop,Chicago IL; and Purdue University;W. Lafayette IN.At each stop along the way, thetwo artists offered solo presentationsthat highlighted theirindividual skills. Shelley openedthe shows by demonstrating thesounds and playing techniques associatedwith the multiple instrumentson his extensive standup percussion rig, asetup that rivaled Bozzio’s drumkit configurationfor sheer size. Shelley then played to a varietyof musical tracks, creating a concert-like performance...completewith lasers, fog machines, blacklights and other crowd-wowing special effects.Shelley then introduced Terry Bozzio, whoproceeded to create his own special effects withhis drumming abilities. He is famous for his solodrum compositions: true musical works expressed on the enormous setup that has become his personalinstrument over the past two decades. Admittedly, the kit he used on this tour was somewhat scaleddown for practical purposes. But, with four bass drums, four rack toms, three floor toms, an auxiliarypedal-played tom, a snare drum, and a ton of stacked ride, crash and China cymbals, he was able to“make do.” He offered his signature ostinato-based solos to sellout audiences that sat—and often stood,as well—in awe of his creative and technical abilities.Following Bozzio’s solo presentation,Shelley returned tothe stage to join with Bozzio foran extended improvisation set.The two shared musical ideas,trading off at taking the lead role,with the focus switching back andforth between them until a pointwhere they were both playingfull-out, bringing the duet to adynamic conclusion.At the end of each clinic, themembers of the audience wereinvited to come on stage to takepart in a rousing drum circleled by Shelley. This part of theclinic was particularly popularwith younger audience members,many of whom had never seenor heard some of the percussioninstruments that were provided.MUSIC & SOUND RETAILER27