Tim Callihan is the leader of Spectrum, one of the premier private bands in the St. Louis Area. I met Tim four years ago at a Spectrum gig at the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce Summer Concert Series at Faust Park. I've been following them ever since.
Spectrum is so successful — they're booked well into the future — that they have no time or need to play public events — aside from their Faust Park summer concert which they've been doing for 17 years. That's great for corporate party planners and brides and grooms, but a shame for area music fans; the cohesiveness of the band as a unit, the musicianship of the members, their song selection, the arrangements, and their staging, lights and sound is top notch.
In this 80-minute interview we cover Tim's recording studio; his career and retirement from Boeing; his support of local music especially at Jazz at the Bistro, the history and makeup of Spectrum, his views on the importance of music education, and his motivation for doing free concerts.
Three years ago last week we lost a symbol of American music, Dave Brubeck, one day before his ninety-second birthday. Brubeck was a pianist and composer who helped make jazz popular in the 50s and 60s, and who’s song “Take Five” is one of the most recognizable jazz songs ever recorded.
With the anniversary of his passing, I was reminded that I had interviewed him twice, first in the late seventies when I was working at KWMU. He was in St. Louis for a performance at Our Lady of The Snows in Belleville, Illinois. The second time I interviewed him, the one you’ll hear in this podcast, was in 1982 when I was on staff at KSHO in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was there to perform a concert with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
In this interview, Dave goes into great detail on subjects including his compositions, musicians he’s worked with, the state of music during that time — most of which is relevant today — insights into performing in Asia and in Europe, and jazz festivals.
Our conversation begins with him describing the concert he was about to perform at the Honolulu International Center.
Brubeck was a 2009 Kennedy Center Honor recipient. I must say that interviewing Dave Brubeck was one of the highlights of my broadcasting career.
I consider Joe Mancuso an entertainer right out of the fifties, only much younger, singing jazz standards of Sinatra, Bennet, Torme and the like. His love and mastery of the standards, his passion for performing, and the classical voice training he received at Webster University puts him in an elite class of jazz musicians in St. Louis. He can be heard performing gigs with some of St. Louis' greatest jazz sidemen, monthly at Thurman Grill and Nathalie's, and a special Christmas show December 13th at the Duck Room.