My Life Story, as presented by Ricardo Acuna at Graham High School for a class assignment interview.
(Ricardo's parents owned the Sugar Shack
Coffee House in the Ohio State Univ. campus area, where my return to piano performance began in the mid 90's. Ricky got an "A" with his presentation, which included a Photo collage, videos of my VA Festival performances and the following original text)
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Born december 13, 1946, son of musician
parents. Dad was a music educator with a Masters from Indiana University, and Mom was a concert pianist. Her marriage to Dad fairly ended her own ambitions as she took the role of a housewife.
By being in a home with music all around, I played the piano from earliest childhood. I cannot remember if I learned to read music or language first.
I played the piano through all my elementary and high school years, as accompanist for the choirs or a soloist for assemblies in the auditorium.
At age 14 I discovered I could play by ear as well as read music and was already taking gigs with local musicians for professional engagements.
I joined the Musicians Union (local 103, AFM-CIO) at age 16, due to engagements requiring union musicians.
In the 10th grade I decided to make a career out of music as a jazz pianist. My principle at South High had me expelled from the South High stage band because I was not able to make South High performances because of my professional engagements on the weekend.
After High School I was accepted as a piano major at Ohio State University studying under George Haddad. Mr. Haddad is still alive and lives in Upper Arlington, and there is a Scholarship in his name.
During my college years I maintained local music employment as a solo pianist or in bands and with vocalists, and often attended the local jazz "jam sessions". While playing at the "Sacred Mushroom" jam session I was overheard by an award winning jazz group seeking a pianist which resulted in my first National Tour at age 19. The "Sacred Mushroom" is now called "Street Scene" on High Street in the Ohio State University campus area. The Jazz group I toured with had been written up in "Time" and "Life" magazines. On the tour I was introduced to legendary jazz percussionist Elvin Jones in Minneapolis, and played well known jazz clubs around the USA.
I decided to return to college after a year and transferred my O.S.U. credits to North Texas State University, still today one of the top jazz studies colleges in the world.
While a North Texas State student, I toured with the legendary "Tommy Dorsey" big band for their 1965 Southwest tour, and weekly performed in premier jazz clubs in Dallas. While playing the Fink Mink club* in Dallas on Throckmorton Ave, (Near where Kennedy was assassinated) , top jazz artists came in to sit in, including Paul Desmond of the famous "Dave Brubeck Quartet."
*( footnote: The Fink Mink Club in Dallas was just previously played by current Dallas Pianist Dave Zoller : http://dpzjazz.com/artists.html )
The draft board was after me for being out of
college a year and so while still in Texas I enquired into Army Bands. I came home from Texas, and went on the road with Bobby Paris and Nicky Wilder, a show band touring Canada, when I was finally drafted and flew back into the States to enlist, not like the draft dodgers who fled to Canada to escape the draft.
While stationed at San Antonio Texas as pianist in the Fourth Army Headquarters Band, I gigged in the evenings off base with many famous Texas musicians including saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman. "Fathead" Newman was recently highlighted here in Columbus at the downtown Jazz and Ribs festival and an appearance at Mershon Auditorium of the Verve Recording Artists. I made a point to go here him and got to meet with him at the tour bus as they were leaving.
While in service, my overloaded schedule resulted in a complete nervous collapse and a medical discharge, which found me in VA hospitals for the better part of the following ten years. and though I have no regrets now, resulted in a long interruption in my music career. I always had a piano at home, but I was not active with music, continuing through my 30's and beginning 40's. During those years I often suffered severe depression, continued hospitalizatons and troubles, all in the past now. My life had hit rock bottom. The gift that God gave me was missing in my life.
It wasn't until my mid 40's in the mid 1990's, temporarily living back at home with mother, that I entertained getting back to a full career at the piano, and returned to practicing. An opportunity presented itself at the former "Sugar Shack" coffee house in the O.S.U. campus area, where I hosted a jam session and had a jazz night. The best local jazz artists and all the college students were regular comers.
During this time I also began to audition in a National show for Veterans of U.S. Military service with talents in the arts, music and dance. I finally made my way to the winners circle and found myself a Gold Medal Finalist with an invitation to perform in La Cross, Wisconsin with the Show.
I continued to be the Gold Medal finalist in the piano category for five subsequent years, playing Houston, Grand Junction Colorado, Washington D.C. and last fall, Prescott Arizona. (Nov. 2001)
The show includes vocalists from the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and two time Grammy Award winning composer Odell Brown who wrote for Marvin Gaye.
Recently I also am often called on by local Jazz celebrity Gene Walker as pianist, having performed major events with Gene including the Martin Luther King Annual Gala, and Mayor Coleman's Annual banquet at the new Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Bluejackets.
Mr. Walker, who himself has an illustrious career including the famous Beatles Shea Stadium tour, recently recorded an album in New York that has been nominated for eleven Grammys to be announced this spring.
I continue to practice weekly at my old college, Ohio State University, where I have performed as an accompanist for graduating senior recitals, and for the pre-college strings department, and have been asked to assist in classrooms.
The miracle of music brought me to recongnize the great love and power of God to heal broken lives, and has brought me to a personal surrender to serve and glorify Him in everything I do.
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