Early Years
Cloetta Rebok and Her Daughters
​My mother Josephine and her sister Janet learned piano from their mother Cloetta, shown here next to the 1911 Steinway that I have in my home today. Cloe was an accomplished pianist who gave lessons, and played for her church and other social events. She died at an early age; I never knew her. This notice is for a recital Josephine and Janet gave in 1935.
Lessons From My Mother​
As a young boy, I would lie on the living room floor under the Steinway and listen to my mother play. She started giving me lessons when I was 7 years old, about the age I am in this photo. I took lessons on and off through my freshman year in high school and again in college, occasionally playing recitals. That was when I realized that I didn’t enjoy playing in a formal recital setting, especially since I was hampered by a bit of performance anxiety.
Dave Brubeck
My 7th grade home room teacher, Fred Tulan, was also a classical concert organist and an all-around creative person. He gave me the two Dave Brubeck song books shown here. That started me on a life-long romance with jazz. He took me to several Brubeck Quartet concerts at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA - a dazzling experience for a twelve-year-old.
