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JIM
PEDDICORD
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Jim began his musical career in the 5th grade, learning the trombone. In middle school he was introduced to the music of the “BIG BANDS”, with simple arrangements of Tommy Dorsey’s I’m Getting Sentimental Over You, and Stan Kenton’s Intermission Riff. It was then that Jim knew music would be his life.
In high school, Jim started playing bass trombone in the concert band and played lead trombone in the stage band. During this time, he played in a 12 piece band. In his senior year he was elected Drum Major and, upon graduating, was given the Arian Award and scholarship to the College of Pacific (now UOP) Music Camp.
Jim then continued his music at Diablo Valley where, during their winter Jazz Band concert, he played a duet with his mentor, guest trombonist Frank Rosolino from the Stan Kenton Band.
The following semester, while Jim was attending Laney College in Oakland, he went to the Officers Club on Treasure Island to “sit in” with a group that was playing there. At start time the bass player had not arrived, so Jim picked up the bass and started playing. At the end of the set, the group’s manager asked Jim if he could make an audition at Harrah’s Tahoe the following week. This is when Jim first met Whitney who was performing with the group.
This was the turning point that began a run of over 25 years on the road, playing bass, trombone and keyboard in clubs throughout the USA and Canada. His first gigs were with the group that Whitney played with. Several years later, Jim met Maryann and they joined Steve and Whitney as "The Sounds of Nirih," playing locally in clubs throughout the Bay Area.
With the birth of his son, Jim chose to stay home and do some “in home recording” for a year. In 1991 Jim enrolled in Los Medanos College for some computer courses and ended up playing with the LMC concert, directors and jazz bands for the next five years.
At the same time he became a member of the music ministry at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, where he eventually became the director of the youth choir, wrote the music for a full mass and the “Psalm-of-the-week,” also writing brass choir parts for the Easter Mass.
In 2007 Jim met Mike Graziadei, founder and director of Summerset Big Band, and joined the band, playing bass trombone and filling in on bass guitar. Since that time, Jim has taken on the jobs of librarian and sound engineer and has written a number of the bands arrangements, including an original song, Summerset Swing, for the band.
On January 1, 2009, Mike Graziadei passed off the baton to Jim as the new director of the Summerset Big Band. |