I began formal piano studies, in 1961, in the second grade, at the age of six, under the Dominican sisters while attending St. Catherine's Military Academy, this included theory. The sisters thought nothing of striking my hands with a ruler for improper hand position. In time, I lost all interest in the disciplines of the piano, I preferred to perform recitals from ear, not the printed manuscript, I continued for three more years. After the events described, I switched from piano to the trumpet in the fifth grade, in 1965, I was nine.

No, not always. I have acted in several other capacities, as a Producer, Personal Manager, Conductor, Musicians Contractor, and as an executive in charge of production, for several major projects.

I had several professional experiences while still in high school, touring and playing with some remarkable artists and name bands, "The Calvin Jackson 31 Piece Symphonic Jazz Orchestra", "The Louie Bellson Big Band", "The Cat Anderson Orchestra", "The Stan Kenton Collegiate Neophonic Orchestra" and the inaugural IAJE " All Star High School Jazz Ensemble". Upon graduation of high school in 1974 I moved to Hawaii with trumpeter John Madrid where my first gigs were with Bob Hope, Frank Gorshen, and the Circus. Upon returning to the mainland I worked with The Prez Prado orchestra and then joined the Buddy Miles Express, the rest begins a studio and solo career in L.A. until 1991. At that time I segued into the personal management field assisting in the careers of Pia Zadora, Paul Anka, Eddie Fisher, and Tommy Lasorda as an associate to Tino Barzie. I was the last personal manager to Peggy Lee. I also dedicated 3 years to the educational field in 1997 as the Chairman of the Performing Arts Lab. I accepted only guest solo work during these years, in 2002 I returned full time to my solo career.

I became a protégé` of Claude Gordon at the age of 10, I was among his youngest students; I continued to study with him for 5 ½ years (this included him sharing with me, phrasing and concepts from his years of study with Herbert L. Clarke, regarding cornet styles and interpretation). In addition, I studied with Cat Anderson, focusing on the art of the extreme (triple) register production, and as well as period music (there is more to walking down in front of a big band and playing a bunch of high notes). John Madrid tutored me on the art of lead trumpet work (passing on his years of study with Conrad Gozzo); in addition I studied with Don Fehrer, Jimmy Stamp, and Glenn Stuart.

The majority of my early training was classical with regard to pedagogy, literature and performance. However my career started so early that the focal point became the more abundant commercial work.

After two decades in Hollywood, as I look back, I had a remarkably diverse career in the studios, affording me a wide variety of experiences, two of which come too mind.

First: The Olympic Themes with Bill Conti for the 1988 winter games.
The trumpet section was Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, George Graham, Rick Baptist, Malcolm McNab, and myself. I received a phone call from Bill Conti asking me to join them for the upcoming recording. The session was at MGM studios on the sound stage where so much great film music had been scored. The 50-piece orchestra was already there, my call was for 9pm. The theme is of course "The Olympic Fanfare", and all of its variations, the wrap-arounds, going to and coming from commercials, as well as radio, I did the upper register work. Fortunately I was seated in between Malcomb McNab and Rick Baptist. George Graham was at the other end completing one of his blue comedy routines, Jerry and Gary I hadn't worked with in some time, George and Rick where mainstay lead players in my orchestra (Rick being one of the greatest Lead trumpet players, his style and concept are superb). The real highlight was I got to sit next to Malcolm and hear his marvelous sound; he's a first class act.

Second: The T.V. series "Highway to Heaven" with David Rose for the last two episodes.
David had sent me a letter after hearing my recording of "What's New", we then became acquainted and saw each other at certain dinner parties in Beverly Hills, David was also present from time to time as I was a popular closing act on certain gala dinners, there is nothing like a double D to wake an audience up and let them know the show is over. Some time later, I received a call from David to play lead trumpet on Highway To Heaven, he wanted to have some fun. I showed up for the call time as prescribed, as usual, the orchestra was already there, 43 pieces. As I approached the section after the take, the contractor came over and asked the trumpet section to each move down a chair. We proceeded until David started passing out some old charts from the Fred Astaire library from years earlier. The first trumpet parts had the name "Gozzo" written on them with Conrad's trademark sketch of a Gopher, his nickname. I knew exactly what David was after.

The stage went dark, the screen behind me began the black & white dub of the show with the timing stripe at the bottom, the red light was on, we were printing to tape. After the fermata on a high G the stage lights went back on, David went right into correcting some notes in the woodwinds. There was some chatter from the booth between the producer and David, suddenly David asked who was playing first trumpet, perplexed I raised my hand, he asked if I might play out a little. Next the control booth door opened a tech walked straight over to the trumpet section and unplugged my microphone he turned around and said it's perfect now. It seems I didn't need a microphone at all. The session went famously, it was to be my last memory of David. He was an elegant and charming man, on the break he caught up to me on the way to the rest room, he grabbed my arm and we strolled while he hummed " we're off to see the wizard".
Judy Garland was his first wife, David past away 6 months later.

What ensemble experiences have you had?

The majority of my ensemble work has been as a lead Trumpet player with a diverse background of styles, a few examples would be: The Al Hirt Big Band/The Ray Anthony Orchestra, to horn sections such as The Buddy Miles Express/Delaney & Bonnie to studio sessions with Stevie Wonder/Barry White from The Disney Studios/Motown Records and working for artist's such as Pat Boone, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Dennis Day, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Abbe Lane, Robert Plant, Glen Cambell, Tanya Tucker, and Little Anthony and The Imperials.

The scope of my performing today is predominantly as a Soloist/Guest Star which from time to time includes front man work as a conductor /entertainer /leader & Master of Ceremonies. The venues and genre range widely, I have appeared 9 times as the guest star in concert with "The 110 piece Mormon Tabernacle Symphony & 300 voice Choir", as the opening act for the rock group "Chicago", the opening act for Tito Puente, I toured with Pia Zadora as her special guest star with the Las Vegas Pops Orchestra, and was, most recently, the feature soloist for the admiral, captain and 1500 man crew of the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier, prior to their deployment after 9/11. I continue to front my own big band in concert as well as educational clinic/concert work. On occasion, I accept work as a lead trumpet player, depending on the circumstances. Presently my time is devoted to my album projects and appearances.

There are nine in all, soon to be ten, of which only three are currently available. "The Symphony Album", "Quantum Leap" and "The Alumni Tribute To Stan Kenton".
They can be obtained from: www.paulcacia.com

It was 1979, I was the lead trumpet for Ray Anthony and his orchestra, and we were on a two-month tour based out of Mexico City. Prior to our first rehearsals I went up to his house five days a week for two weeks so he could explain in detail the style and phrasing he expected. Bare in mind as the lead trumpet I was playing a book recorded by Conrad Gozzo, Pete Candoli, Al Porcino, and John Audino. One of the silent duties included in my position was to watch Ray, so that if his chops were to give out, I would play his part and he would just fake it. The secret signal was his forefinger out stretched on his left hand while holding the trumpet. I could always count on him, I mean always, count on him needing me to play the ending cadenza of "In The Mood". This time we were doing a "live" TV show called "Siempre En Domingo", the largest viewing audience in the world, something like 3 million people. We had been traveling for two days with no sleep; Ray was too cheap to spring for rooms, except if he wanted to watch a game. He kept adding upper register feature work in addition to my lead trumpet duties, I mean, it was getting out of hand, he wasn't paying me enough for all that. Well, I did all the extra upper register work just as he asked, he did something I can't mention here but I had had it. Low and behold when we came to the end of "In The Mood", there was no finger, so I decided to not play it. I must say, he made it look good, leaning back, with nothing coming out of the horn, it was dead silent, an embarrassing moment. He marched off the stage right over to me, before he could say anything I just wiggled my finger, he marched off.

The latest project is currently nearing the final production stage for final mixdown. It is projected for release sometime next year, guest artists include:

Harry "Sweets" Edison, Marshal Royal, Jimmy Rowles, Tito Puente, Louie Bellson, Snooky Young, Don Menza, Buddy Collette, Jack Nimitz, Vince De Rosa, Paul Smith, Milcho Leviev, Sammy Nestico, Pete Rugolo, Bill Holman, Bill Watrous, Stacy Rowles, Bill Miller, Chuck Findley, Vincent Falcone, Conte Candoli, Pete Candoli, Jack Sheldon, Ernie Wikins, Pete Christlieb, Jay Migliori, et al.

The studio personnel for the Trumpet section are: Rick Baptist, Charlie Davis, Wayne Bergeron, Joe Davis, and Frank Szabo.

"Cat" Anderson was among my teachers; we discussed the extreme register of the horn but more importantly the elements to his success as a high note showman. His years with Duke Ellington afforded him many things; he had distinguished himself in trumpet history as a true icon. He carried himself as such, never allowing petty jealousies of other trumpet players to bother him, nor uninformed people who treated him as less than who he was. He had a habit of placing his handkerchief over his mouthpiece as the horn sat on its stand in a trumpet section; this made some players even more curious. I have one of those mouthpieces, its shallow by all respects but he had a unique way of producing those notes and maintaining them. In each and every room in his home there was an old trumpet lying about with the deepest and largest mouthpiece he could find, mostly Bach 1-1/2 Cs or 3 Cs. As he moved from one room to the next he would grab the horn and produce pedal tones and a G in the staff with his upper register embouchure to keep it supple. I mean every room in the house, even the bathrooms.

Claude Gordon was certainly the principle architect of my abilities from the age of ten. I spent my summers in Big Bear Lake studying from his home and the balance of the year commuting (180 miles roundtrip) every Tuesday night to Woodland Hill's, my lesson was from 11:PM to Midnight. Customarily, I would go across the street to Corbin Liquors and buy him a Dark beer before he would retire, often we would chat. On one specific night he was actually trying to find out what some of the current younger players thought of him. This was the mid 1970's and needless to say high note players were in like Flynn. After relentless persistence I gave in and mentioned that some players said he couldn't perform some of the routines in his "Systematic Approach". Bare in mind Claude had retired as a player a decade before this and seldom played his horn (when I first began with Claude he played a great deal in the lessons with me). That night he went over to the case, popped the latches loudly, you could hear them flutter, he grabbed his horn, made a fist and pounded down on the top of all three valves to free them up as they were slightly frozen. He grabbed his mouthpiece and placed it in the horn. (Claude played a lacquer C.G. model with a Bach 1-1/4 C skeletonized mouthpiece with a #19 drill, a Morse taper and a full Schmidt backbore.) Taking a huge breath he played a major triad from tuning C down to pedal C (as big as a house) he started on low C and played a chromatic scale to Double High C then flipping to an E above that, he didn't miss a note. He removed the mouthpiece returning both it and the horn to the case closing the lid and snapping it shut. He turned to me and said: "now you heard it, don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise, I'll see you next week, goodnight... now PRACTICE"!

The most remarkable thing about my memories of Claude was when he would play with or for me in the lessons, the sound of the valves popping was like a pneumatic press, it was so strikingly Awesome, I can still hear that sound.

"Live" at The Tropicana Stan Kenton
"Jazz For Dancing" Maynard Ferguson
"Live" at Carnegie Hall Al Hirt
"Keep The Customer Satisfied" Buddy Rich

Favorite movies

A most intuitive and revealing question Roddy, I include seven subsequent essential films.

"Being There"
Peter Sellers/Melvin Douglas/Shirley Maclaine

"The Shootist"
John Wayne/Ron Howard

"North By Northwest"/"Seven Days In May"/"Soldier In The Rain"/"Man With The Golden Arm" "In Harms Way"/"The Bedford Incident"/"Young Man With A Horn"

Carpaccio
Tuna Sushi
Pate` de foie gras

Theoretical Quantum Physics, (History, Philosophy, Archaeology)

I pursued the development of my studies beyond the letter of each lesson into what I describe as the spirit of each lesson enabling me to apply the principles under varying conditions. Ultimately the muscles have memory, if you train correctly, long enough and with disciplined form, if you lay off it will come back. I have put the horn down for weeks and months at a time and all I ever lost was my endurance. However I don't plan on doing that again, I have passed the age of 45 and the adage applies "Use it or Lose It". Claude shared the process with me and I have it down to a science. I can do a simple set up and keep the focus of my tessitura, I know the seven points of the system by feel, I know innately if something is out of alignment.

On two occasions I was injured by being struck on the bell while playing, both times by a performer, the first at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, the second, The Roxy on Sunset Blvd. The first tearing my lip, on which I performed for the next six weeks to fulfill my contract, by numbing it each night and warming up until I bled, to be able to play. The second incident was so traumatic, that within 36 hours a cist had developed that prevented me from playing at all. Surgery was the only answer, I went back to Claude, he put me back on the Clarke studies for six months, a full and complete recovery took a year.

I commonly see mistakes that easily inhibit the potential of many a player, among them:

Preface:

There are two approaches to embouchure set (Up stream and Down Stream) each with variable obstacles, each valid if structural and conceptual principles are valid. Few players have been able to utilize both correctly; only a select few.

First: The most common problem is that the mouthpiece drops to less than 2/3's upper lip and 1/3 bottom. This will present symptoms of fatigue and foster improper form, which inhibits range, setting a path to exponential problems over time. Although it may feel foreign, start each day carefully 2/3 upper and 1/3 bottom, if all is well, it will find it's set.

Second: Don't over fill on air, take a full breath, but no more than you can efficiently utilize. When all 7 parts of your system are correctly engaged, you'll feel more power and control with less intake to administrate. Utilize the compression and economy of half portions of air; you will be forced to focus with more intensity, revealing any weak spots in your system. I assure you, the human body is uniquely disposed to playing the trumpet, if your doing it right you can bury anybody with shear volume. As a side note, don't lift your shoulders when you breathe, I promise you, you can't get air into them.

Third: As a trumpet player you are an Athlete and an Artist, the purpose of an athlete is to train the body and build with regard to form, form is everything. As an Artist, music is about communication, if your form is automatic you can concentrate, concentrate on the voice, the voice you hear and author, a voice valid and defined, a signature all your own. It takes concentration, focus and form to endure when you're a lead trumpet player and Soloist. If your thinking about your playing, your not playing music, it should be automatic, anything less, is nothing more, than mechanical motions to an audience.

If your not prepared, you'll never get Lucky…

It has been my great fortune to have worked with and known so many of the worlds great musicians, to marvel at their gifts and have shared in their special qualities as people, mentors and friends, for this, I will always be grateful.

The great Icons of the Trumpet have all, but a few, taken their final bows, they've left us their legacy, the hard part, is for us to carry on. Carry on in the shadows, of a craft they defined into an art form. History is re-pleat with failure, offering us those who endeavored without regard.

"How can you know where you're going, if you don't know where you've already been"? Mankind is destined to repeat his failures without studying history and the lineage of his endeavors.True genius is by design, not accident, study those who defined the art before you, their legacy will light your way. Always follow the light…

Paul Cacia



Transcribed by Sheryl Trunick - Edited by Lori Gillette
Used with permission, under specific license, ltd. All credit must be given. Paul Cacia/Empressario, LLC.
Copyright/Protected 1995 - 2000 - 2002

Thank you very much indeed for sharing your thoughts with the
' Trumpet Web Community '25th July 2002.

11th April 2003

www.paulcacia.com

Greg Evans' Trumpetstuff.com w/Paul Cacia video / audio clips
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