Trombonists

Bob Alexander (1920-2012), also credited as Robert Alexander, was a trombone player who occasionally played on Sesame Street and albums. On the 1981 album Big Bird Discovers the Orchestra, he played one brief trombone spurt for the character Joan, before soloing for Stan on "Trombone Man." A veteran of the big band era going back to the 1940s, Alexander played with Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman. As a studio musician, he backed Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Teresa Brewer, Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin and Lena Horne. He played behind the The Ray Charles Singers on their 1968 At the Movies album of film songs, and with Bob Haggart on his 1968 album Big Noise from Winnetka. On TV, Alexander played on The Steve Allen Show under Skitch Henderson, went with Skitch to The Tonight Show, and remained in the band under Doc Severinsen. He also played on The Perry Como Show.

Dominick Gravine was also a trombonist. His recording career spanned the ‘60s and ‘70s. His first recording seems to be Jackie Paris’s 1962 album, The Song is Paris. In 1969, he appeared on Nina Simone’s To Love Somebody. He also appeared on Donny Hathaway’s 1973 offering, Extension of a Man, and Ramatam’s In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns, released the same year. In 1974, he performed on Bo Diddley’s Big Bad Bo and Love is the Answer, with Van McCoy & the Soul City Orchestra. He would continue to collaborate with Van McCoy on albums such as The Real McCoy and Rhythms of the World, both released 1976. That same year he teamed up with David Ruffin on Everything’s Coming up Love. In 1977, he re-united with Van McCoy on Van McCoy and His Magnificent Movie Machine. His last recording appears to be Frank Sinatra’s 1979 boxed set, Trilogy.

Stephen Johns Tuba

American Stephen M Johns studied at The Manhattan School, graduating BM and prior to that spent two years at The New England Conservatory of Music. Following his BM he gained an MM degree atThe Juilliard School. Further studies at Columbia University Teachers College earned him his M.Ed. degree.

He began his professional career with the Connecticut Opera Association during his high school years. When he moved to New York, he studied tuba with Herbert Wekselblatt, principal tuba of the Metropolitan Opera. He began substituting at the Met Opera and before long was designated as the associate tuba at the Met. As a freelance musician some of his accounts included, principal tuba of the Joffrey Ballet, The Martha Graham Ballet, The New York Pops, and The Little Orchestra Society. He has been the principal tuba of New York City Opera since 1983, the American Symphony since 1990, and New York City Ballet since 1999.

Russ Savakus Double Bass

Russ Savakus (1925-1984) was an American session bass player (electric and stand-up), violinist and singer. He recorded with numerous artists in and around the 1960s folk and folk-rock movement in New York. Earlier, he had been a part of the rhythm section for the Les Elgart swing band. According to Michael Bloomfield, who met Savakus at a Bob Dylan session: "They had a bass player, a terrific guy, Russ Savakus. It was his first day playing electric bass, and he was scared of that. No one understood nothing." However, Dylan chose to replace Savakus on tour.

Among albums Savakus has played on are Embraceable You, Chet Baker, (1957) Farewell, Angelina, Joan Baez, (1965) Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan, (1965) Many a Mile, Buffy Saint-Marie, (1965) Southbound, Doc Watson, (1966) Fire & Fleet & Candlelight, Buffy Saint-Marie, (1967) Rhymes and Reasons, John Denver, (1969) Don McLean, Don McLean, (1972) Playin' Favorites, Don McLean, (1973). He was also on "Brown Eyed Girl", Van Morrison (1967).

Ray Lucas

Ray Lucas is one of the unsung heroes of American music. An early accomplice of Jimi Hendrix, Lucas spent long hours jamming and performing on stage with the future guitar god. He also backed many of the top R&B and soul artists of the ’60s and ’70s, including Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and Dionne Warwick. With King Curtis, Lucas opened for the Beatles on their second U.S. tour and backed Otis Redding and the Supremes at the Apollo Theatre. Following his session on Tabernakel he went on to work with George Benson. Later he seemed to disappear from the scene but has continued to appear on record.

Tim Bogert

John Voorhis "Tim" Bogert III was born August 27, 1944 in New York City and is an American musician. He graduated from Ridgefield Memorial High School in his hometown in 1963. As a bass guitarist and vocalist he is best known for his bass solos. He is a frequent collaborator with drummer Carmine Appice; the duo appeared in such bands as Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice.

Carmine Appice

Carmine Appice was born December 15, 1946. He is an American drummer and percussionist most commonly associated with the rock genre. He has received classical music training, and was influenced early-on by the work of jazz drummers Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa. He is best known for his associations with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice, Rod Stewart, King Kobra and Blue Murder, which also featured John Sykes of Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy fame, and Tony Franklin of The Firm. He was inducted into the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2014.

Appice is credited with influencing later rock drummers including Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain, Aerosmith's Joey Kramer, Roger Taylor of Queen, Phil Collins of Genesis, Rush's Neil Peart, Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee, Slayer's Dave Lombardo, Richard Christy, Chris Grainger, David Kinkade, Ray Mehlbaum, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Ian Paice of Deep Purple, Anvil's Robb Reiner and Eric Singer of Kiss. His best-selling drum instruction book The Realistic Rock Drum Method was first published in 1972 and has since been revised and republished as The Ultimate Realistic Rock Drum Method. It covers the basic subjects of rock rhythms and polyrhythms, linear rudiments and groupings, shuffle rhythms, hi-hat and double bass drum exercises. Of Italian descent, Appice is the elder brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 11 years.

In 2021 Akkerman and Appice played together on a Pink Floyd tribute album.

Extract from Graham Wade A Concise History of Rock Music

Although symphonic rock remained a predominantly British genre, there was significant input from mainland Europe. Most prominent amongst the continental faction was the Dutch Band Focus, .... ... Jan Akkerman was a pioneering figure in the breaking down of barriers between rock and classical music. This phase of his career reached its zenith with Tabernakel (1973), in which Akkerman fields a program of lute solos by John Dowland (1563–1626), Anthony Holborne (c.1550–1602) and others alongside some ambitious new collaborations with the composer and conductor George Flynn. Finest of all is Javeh for guitar and orchestra, in which Akkerman's solo classical guitar shimmers amid Flynn's intoxicating string arrangement. In 1997, Akkerman ended a long absence from British soil by appearing at the Wirral International Guitar Festival. When a fan asked him to sign a well-worn copy of Tabernakel, he described the 24-year-old disc as '... the one I'm proud of.'

Billboard

A Fantasy (Wub Machine Electro House Remix)

Javeh (Wub Machine Electro House Remix)