Who are your biggest infuences and inspirations in music? Teacher, artist, friend, bandmate or whatever. What influenced you the most to play like you do today?

I'll start -- In chronological order:

  1. Relative: Howard Norton, my father, who played violin, ukulele, trumpet and in his later years organ
  2. Teacher: Robert C Monroe who taught me how to listen to music (not just hear), theory, and dozens of expression devices and who offered me saxophone in the band when a rental became available (I was playing drums at the time)
  3. Friend: John Schneider who taught me how to double on both guitar and bass while I was in a road band with him
  4. Artist: I have to add two, Stan Getz and Stanley Turrentine because listening to them taught me how to get the sax to do more than play notes, but to sing with vox humana, and both did it in very different ways.
  5. Inspiration: Leilani, who is now my wife, because in the 3 bands we've been in together, nobody has been more fun to play with and musically interact with

    How about you?

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

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