OpenAir Presents

For the readers of OpenAirSpeaks, I'd like to announce the release of the anthology entitled OpenAir. This anthology contains some of the interviews posted here and many that aren't. All of them are informative and enjoyable. Please check it out, by all means.

Overcoming the Hurdle of Business Planning

The following is an outline to be used as a guide for those who are starting a business and need to create a business plan. This outline is designed specifically for those who intend to use the free business plan template site http://www.miniplan.com. The outline is based on the Book entitled Hurdle: the book on Business Planning written by Tim Berry as well as from the Retail Owners Institutes website.

Chapter 1: It’s About Results

I. What makes a Good Plan
a. The value of a plan is the decisions it influences.
b. Plans should be measured by results.
1. Is the plan simple? Is it easy to understand and execute? Can you explain it
simply?
2. Is the plan specific? Are the goals concrete and measurable? Does it have specific
actions with specific dates of completion, specifically responsible people with
specific budgets?
3. Is the plan realistic? Can you realize these goals within the budget that you’ve
created and within the time frame?
4. Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements?
• All business plans are different
• There is no guarantee that the plan will work.
• If the plan doesn’t follow all of the required steps, then it most likely will not
work.

II. Use of Business Plans
a. To logically look at all of the important aspects of a business.
b. Define goals and to achieve them.
c. Create regular business reviews.
d. Support a grant proposal.
e. Define agreements between parties.
f. Set a value on a business for sale or for legal purposes
g. Evaluate a new product, promotion, expansion, or service.


III. Keys to Better Business Plans
a. Use the business plans to set goals, responsibilities, and deadlines.
b. Assigns tasks to people or to departments and sets milestones and deadlines for
tracking executing strategies.
c. For every strategy, there needs to be 10 actions.
d. There must be meeting time in place for regular review and possible course
corrections.
e. The plan must be practical.

IV. Business Plan Don’ts
a. Don’t use the plant to show how much you know about your business.
b. A business plan should not be more than 50 pages long….

V. No Time for a Business Plan
a. This is a misconception. The busier you are. The more you need a plan…
b. You don’t want to run your business reactively.

VI. Summary
a. The business plan does not sell ideas.
b. Investors invest in people and ideas.
c. The business plan is a way to present information about how your business works.

Chapter 2: Pick Your Plan

I. What is a Business Plan?
a. A plan that allows a business to look ahead, provide resources, prepare for problems,
and/or opportunities.
b. Businesses need plans to improve their odds of growth and development by placing
priority on those actions, products, etc that are most important.

II. What is a Start-Up Plan?
a. This includes a summary;
b. A mission statement;
c. Keys to success;
d. Market analysis;
e. Finally a break-even analysis.
•http://www.miniplan.com

III. Is There a Standard Business Plan?
a. Formats and outlines vary, but there are generally common components.
i. If you’re developing the plan for internal use only, there’s no need for background
details.
b. Company description, product description, or service description.
c. Market.
d. Forecasts.
e. Management Team.
i. Very important for investors.
f. Financial Analysis.
i. A financial history is most important for banks.

IV. What is Most Important in a Plan?
a. Usually Cash Flow Analysis & Specific Implementation Details.
b. Why cash flow?
i. It is important and hard to follow for a company.
ii. Cash is not profit.
iii. Profits don’t guarantee substantial cash in the bank.
iv. Many profitable companies fail because of lack of cash-on-hand.
c. Implementation (action) describes how and what makes things happen.
i. Strategies mean nothing unless you assign jobs with dates, budgets, follow-up actions,
and result tracking.
ii. The business plan is about succeeding and improving.

V. Can You Suggest a Standard Outline?
a. Executive Summary: (To be written last) just a page or two of highlights of the company.
b. Company Description: Legal establishment, history, start-up plans, etc.
c. Product or Service: Describe what you’re selling. Focus on customer benefits.
d. Market Analysis: You must know your market, customer needs, where they (customers)
are, how to reach them, etc.
e. Strategy and Implementation: Be very specific. Include management responsibilities with
dates and budgets. Make sure you track the results.
f. Management Team: Describe the organization and the key management team members.
g. Financial Analysis: Make sure to include at least projected Profit and Loss and Cash Flow
tables.

VI. Standard Tables and Charts
a. Cash Flow Chart.
i. The single most important numerical analysis in a plan.
ii. Should have a Sales Forecast and Profit and Loss statements.
iii. Should have Personnel listings, projected Balance Sheet, projected Business Ratios,
and Market Analysis tables.
iv. Should be a bar chart and pie charts to illustrate the numbers.

Outline order and sequence in a standard business plan

1.0 Executive summary.
1.1 Objectives
1.2 Mission
1.3 Keys to Success

2.0 Company Summary
2.1 Company Ownership
2.2 Company History (for ongoing companies) or Start-up Plan for new companies.
2.3 Company Locations and Facilities.

3.0 Products (or services, or both)
3.1 Product (or service, or both) Description
3.2 Competitive Comparison
3.3 Sales Literature
3.4 Sourcing
3.5 Technology
3.6 Future Products

4.0 Market Analysis Summary
4.1 Market Segmentation
4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy
4.2.1 Market Needs
4.2.2 Market Trends
4.2.3 Market Growth
4.3. Industry Analysis
4.3.1 Industry Participants
4.3.2 Distribution Patterns
4.3.3 Factors of Competition
4.3.4 Main Competitors

5.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary
5.1 Strategy Pyramid
5.2 Value Proposition
5.3 Competitive Edge
5.4 Marketing Strategy
5.4.1 Positioning Statement
5.4.2 Pricing Strategy
5.4.3 Promotion Strategy
5.4.4 Marketing Programs
5.5 Sales Strategy
5.5.1 Sales Forecast
5.5.2 Sales Program
5.6 Milestones

6.0 Management Summary
6.1 Organizational Structure
6.2 Management Team
6.3 Management Team Gaps
6.4 Personnel Plan

7.0 Financial Plan
7.1 Important Assumptions
7.2 Key Financial Indicators
7.3 Break-Even Analysis
7.4 Projected Profit and Loss
7.5 Projected Cash Flow
7.6 Projected Balance Sheet
7.7 Business Ratios
7.8 Long-term Plan

V. Form Follows Function
a. If the business plan is for internal use, focuses on well-known existing products or services, then there may be no need for product details.
b. Business plans looking for investors (grantors) need to have some convincing market data.
c. A small business plan used by a small group of people close to the company may not need much market research.
i. If there is a chance to improve the company and the plan by learning about the market.
ii. If there isn’t, then this step may not be required.

VII. Investor Summaries and Loan Applications (Grant Applications)
a. When used to back up a loan application, potential investors may want a summary document as well as a complete plan.
b. Many investors like to see a brief summary, and the loan application doesn’t always require a complete plan.
c. If done properly, you can use the summary paragraphs in the main sections---company, market, product, etc.---to create these specific summary documents.

VIII. Timeframes: Is 3 Years Enough?
a. A business plan should project monthly sales for the next 12 months and annual
sales for the following two years (24 months).
b. This means that unless the business doesn’t pay off by the third year, then it may not make sense to plan beyond three years.
c. Plan for your business to last well into the future. Just don’t include those plans in
the detailed portions of the business plan.
IX. Summary
a. There are many kinds of business plan software packages, such as Business Plan
Pro™, but ultimately this plan is yours.
b. Make sure that the plan best suits your needs.

Chapter 3: The Mini-Plan

I. Objectives
a. These are business goals.
b. Set market share objectives, sales objectives, and profit objectives.
c. Companies need to set objectives (goals) and plan to achieve them.
d. Be specific.
i. Mention achieving a given level of sales or profits;
ii. A percentage of gross margin, a growth rate, or a market share
e. Don’t use generalities.
i. ‘Being the best’;
ii. ‘Growing rapidly.
f. Why?
i. ‘Being the best’ or ‘Maximize customer satisfaction,’ cannot be measured.
ii. Better goals would be holding gross margin to 25% as a minimum, selling more than
$3million, or achieving 6% profit on sales and/or 10% return on equity.
g. What if my objectives (goals) are less tangible?
i. Find a way to measure them
ii. If image and awareness are important ways to measure growth and improvement,
then find a statistically valid survey instrument to measure the company’s image
and awareness.
iii. It is possible to set market share goals and purchase research to measure the actual
share.
iv. You could focus on customer satisfaction.
1. Use or at least plan to use a survey to measure customer satisfaction or define
numerical goals regarding returns or complaints.

II. Mission Statement
• This defines the business concept.
• It should define underlying goals (like making a profit) in broad strategic terms,
including what benefits are offered.

a. What Business You Are In
i. Don’t narrow yourself by definition.
1. For example the railroad industry lost the chance to expand itself by disdaining
itself. They thought they were in the business of running trains on tracks rather
than transporting goods and services
2. When trucks and buses grew and highways, the railroads were left behind.

b. Customer Satisfaction
i. Experts have found that the mission statement is the place where the source of
customer satisfaction is most likely to be found.
ii. References to customer satisfaction should be included here.

c. Workplace Philosophy
i. Some mission statements define internal goals
1. Creative working environment.
2. Respect for diversity.
ii. Experts also look to the mission statement to find statements about the workplace
philosophy.
d. Value-Based Marketing
i. This, the experts state, help companies better understand themselves. (Remember
the railroad industry example?)
ii. You make a business value proposition (idea statement).
1. What benefit does the business offer, to whom and at what relative price:
2. Automobile manufacturer proposes that it offers safe, reliable cars for a
relatively inexpensive price.
3. A fast-food restaurant offers quick and consistent lunches at a low price.

II. Keys to Success
a. If one is in the retail business, then one might say the keys to success would be these
things. These are also referred to as business priorities
i. Location, convenient parking, and low prices.
b. A computer store might look different
i. Knowledgeable staff, major brands, and good advertising.
c. Berry calls the ability to identify these keys to success as, ‘a law of inverse focus.’
i. He has found that companies that have more than 4 of these keys are less likely to
meet these priorities.
ii. He refers to this as a great way to focus on those actions that make the business
work.

III. Break-even Analysis
a. This is based on three assumptions:
i. Average per-unit sales price (also known as per-unit revenue)
1. Should take special offers and sales discounts.
2. For non-unit based businesses, make the per-unit revenue $1 and your costs
as a percent of a dollar.

Illustration 3-1: Break-even Analysis








Source:
www.bplans.com/common/gifs/QA/bplans/Hurdle-Illus2-1.gif

ii. Average per-unit cost
1. By using a Units-Based Sales Forecast table (for manufacturing and mixed
business types), this enables one to project unit costs (amount it costs to make a
sale).
2. For a retail business, use a percentage estimate.
• If a retail store runs on a 50% margin, then the per-unit cost would be .5 and
per-unit revenue of .1.

Illustration 3-2: Break-even Chart











Source: http://www.bplans.com/common/gifs/QA/bplans/ILL2-2-BreakEvenChart_small.gif

iii. Monthly fixed costs
1. This defines fixed costs as those that would continue even if you went broke.
2. The best thing to do would be use regular fixed costs, including payroll and
normal expenses.

NOTE: According to chart 3-2, as sales increase, the profit line passes though the zero line, also known as the bread-even line or break-even point. This company has to sell 1,222 units in order to break the zero planes to break-even.

IV. A Reminder.
a. The break-even analysis depends on 3 key assumptions.
i. Average per-unit sales price (per-unit revenue)
1. See Sales Forecast Table.
ii. Average per-unit cost
1. This is the incremental cost, or variable cost, of each unit of sales. If you buy
goods for resale, this is what you paid, on average, for the goods you sell. If
you sell a service, this is what it costs you, per dollar of revenue or unit of
service delivered, to deliver that service. If you are using a Units-Based Sales
Forecast table (for manufacturing and mixed business types), you can project
unit costs from the Sales Forecast table. If you are using the basic Sales
Forecast table for retail, service and distribution businesses, use a percentage
estimate, e.g., a retail store running a 50% margin would have a per-unit cost
of .5, and a per-unit revenue of 1.
iii. Monthly fixed costs
1. Technically, a break-even analysis defines fixed costs as costs that would
continue even if you went broke. Instead, we recommend that you use your
regular running fixed costs, including payroll and normal expenses (total
monthly Operating Expenses). This will give you a better insight on financial
realities. If averaging and estimating is difficult, use your Profit and Loss
table to calculate a working fixed cost estimate—it will be a rough estimate,
but it will provide a useful input for a conservative Break-even Analysis.


Source:
http://articles.bplans.com/financing-a-business/break-even-analysis

NOTE: Microsoft Excel has a tutorial on Sales Forecasting. However this article by The Retail Owners’ Institute may help even more.


Sales Forecasting: Part Art, Part Science

If you are like many retailers, you probably haven’t put together a comprehensive business plan since you first went into business (if you did it then!). But a carefully thought-out plan is essential to the success of your retail business. Owners and managers who plan ahead invariably achieve more than those who don’t take the time to draw up forecasts and set realistic goals for their stores.

Undoubtedly, the most important forecast you will make is the sales forecast. It requires that you make strategic decisions regarding the future of your business based on accurate information of your past performance and thoughtful projections into the future. In short, planning a sales forecast is part art, part science.

Where to Begin
The process is not as bad as it sounds. Dig out your sales figures from the past three years (if you’ve been in business that long) and note your month-to-month sales trends. You may find it helpful to summarize sales figures on a chart or spreadsheet. This will give you basic forecasting data.

Past sales figures by themselves, however, don’t give all the information you need to write an intelligent sales forecast. You also must consider a multitude of other factors. Here are some important ones to keep in mind. Each of these has probably influenced your past sales, and will affect sales in the future.

* Your business’ previous sales levels.
* Comparisons of similar selling periods.
* Your customers’ lifestyles and tastes.
* The general condition of the local and national economy.
* Business conditions in your retail niche.
* Changes in the level of competition.
* Changes in store’s policy.
* Changes in your store’s size, space, or product mix.
* Dates of holidays, number of selling days.
* Changes in pricing policies.
* Changes in morale and motivation among your employees.
* Advertising and promotion campaigns.
* Changes in relationships with suppliers.
* External conditions that might have caused more potential customers to move into, or
out of, your trading area.
* Establishment of goals and planning.

Think about how each factor has influenced past sales. Then think about how to work these variables into your projections of future sales. Here are two examples of how to take these variables into account in your planning. Keep in mind that there is a mathematical equation for factoring each variable that is simple and logical to use. . .these provide the “science” of forecasting.

Factoring in the number of selling days
Suppose your total sales for last April were $40,000 in 25 selling days. Assume further that you’re planning for a 20 percent increase in sales month-to-month this year. If your number of selling days is going to drop to 23 days in April, what sales figure will give you a true 20 percent increase?

To factor in the decrease in selling days, multiply last April’s sales by the result of 23 divided by 25. That will give you the breakeven dollar amount for the upcoming year. Then multiply that figure by 1 plus the 20 percent increase you expect based on your historical data and the other factors above.

$40,000 x (23 ÷ 25) = $36,800

$36,800 x 1.20 = $44,160

Allowing for two fewer selling days, you need sales of $44,160 to achieve a true 20 percent increase this April over last April.

If the situation were reversed, and you had 25 selling days in this April, compared to 23 last year, simply reverse the fraction and multiply last year’s sales by the result of 25 divided by 23. Then, proceed as before: multiply that result by 1.20 to calculate the 20 percent increase you want. Result: With two more selling days, you’ll need $52,173 to make your true 20 percent increase.

Remember: To make your selling days conversion fraction, put the number of days in the previous year’s month on the bottom, and the number of days in your planning year’s month on top. If you reverse the fraction, your projections will come out either very low or very high.

Factoring in pricing policies
Another variable you can factor into your sales projections is rising (or falling) prices. For example, how should you change your sales plan if you expect rising prices to increase the amount of your average sales by five percent?

In this case, you start by multiplying last April’s $40,000 sales figure by 1.05 to find the amount that will keep you even with last year’s sales.

$40,000 x 1.05 = $42,000

So, on the basis of rising prices alone, you can plan for a $2,000 increase, assuming your unit sales remain constant. Of course, that $2,000 doesn’t represent a true increase, since your own rising costs offset it. It does, however, give you the new base from which to make your other calculations. Once you’ve figured the new base amount, you can calculate the effect of other factors, such as changes in the number of selling days, then multiply by 1.20 to arrive at a true 20 percent increase.

You’ll have to devote some time to calculating how these variables will affect your sales. As you can see from the two examples we’ve worked here, making straight month-to-month comparisons can be very misleading. Without accounting for an increase in selling days, you could easily conclude that you are achieving good sales increases when your sales are actually dropping.

The Final Steps
The next step in the sales forecasting process is where it becomes an “art.” Look at your projections and see if they make sense. Do they pass the “plausibility test”? Based on all the information available, can you substantiate the dollar figures you planned for sales? Are they sound enough to use in planning other parts of your business? Are they good enough for your banker?

Finally, compare your forecasts to actual sales results as you see them develop. Don’t worry about occasional minor variations. But if you consistently over- or under-estimate your sales by 10 percent or more, you should find out what’s causing the discrepancy. Then you can make whatever adjustments you think are appropriate. Make sure that when you have completed this process that it all makes sense and feels right. . .are your forecasts logical and complete?

Your sales forecasts are the backbone of your business plan. Once you are satisfied your forecasts and the plan make sense on all counts, create a couple of alternate plans based on different assumptions. That way, if something changes your sales results significantly, you can immediately switch to an alternative plan.

You should have plans for how to react to a variety of future changes, either positive or negative. It is particularly critical to plan for a worst-case scenario to know some of your options ahead of time. Having contingency plans will enable you to follow your primary plan more confidently.

Sales forecasting involves both “science” and “art.” There are preexisting formulas to help you in factoring different variables in your forecast, giving you the freedom to make sound, sensible estimations and assumptions based on those formulas. Don’t let the process intimidate you; take advantage of it and get the best possible strategic planning for your business.

Forecasting Retail Sales
Minimize


Your sales forecasts are the backbone of your business plan. Good sales forecasting involves some "art" (that is, judgment) and some "science" (good old arithmetic!) The key: don't let the process intimidate you.

The crucial first step is simply getting something down on paper, what do you generally think sales will be each month for the next 12 months. Use the last couple of years as a guide. By all means, use round numbers; don't bog down in details!

Then, use your judgment. Think about all the factors that could influence your monthly sales, either up or down. Adjust your numbers as you see fit. Just be sure to make notes about your assumptions for later reference.

©Copyright 2009. The Retail Owners Institute®. All rights reserved.

Source:
http://www.retailowner.com/ROIarticles/A1all/tabid/202/Default.aspx

V. Market Analysis
a. Major research is not necessary to accomplish this.
i. You may wish to do so later on. (See Chapter 9: Know Your Market).
ii. The goal is to make a good ‘educated’ guess about how many potential customers
you might have.
iii. A quick break-even analysis ties one’s initial business numbers to the number of
sales one needs to make.
iv. Now, let’s look at how many potential customers one will have in order to think
about how important it is to break even.
v. Lets look at a mythical company that Tim Berry uses from the text.

Potential Customers Growth Total Cust’s
Consumer 2% 12,000
Small Business 5% 15,000
Large Business 8% 33,000
Government -2% 36,000
Education 0% 19,000
Total 2.78% 115,000

vi. NOTE: 2.78% is the average of the above growth numbers, while
the total number of customers is simply the sum of the above
numbers. This analysis table allows you to illustrate the estimated
total customer base and your projected rate for each group.

vii. This acts as a ‘reality check’. Once we have the break-even
analysis, we now need to know how many customers we may
have, so we can begin to think about the importance of breaking
even.

ix. The marketing analysis table on the previous page gives a simple
list of market segments. Each segment refers to a group of
customers. The goal is to define each of the groups according to
what needs you supply, demographic characteristics, buying
habits, preferences, etc. In the marketing analysis table on the
previous page, the total potential customers estimated and the
annual growth rate expected for each segment were included.
These numbers you would have to do on your own.

x . Now let’s look at a mythical company called AMT Computer
Company. This comes from http://articles.mplans.com/market-
forecasting-should-be-part-of-your-plan/. The article is entitled, Create a Market
Forecast for your Marketing Plan.

xi. According to Berry, A market forecast is a core component of a
market analysis. It projects the future numbers, characteristics, and
trends in your target market. A standard analysis shows the
projected number of potential customers divided into segments.

xii. Market Forecast - Example The AMT computer store has a simple market forecast. The plan defines two target market segments, and the forecast projects how
many potential customers in each of those segments by years, for
five years. In the market forecast, the numbers indicate that there are 25,000
home offices included in the market, and that number is growing at
an estimated five percent per year. There are also 10,000 small
businesses in the area, and that number is also growing at five
percent per year.These numbers are estimates. Nobody really knows, but we all
make educated guesses. AMT’s owners researched the market as
well as they could, then estimated populations of target users in
their area and the annual growth rates for each. The chart below offers a visual
representation of the AMT Computer Company market forecast.



http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb88/paloaltosoftware/marketanalysisbar.png

This is a histogram of what the mythical company known as AMT Computer would look like if we were to perform a Market Forecast.

The table below shows the market forecast described for AMT.

Potential Customers Growth 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 CAGR
High-End Home Office 10% 25,000 27,500 30,250 33,275 36,603 10.00%
Small Business 5% 10,000 10,500 11,025 11,576 12,155 5.00%
Other 6% 1,000 1,060 1,124 1,191 1,262 5.99%
Total 8.57% 36,000 39,060 42,399 46,042 50,020 8.57%

Market Value

Normally you would also look at market value, not just market size. For example, even though AMT’s high-end home segment is 2.5 times larger than its small business segment as measured by number of customers, the small business customer spends almost four times as much as the home office customer. Therefore the small business market is a more important market in terms of dollar value. The table below shows AMT’s method for tracking market value.

Market Segment Avg $ Market Product Loyalty Buyer
per cust. Value Attitude Status Readiness

High-end Home $3,200 $98 Million Positive Medium Medium
Office
Small Business $12,500 $138 Million Indifferent None Defensive
Other $4,800 $5 Million Depends Strong Informed

The important numbers in this table are the average purchase per customer and the market value:

Average purchase per customer is an educated guess based on AMT’s experience. Sales managers got together to make the estimate. Although AMT would have liked some external source of information to use for this, there was none available. Notice that the home office customer tends to purchase much less overall than the small business customer.

The market value is simple mathematics. Multiply the number of potential customers in the market by the average purchase per customer. In this case they took the average number of customers in each segment over the five-year forecast period and multiplied that by the average purchase per customer, to calculate the market value.

The other items in this market analysis table are subjective qualities that help with marketing. AMT assigns these points to people charged with preparing marketing materials.

Reality Checks

A market forecast should always be subject to a reality check. When you think you have a forecast, you need to find a way to check it for reality. In AMT’s case, if the total market is worth some estimate they could estimate sales of all the competitors and see if the two numbers relate to each other. In an international market, you might check production and import and export figures to see whether your estimates for annual shipments appear to be in the same general range as published figures. You might check with vendors who sold products to this market in some given year to see whether their results check with your forecast. You might look for macroeconomic data to confirm the relative size of this market compared to other markets with similar characteristics.

Review Target Focus

The market analysis should lead to developing strategic market focus. That means selecting the key target markets. This is the critical foundation of strategy. We talk about it as segmentation and positioning.

Under normal circumstances, no company will attempt to address all the segments in a market. As you select target segments, think about the inherent market differences, keys to success, competitive advantage, and strengths and weaknesses of your company. You want to focus on the best market, but the best one is not necessarily the largest one or the one with the highest growth. It might be the one that matches your own company profile.

Source: http://articles.mplans.com/market-forecasting-should-be-part-of-your-plan/

VI. Pause for Reflection
a. These are a list of questions that you should be prepared to answer
i. How does your business look from this viewpoint?
ii. Does it make sense?
iii. Can you make the sales needed to break even?
iv. Is the market big enough?
v. Are your projections realistic?
vi. Can you bring together the keys for success?

VII. Summary
a. If you are confident that you can make your break-even numbers work, and you are
confident that you have the number of customers necessary to accomplish it, then it is
time to develop the plan.
b. If not, then perhaps it’s best to do more research and to revise the idea, possibly even
abandon the idea and to try something else.

OpenAir Presents: The Frank Mc Cullough Quartet

This is Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir, and tonight I'm reporting live from The Historic West Village at the Harlequin Caf. As usual, I arrived early, sipped some coffee, ultimately too much coffee, but I digress, had some lively banter, and listened to some of the best jazz I would hear in many months.

About 9:00pm, the band arrives and begins to set up. In walks Alex Brooks, the drummer of the quartet, who 20 years ago was one of my jazz tutors in a summer program. I noticed that he still has the habit of setting up each drum in his set, which only includes four drums for tonight's set, individually and tunes each one. I also remember that you never bother him when he is setting up or taking apart his drums, but I did manage to interview him after briefly re-acquainting myself with him, between sets.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, today we have...

AB: My name is Alex Brooks, and I know all the world's greatest drummers. I studied with all of them. I knew Buddy Rich. I knew Dennis Chambers. I know Harvey Mason (of the Herbie Hancock Group, during the 70s) and all the greatest drummers in the world.
We're all friends, one, big, happy family.

TW: Now you know you and I go back to Northern High School about 20 years ago, you were one of my teachers, so tell us what has happened in the interim between '86 and now. What have you been doing?

AB: There has been a lot going on because we all believe in sharing with each other. I lost a lot of people and that made me real serious about playing music. I just believe that I'm going to play this music the rest of my life, and I'm dedicated to it because people have taught me how to be dedicated to it such as Larry Smith, Sam Sanders, Wendell Harrison, Donald Waldon, especially Donald and that's all I have to say about that.

TW: Have you got any CDs out?

AB: Yes, I do, as a matter of fact. I just didn't bring any with me. I might find one in my trunk. Tupac used to sell his CDs out of his trunk.

TW: It works.

AB: Yeah, it works.

TW: What's it entitled?

AB: Classic Acts.

TW: What do the fans have to forward to on this one?

AB: Real smooth, nice, listening jazz and the audience ought to be educated about this music, and it was good that we could do that.

TW: Are you still doing any educational instruction. You know tutoring, etc.?

AB: Yeah, every once in a while. I place where I had been was Jacksonville, Florida. A friend of mine, Keith Jarvers, a piano player, had me to help his students out, and it worked out. The students liked me, and we're friends right now still.

TW: Well that's a rap. Thanks a lot.


From left to right. Judge Leonard Townsend, piano, Frank McCullough, trumpet, Greg Cook, bass, and Alex Brooks, drums.

However, as the night progressed, the band seemed to grow. Right now, I will introduce one of the quartet's additions: Mr. Charles Holsey.



TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and tonight we have...

CH: Charles Holsey, vocalist. I've been around a long, long time, singing around Detroit when they had Dummie George, Down at Kline's on 12th street, and I'm trying to come back and do a few things, kick it around a little bit. I was down at Bert's the other night singing, and Frank asked me to come down here tonight and do something. I told him I'd come down.

TW: Are you currently working with any groups?

CH: No, not right now, not a permanent group. I was down here with the piano player about a year ago, and then I was down here with another group about a year ago, but I usually go in and sit in. I was down at Baker's. Mainly I'm at Bert's on Wednesday or Thursday night. I did a thing with Rod Hicks. So, I'm still feeling myself, seeing if I want to come back, or doing what I've been doing which is being retired. What I'm doing is feeling the way and seeing what's happening right now.

TW: Well, I'm not going to hold you. I know you want to get your pipes loosened up for the next set. So, I'll cut it short.

The next member of the quartet whom I interviewed was Justice Leonard Townsend. He is an amazing story. He has played the piano for over 60 years and has played with the greatest musician's in jazz. However, he never played professionally. When he arrived, he began warming up by playing Thelonious Monk, whom no one attempts to play, at least seriously. I was sure that this man was some itinerant, jazz legend whom I either had heard of or should have, but to my surprise, he was a recreational piano player. However, he plays better than many jazz pianists who are half his age and who play for a living.

TW: I'd like introduce, Mr...

LT: Leonard Townsend.

TW: Tell us a little bit about your musical journey, when it started and some of the highlights.

LT: I started taking music lessons in 1943. I've been playing since then. My first professional gig was when I was 15, and I've been playing since then for anyone who would call me.

TW: Who are some of the bands and musicians for whom you've played?

LT: Oh man, everybody. Everybody, Marcus Belgrave, Donald Waldon, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers. You know. You name it: Ray Mc Kinney. Just about everybody.

TW: Have performed on or recorded any albums?

LT: No, no, no, I just do it part-time.

TW: Wow! So if you did this part-time, what was your 'day job', as they say?

LT: Well, I was a lawyer for 18 years, and I was appointed to the circuit court and have been a judge since then, so that's my bread-and-butter job. So, I play part-time.

TW: Wow, from what I'd heard, I just knew that I was listening to some jazz legend whom I was supposed to know, who had played on a dozen or more albums, with a discography that is longer than I am tall. So this is a labor of love?

LT: Yeah, well naturally there are more musicians than there are jobs, so I play whenever I can.You can't really (make a living in music). If I'm not working, I'll sit in with other people, but I don't make a living at it. I do it for the love, and I've been doing it a long time.

TW: From what I heard, I would beg to differ, but every artist has his own opinion about his art. But as I was listening, I said, "Wow!"

LT: Thank you very much. I appreciate the compliment.

TW: What are some future plans that you have musically?

LT: I continue to study and learn from other cats and play whenever I can, so that's what I'm going to do.

TW: This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

Finally, I managed to interview the man of the hour, Mr. Frank Mc Cullough. I met him this past Wednesday, and his experience is vast. His pedigree is impressive, and his playing is dynamic. When you can hear three or four different styles of playing in one man's style, it's safe to say that you're listening to a unique musician. Frank is such a musician. Introducing, Mr. Frank Mc Cullough.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have Mr...

FM: Frank Mc Cullough.

TW: Tell us a little bit about your sojourn in music.

FM: Basically, I'm Detroit-born and bred. I come from musical family. My father is one of The Funk Brothers, a Motown trumpeter. Essentially, I've been blessed enough to work with some of the bigger names in show business at a young age.

TW: Such as...

FM: I played for Wild Cherry, that was my first tour...

Writers Note: Wild Cherry is the 70s band that wrote and performed the hit 'Play That Funky Music (White Boy)'.

big-named group back in 1976. Also after that, I played for Michael Henderson. I played for the Four Tops. I played for The Dramatics. I'm the drummer and the trumpeter for Was Not Was's first three albums...

Writer's Note: Was Not Was is the 70s and early-80s band that wrote and performed the dance hit 'Out Come the Freaks.'

It just goes on. I could go on all day on that. Other groups I've played for: Chubby Checker, etc., different things like that.

TW: So when you play, who would you say are your biggest influences?

FM: My favorite and who I would say I try to pattern myself after is Lee Morgan. I'm a Lee Morgan fan. He was my hero, that's who I pattern my style after.

TW: Do you have any CDs that are available?

FM: It's in the works right now. I'm in the studio, right now as we we're talking. I've got a CD coming out. It's on the ground floor right now, but it should be out by June, July, or August.

TW: What is it called?

FM: My single will be called 'Urban Blue.' I have other compositions that I have not named yet, but it will be comprised from anywhere between 4 to 8 tunes on my CD.

TW: All right, we'll be looking forward to it. It looks like the band is beginning to start. I appreciate you. Thanks a lot. This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

FM: Thank you for interviewing me, sir.

The next 'addition' to the group is an interesting man. His name is Bob Wolkowski, a. k. a., 'Banjo Bob.' He started playing the banjo last year after a tragic wrist injury. He was originally a guitarist, but after shattering his wrist, he learned and is still learning the banjo. He, now retired, also works as a glass-blower's apprentice in Ferndale.


Bob Wolkowski, 'Banjo Bob', soloing.

Unlike many non-traditional instrumentalists, Bob plays like a jazz guitarists, using the same accompaniment and soloing techniques as jazz guitarists. He uses them on the banjo. Introducing Bob Wolkowski, a. k. a., 'Banjo Bob.'

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and tonight we have...

BW: Bob Wolkowski, a. k. a. 'Banjo Bob.'

TW: All right. How long have you been playing?

BW: The honest truth, the banjo just since October.

TW: No.

BW: Yes, what happened was that I used to be a jazz guitarist, and in July I shattered my wrist. I can't play guitar anymore, so I had to pick up banjo. So I started playing just after the first surgery, and I started picking up the banjo a little bit and applying jazz principles from guitar to the banjo. After my second surgery in October, I started to get a little more serious because I could move, just applying jazz theory to banjo, a little classical stuff, jazz stuff to banjo.

TW: How does that work exactly? I know how a guitar is strung? Is the banjo similar?

BW: Not at all.

TW: So you just had to learn this all over again.

BW: Yes, it's starting from scratch. All my chords are from the beginning, basically starting from a complete novice, and I'm still moving up slowly, applying the theory. Starting all over, you have to listen, learn the distinction between listening and hearing.

TW: That's something I heard Delfeayo Marsalis mention to me in a previous interview. Have you done any recording?

BW: I have a lot of recording at home, but unfortunately, none that I am on.

TW: So this is a labor of love.

BW: Yes. One of the roughest things was being out of the doctor's office, looking at these big pieces of metal coming out of my hand and wondering if I would ever play again. And I gave up, but the music didn't give up on me.

TW: Wow.

BW: Thank you.

TW: Thank you.

BW: You're welcome.

Now the bassist is another incredible musician. I think he is actually the best pure musician in the group. I have heard jazz bassists, and except for Stanley Clarke, no one could do anything that this next man could do. His name is Greg Cook and that is exactly what he did all night from 9:30pm until 1:30am.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have...

GC: Gregory Cook.

TW: Now, how long have you been playing bass?

GC: Too many years.

TW: Too many years? How could it be too many years? You don't look like you could be more than 27, 28 years old?

GC: Well, I really appreciate that. I count my blessings but that ain't so, and I thank you for that.

TW: Tell us a little about your experiences with the bass and your training.

GC: Well, I've studied with a lot of the local experienced bassists like Ray Mc Kinney, Ollie Jackson. One of the principal bassists for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Bob Gladstone, who passed a few years ago. I studied with Don Mayberry and just by playing.

TW: Who are some of your favorite jazz bassists that you've patterned yourself after?

GC: I'd like to think legends like Ron Carter, Ray Brown, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Gomez, just all the legends, you know, Pattitucci, all of those guys. Gary Peacock.

TW: Do you have any CDs?

GC: I've done a lot of demos, nothing like an album per se. Recently, I did WDET live with Mr. James Tatum and that turned out really well. So that's all I can say right now.

TW: That's amazing, with your chops and facility, I thought you had a discography. You're the third guy tonight that said he didn't have any recording you sound like he really ought to. You sound like you ought to be on somebody's something, somewhere.

GC: I appreciate that. I'd like to think of myself as a late-bloomer.

TW: What are some of things that you plan to do with your music?

GC: Either record and be able to do my own self, or just get myself a 9 to 5 and call it a day.

TW: Well, personally, if I had chops like yours, I don't know if I'd be working a job. I'd be playing, but I'm going to cut this interview short. I know you have to warm back up again for the last set. This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.

GC: Thank you.

The Frank Mc Cullough Quartet often plays on Fridays and Saturday nights at the Harlequin Caf, located at 8047 Agnes, two blocks north of E. Jefferson, and one-half block east of Van Dyke in the Parkstone Apartment Building.

OpenAir Presents: Thomas Park

his is Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir.

On St. Patrick's Day, I went to the Meetery Eatery to listen to a poet whose work I'd heard before, but I learned something about this poet that I'd never known before. You see, many performance poets either don't have or don't reveal their scholarly attributes in either their writing or their performance technique. Mr. Thomas Park is no such man.


Thomas Park in complete focus while performing live at the Meetery Eatery on St. Patrick's Day.

In his work, you hear his southern roots, his northern life, and everything in between. Introducing, Mr. Thomas Park.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have...

TP: Thomas Park.

TW: Tonight I heard you read. I've been listening to you read and perform for about 6 months, maybe more, but I never heard you bring it like you brought it tonight. What's the source of all of this?

TP: Well it actually is just about coming out here. I consider the talent that the Meetery Eatery has is consistent with that of some of the best workshops that I've ever sat in. And just being here, week in and week out and listening to the talent and the energy and just being a serious artist, trying to emulate what I hear, I'm appreciative that the results resonate in my performance. I really worked hard because I feel the artist here work very hard. I just appreciate that my performance tonight reflected that hard work.

TW: What was the first thing that led you to write poetry?

TP: Frustration. Frustration at living in the South. The social structure. It was basically early in the 70s, my only way of fighting back. I guess the system was pretty well-entrenched in the South.

TW: What was it like down South? Give us a story of what went down in the South, something that you can remember.

TP: One of the bigger things that I remember are expecting the 'yes sir,' even down to teenagers expecting you to address them as 'yes sir,' 'no sir,' and how they would call grown people by their first names. And the fact that, they always felt like black people didn't deserve good jobs, wanted to give you hand-me-downs, like it was, 'business-as-usual.' I mean, even in that poem that I did, I've known white people to feel offended because colored people protested that we were violating their civil rights, and those are some of the real frustrating things that led me to write.

TW: Tell us a little bit about the life on the farm. I know about the 'Mule Poem.' Tell us a little bit about that farm life.

TP: It was very difficult.

TW: First of all what state were you in?

TP: We were in North Carolina. It was the tobacco belt, and so I was primarily employed in picking the tobacco and getting it to the barn. After tobacco, we'd have...Well there wasn't much cotton. There'd be soybeans and corn and tomatoes. There would always be something to do on the farm. We were a bit more fortunate, but I still had to go out and work for other people, at that time. The white people would ride the tractors, and the black people would use the mules and stuff, so we still got the brunt of the hard work.

TW: Now when did you come up to Detroit, and about how old were you

TP: I came here in 1958 with my parents, but I left in 1972, 1971 actually, and I finished high school and came back and attended Wayne State from 1976 to 1978. And afterwards, I went back to North Carolina hopefully to get married, and I was married, but those kind of things didn't work out well. I still went back to agriculture and the like, and I became ill about three years ago, so I had to give up that type of work. I still had the option to go to school, as opposed to getting some type of disability that just wasn't going to cut it. I came back to Detroit in a permanent invictus mode like, 'I will not be defeated.' I will make the best out of this bad situation. It led me to eventually reap some of the benefits of being here. I've seen some really positive things happen from just working hard and being around good serious artists.

TW: Who are some of your poetic influences?

TP: Well Sterling Brown is one. I really love Sterling Brown's work. I really love Amiri Baraka's work. I really love work by Sonia Sanchez, and there are some experimental people like Clark Coolidge that I've come to appreciate. I'm just such a novice, and I feel that I don't really know anything about all of these poems and styles, so it's like an exciting journey, learning the different ways that I can get my work out.

TW: What have been some of the high points in your writing points thus far? I remember Tom mention that you won some awards. Tell us about some of those.

TP: Well last year at Wayne State, in the English Department competitions, the final judges were from New York, I came in second in the Agnes Burton Competition for a collection of poems. I came in first in the Patch Competition for a collection of poems. I came in first in the Thompkins Award for a collection of poems, and I was entered by the school that by having won, placed me into a larger competition at the University of Virginia where I was really surprised. I wrote the poem 'Country-Fied', about my life from south to north back south again and north again. I submitted that, and there were something like 800 submissions. I made the cut that made me one of the Best Emerging Poets of 2005. I do consider it one of many anthologies, but I was proud to get published.

TW: Wow, that's powerful. What are some of the future plans that you have for your poetry?

TP: Right now, I'm working on an advanced project in class which is a collection of chap books that have different themes in poetry, and I'm assembling them as a text that can be read interchangeably. You can just pull the text out that pertains to social matters, or it might be homoerotic reading, or it might pertain to blackness things like that. It's a collection of poems that is going to comprise two books. Right now, I'm on the 8th chapter, so I've got 2 to go. I'm going to enter one in a competition here in Detroit, and I'm going to enter another in the Cave Canem Competition in New York. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

TW: All right. Well, you sound like you've got a lot on your plate. For a guy who says he's a novice, it sounds you've found your stride. You're doing a lot, and it's incredible given all that you've accomplished in that short window of time, since you've gone public with your poetry. We look forward to seeing you here in and in bigger and better things. I'm going to end the interview, and thank you very much.

Poet in the House

This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir. I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit to The Urban Folk Poet, Mr Wardell Montgomery. He has been teaching me about the world of poetry by inviting me to various venues, events, and introducing me to various poets. Today, he and I went to the Bowen Public Library in southwest Detroit. Broadside Press has just released an anthology entitled Poet in the House. This story is yet another that emphasizes the link between literary poetry and performance poetry.

Today I interviewed Mr. Willie Williams of Broadside Press.

TW: This is Terrill Wyche for OpenAir, and today we have...

WW: Willie Williams of Broadside Press.

TW: We were just talking briefly about the Poets in Residency program and how, because of economic concerns, it has been discontinued. Now what are some other plans for Broadside Press?

WW: For Broadside, we have a third Sunday poetry series. It's at 4731 Grand River. And every third Sunday, we have an open mic. At the end, we have featured readers. Then at the beginning, we have a workshop which anyone is welcomed to come. And the only thing we say is, if you're willing to come to a workshop, then you've got to be willing to work. We have an exercise that we do in class. Then, and we're hoping, that will then allow people to then go home and expand on what they learned. Also we're working on trying to keep the books we have in stock, and then try to republish some of the older ones. And eventually, once we get some more cash, then we'll publish some new books.


Willie Williams, poet and author.

TW: You were mentioning something about poets and poetry workshops and we briefly began to discuss it. What were some of the thoughts that you were elaborating on?

WW: Well one thing that helps all poets is the workshop, where you get into a space where you feel free to stretch, experiment with different styles, not there to be in competition, but you're there to learn how to become a better poet. And that's only really done when you can actually have someone there whose been writing longer than you or who has a different style from and you can learn from them and they can learn from you. But unless you have these type of settings, you never learn this just from open mic. In open mic, all you do is just listen to people talk, but you don't really get the interaction that you need. You don't really get the criticism, the positive criticism where people can make suggestions on how you can make it better. What you get is just some applause. And then you're gone, you don't really know what you did right or what you did wrong. You assume that because you got some applause that you did everything right. Sometimes applause is just automatic. It's just a reaction. They applaud everybody who comes up there. They don't have the ability to say, 'Are all the words in the right place; can I change this little bit around?' First of all, it's just about the applause. Did I just talk a little bit of trash or should I do something different? That's the idea of the workshop, to be able have people there whom you can trust who know about poetry and who can make suggestions on how you can make it better for you.

TW: Have you seen any performance poets that have made that transition, and what has been the key in that transition?


Aurora Harris, author, performance, and page poet.

WW: Well, the key to any of those transitions is just your ability to want to be the best. If you're going to want to be the best, then you're going to want to learn from as many people, from as many different sources as you want. There have been a number of people who have gone through that. For example, one of my favorite folks is Reggie Gibson, who was known as a performace poet but who has evolved to where he's a performace poet and a page poet. You got some other poets like Vivee Francis whose been able to do the balance. Even here today you've got Aurora Harris who can do the balance, but it's the ability for you to be able to understand that a spoken word poem is different from a written poem, and you've got to be able to know what best works for the spoken part of it and what best works for the written part and to learn both of them. And the ideal, the perfect poet is one who can do both and that's hard to do both well.

TW: OK. Thanks. This has been Terrill Wyche for OpenAir.

For further information about Poet In the House and other Broadside Press publications, please visit the on the web at www.BroadsidePress.org.

OpenAir Presents: A Master Class with Mr. Delfeayo Marsalis

This is Terrill S. Wyche, a. k. a., suttwa for OpenAir.

Yesterday, I had one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that only comes when you are a student. I am currently enrolled as a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education at the University of Toledo. I was looking at the activities on their website and learned that Mr. Delfeayo Marsalis was giving a Master Class at the University of Toledo.

I drove there as early as I could and fortunately beat the crowd, which to my surprise was far too small. It was composed of some of the music students, a few of the music faculty, but it was memorable.

The first thing which I must declare is that the Marsalis family did a great job raising their children. Delfeayo is one of the most gracious and brilliant people I have ever met in my life. Despite the Grammys, higher degrees, talent, album credits, etc., he was open and hospitable with everyone.

Secondly, the music faculty at the University of Toledo are equally gracious. I felt at home there in that recital hall, as if I were part of the class. Finally, the students who participated are living proof that jazz has a vibrant future.


Mr. Delfayo Marsalis conducting a lecture on how to apprehend the essence of America's classical music form that we call 'jazz.'

Many jazz listeners, critics, etc. believe that the institutionalization of the art form we know as jazz has undermined it. There is a prevailing belief that because of the 'way' in which jazz is taught that all the musicians 'sound alike.' Mr. Marsalis exploded this myth. He noted that Berklee, for example, encouraged its students to tour with jazz legends. This enables the students to learn from the masters intimately. However, he stated that his alma mater the University of Kentucky Louisville demanded that he discontinue touring with the great jazz drummer Elvin Jones or withdraw from the Masters in Fine Arts progam. This obviously stung him because he learned more about the subtleties of jazz ensemble playing from this experience than from anything else, but he did end his tour with Elvin Jones and resume his studies at the University of Kentucky at Louisville.

Mr. Marsalis taught us about the hierarchy of leadership in the jazz orchestra. He stated that the trumpet player is always the leader of the ensemble or orchestra. He even related a true story about how the legendary clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet, a New Orleans legend, used to have musical battles with Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong and despite the fact that Sidney could play more notes in a measure than Armstrong, because of the fact that the clarinet and soprano saxophone have more keys than a trumpet, did not matter. It was simply the nature of the trumpet and the personality of those who play the instrument.

One of the primary problems that Mr. Marsalis found in the manner in which jazz students are taught is that few of them have sufficient ear training. He stated that music is heard, and if the musician doesn't learn how to play what he/she hears then the audience will be able to discern it. Why? It's because there will be no dynamics (variance in speed, volume, etc.) in the notes that the musician is playing. Now he said this does not mean that musicians should not learn to read and write music, but he did say that ear training builds the essential musical intuition that the jazz legends all have.



Micheal Whitty, a jazz trombonist and student at University of Toledo, exchanging 'licks' with the master, along with two other brave young lions waiting their turn.

There is a story to this photograph. Shortly after I took
this picture, another young tenor saxophonist walked on stage. He proceeded to play some impressive solos, while Mr. Marsalis listened. Mr. Marsalis challenged each student to play a solo that he had learned to play by ear. The tenor saxophonist proceeded to take the challenge, especially after Mr. Marsalis said he would pay $20.00 to each one who could reproduce one by ear. He could tell that the tenor saxophonist was playing a solo that he perhaps had read because he did not reproduce any of the dynamics consistent with the John Coltrane solo that he was playing. The masters always know. and the saxophonist admitted it.

Note: I was wearing my student hat today. So while I am a student at the University of Toledo, I had to pose as a student on assignment. This will explain the content of the question.

TW: I would like to ask you some questions about the role of music in relationship to how it expands the curricular interests of students, psychologically, etc.

DM: When you say curricular activity, you mean exactly what?

TW: What I mean by that is, what we're studying is how outside activity. And when I say outside activity, I mean subjects like 'the arts,' etc. How do they expand not only the intellectual capacity of students but also the ability to faculty and administration to see the worldly value that these subjects have?

DM: OK. Well I'd say that the information that we have about past civilizations, past cultures, generally always boils down to art, their artistic achievements and that's how we're measured against. What kind of art did the Greeks leave behind, what did the Romans leave ? These other type of activities are not the things that...We're in a really athletic age. You know they had the Roman gladiators, and then they had the Samurai warriors of Japan. Now some of these people were important, and some of them had legendary status, but ultimately, it's the art that is used to measure the quality of the civilization.

So as far as expanding the curricular activity, music can have a social significance. For example, folks go to dances, and they want to hear a certain kind of music. And just when you're mingling with your friends, you can have that. Now there's so much music that's available. Like I said, if you listen to Irish music or music from India, classical music. There's so many kinds of music that's available that the more students experiment and learn about those forms of music, the more it expands not only their minds but their consciousness. I would say their way of thinking, and I find sometimes students who just listen to one type of music all of the time, a backbeat-oriented music. Their orientation will be more close-minded than those who say, 'OK when I go to the dance or to the party, I'm going to listen this, but I'm also going to take the time to listen to baroque music or listen to opera. I want to listen to some big band music or to some traditional New Orleans music or to some modern jazz.' Those individuals who can successfully do this...There are individuals who say, 'I listen to all kinds of music.' Generally, this is not the case. Usually it's only the jazz musicians and a handful of classical musicians who really listen to all kinds of music. Usually when they (the masses of people) say 'all kinds of music,' they mean hip hop, R&B, smooth jazz, music that has a backbeat. I encourage students to listen as much as possible, just check it out. You know, you'll learn something.

TW: OK. Thanks a lot.

This has been Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir.

Mr. Delfayo Marsalis, one of America's cultural champions.

Attention Jazz Listeners

This is Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir.

I recently downloaded two albums from iTunes by the vocalist Tom Lellis. The albums are entitled 'Double Entendre' and 'Southern Exposure.' The Double Entendre album features his rendition of Herbie Hancock's 'Tell Me a Bedtime Story' which Hancock originally recorded on the 'Fat Albert Rotunda' album.

On the Double Entendre album, Lellis is backed by legendary bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette. While Lellis accompanies himself on most of the tracks, Allen Farnham plays piano on some of the pieces. The real reason that Tom Lellis didn't get more exposure is that his talents were overlooked. This is a shame because we, the committed jazz fans, missed out. Lellis was 45 years old when this album was released in 1991, but time didn't seem to negatively affect his voice or his creative vision.
(Source: www.apple.com/itunes).

The second album, 'Southern Exposure,' is aptly named because Lellis demonstrates his ability to recreate the beauty of the music of Brazil, particularly the carioca sound of Rio that produced such music styles as Bossa Nova (Remember 'The Girl from Ipanema?).
This abum was was released in 2003, but Lellis proves to be ageless. To me, he actually sounds as if the years between the releases of 'Double Entendre' and 'Southern Exposure' have actually helped him to refine, not that he really needed to. How do you 'mack out' a Rolls Royce? Why would anyone need to? Anyway, I digress. When I heard his rendition of Bridges by Milton Nascimento, a song near to my heart that I personally have attempted to sing and play at the Meetery Eatery and Beans and Bytes, Lellis moved me to tears.

Now, I'm not sure if Windows PC users can download the album, but here is the link:
www.apple.com/itunes. If you can't access it, contact me at www.openairpresents@yahoo.com.

This has been Terrill S. Wyche for OpenAir. Thanks.