| James Pankow |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT JAMES PANKOW | |
| 1947 births | |
| living people | |
| american trombonists | |
| american songwriters | |
| people from st. louis, missouri | |
| missouri musicians | |
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Born in at St. Paul of the Cross elementary school (Pankow comes from a line of German-Irish Catholics). Trombone had not been a first choice ( Saxophone , Drum s or Guitar would have been more "cool"), but Pankow perservered, and developed as one of the greatest trombonists in recent memory. One of nine siblings, Pankow flowered under the influence of his father Wayne (also a musician) and his Notre Dame High School band instructor, Father George Wiskirchen. Pankow earned a full music scholarship to Quincy College , where he studied the bass trombone. After attending his freshman year, he returned home for the summer, took up the tenor horn again, formed a band, and played paying gigs. Not wanting to give up this work, Pankow transferred to DePaul University where he met and was recruited by Walter Parazaider , a founding member of what would later become Chicago. Once in the band, Pankow's talents shined. A creative player with a sharp sound and a great range, Pankow may be the best of Chicago's horn players (which is saying a lot) and possibly the best trombonist since Bill Watrous (though some detractors feel Dave Bargeron from Blood, Sweat & Tears played rings around Jimmy). The early Chicago records feature Pankow soloing on the small-bore King 2B (he also used a sterling silver 3B), and many of his phrases and patterns are incredible (particularly on "Hanky Panky," "You Are On My Mind," "Mother," "A Hit By Varese," and "The Approaching Storm"). As Chicago drifted into power ballads in the 80s, Pankow switched to a signature model silver Getzen (now a collector's item), and has more recently been playing a Yamaha YSL691. As great a trombonist as he is, Pankow's major contribution to Chicago may be as a writer. His brass arrangements are legendary (he's noted for triple-tracking the horns, and uses a triggered tenor to hit the pedals), and his compositions include the huge hits "Make Me Smile" (from his suite " Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon "), "Just You 'n Me," "(I've Been) Searching So Long," "Old Days," "Alive Again," "Bad Advice," "Follow Me," and (with Peter Cetera ) "Feelin' Stronger Every Day." Pankow has said that he managed to do the brass arrangements for the recently released '' Chicago XXX '' CD in 12 days (although the album contains no original Pankow tunes). In the late 1990s, there were reports that Pankow was anxious to try acting (his brother is actor John Pankow , best known as a co-star of the television series '' Mad About You ''), and every now and then, rumors surface about a Pankow-penned book on Chicago. Sources reveal that Pankow has been married twice. The first, to Karen (for whom he wrote "Just You 'n Me") lasted 20 years, and broke up about 1993 (a Pankow tune called "Here With Me" on the infamous '' Stone Of Sisyphus '' project acts as a bookend). He has recently remarried; he and his wife Jeannie have two children (between the two marriages, he has a total of four). In recent years, he has stayed home more often with the kids, a prospect he obviously relishes. These days, he lives in L.A. , although the musical scene there reportedly disappoints him. Pankow has appeared on several albums for the rock band Toto , including the Grammy-winning '' Toto IV '' and their recently released album '' Falling In Between '' (for which he did the brass arrangements and performed on the song "Dying On My Feet"). TRIVIA
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