Slim Man, Mombo Hernandez Greg Langlois, Tateng Katandig Greg Vail
Greg Langlois, continued
Ten Years After-at the Ice Rink in Modesto, Reba McEntire/George Strait at the Manteca waterslides Amphitheater, Foreigner, Quarterflash at Mountain Air in Angels Camp. Who can remember those venues ? He also tunes and repairs pianos for the music stores up and down the Valley, as well as his own Piano Tuning-Repair Business (Greg Langlois Piano Tuning).
The early years as a piano tuner, Greg was not a musician, he did not play the piano or any instrument, he tried several different instruments as a kid and teenager, even as a young adult but never followed through. You don’t have to play an instrument or the piano to be a piano tuner. His grandfather or his father could not play either. My only musical talent was to play the radio, but I did have a love of a music called smooth jazz, a music style heavy on saxophone and piano. In those days (1980’s) the only place I found smooth jazz was a Oakdale radio station called KDJK that played 2 hours every Sunday morning early. I would get up and listen and record it onto cassette so I could listen to it through the week.
A piano tuners daily routine is driving around house to house, piano to piano meeting and talking to people, on one of those appointments in around “93 or 94” one of my customers had a circle of instruments in the living room I was in, while I was tuning her piano, I commented that it looked like she had a built in family band only thing missing was a saxophone
Then I stated to her if I ever were to play an instrument I would love to play a saxophone. Have you ever said something that you wish you hadn’t said, or maybe it was one of the best things you ever said. She paused, said really and got up left the room returning caring a case that contained a saxophone. She said, she was headed to one of the local music stores to sell it after I finished tuning her piano, she offered it to me for what the music store agreed to give for it. Well I guess it was meant to be I purchased that saxophone. I figured I would never know without tryin and my journey begun. I took a few traditional lessons but that wasn’t for me, it did include a good book to work on note fingering patterns from. I practiced with those cassettes I made years earlier and all my favorite music I liked listening to.
Early on being a piano tuner gave me connection to the musicians out there and was very important in my learning to play, because I say never turn down a chance to play. My first experience was with 3 guitar players in a workshop in a orchard out on Coffee Road, then came my big chance Mr. B (Kyle Barker) of Barker Music invited me to join him, Penny White, John King and Nick Lemmo at the Firehouse Restaurant downtown Modesto. How can you not learn, playing with those local power houses. I always wanted to know more and they all kept telling me practice your scales so I finally hooked up with one of our local great saxophone teachers and players Martin Martinez.
He taught me a lot about basic major scales and chords. Scales and Chords are like internal mini road maps in your head for music improvisation.That way you can drive piano players like Mr.David (David Dow) crazy at jam sessions wanting to know what key is it. Well all that practice and playing can lead to things like getting to play a song with the great smooth jazz artist Slim Man and pro saxophone player Greg Vail, Slim Man has been coming to Modesto for several years, I have gone to his concerts and even tuned a piano for one of the concerts but never dreamed I would ever play a song with him. Thank-you John Griswold for making that happen ! Every time I play, it almost always introduces me to more opportunity to learn and new venues to play more. You learn so much from playing and yes it can be scary and may not always work but you will always learn from it. I could not of ever learned to play this thing they call a saxophone without all of my music friends and people that love to come and listen to us play, and one of the most understanding wife’s on earth thank-you Brenda.
I found out you’re never to old to learn to play. I am currently setting in at: The Barkin Dog Jamm Session with David Dow, at The Redwood Café - Jazz and Wine Night with Patrick Campbell, Tony & The Tuff Times Blues Band and Whitey Slim Band.