Mic Gillette

Pacifica, California -- 2003

This guy has the fattest, loudest sound I've ever heard on both trumpet and trombone. Good thing I wore an earplug in my right ear or I would have been deafened standing next to Mic in the horn section on the gig with latin band, Safari (check out their CD!). The rhythm section was grooving hard behind five powerful horns, and the band blew the roof off!

As the horn section leader for Tower of Power and a sought-after studio player, Mic Gillette has racked up quite a list of recording credits -- several hundred, in fact, with some of the biggest names in the business. In this snapshot he's looking cool, but I found him to be quite personable and talkative.

A dedicated father, he loves to tell stories about his daughter, Megan, who is also a musician and quite an athlete. Amazingly, she was the one who saved his life when he had a heart attack! Fortunately for all of us, Mic has changed to a healthier lifestyle and plans to be around for a while.

This photo was taken just as we were leaving the stage for a break, and you can see I'm still flushed from blowing so hard to keep up with him! Afterward, I was thrilled when Mic complimented my playing and asked for my card. He said he wants to drag me to some studio sessions with him -- I had such a blast, I'd play in his horn section anytime!

For more about Mic Gillette, go to www.micgillette.com.