Tim Eyermann (1947-May 1, 2007) was a

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, known for his work with

The Airmen of Note The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force and part of the United States Air Force Band. Created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, the "Note" is a touring big ...

and as a recording musician.

Early years

He started his musical career at the age of six by taking up

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

lessons for two years, he hated them. Tim grew up in Pittsburgh. At 10 he started to play the saxophone. He was also an outstanding high school baseball player and formed a singing group, the El Reys, which made a recording and was popular with Pittsburgh teens. Then when he was 14, when he was listening to

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", whi ...

With Strings. He was so inspired, he picked up the

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

and within two years many people say that he was playing professionally.

Career

After graduating from

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened as the Pittsbu ...

, Eyermann spent six years in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, playing with the NORAD Band and eventually the U.S. Air Force's Airmen of Note. After his discharge from the Air Force, Eyermann became a very busy man recording music as a

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

. He worked with

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

, The Spinners and

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

. In 1974, he formed a band called the East Coast Offering. During that period he also was a studio musician at "Sounds Reasonable" in Washington, D.C., and recorded many tracks on just about every single and double reed instrument for the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, music by then resident composer William Penn. This hard-driving yet funky band was accessible with plenty of solo space for his reeds. Many categorize his music as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

, or

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

. Tim was also nominated for two

Grammies The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

. In 1999 Tim released his most recent album Karla's Fire. Tim used

Summit Records Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the large brass ensemble Summit Brass in the late 1980s. It was established by David Hickman and Ralph Sauer. Four Summit Records recordings have been nom ...

for many years. Around 2000–2002 Eyermann moved to

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Tim had dreamed of living down there since he was little kid. In Miami he picked teaching as a private music teacher associated with Gulliver Band Director: Bobby Keating. He also worked playing gigs. Tim was a great man who always had a smile on his face. He died on May 1, 2007, due to complications in surgery, pneumonia spread throughout his body while trying to remove a malignant cancer in his lung. He leaves behind his daughter Angela Marie Eyermann Rivers, his ex-wife Marie Cann, and his loving family in PA.jazzreview.com, Musician Obituaries, Tim Eyermann Dies at Age 60, by Peter Westbrook, 29.01.2011
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Awards in memory of Eyermann

Gulliver Preparatory School Gulliver Preparatory School or simply Gulliver Prep, is a private co-educational school. Its management offices are in Kendall, a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Its four campuses are across the county. Previously the ad ...

: Tim Eyermann Virtuoso Award * Gulliver Academy: Tim Eyermann Memorial Jazz Improvisation Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyermann, Tim 2007 deaths Duquesne University alumni United States Air Force airmen American session musicians 1947 births 20th-century American saxophonists Summit Records artists

Early years

Career

Awards in memory of Eyermann

See also

References