Wayne Naus, 2010 June 22
Wayne Naus, trumpeter and faculty member of Berklee College of Music for over thirty years, describes his early music career, including his first professional music job in the Navy Band and his experiences gigging and playing in the bands of Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, and Maynard Ferguson. He discusses the courses he taught at Berklee, particularly the Berklee Tower of Power ensemble that he created in 2000; how Berklee has changed since his student days; the books he authored and the techniques they describe; and his general music pedagogy. He also describes playing for Boston Red Sox and Bruins games and a resultant album.
Trumpeter Wayne Naus (1940s- ), born in Berwick, Pennsylvania, was the son of a trumpet player and first learned the instrument himself in early high school. After graduating high school, he worked at a local kitchen cabinet factory. In 1966, Naus got his first professional music gig playing with the Navy Band. After playing with the Navy for four years, he was discharged in 1970, when he began studying at Berklee College of Music through the GI Bill. After a couple semesters, Naus left Berklee to tour with Buddy Rich and later Maynard Ferguson, then returned to Berklee in 1974, graduating in 1976 with a degree in music education. That same year, he became a professor at his alma mater in the Harmony department, a position he held until his retirement in 2010. Naus formed and performed with several groups over the years, including the Latin Jazz group Heart and Fire, the Greg Hopkins/Wayne Naus band, and Moshka, founded in the mid-seventies. He also authored the book Beyond Functional Harmony (1998) and frequently played the national anthem at Boston Red Sox and Bruins games.
