It takes a special kind of teacher to leave a lasting effect on your students, especially after 30 years.
But that is exactly the kind of effect Hal Sherman had on his students during his time as band director at Kent-Meridian High School, as evidenced by the special tribute concert that is being put together in Sherman’s honor by alumni from his years at K-M.
“He has touched so many kids through jazz,” said Jim Durand, one of the two organizers of the concert, which will take place Aug. 17 at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle. “He just made us all better people.”
The show is called “The Opera House Years Revisited” in honor of the Big Band festival Sherman hosted each year from 1973-1986 at the Seattle Center Opera House, which featured big name jazz stars performing with the band and drew standing room only crowds throughout its run.
Durand is one of about 35 musicians coming back to the Puget Sound from around the country to honor their old band teacher for the effect he has had on each of their lives.
Calling Sherman a “jazz great that is behind the scenes,” Durand said his experiences with the Kent-Meridian jazz band in the mid-’70s were amazing, with Sherman’s high school band going from competitions to featured performances at festivals around the country.
“He made something out of nothing in Kent in the ‘70s,” said Terry Thompson, who will be playing with the group next week.
Thompson, who is a CPA in the real world, but who still plays professionally from time to time, called Sherman “unforgettably great” as a teacher and said his time in the K-M program left a lasting impression.
“No other teacher affected my long term life like he did,” Thompson said.
It was a refrain echoed by several other students, such as professional race car driver Ed Zabinski, who is busy getting his chops back in shape to play with the tribute.
“I’ve applied principles I learned from Hal to everything I do, even racing cars,” Zabinski said. “It’s a little different from playing jazz, but not as different as you might expect.”
Zabinski said Sherman’s way of teaching techniques and foundations, then focusing on the nuances, has stuck with him all these years.
“He was confident and he made us feel confident,” Zabinski said. “He was the superstar of my education.”
Calling it a “privilege” to have played in Sherman’s band, Thompson said the key was in the music Sherman picked, which was never typical high school fare.
“Everything we played was pro music,” Thompson said.
“He would actually seek out the music,” Durand added. “He would go out and get songs no one else had.”
Often, Durand said, Sherman would write out the charts himself so his band could play them.
The idea for a tribute in Sherman’s honor grew out of a performance Durand played last year that was done as a surprise for Sherman. Durand, who plays in a jazz quintet with co-host KC Sullivan, got a small group together to surprise Sherman, and the evening’s success convinced the pair to do an all-out tribute.
“It was a great evening, a phenomenal evening,” he said.
As word started to spread, musicians came calling to play in the tribute.
“We got a great response from musicians,” Durand said. “Once we got this word going, it was this kind of groundswell.”
Unlike the surprise performance, however, Sherman himself will be conducting this group, which will hold a single full rehearsal on the night before the performance.
Like in the past, a professional jazz musician will be on hand to play with the band. Next week’s performance will feature drummer Danny Gottlieb, who is flying in from Florida to sit in with Sherman’s alumni.
In total, the band will play 12 songs, picked mostly by Sherman.
Everybody involved is looking forward to the big night and the “better late than never” tribute to their former band leader. It will also give many of the musicians a chance to relive their days when Kent-Meridian’s jazz band performed as one of the best-known programs in the country.
“What made us so much better was Hal Sherman,” Durand said.
The Kent-Meridian Jazz Ensemble Alumni Tribute to Hal Sherman with special guest Danny Gottlieb begins 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 6th Ave. in Seattle. Tickets are $15 and available by calling 206-441-9729. For more information visit www.jazzalley.com.
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