After graduating from Queens College in New York, Jim auditioned for and joined the prestigious Airmen of Note at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC for a 4-year enlistment period as pianist/arranger. The depth of experience gained here couldnot have been realized so quickly anywhere else. It was a veritable laboratory for perfecting both playing and arranging skills. Opportunities for creative experimentation were plentiful. Where else could one write arrangements and have themimmediately...