[TPIN] RE: FS: Lawler Bb, Yamaha RGM Bb, Alexander Eb alto flugel, et

[Michael Anderson]

Ryan is from Souix City Iowa. When I lived in Nebraska I would judge jazz
festivals in the area. I'll never forget the first time I heard him with his
JR. High Jazz Ensemble. Here was this TINY kid playing smoking lead and
smoking be-bop and he was in 7th - yes, 7th grade. I just couldn't reconcile
what I was hearing that first time. It was literally a jaw-dropping
experience.. You talk on these cassette tapes as a judge while they play.. I
was speechless.

I got to know his dad, Larry Kisor, who is a band director and dance band
tenor player in the area. Larry said that Ryan was obsessed with practicing.
Of course, they provided him the perfect environment for developing the way
he did, but Larry claims it was more about Ryan's drive as a young kid than
anything he himself did. He refused to leave his horn at home on family
vacations and would practice for a couple hours a day while on vacation. He
was 13-14 years old at this time and he sounded like Clifford. No kidding.

I had the pleasure of judging Ryan's band about every year through high
school.. He got better and better and more and more amazing. His high school
band was also on a complete other level. They rehearsed every day from 6:30
- 8:00 AM before school. Larry told me they spent at least 30-40 minutes a
day on fundamentals. He developed fundamental exercises that could be done
with a band.. Scales, lip slurs, etc. Larry is/was a fantastic band
director.. That band didn't just learn 3 contest tunes a year.. They had a
book and could do a 90 minute concert. Kids would transfer to his school
just to be in this jazz ensemble.

Years later, I got comp tickets to hear LCJO in Lincoln, Ne. they were great
seats - 4th row center or something like that.. I go to sit down and I'm
sitting right next to Larry and his wife. Ryan was quite famous by then. It
was great to see them and catch up.

They have two other sons who were also phenoms. One played trumpet - Justin
I think? And the other is a trombone player. No idea what happened with them
though.

MA


> From: Ron D'Angelo <rdangelo at betterhearingcenters.net>
> Organization: Better Hearing Centers
> Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:27:53 -0500
> To: <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
> Subject: [TPIN] RE: FS: Lawler Bb, Yamaha RGM Bb, Alexander Eb alto flugel, et
> 
> 
> You ought to get a lot of bids on that Lawler if guys have ever played one.
> The mouthpiece is a good deal as well for players that can use a Monette.
> 
> I played one in 1990 or '91 at the IAJE in DC.  My Eastman co-lead player
> Herb Smith and I were trying them out in the trade-show area - I had a B
> flat and he was tooting on an E flat.  This quiet teenager with glasses
> picks one up and starts blowing some of the smoothest bebop I've ever heard
> on it.  Herb and I gave each other the "who the hell is that?" look and
> stopped playing for a second.
> 
> A couple hours later we looked down from the hotel lobby balcony on a
> special concert with some young phenom, they said.  Randy Brecker was
> sitting with Marv Stamm in the crowd, I remember.  Out walks the same kid
> from the Lawler table out on stage and blows some serious horn.  It was Ryan
> Kisor, who had recently won the Monk competition, I believe.