Frank Maccioli, Secretary of the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop

 

Frank is an environmental engineer with a Master’s degree from Penn State. He’s originally from a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has lived all over California since 1976, transferring to Bakersfield in 1996. Following the passing of his wife a few years ago, Frank decided to spend more time with his daughter and took early retirement, figuring life would be more fun if he wasn’t wasting it going to work everyday. He plays a lot of tennis now, and has an eclectic taste in music, favoring rock and roll, chill out music, and, of course, jazz of all types.

 

He was exposed to jazz from an early age, growing up in a family of jazz musicians. Two of his uncles each owned music stores and one of them played sax and clarinet in a big band. Another uncle, in his 80s, still plays saxophone once a week for a jazz band in Virginia. His Dad led a small jazz combo and could play just about everything, specializing in keyboards and guitar. Frank spent many sleepless nights listening to his Dad’s band rehearse on the basement stage. His Mom sometimes played piano in that band also and still plays today in her 90s.

 

Frank played drums in his school youth marching band, sang in his high school chorus, but then figured he was a better tennis player than a musician. He stopped playing anything until recently, trying to learn a few licks on the piano. He’s really lousy at it and notes that the excellent jazz musicians he has had the pleasure of meeting in the workshop need not fear him replacing any of them. (Frank’s dog, however, loves his playing – you have to know who your audience is he figures!)

 

He does, however, love listening to jazz, and has been amazed at the quality of jazz musicianship he’s found here in the workshop. He’d like to point out that the weekly workshop sessions aren’t only for musicians! People who just love to listen to jazz will have an excellent time and don’t know what they are missing if they haven’t attended yet! He encourages everyone to come out to all of the BJW sponsored events, especially the Tuesday night workshops at the Nile. Like the BJW mission statement says – “It’s all about the music!”

 

Frank currently puts together the BJW and Jazz About Town e-mail newsletters and tries to help out in any other way that the BJW can use him. He resides in Bakersfield with his teenage daughter (which explains his loss of hair), a dog, and a cat.