My College Mentor

Here's a photo of me and the guy who got me through my undergraduate education, Peter Dominguez. Peter was professor of jazz studies and double bass and MSU when I was there for undergrad. He took me on as a beginning student when he didn't have to; I registered for MUS 152D just about every semester--one credit of private lessons.

I was not the best student. Peter knew I wasn't cut out for a career in music, but he was truly one of the best teachers I ever had. He also helped me put things into perspective. It's funny how people can informally find mentors in life. Well, Peter was that person for me.

Those private lessons were more like mentoring sessions for me. When I wasn't cutting it on the stuff he gave me to practice, I'd come in and gab through the lesson about records and culture. He turned me on to some of my favorite music.

When I tell someone that I studied bass with Peter Dominguez for four years, they think I must be some kind of monster on the instrument. I've never met a jazz person in Michigan who didn't know Peter. He's been on the faculty at Oberlin for many years now, having left MSU not long after I was done with graduate school. In the photo, I am playing with his trio for one tune--he's humoring me by letting me sit in. I remember that we played "So What" by Miles Davis because it's such a simple tune.

In the photo, you can see Peter's amp. That used to my my amp--a little Gaillien Kruger 200MB. That thing was fantastic: a 200 watt head in a small metal box with a 12" driver. I sold it to Peter to help pay for a larger rig when I started playing rock and roll. His office amp was this beat up old Polytone--man was that thing cool! But he liked this amp of mine: every now and then, I'd need to bring it with me to an electric bass lesson (I carried that thing and my jazz bass all the way from Phillips Hall to the Music Building!). For all I know, Peter still has that amp.

That's a sweet bass in the photo. If I remember correctly, it's not his French bass, which had a chopped-down upper bout. This one has nice gamba corners and a low-C extension on it and Tyrolean pegs.