Al McLaine, Bass
Al is shown here with his now 100 year old mother. This picture was taken after a concert, and you can see we are both pretty happy. Mom plays the piano and encouraged me to take up the bass so we could have a family band. My brother was the drummer, my sister played the marimba, and I learned how to pluck the bass strings. I played in the high school orchestra and was part of several small jazz groups during that time (we called ourselves The Marlboros because we were so cool). I played for one year in the Annapolis Symphony when it was a community orchestra in the early 1960s. In college, I played for several years until protesting the Vietnam War took up most of my time. After college, I lived with some ‘friends’ on a ranch in Colorado; I managed to learn a few notes on the tuba so I could play in the local fire department band. I also played the bass in a few gigs with a small group at a local bar.
Many years passed when the bass was just another piece of furniture. But when I ended up in Columbia in the late 1980s, the Columbia Orchestra beckoned, and I have been a member since 1989.
I have always preferred orchestral music, but recently I have taken up jazz again, folk/blue grass, and chamber music. Music will continue to play a major role in my life as I enter retirement years.
