Mic Gillette

Mic Gillette is an American brass player born in 1951 and raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin. His father Ray Gillette was a trombonist with Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, and other big bands.

Biography

A child prodigy, Gillette picked up the trumpet and was reading music by age four. At 15, he joined the Gotham City Crime Fighters (which later evolved into the Tower of Power), playing both trumpet and trombone (as well as baritone and tuba). Gillette took a brief break from Tower of Power to tour and record with the band Cold Blood, but re-joined Tower of Power a year later, hitting the road and opening for Santana and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

As its reputation as a premier horn band grew, Tower of Power toured with Heart, Rod Stewart, and The Rolling Stones, among others. In addition, Gillette has appeared on hundreds of recordings as a session player (in 1984, fearing that his daughter Megan would not recognize him, Gillette quit touring to be a full-time father). In 1998 Shortly after joining the Sons of Champlin he missed one of their concerts due to a split lip. According to Mic himself, he had split his lip, due to not playing for 14 years after leaving Tower of Power. He spent those years running a landscaping business in the San Francisco Bay Area.

An outstanding brass player with a great range and a funky style, Gillette now plays a Marcinkiewicz Rembrandt Model SC3X.351 Large-Bore Trumpet and a King 3B trombone with an F-attachment (he also plays a Pan American E-flat Tuba and an Olds 3-valve baritone). He uses and endorses Marcinkiewicz mouthpieces on all of this equipment. Oddly, Gillette practices very little; in a 2002 interview, he claimed to play only 3-4 days a week, and said he hasn't practiced regularly since he was seven.

Gillette is a former member of the Sons of Champlin (he departed in 2006), fronted by Chicago vocalist and keyboardist Bill Champlin; he is a current member of Tortilla soup, a 10 piece northern California band. He also plays with comedian Danny Marona, the Strokeland Superband and Funky Loophole (Gillette's own band).

Married (to Julia), Gillette suffered a heart attack (reportedly, his daughter saved his life), and has vowed to get and stay healthy. He has toured and recorded with The Doobie Brothers and Santana, and has released a solo CD entitled "Ear Candy" (2005) on the BKA Records label. He is also featured on "Hip Li'l Dreams," a disc of originals released by the Sons of Champlin in 2005.

Mic has worked on various side projects. After a chance meeting with Tony Adamo, Mic wrote the horn arrangements for his album, "Straight Up Deal." His arrangements can be heard on Adamo tunes "No Strings," "Up in It," and "Groove Therapy."

Mic currently performs with vocalist Josh Pfeiffer in Northern California with an 8-piece group featuring guitarist Dave Schramm and keyboard player Kent Gripenstraw.

After a 25-year absence, Mic Gillette rejoined Tower of Power (August 2009) for touring, replacing Mike Bogart. After just more than a year and a half (February 14, 2011), Gillette departed Tower of Power.

Gillette now continues to do session work as well as live appearances. He however, spends most of his time doing clinics at middle & high schools. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for music departments in schools across the United States.

External links

• Mic Gillette's website

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Name	Gillette, Mic
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Date of birth	1951
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