Check Out Tim Aucoin’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Aucoin.

Hi Tim, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Tim Aucoin Interview for Voyage Arts ATL

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and raised in Slidell, across Lake Ponchartrain. There was always music playing in our home, my mom loved Glenn Miller (whose band I later played with), and my dad loved Merle Haggard and Ernest Tubb. Lucky for me, they both liked Fats Domino and we just about wore out those records. We also had some Pete Foutain and Al Hirt records in the mix. I started playing trumpet in fifth grade and progressed quickly. By the time I was in seventh grade, I was one of the top trumpet players until I was tricked into playing the tuba, which we don’t have time to go into. Honestly, for so many reasons it was the best thing that could have happened. After that, my band director, Eddie Bush, and his wife drove me to see the Southeastern Louisiana University Jazz Ensemble and my life changed. When we returned, he put an electric bass in my hand, and I played in my first jazz band – I have not looked backed!

Fortunately, I had a cadre of like-minded friends who enjoyed playing all kinds of music. We even had a rock band that played all the way through high school featuring bands like Bachman Turner Overdrive, Kansas, Foghat, and the Commodores. Our high school jazz band met as a class each day and with the direction of Johnny Johnston we did very well, or at least we got a good start. We were also fortunate that the New Orleans Hyatt Regency sponsored a concert series that allowed us to see The Count Basie Orchestra, The Buddy Rich Band, The Maynard Ferguson Big Band, Clark Terry, and many more. Having music teachers who had a clue was special.

I attended Loyola University in New Orleans on a music scholarship where I studied music education, but I took every jazz class and ensemble that I could squeeze in. Dr. Joseph Hebert was my band director, and leader of the New Orleans Saints Big Band which played for the Saints home games. He hired me as a freshman, and I got valuable experience playing in front of 70,000 fans in the Superdome. You learn what you have to do – really quickly! Starting with Archie Manning, I ended up playing with the band 10 seasons. He is also the one who put the upright bass in my hands and said, “you will play this!” I studied with the great Bill Huntington, who lived in Atlanta for a time in the 70s. Loyola is where Victor Goines (from Jazz @ Lincoln Center) and I sat through 5 years of music theory and music history classes eyes glazed over…

In no time, I was working with wedding bands, society bands, and of course – Mardi Gras bands. During Mardi Gras season, I found myself going to classes during the day, playing Mardi Gras Balls at the Municipal Auditorium in the evening, and then, a supper dance at the New Orleans Country Club until 2 am. This pace would continue until Ash Wednesday, when everyone would fall to their knees – Catholic or not. Then… festival season!

I learned the Dixieland tunes, or as they say in New Orleans – Trad or Traditional tunes. I got to play with some of my heroes along the way; Justin Adams, Frank Federico, Frank Trapani, to name a few. I eventually played with New Orleans icons such as Luther Kent, Allen Toussaint, and Pete Fountain.

Somewhere along the way, I got involved in show playing for acts coming through town and Broadway shows. I even had a year-long stint in ‘The Blue Room’ at the Fairmont Hotel (now renamed The Roosevelt,) where we played for acts such as Rosemary Clooney, Robert Goulet, Clint Holmes, and Lainie Kazan.

I didn’t travel much because I had plenty of work at home. However, I was offered a job on the Mississippi Queen Riverboat which was a well-paying union job. You lived on the boat – 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off. All expenses were paid for travel, food, clothing, and you only work 3 hours a day with officer privileges. It was too good to pass up. I ended up doing 3 partial seasons on both the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen. It was a lot of fun and actually productive, as I finished my Masters in Jazz Studies Degree at Loyola. I used part of that time to study arranging with our trumpeter, Tony Klatka, who famously arranged Woody Herman’s ‘Blues for Poland’ album.

The people you meet playing music is amazing! I have had a 30 minute conversation in a pit with Mickey Rooney about jazz bassist, Ray Brown. I have had a conversation with Ray Brown about better ways to draw sound out of my bass, and golf. I have played with Bo Diddley, Etta James, Toni Tennille, Bob Hope, and many others. Billy Eckstein, John Clayton, and Ernie Watts have all ridden in my car. Jimmy Buffet, Greg Allman, and Jimmy Page have all sat in on my gig at Storyville with Luther Kent in the French Quarter. The Mamas and The Papas came in to listen to us after their gig one night and took me and the drummer, Kenny Blevins, on the road. Kenny is still touring with John Hiatt. With The Mamas and The Papas we toured the U.S., Europe, and South America. It was great fun and hearing the fan stories of what the music meant to them was special. Music, and the people you meet doing it, is amazing!

Not long after The Mamas and The Papas tour, for some reason, I decided to throw my name in the hat for a teaching job that had become available on the Westbank of New Orleans at a private K-8 school, Aurora Gardens Academy which no longer exists. I got the job! $14,000, no benefits! I struck gold! Remember in those days, we were booted off our parents’ insurance at 18, and once you’re out of college that insurance doesn’t work. So at least I had money to cover insurance and such – musicians didn’t have benefits either. The day I signed my contract, I met my good friend and drummer, John Kennedy, out at the lakefront seawall with a six-pack and vowed to him that I would still be able to play music when I hung up my teaching shingle. That was important to me because so many of my teacher friends had let their playing go when they started teaching. I found out I was pretty good at this teaching thing, and I quickly realized the reason I took the gig was because I really liked a girl who wasn’t crazy about somebody that didn’t have a steady paycheck – which I understood. It just so happened that every Tuesday and Thursday I had a big hole in my schedule which meant that I could run to Loyola and pick her up for lunch. Afterwards, I would drive back across the Mississippi River Bridge and teach my afternoon classes. Lunch with my girl was nice, but I realized that I needed to step up the money and benefit game if I was going to keep teaching.

*Keep in mind, the whole time I was teaching I was maintaining a near full performing schedule.

So, onto my next job… Archbishop Rummel High School – A quality Catholic all-boys high school. Pay was better, and there were insurance benefits. I could have made it work, but there was stress between a high school schedule and the time I required to be able to maintain a reasonable professional performance level. In most ways (student success) it was a successful year, but it became obvious it wasn’t going to work for me. Mary Stella and I had also decided to get married, and she encouraged me to send some resumes to the Atlanta area school districts as well as the New Orleans area, which I did.

As fate would have it, I was offered a job at a new middle school in North Fulton County. One might ask, “why would you leave New Orleans when you have so much going on?” My reply, “simple! Love… and quite a bit more money!” It was hard in that I was the first in my Aucoin family to leave Louisiana since they stepped off the boat in Napoleonville in 1785.

In 1990, I was teaching orchestra and band at the brand new Taylor Road Middle School and over 3 years the program grew like crazy. My principal offered the opportunity to hire another full-time teacher, and I opted for a band director. And that’s how I became a full-time orchestra director. Steve Bradley and I shared the jazz band and we even had them perform at the International Association of Jazz Educators Association Conference.

The music community in Atlanta welcomed me with open arms (special shout out to bassist Neal Starkey) and I got a steady job almost immediately at a restaurant/club called Carbo’s, where I played with innovative drummer Al Nicholson. After playing at Carbo’s for 7 months and realizing that I hadn’t met any new musicians in town, I decided to leave and freelance. That lasted for about 2 weeks, until pianist Dan Matrazzo hired me to play at the Nikko (Grand Hyatt) which lasted about 3 years. No complaints though because I got to play with guitarist Randy Honea, drummer Yonrico Scott, and drummer Marcus Williams. After this gig ended, I successfully began to freelance, but mostly because my teaching job was becoming more serious. I still had time to do shows that came through ‘Theater of the Stars’ and ‘Broadway Atlanta.’ I also became affiliated with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra Jazz thanks to director Sam Skelton. That relationship is nearing its 20 year mark of playing jazz repertory with wonderful players such as pianist Randy Hoexter, guitarist Trey Wright, and drummer John David.

In early 1994, pianist and music director Bill Anschell asked me to audition to tour with jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon and I got the gig. For the next year or so, Bill, myself, and Kinah Botoh toured with Nnenna and it was wonderful. We played feature shows as well as opening for Al Jarreau and David Sanborn. Thankfully, these were mostly weekend run-out concerts with the exception of the West Coast Summer tour – because I was still teaching full-time. My principal was surprisingly understanding, but at the end of the school year she issued the ultimatum – be a musician, or be a teacher. The Montreaux Jazz Festival was coming up, but so was the birth of our first child. The dates were too close. I cancelled Montreaux. I chose family. No regrets! By the way, we now have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.

Back to teaching… I knew that a new high school would be built in our neighborhood, and I was hoping to get that job. Now that I taught orchestra and didn’t have the marching band responsibilities it was safe for me to teach high school again. To gain more high school experience, I transferred to North Springs High School which is where my wife attended. During my time there as department chair, I shepherded that music program to a National Grammy Signature School designation. I also had the pleasure of co-directing the Grammy All-Star Jazz Band with our former music coordinator, Jay Wucher. Several outstanding young players came out of that group such as Lee Hogans who played trumpet with Marcus Miller.

Upon its completion, I transferred to Northview High School in the area that became Johns Creek, Georgia. I spent the last 17 years of my public school teaching career as their Fine Arts Chair and Orchestra Director. The Northview Orchestra was invited to perform at the GMEA Conference 4 times, the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago 3 times, and many more invitations.

I was honored to receive the Georgia Music Educator Association Teacher of the Year, The Georgia American String Teacher Association Teacher of the Year, and the Atlanta Federation of Musicians Teacher of the Year Awards.

I returned to the classroom at Georgia State University to teach in the jazz studies program for three years, and I enjoyed watching the pre-professionals develop their real-world skills.

I am now retired from full-time teaching, but I still do clinics, coaching, and adjudication. I am playing as much as ever, “John Kennedy, I kept my vow!”

Not every day of teaching was a gem, but for the most part I had supportive administrators and colleagues that acknowledged my efforts – and that makes a difference. Students are smart! They know if you care about them. Everybody wants to be part of something good! I was blessed to receive accolades for my teaching. I’m almost embarrassed to mention them, because so many incredible teachers go unnoticed their whole careers. I think I would have been happy without them because I had, and still have, music.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have two albums under my name: Both are available on Spotify and other streaming services.

Tim Aucoin: Swing First, Think Later (This is a straight ahead jazz recording)

Professor Aucoin and the Jazz Scientists: Mystified (This recording is a little more personal and includes lyrics and is a little more in the R & B / Smooth vein. The name of the group is somewhat tongue-in-cheek since all of the players are also college professors)

I also have several publications of ‘alternative style’ music for string orchestra that incorporate jazz/funk/rock styles that includes rhythm sections for level 2 – level 4 orchestras.
https://www.jwpepper.com/s?q=tim+aucoin&fuzzy=0&operator=and&facets=fuzzy%2Coperator&sort=score_desc&page=0

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
God has been Good!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://timaucoin.com