Gene Mikolajczyk
Gene Mikolajczyk.
I am from Pennsylvania where I grew up in Amish Country in Lancaster County. It was a small farming community with few creative opportunities. I became infatuated with music listening to the Beach Boys singing about surfing, beaches, weather, and about a world of experiences and opportunities that I did not know existed.
Later I discovered the blues and soul music stations out of Philadelphia. When weather conditions were favorable, I could tune into WLS, the great Chicago rock and blues station. A whole new world of music opened to me.
I played saxophone through the 11th grade. It was not a serious effort. After a 45 year break, I came back to playing saxophone. It has become the prime focus of my post-retirement efforts.
I am still not retired (but getting closer), and continue to work as a lawyer for the same law firm that I joined almost 40 years ago. Playing saxophone is my primary creative outlet from my otherwise mundane day to day routine. In addition to playing sax for Big Band Grandstand, I also play saxophone in a small jazz band and in two community bands.