Veteran trumpet tester Jim Anastasi passed away on April 13. He was 95 years old.
Jim served as the trumpet tester for the King Band Instrument factory in Cleveland, Ohio for nearly 40 years. While testing some 200 instruments a day, Jim worked with some noted musicians including Harry James and Dizzy Gillespie. In addition to his factory work, Jim was a lifelong musician himself who played at clubs and dances for decades. He also taught trumpet and had dozens of students each week, many who met him at Stebal’s Music for their lessons. His professional playing career began when he was a teenager and continued into his 90s.
Here is a segment from his 2016 NAMM Oral History interview:
https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/jim-anastasi
