ABOUT Bill Crain

Bill Crain is the director of The Institute of Audio Engineering Arts (IAEA) program, recording engineer and managing member of BRC Audio Productions, Inc. and served as the first Musical Director and Engineer of Kansas City Area Youth Jazz. Mr. Crain was raised in Concord, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. While in high school he studied piano and played clarinet in the school band. Fortunately, his high school band director was a Jazz fan and frequently took the interested students to San Francisco to hear live Jazz at “Basin Street West” and other clubs that allowed minors. These special music experiences would greatly influence many of Mr. Crain’s future life decisions. He also had a great interest in electronics, took classes for four years, and began to experiment with electronics repair and recording technology.

After high school, Mr. Crain entered California State University, Chico (CSUC) with a major in electronics and a minor in mathematics. After one year he switched to music as a major and studied saxophone, clarinet, flute, organ, and composition. While in college Mr. Crain played organ, electric piano, and saxophone in Rock and Jazz bands while building p.a. systems and assisting as a recording engineer on the side. He taught music in California’s public school system for three years.

Relocating to the midwest, Mr. Crain began performing full time and spent years touring with various Rock, Jazz, and national touring Big Band, Pop, and Soul/R&B acts. After discovering and marrying his “better half” he returned to academia, studying and teaching full time at Ball State University in Indiana.

While working on his doctoral degree in woodwinds and conducting, Mr. Crain taught the Jazz Studies classes and directed the Jazz Ensembles at the university while continuing to lead his own professional Jazz groups as well as perform and tour with national acts.

After his time at Ball State University, Mr. Crain moved to Missouri where he taught music at Central Missouri State University (CMSU) near Kansas City. During his four years on the music department faculty at CMSU, Mr. Crain taught Classical and Jazz saxophone, proposed and wrote the curriculum for the Jazz Studies program, led the CMSU Jazz Lab Ensemble to national prominence, became an in-demand Jazz soloist and clinician, and was awarded a lifetime membership in the International Association of Jazz Educators.

While at CMSU, Mr. Crain became involved in the vibrant recording and live Jazz scene in Kansas City. Upon leaving CMSU, Mr. Crain moved to his current and long-time home in Kansas City.

He has become a regular presence on the local and regional Jazz circuit and concurrently garnered a prestigious reputation as a “musical” recording engineer at his own BRC Audio Productions.

Mr. Crain earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and Masters of Arts in Music Composition, with focuses on theory and conducting, at California State University at Chico; and completed his ABD focusing on commercial woodwinds and conducting, in the Doctor of Arts program at Ball State University.

He has produced, engineered, and appeared on countless stellar recordings. His own debut commercial album has been released and distributed worldwide on the Artist Recording Collective LLC’s ARC record label.

DEDICATION + TRACKS + LINER NOTES BY BILL CRAIN

Dedicated to our lost band member and incredible guitar talent - Brian Harmon - He is missed…

“Get Up” by Bill Crain: Melodically set in an intense and musically free scene to stimulate improvisation.

“Waltz For Little C” by Bill Crain: Written a long time ago just before marrying Claire.

“Samba Daddium” by Bill Crain: Written in honor of a brief nickname my son Will had given to me.

“Get Real Mon” by Bill Crain: A slightly irreverent tune to get down and “OUT” with reggae/jazz.

“My Lament” by Bill Crain: I wrote this to explore beauty through simplicity.

“Kickin’ Back” by Bill Crain: A homage to the writing of Horace Silver with quirky changes to freshen the spirit and challenge the improvisor.

“Havana Diana” by Bill Crain: My jazzy-Cuban tune named after my daughter Diana who as a youngster would instinctively smile and jump around when listening to Afro-Cuban music.

“Soul Mate” by band member Wayne Hawkins: Wayne’s Soul/Gospel composition is beautifully conceived and gives the band a wonderful change-of-pace opportunity.

“Dirty Tricks” by Bill Crain: My nutty fusion tune is faithful to its name and changes styles, tempos, and time signatures regularly…and without apologies.