This piece is dedicated to my friends Barbara & Jack. Written just before Jack’s passing, I never had the chance to share it with him. Jack Renner was a Grammy Award winning audio engineer who pioneered digital recordings in the symphonic world, working as the CEO and chief recording engineer of the Telarc record label. A music legend to many, here’s why he’s a legend to me:

I was a teen looking for guidance. Jack was behind the scenes nudging me in the right directions from afar. Jack taught me that my career was up to me. My choices. My work ethic. My successes and mistakes. He was there to see both, but even when I failed, any frustration was masked by a smirk that shared his belief that I’d end up on my feet.

Jack taught me not to settle. He always inspired me to strive harder, which encouraged me to push ahead and break through new territory on a regular basis. Jack knew the people who would inspire me. He introduced me to superstar musicians who paved the way. He let me know that the people I look up to are, in fact, people – and they could be a resource in my pursuit of music education. Jack saw a way to expose my career to the right educational opportunities. When I showed interest in a given musical direction, Jack was there to make sure I knew the depth of study it would take to obtain a goal, and he provided ways for me to accomplish these goals. He even sought professional guidance at the highest level and literally delivered it to my doorstep.

Jack spent time working WITH me. He engineered the tracks accompanying my debut steel pan book, “Sea Breeze” teaching me about the recording process whilst helping me share my sonic explorations. He gave my original music life, laying the groundwork for my career to develop many new paths. Thus, he is subsequently partially responsible for every book since opening that door. Jack not only helped me develop my dreams, but helped me reset my goals to a higher level than I ever realized I could accomplish. His influence and support helped enrich my music career, grounding me as a professional musician.

Jack’s mentorship helped me see my own desire to inspire young musicians in similar ways – passing music and the depth of music culture to future generations.