Hockinson band leader reflects on playing with late Mic Gillette

Brush Prairie — As memories of Tower of Power founder Mic Gillette poured in from around the country when his death was announced on Jan. 17, Hockinson High School band leader Corey McEnry sent out an email on his own experience working with Gillette, the famed trumpet and trombone player. On Oct. 28, 2014, Gillette joined the Hockinson and Washougal High School bands for a performance, with funds going to the two schools’ music programs. “The day was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the kids and myself, as Mic not only imparted his musical wisdom on the kids but also shared stories of what life on the road as a professional musician can be like,” McEnry wrote in his email. “Members of the band still talk about Mic’s stories, ranging from recording sessions with Carlos Santana and Elton John, to sharing a dressing room with the ‘other Mic’ (Jagger), to forming a friendship with Ronald and Nancy Reagan and jetting around on Air Force One after playing for the president at a Fourth of July concert on the National Mall.” Gillette performed with the schools as part of his Music in the Schools program, in which he hosts workshops and concerts with middle and high school bands to help them raise money for their music programs.