Tuba player Jim Shearer’s new CD, Cloud Bowling with Claude Bolling, is Jim’s take on the celebrated Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio that Claude Bolling wrote for classical flutist Jean Pierre Rampal and recorded with him in 1973. That recording spent almost two years at the top of the Billboard classical chart and stayed in the top 100 for over 10 years. Jim replaced the flute with tuba and this CD was born.

I’ve always had a soft spot for tuba, in fact one of my first jobs was a duo cocktail hour gig with a tuba player, and once, I memorably played Sousaphone in a Disneyland parade, but that’s another story.

The point: Jim and I were destined to have a fun conversation.