Alastair has lived in the Russian River area of Northern California for over 30 years. Born in Dundee, Scotland, he came to this country in 1955 at the age of six. It was after serving, from 1967 to 1971, in the United States Air Force that he embarked on his musical career. Starting at Solano Junior College in Fairfield, Ca., Alastair studied with two professors who he still considers his mentors, John Kolarik and David Froehlich. After two years under their tutelage, he received his Associate in Arts degree there in 1973. After a year at San Francisco State University, studying privately with Danny Patiris, Bennet Friedman, Charlie McCarthy and Jim Dukey, Alastair transferred to Cal State Hayward. At CSUH Alastair spent two years studying with classical Saxophone player William Trimble. After an additional year studying jazz with Jeff Neighbors, Hal Stein, Joe Henderson and Marv Nelson, a series of master classes with William Trimble, and numerous recitals he went on the road traveling with various show bands, Top 40 bands and even a 6 month stint with Circus Vargas. In 1996 Alastair returned to finish his degree and in 1988 he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with a concentration in Saxophone Performance.
In Sonoma County, some of the bands Alastair has played with include The Russian River All Stars, Bob Simmons New Exchange,The Dave Brady Octet, The Gray Cats, True Slack, Grand Slam, Metro, Gator Beat, Jim Boggio and the Fiascos and Jim Boggio and the Sonoma Swamp Dogs. He has played hundreds of casual gigs with various local musicians. Among Sonoma County’s vast variety of bands, Alastair has filled in many times for Blue Moon, two well known local groups. Alastair’s main group, The Blue Moon Band is a ten piece band that plays many styles, including swing, jazz standards, R & B, and top forty. Alastair plays tenor, soprano and alto sax, also flute, clarinet and piccolo. Alastair currently maintains a schedule of 30 students in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.

The short version:

I am a 60 year old musician and music teacher. I live in Forestville, near the Russian River in beautiful Sonoma County, California. I live here with my lovely wife and 18 year old step son. I love to play my tenor and soprano saxophones and flute, and occasionally, my bagpipes. I also love fly fishing, computers, web design, getting out into nature and walking around seeing things I haven’t seen before. Taking a drive and turning a corner that I have never been around before. One of my favorite destinations is Siskiyou County, almost to the Oregon border in Northern California where, Mt. Shasta, the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States can be found. Wading waist deep in the Upper Sacramento River, or the McCloud River, my two favorite fly fishing streams, is one of life’s real joys. If I catch a trout, that’s cool too.