My first saxophone teacher was Al Smukala. I heard him play a fast chromatic scale and thought the sax was the instrument for me! I loved the sound... it was so personal and expressive. I took lessons from him from 5th through 9th grade. We would play duets sometimes during my lessons.... I loved that! He used to call me Cannonball... what a compliment. He did a great job teaching me the basics of vibrato and tone quality. I was so blessed to have him as my first teacher!