About Julian Priester

Priester traces his musical beginnings to his high school band instructor, Walter Henri Dyett of Chicago's DuSable High. "Walter was an extremely influential person in the Chicago educational system from the '30s through the '60s," notes Priester, "nurturing such people as Johnny Griffin, Clifford Jordan, Richard Davis, Benny Green, and many, many more, in addition to me. He sowed the seeds and gave us a positive approach to life, including the study of music, as well as the discipline we needed."

Following graduation, Priester honed his craft through study groups with other Chicago musicans (Charles Davis among them), through listening, and, most influentially, through participation in jam sessions, a tradition that was then alive and well in Chicago clubs. "These were very inspirational," he says. "Giants of jazz like Clifford Brown and Max Roach would come to town and visit the clubs where local artists were playing, so we had the opportunity to play with them -- I was on the bandstand with Sonny Stitt when I was only 17 years old -- and this really played a large role in developing my improvisational skills."