Jim Hoke started out playing saxophone and harmonica in rock 'n roll bands in Schenectady, NY. Around this time he first heard NRBQ, a force which profoundly affected his musical personality from then on. This was to blossom years later into Jim actually playing and recording with America's most beloved band.

But first, along the way was a stop in Oklahoma, where Jim's music picked up a bit of that red-dirt funk (and a few more instruments). The wide open west proved a fertile environment for Jim's explorations as a composer and arranger, as well as a first taste of studio work. Jim played harmonica and a few other instruments behind country and folk artists like Townes VanZandt, Guy Clark and Willis Allen Ramsey.

Next stop for Jim was beautiful, sunny Santa Barbara, where studio work with Jim Messina beckoned. Compared to the laid-back Oklahoma scene, Santa Barbara was a haven for higher-energy jazz musicians with a lot of salsa thrown in. With saxophone and flute as his main axes, Jim really came into his own as arranger for The R&B Bombers, a jumpin' bluesy horn band which played clubs and festivals all over California, often backing artists like Eddy "Cleanhead" Vinson, James Cotten and Big Joe Williams.

During this period Jim also crossed paths again with the legendary NRBQ, starting a musical association that would last many years and include touring gigs, recordings and more. The "Q connection" led directly to musical projects with Bonnie Raitt, Paul Rogers, Aaron Neville, John Sebastian, and REM.

Coming to Nashville was the logical next step, as present-day "Music City" has diversified musically like no other music

Nashville was the logical next step, as present-day "Music City" has diversified musically like no other music center

center ever. Besides it's historic country music culture, Jim has dived deep into the rich talent pool of Nashville, recruiting top jazz players for his Jim Hoke Nonet, (a straight-ahead jazz vehicle for his compositions), Hoke And His Orchestra Bop, (a virtuosic jump-blues ensemble), Aqua Velvet, (lounge exotica featuring vocals as well as an extended instrumental palette), and Otto, (a unique chamber quartet doing classical, pop and original music) with Jim on pedal steel.

Supplementing these musical ventures (subsidizing is more like it) is Jim's ongoing studio career, which he pursues with relentless innovation and dedication. Always in search of something new and fresh to add to familiar-sounding material and sometimes visa-versa, Jim's reputation for taste, virtuosity and diversity keep him in constant demand among producers and artists. If discographies could talk, his would speak for itself. And if ducks could tango...

Photos: Lisa Haddad