Chaz Gunter

When you think of a "one man band", you might have a picture in your head of a fellow who looks like a walking tin-can shop. Chaz is much more sophisticated in his use of technology to help him be a one man band, and he really does play all those instruments you see! His musical interest and ability are a natural outgrowth of his early environment, coupled with a lot of dedicated hard work. His mother was a classical pianist, and his father was a jazz artist who worked with many of the greats. Chaz relates one story of when he went to a gig where his Dad was playing for Sammy Davis Jr. I finally got to meet him (Sammy Davis Jr.) one night back stage, in his dressing room. He came out and I remember saying to myself "He is really really short - on TV he looks 10 feet tall!" Anyway, I was into acting and modeling and music, and my Dad had told him that. So Sammy gave me a bit of advice. "I hear you're a good little actor. Because you are of color, the powers that be will try to stop you. So, you have to work very hard and don't give up! You have to want it really bad - like when you have to go to the bathroom really bad." So I went to see the rest of the show, and later my Dad asked me "What did he say?" and all I said was something about going to the bathroom ... I still remember that like it was yesterday! Chaz did go on to "want it really bad". All through his youth, Chaz played in school orchestras and county and state honor bands, ultimately earning a full scholarship to and graduating from  DeAnza College and Saratoga Music and Fine Arts Center in Northern California. Today Chaz is a well-known, seasoned freelance musician, entertainer and soloist in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has entertained worldwide. To date, he has traveled throughout the world with various orchestras, classical bands, jazz, & rock & dance bands along with a nostalgia show band and touring company. Chaz has a website with sound clips of his versatile and extensive repertoire. This versatility, along with his ability to "fit" nearly any gig make him a much-sought-after performer. He also enjoys encouraging young musicians with "interactive karaoke" sessions (see right). When he does a solo show, he is a One Man Band, DJ.& Soloist-using state of the art high-tech equipment along with a laptop computer and iPod(tm)-sequenced mixer background tracks and Notation Composer. He performs all styles of music from classical & new age, to contemporary, swing, smooth jazz , 50's and oldies, rock, country, r&b, reggae, Caribbean calypso, latin & salsa, blues, 20's to 2007,  hip hop and dance tunes on sax  flute, guitar, keyboard, and vocals - in his words "just good clean family fun." Return to the User Stories Homepage