"I like being busy," John Temmerman said. No kidding. The Skokie resident works full time as controller for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, teaches saxophone and clarinet to 20-plus students in his home and performs on tenor and soprano saxophone. Another current activity is promoting his new CD "Live in Evanston: John's Mixed Bag," featuring the John Temmerman Quartet (available at www.jazzobsession.com).
The CD definitely offers a mixed bag, with selections ranging from "Blue Moon" by Rodgers and Hart to Lennon and McCartney's "Norwegian Wood," and the traditional spiritual, "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," all delivered in Temmerman's mellow jazz style. The recording also includes four original pieces by the musician: "Plan B Downsized," "An Aging Dream," "Sooner or Later" and "Fundamental Dreamer."
"Less is more" is the way the married father of one grown son describes his style of playing. Steve Thomas, a friend since college who plays trumpet on a couple of the selections on the CD, has his own take on Temmerman and his music.
"We played together at the U of I in the '70s, and since then we have kept in touch and periodically we will collaborate," Thomas said. "It's always fun because he gets good people, he picks good tunes. I think he is very inventive and very relaxed. His musicianship is reflective of his personality -- very easygoing. He makes it look easy."
Portions of the CD were recorded, by a lucky happenstance, in 2007 at the Custer Street Fair in Evanston. "The band that was in front of me was recording live and the recording engineer said, 'All right, John, do you want me to stick around?' I got some good material from '07 and then I decided I wanted more material, so we recorded in '08 as well," Temmerman related.
The musician played the clarinet first, starting when he was in grade school. He began listening to jazz while attending New Trier East High School. "That captivated me," he recalled. "Once I found the saxophone, I didn't have much use for the clarinet anymore."
He contemplated majoring in music at the University of Illinois, "but I ultimately decided I wanted a business career. I was an accounting major but I played in the bands all four years."
After graduation, Temmerman continued to play for a while but quit when he pursued an MBA degree at night school. In the late '80s, he began playing again, with a community band. He also took private jazz lessons for five years at DePaul University.
"I ended up buying an inexpensive tenor saxophone and it turned out that, in my mid-30s, I discovered tenor was a more natural instrument for me than the alto was," he noted.
During this time, Temmerman started performing professionally, including a steady engagement at the Orrington Hotel in Evanston. He also began playing regularly at the Custer Street Fair in Evanston -- which led to the new recording. In addition, he plays with the Lutheran Center Gospel Choir and at summer festivals.
As much as he enjoys performing, Temmerman's face lights up most when he talks about his students. "I really enjoy teaching. I find it very rewarding," he declared. "I really want to help them get a love of music."