Changing of the guard

Following the spring semester, some prominent figures on campus will be seen less frequently. Bass Department Chair Rich Appleman and Jazz Composition Chair Ken Pullig will retire after 40 and 27 years, respectively.

After four decades at Berklee, Rich Appleman retired on May 31. “My first day was June 1, 1972,” he says. “I was here exactly 40 years. I’m a sports fan and believe that you shouldn’t stay too long at the game. I feel the depart- ment is in good shape, and this is the right move for me.”

Appleman was a member of the U.S. Navy Band during the Vietnam War and ended up at the navy base in Boston in 1968. “After I got here, I met my future wife as well as some guys from Berklee. I decided to stay and study at Berklee.” He graduated first in his class and was invited immediately to teach the summer program in 1972. He continued as a full-fledged faculty member in the fall and was named Bass Department chair in 1974 just as the electric bass program was starting.

Together with Assistant Chair of Bass John Repucci, Appleman led the department during a period of tremendous development in the his- tory of the bass, and hosted legend- ary bassists as visiting artists. “When I look back, Jaco [Pastorius] was here twice, Ray Brown, Christian McBride, Victor Wooten, Charlie Haden, Bootsy Collins, and so many others visited. I’ve had a charmed 40 years. I appre- ciate the opportunity I was given by Berklee.”

Appleman plans to continue teaching through Berkleemusic.com, and - since everyone needs a great bassist - playing gigs.

Like Appleman, Ken Pullig, the retiring chair of the Jazz Composition Department, came from the military to Berklee. He played trumpet with the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division Band in the Vietnam War era and enrolled at Berklee in 1971 shortly after his discharge. He graduated in 1974 and was hired to teach harmony, arrang- ing, and ensembles in January of 1975. Pullig was named chair of the Jazz Composition Department in 1985.

“Rich and I are among Berklee’s early cast members that are start- ing to leave,” Pullig notes. “It’s a changing of the guard in two cornerstone departments of the college. Jazz composition was a draw from the days when Berklee was called Schillinger House. People came here to learn how to write. It’s been nice to be on the bridge of the ship help- ing to keep it going in the direction it was intended to go.”

Pullig counts associations with fellow faculty members such as Ted Pease and Herb Pomeroy and inter- actions with visiting artists among the highlights of his tenure. “It was great to have guest artists such as Maria Schneider, Clare Fischer, and Bob Brookmeyer here,” he says. “I also enjoyed the annual Fall Together and Write of Spring concerts for the artistic experience and the camaraderie of faculty members and students play- ing together.”

In retirement Pullig plans to listen to the stack of CDs that accrued in his office over the years and to have the freedom to write music all day long when the muse hits. “Mostly, I look forward to not having to set my alarm clock anymore,” he says.

Also departing are Bill MacKay, the director of housing for 29 years; Greg Mooter, a professor of bass for nearly 35 years; George Zonce, professor of ensemble for 41 years, and Scott McCormick, a professor of harmony for 26 years. Many thanks and best wishes to all.