Faber and Friends

Faber and Friends at RangeFest includes Jim Nolet on violin, Ralph Devereux on bass, Eric “Chewie” Taylor on drums, Anita Faber on vocals, and George Faber on piano. George A. Faber, II started at piano recitals in Kilgore and has not stopped since — Stephen F. Austin for a BA and an MA, then stages from Lincoln Center to the Great Wall of China. Keyboardist, bassist, producer, arranger; smooth jazz out front, with gospel, country, classical, funk, big band and R&B behind it. He toured with Sunshine Express in the early eighties on bills with Charlie Daniels, the Statler Brothers, the Oak Ridge Boys, Percy Sledge and Chubby Checker, and his Faber & Friends Jazz Ensemble later opened for Freda Payne and Al Jarreau. If you came up through Tyler ISD and played an instrument, he had something to do with it: 35 years with the district, from band director to Visual and Performing Arts Director over 18,000 students K-12, plus Director of Jazz Studies at UT Tyler. He still plays organ at Green Acres Baptist Church. His own summary of all of it: “Playing music is for the soul.” Session drums on the rehearsal photos and reel: Mike Mimms.

• ★Stephen F. Austin Music Alumni of the Year, 2016