User:Jazzman901

Tom Pethic was born on November 7, 1956 in Rochester, New York. At age 20, Pethic first heard Rochester jazz saxophonist Joe Romano (who was a major soloist with Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson and Woody Herman) at The Portside in Rochester in 1976. Romano was playing with guitarists Mark Manetta and Tommy Rizzo. Over the course of several months, Romano also had pianist Barry Keiner and drummer Vinnie Ruggiero in his band. Pethic credits his extreme love for jazz to Joe Romano, while hearing J.R. (Romano's nickname) many nights during this span of time, which eventually inspired him enough to land his own jazz radio show, Artistry in Jazz, on Jazz 90.1FM WGMC in Rochester, New York. His first Artistry in Jazz program airred on October 18, 1982 and can be heard on Saturdays at 4:00 PM ET. Over the years, the list of legendary artists Pethic has interviewed include Joe Romano, James Moody, Les Paul, Dave Brubeck, Sonny Rollins, Chick Corea, Clark Terry, Pat Martino, David "Fathead" Newman, Steve Turre and Steve Gadd.