SOUND TRAVELS

Tom Waters: Do you have a first memory, a first unforgettable musical experience that left an impression?

JF: Perhaps not a single unforgettable musical experience. My father took me to one of his friends’ home at an early age where, in particular, I was introduced to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 played on a high-end mono system. Wow!

My father could design and build everything from Fisher World Wave radios, bass guitar amps and custom-built early TVs to ham radio transmitters and receivers. At one stage we had more than a dozen substantial radios throughout the house and workshops. We also had a huge collection of records, including classics such as Caravan, Flight of the Bumble Bee, and so on. It was all a huge influence on me. Sadly, my father died in May 1960, just before my 15th birthday. By the way, the cabinets for those Fisher World Wave radios were actually built by my grandfather! I still have some of those old cabinets in my garage: They’re made from beautiful burled walnut.

Another memorable moment was when I was on holiday at a school friend’s uncle’s home where I heard George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess played on a Quad