DON MENZA (saxophonist) was born April 22, 1936 in Buffalo, N.Y. Menza, a strong tenor player with his own distinctive style joined Maynard Ferguson’s band as soloist and arranger in 1962, after a stint in the U.S. Army. After leading his own quintet and a return to Germany, he played with Buddy Rich’s Big Band and is acclaimed for his solo work on “Channel One Suite” – featuring circular breathing technique. Menza was a longtime member of the Tonight Show Band on NBC and is a renowned educator, his compositions “Groovin Hard” and “Time Check”, part of standard college repertoire.