Jim Jackson was a trombone player for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and at some point transitioned into becoming a classical recording engineer. Jim offered me my first chance to record UIL band competitions at a time when I’d mostly done studio recording work. A typically day of recording UIL might include capturing 30 or more youth orchestras performances, burning CDs for them as they perform and handing them a finished CD as they leave the stage. I think I recorded UIL events for 3 or 4 years before I realized that the compensation wasn’t in line with the amount of time and equipment involved. What recording UIL did was force me to purchase the gear I didn’t already have that would make it possible to record opera later on. This would include tall mic stands, world class omni and cardioid microphones, a multitrack recording rig and a stand alone CD recorder. It’s possible that the only reason I was offered the first recording job with the Fort Worth Opera was because Jim turned it down. If so, he did me a huge favor in doing so. Jim had been recording the Fort Worth Symphony for many years and his recordings always sounded amazing. He has always been a huge asset to me when I need guidance.