Longtime musician retires from classroom

By Ana M. Lopez De Lara LOGOS STAFF WRITER

After nearly 23 years teaching music, James “Jim” Waller is retiring as the coordinator of the music industry studies program at the University of the Incarnate Word.

He’ll leave running UIW’s state-of-theart recording studio, teaching music technology, how the music industry operates, and conducting its jazz band to his successor.

But Waller still plans on making music.

He plans to focus on making more music for his album, “Jim Waller Big Band,” and even play more gigs with other bands. As a professor emeritus, he might even find his way back – part time – to UIW.

Waller grew up in a musical family. His mother was a

Juilliard-trained pianist. His father was a saxophonist. And his stepfather was a world-class cellist. They all aided him in learning music.

During his college years, he started a rock band called Jim Waller and the Deltas. At one point in his career, the band’s songs were in the top 10 charts in California and Hawaii. He later joined a jazz-rock band called Los Blues that played Las Vegas in front of some of the most iconic celebrities and musicians including Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis

Jr., Elvis Presley, and Waller’s biggest inspiration, Billy Byers. Waller paid tribute to Byers Thursday, April 27, at the Cardinal Jazz Band’s spring concert in Diane Bennack Concert Hall of the Luella Bennack Music Center.

Waller said one of the things he will miss the most at UIW is the number of friends he has made, including his fellow faculty, and especially the interactions with his students.