Who we are.
Brian Powell
Brian is a native of Ludlow Falls, Ohio, a northern suburb of Dayton . He is a 1992 graduate of the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West in Montezuma, New Mexico, and stayed out in the mountains to finish his undergrad work at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM, in 1995 (B.A.- Music performance). In college, he started to play his first paying gigs, and currently plays alto and bari sax with the Dayton Salsa Project, lead alto in the Generations Big Band, and lead tenor with the Central Jazz Big Band, along with a variety or other local ensembles. Along the way, Brian has played in a diverse number of settings, from Afro-Cuban to rock and brass bands, with dance and music troupes, to theater and pit/show work. Brian began his apprenticeship with Ralph Morgan in the fall of 1995, and learned the art and science of mouthpiece handcraftsmanship from Ralph for nearly 13 years. He left the Morgan Mouthpiece shop in July of 2008 to pursue self-employment full time, but has resumed some finishing work with the Morgan company in the last few years. When Brian doesn’t have a mouthpiece in his mouth or on his bench, he can usually be found in the gym, or attending concerts presented by his children or chauffeuring them to their gigs.
Erik Greiffenhagen
Erik was born in 1958 in Hamburg, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1960. He was raised in Cleveland, OH (1960-63), Oberlin, OH (1963-73), and Yellow Springs, OH , where he lived until 1994, then moving to his current home in Springfield, OH . Erik completed his Bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from Central State University in 2000. He began playing sax and clarinet professionally in 1980 with a variety of traditional (Dixieland) jazz bands, and is currently a member of Dave Greer’s Classic Jazz Stompers (www.classicjazzstompers.com), a well known territory band out of Dayton, OH, and plays in a variety of other contexts. Erik began an apprenticeship with Ralph Morgan in 1983, and is still presently managing production of Morgan Mouthpieces. He began customizing work in the mid 1990s for students and faculty at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Erik has been married since 1989 to his lovely wife, attorney Linda Cushman. When he does not have a mouthpiece in his mouth or on his bench, you can usually find him out at the lake sailing, kayaking, or bicycling.