by Lee Fanning Hall
John (Jack) Fanning was a man of many talents. As a Green Beret in the U.S. Army, he spoke several languages. As an employee of Lockheed Martin, he specialized in computer forms design. He was a gifted writer but his true love was music. When he was 5 years old, his mother taught him to play piano. As a teenager, he played drum in a fife and drum corps. Those two instruments led him directly to the vibraphone and his idol, Lionel Hampton. He played jazz for many years, both in Monterey, California, and here in Venice, Florida. He was one of the original founders of the Monterey Bay Hot Jazz Society as well as South County Jazz. His Irish tenor voice could be heard in many venues around Venice and Sarasota. I got my love of Jazz from my father and hope upcoming young musicians will carry on that love.
