Bruce Kapler grew up in a household where his parents played a wide variety of music on the family
Victrola hi-fi, exposing him to an eclectic mix ranging from operatic recordings by
Mario Lanza and
honky-tonk piano to comedic tracks by
Jerry Lewis and the Broadway soundtrack from
Camelot. Kapler began studying music at the age of five, starting with recorder lessons under Jerry Petrie, a Juilliard-affiliated instructor who introduced him to sight-transposition and advanced concepts early on. By elementary school, he had a significant advantage over peers new to instruments. He credits an influential elementary school music teacher, Jack Carmen—a trombonist and clarinetist passionate about Dixieland—who shared gig stories that inspired Kapler's desire to pursue music professionally. His first public performance came around age nine in a fourth-grade school band concert. His path to the CBS Orchestra formed through connections with band members like bassist Will Lee and trumpeter Al Chez, whom he played with in a Latin funk band. After Paul Shaffer heard them backing La Toya Jackson, Kapler was invited to rehearsals and contributed horn arrangements. When the show transitioned to CBS in 1993, Kapler initially pitched himself as a multi-instrumental utility player (saxophones, flute, clarinet, recorder, keyboards, guitar, percussion, and vocals). Although Shaffer initially planned a different direction, Kapler was called back for guest spots starting with Natalie Cole, gradually becoming a regular over several months as the band incorporated more horns and David Letterman favored the sound. == Notes ==