James Samuel Pilafian, born on October 25, 1949, in Miami, Florida, United
States, was a tuba player. He earned his bachelor's degree from University of
Miami in 1972 and began performing internationally. Pilafian collaborated with
Leonard Bernstein for the world premiere of Mass at the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts in 1971, co-founded the Empire Brass Quintet, toured
with Boston Brass and performed with Duke Ellington Orchestra. His discography
included albums such as Travelin’ Light (1991) and Jazz! (1999). Pilafian taught
at Arizona State University, the Unive...