Alum Howard Wiley Leads Funk, Soul-Infused Band Extra Nappy

BERKELEYSIDE -- He earned a coveted spot in the Berkeley High Jazz Band as a freshman, but ended up dropping out of the ensemble after one semester. Looking for a bigger challenge, Wiley convinced Dee Spencer to let him join the San Francisco State big band. After a few years he ended up leading the combo and competing at a collegiate level.

“At first I got my ass handed to me playing at SF State, just like I did in Faye Carol’s living room with John Turk, but it helped me get better,” Wiley says. “I was always chasing that thing.”