taylormadetapestry.com - Meet The Band

Stephen Bock

"James Taylor"

Born and raised in Los Angeles (“the valley” to be exact), Stephen Bock has been playing guitar since he was eight years old. The inspiration for his desire to pick up the instrument: hearing James Taylor’s "Fire and Rain". He was so moved by the amazing sounds the acoustic guitar could make, he spent his youth sitting in solitary confinement in his bedroom with a guitar on his lap and a record player (remember those?) on his shelf, learning the playing style of James Taylor.

Through the years he has performed in many of LA’s premiere venues, has fronted several bands, both cover and original, and was honored with two original composition awards in the 2004 USA Songwriting competition. Stephen is thrilled to be performing with Carla Buffa, and to have found other incredible musicians who share his love of James Taylor and Carole King’s music and passion for playing it.

Carla Buffa

"Carole King"

Carla Buffa sings and plays keyboards in Taylor Made Tapestry. Her extensive musical history spans almost 30 years and includes performances with The Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theater in NYC as the first female band member, touring Europe as a background singer with Danny Vaughn of Tyketto, performing with a girl group revival show called The Party Dolls, and with many corporate bands in the NYC area. Carla loves to teach and over the past 27 years, in between touring and performing, she has always had a large following of piano, voice and guitar students.

In addition to her role in Taylor Made Tapestry, Carla has her own musical projects which include Sweet Seasons, where she performs the timeless, classic songs of Carole King, and Ladies of the Canyon, a tribute to Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Linda Rondstadt. Carla is excited to be performing alongside Stephen Bock and her fellow musicians in Taylor Made Tapestry.

Preston Gould

Trumpet / Flugelhorn / Percussion / Vocals

Preston began playing the trumpet shortly before his birth in Skokie, Illinois, and continued throughout junior high, high school and college, where he played in the University of Illinois jazz band. Coming to Los Angeles in 1975 to thaw out, Preston played jazz along with a stint in a blues band. For 12 years he played guitar, sang and recorded four CD’s in the duo “Clean & Jerk”.

Preston is regarded as one of the areas foremost, carbon-based trumpet and flugelhorn players, and his love of the music of James Taylor and Carole King dates back to the Laurel Canyon days. His enthusiasm for Taylor Made Tapestry shines through in every performance.

Jim Wootten

Bass / Vocals

Jim Wootten plays bass and sings with Taylor Made Tapestry. Jim’s sheer love of making music is easy to understand given his musical pedigree. His dad, Red Wootten, was a well-known and highly sought-after bassist himself, playing with such greats as Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Glen Campbell and Frank Sinatra. Jim’s uncle and aunt were the world-renowned Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Jim’s hallmark has been his attention to detail and he has gained a very solid reputation for musical accuracy. His skill as a vocal arranger has also proven to be a key asset in all of the musical projects he is involved in. When not sharing his infectious smile on the Taylor Made Tapestry stage, Jim also plays with Taylor Made, Sweet Seasons, and in The Long Run, a tribute to the Eagles.