Lawrence Tanter sets the tone for the Lakers, and jazz station

Lakers announcer Lawrence Tanter has been a part of the Lakers' in-game… (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

 

The Lakers public address announcer for 28 years is classically old school, stating the facts in a pitch-perfect voice. He brings the same passion to his other job as program director at KJazz.

story by LA Times
written by Chris Erskine

The man with the trombone voice straddles two American art forms, jump shots and jazz, not quietly, mind you, for that horn of his is probably incapable of a mere whisper. But deftly and slyly, with frequent 16-hour workdays spent juggling two wildly divergent careers.

Lawrence Tanter has been the Lakers' public address announcer for 28 years, and over that time you've probably heard him croon "Koooo-Beeee Bryant" or "Laker Girrrrrrls" hundreds of times. As the gold standard of NBA stadium announcers, he introduces the teams, then keeps you up on developments during the game.

Simple, right? Not so much. His job involves reading hand signals from the scorekeeper and making sense of NBA refs. Try it some time. It's like serving tea at a bar brawl.

Fortunately, Tanter is the classic old-school announcer, calmly dishing out stats, scores and substitutions with the rich, chug-a-chug rumble of an idling Harley. There's also a little Lou Rawls in that pitch-perfect voice.

"The PA gig has changed around the league," the 61-year-old notes. "It's morphed into a sort of cheerleader position. Dr. Buss has never told me to change, so I haven't."

For that, we can be thankful, because Tanter brings a big-market professionalism to his job — a touch of West Coast cool. Indeed, it'll be a lousy day when Lakers games no longer feature that soulful "voice of God" narration. It fits just right. Like Dyan Cannon's sweaters (trivia morsel of the day: Before games, Cannon brings brownies to him and the scorekeepers).

But although his Lakers persona is well-known — and sometimes taken for granted — there's another side to Tanter's life that you probably didn't realize. Indeed, the man with the trombone voice doubles as program director at KJazz (KKJZ, 88.1 FM), one of only five full-time jazz stations left in the country.

He has been there since August and, as program director, is responsible for the announcers, the playlists and the public service pleas for such things as Red Cross aid. Pretty much anything that goes out over the air comes virtue of one of Tanter's computer keystrokes in his Cal State Long Beach office.

"I'm more Phil Jackson, and our station manager is more Mitch Kupchak," Tanter says in explaining his role.