JOINING MY SCHOOL’S new concert band made me a fortunate fifth grader in 1961. Which instrument would I learn? My mom loved the upbeat big-band sound of Glenn Miller, so the choice was easy: a brassy slide trombone. At the Sherman Clay music store in downtown Seattle, a student horn was a big purchase at $175, but my commitment endured for decades. Thirty miles south in Tacoma, Ted Brown (1901-1971) made his own musical commitment during the Depression. His decision has enveloped his family for an astounding 95 years — and counting. A clarinetist, Brown had worked for Sherman Clay in Tacoma, Spokane and Portland for eight years when, at age 30 in 1931, the West Coast retailer asked him to close its troubled downtown Tacoma branch. Instead, he lured investors and, for $50,000, bought it and began a brand.…