gig in weeks, came into
gig in weeks, came into the bar and Thompson said to the bartender,“Give this man a gig and put it on my tab.”It is a small, select group of travelling musicians in this fraternity– which allows membership only to those who have “paid their dues”on the road and have suffered the slings and arrows of outrageoustravel, unscrupulous promoters, hazards of weather and sometimesthe well-intentioned fan who says, “I saw you 15 years ago in Munich– remember?”The pioneers who went before us and lived through the bad olddays of poor lodgings, bad food and precarious travel have mostlypassed on, but remain with us in spirit every time a group of us getstogether at the next jazz party along the way.Midland/Odessa may not be ranked among the great cities likeNew York, London or Paris, but for three days we enjoyed thewarmth and hospitality of gracious and generous friends and oncemore we were able to sit around with kindred spirits, and trade storiesthat will live on as long as jazz musicians meet along the way.I wouldn’t trade these memories for anything.Meanwhile, there will be a feast of jazz coming your way over thenext few weeks and I hope you will take advantage of the occasionand get out to enjoy at least some of it. Just as importantly, don’t beamong those part-time enthusiasts who then disappear into the woodwork,never to be seen again until the next festival season comesalong. Enjoying live music should be part of your ongoing activity –a year-round diet and not merely an annual blow-out.Long live live jazz. Time for other pathsBy Jack MacQuarrieWith summer approaching, most community musical groups willhave finished the last of their regular concerts. Some will close downfor the summer, while others will embark on a mixture of parkconcerts, summer festival performances and various other less formalmusical events. This slowdown in more structured activities could accordband and orchestra members opportunities for revitalization andmusical exploration. In chats with our editor, a variety of pathwaysto explore came to mind. What about trying our hands at a differentinstrument, a different method of studying our instrument or exploringa different musical genre?In the past few weeks, attendance at a few widely diverse musicalevents has suggested new pathways. The first such event was a masterclassconducted by Douglas Yeo, bass trombonist of the BostonSymphony Orchestra. In his demonstration prior to critiquing thework of a few selected students, he stunned all present with his mostmelodic interpretation of a Bach suite for unaccompanied cello. Boththe music and the instrument were shown in a whole new light forthose in attendance. How about experimenting with music written foran instrument other than yours?Many years ago I heard a noted musician suggest that any instrumentalistcould benefit from coaching by a competent teacher of atotally different instrument, who could then focus on interpretationrather than motor skills. Some time later I had the opportunity to observethe results of such an approach second hand. I had a friend whowanted to learn to play the flute. Armed with her new instrument andan exercise book with a fingering chart, she started her flute studiesunder the tutelage of the late Bram Smith, former conductor of theRCMP band and a trumpet virtuoso. The results were very rewarding.She progressed well under the guidance of an excellent instructorwithout getting hung up on technical difficulties.As for trying a totally different instrument, some years ago whileacting on staff of a music camp for adults I had the chance to sit inon a beginners’ class on oboe. None of us had any prior experiencewith oboe, but after a lesson a day for the week, my fellow classmatesand I were competent enough to perform a simple melody atthe final concert of the camp. Under normal circumstances such anexploration could offer the additional financial challenge of acquiringa suitable instrument.As for exploring other forms of music as a listener, quite bychance I had a number of opportunities. The first of these was ina concert by the Hannaford Street Silver Band with steelpan soloistLiam Teague. Years before, my introduction to the music of thesteelpan was very different, but could not have been better. Whileserving as a young naval officer over fifty years ago, our ship spentseveral days in the British Virgin Islands. When one of our seniorofficers heard about this new steel band phenomenon, the local bandwas invited to come aboard the ship. My first impression of theseinstruments was of calypso rhythms while rocking gently at anchorunder a bright Caribbean moon. Quite a change from that to hearingPaganini’s Moto Perpetuo years later on solo steelpan in a concertJUNE 1 - JULY 7, 2009 WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM 19hall.beat by beat: bandstandcontinues next page
