More Musicals!

Since we finished the Little Mermaid at work, I've been working steadily on South Pacific for local theater Desert Stages, and also for Stage Stars. It's been all my work so far, but since it's Friday evening now, the show is due on Sunday night, and I still have three main numbers to go plus reprises and stuff, my boss and I will both be at work tomorrow morning, and he'll do one or two of these last numbers.

I wish I knew how long it took me, but I haven't been keeping track. I've been working on it for either 2 or 3 weeks, but I'm not sure which.

Sorry I can't post samples of the music, but it's not really my property- I'm just hired to create it for other people who actually own it. When the CD hits Amazon, I'll link to samples there.

PS Never mind- Stage Stars doesn't seem to have samples to listen to on their Amazon page. This is the Amazon page for the Stage Stars album of Damn Yankees that I worked on nine months ago- no samples.

Funny picture

This is the gig I played Friday night with the "Sonoran Serenade" big band at a golf course in Carefree, AZ. I thought it was a funny picture.

Part Two: 21st century trombone

So then, in the same weekend, I was lucky enough to go to a concert by saxophonist Kenny Garrett. Garrett is 44, played in some big bands early on, but has made a long career leading small groups. At different times, his playing and compositions are playful, funky, spiritual, and often draw on various world cultures. I've known many saxophone players who consider him one of their favorite players. Anyway, on Sunday he played a concert in Chandler, AZ as one of the headlining artists for the Chandler jazz festival. Let me see if I can describe why this show was so inspirational:

The show's MC introduced the band as "a swinging good time", but when they hit it was like stepping into a trendy shoe store in NYC- very modern house rhythm, very ambient, evolving slowly through textures. The organist played cloud-like morphing synth pads, drums and bass slammed out the house beat, and Garrett played his saxophone sparingly, and only through effects pedals, using wah and distortion to get an evocative, electric sound. Garrett also played his sax through a keyboard synth, distorting the sound even farther beyond recognition. They still played some songs with heads and solos, but the emphasis was on continuously evolving texture, subtle rhythmic play, and relentless modern groove, not on blowing hard and fast through chord changes. Garrett also had a Rhodes onstage, and he would often put down his saxophone and join the rhythm section, picking out repeating rhythmic figures that would be picked up by the band and take the feel in a new direction.

Anyway, after a weekend of being sad that the 20th century was gone, this made me psyched for the 21st. I was just so inspired to see his approach- that his band was as danceable as any dance music- that his solos weren't about "showing off" or even playing choruses, but were more directly evocative, often like vocal cries- that there's still room for creativity about form and texture- and that there doesn't have to be anything old-fashioned about jazz. It was really a good model for me, and really inspired me to keep playing and to put together my own band. Of course, it's hard enough to do what's been done before; doing something that's never been done before, like Garrett is doing, probably requires exceptionally talented and creative musicians- but it's an exciting goal. I gotta go buy some pedals...

Part One: 20th century trombone

Two weekends ago I had two experiences that really showed me what it means to be a trombonist today. My write-up of them is LONG, so if you don't have the attention to read it all, the conclusion is: I'm sad the 20th century is gone, but I'm hopeful about the 21st. This is part One.

On Saturday, I went to Charlie Small's monthly invite-only trombone group (usually 8-12 of the better local trombonists), which mainly plays Charlie's arrangements of classical works. I've been many times, and I knew that Charlie used to be a trombonist with a TV station in New York, but didn't really know what he'd done. On Saturday, he was asked to tell his life story as a trombonist, which follows:

Charlie grew up in New York City, a Jewish kid on the lower East side in the 1930's. At night, he listen to the radio and hear live broadcasts of dance bands from around the country, often with beautiful trombone solos, so when his parents asked him to learn an instrument, he chose the trombone. He played well enough in high school to get a gig with a local dance orchestra that payed him $125/week, which at the time was a decent salary. Through that gig, he was asked to sub with trombonist Tommy Dorsey's band when they played a New York theater. The gig was sold out, and Charlie read the Dorsey book well enough that they offered him the chair, which he accepted as soon as he graduated high school.

Charlie made lots of money playing with the Dorsey band, but he didn't enjoy being on the road, so after a few years of touring he returned to New York. A local contractor quickly put him to work as a substitute trombonist with the NBC New York television orchestra, and after a short time he was hired as a permanent musician. At that time, each broadcasting TV station in major cities had an staff orchestra to record music for all the shows produced there. He would arrive each morning to find a schedule of recording sessions for the day- a mystery show one day, a drama the next day, etc.

Charlie stayed at NBC for most of his career, until broadcasting stations began making producers rent their own sound stage and hire their own musicians, which made recording musicians into freelancers. In his last working years, he made a living playing trombone in Broadway shows. He retired to Phoenix, and now leads this very informal monthly group.

I was really, really depressed by hearing his story. I think this is because some part of me wanted to take him as a role model- after all, he's been successful as a trombonist in a way I often imagined being, when I was in college, and in the years after, as I tried to figure out what I could possibly do with my musical ambitions. I was depressed because almost no part of his career could exist today. There are no trombone solos on popular radio. No one can make a living gigging one night a week with a dance band- if they can find such a gig at all- and certainly, young players don't "just stumble into" such a band. Big bands are a small niche market, few rock bands tour with horn sections, and there certainly aren't any trombonist/bandleaders like Dorsey that sell out major venues. Sample libraries have replaced most recording work, and what's left is much more geographically focused and competitive, with movie and TV scores being recorded almost exclusively in Los Angeles (or overseas). Even Broadway shows now use mainly pre-recorded music.

And there's a professionalism that comes from experience, from steady work and regular opportunities, and I don't think that professionalism can be imitated or learned any other way. I was envious that Charlie got that, as a trombonist, in a way that I never will- and mainly I was just sad that I had missed the 20th century.

Trip to L.A.

I forgot to mention- last weekend I visited my good friend Syd and his partner Jon in L.A. It was pretty awesome- we walked on the beach,
saw the LA Phil play Shostakovich 7 in the new Frank Gehry concert hall,


and watched Pump up the Volume.



What more could I possibly ask for?

Well, Syd got back in touch with a professional composer he had met years ago (friends of friends etc.) named Andy Belling, who invited us over to visit. Andy showed us his home studio, and we talked for a long time. He answered all of my questions about the business and was very supportive, encouraging me to build up a portfolio by scoring independent and student work here in Phoenix. He also played us some excerpts from his new Broadway musical, Merry-Go-Round, which he orchestrated and co-wrote and will be directing as well, and which opens in New York in less than a year.

It was my first personal contact with a working film composer and it was pretty exciting. I really appreciate him making time to hang out with us. Thanks Andy!

ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop

Last night I mailed in my application to the 2008 ASCAP Film and Television Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis. It sounds like a serious film scoring camp- 3 or 4 weeks in LA, 40 hours a week, being coached by great filmmakers, sound editors, composers, and orchestrators, getting your work recorded by a live orchestra of pros- all paid for by ASCAP. They're very clear that they don't want hobbyists- only people who are pursuing film scoring as a profession. Anyway, it would be really exciting and I have my fingers crossed.

I actually just read Bellis' new book, The Emerging Film Composer. It's very good, and maybe the only book on film composing I've ever read with a sense of humor.

I worked on the application every night this week, updating my resume, writing a nice cover letter, putting together a CD of orchestral excerpts (all stuff you've seen here before), etc. I have no idea how many composers apply each year, or how experienced they tend to be, so it's hard to know what my chances are- but even just putting together the application was fun and inspirational. Anyway, wish me luck!

Latest musical

Spent last week at work stocking up Spiritrax for Easter. No vocals yet, but some of you probably know the Ode to Joy and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Started today on our latest musical for Stage Stars, The Little Mermaid- yes, the Disney one, with music is by Alan Menken. I actually saw this in the movie theater when it came out and loved it- a 12-year-old romantic, and not the only one in the theater, I'm sure.