So, Lab 2009 didn’t win either of its Grammys, but a good time was had by all anyway!

Congratulations to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and all the other Grammy recipients this year.

Last weekend, I sang with Ben Folds and the Providence Philharmonic. Dream come true is an accurate description.

I’m trying to get back into the blog thing. Years ago, I used to keep a pretty ridiculous blog at this web address. That was 2003-2005 (about). I think I can be more articulate and focused now than I was back then.

The Internet exploded yesterday after the news of Michael Jackson’s death broke. Darcy James Argue wrote about how stunning Michael Jackson’s talent and work ethic were, even from a young age. At work today, The first thing I did was put on The Essential Michael Jackson. “Got To Be There,” the title track from his album of the same name came on. The studio track is impressive, but I found this earlier today on YouTube. Listen at 0:53.

Incredible.

In 1972, MJ was 13 and already years into his career as a professional musician. I believe when I was 13, I had just made the decision that wearing sweatpants to school everyday was not going to happen anymore. Whatever. I had my accomplishments and he had his.

Because of the sheer volume of pop music produced, statistically there are going to be a lot of good songs heard. Michael Jackson wasn’t great because he had a hit or two. He was great because he made great songs consistently for DECADES. Songs that I (and pretty much everyone else) can listen to over and over again. This is because his songs are valuable.

Especially with the addition of Quincy Jones to his musical world, Michael Jackson’s songs are astonishing. Sean “Philly” Jones and I had a pet project last summer of trying to recreate “Rock With You.” It took a really long time and by then end of summer we had a lot of stuff going on. Initially, Philly had laid down the drums (a direct transcription I believe) to a click track. I a placeholder bassline which Scott Mulvahill eventually replaced. Kelyn Crapp laid down guitars and Melissa McMillan did vocals. We then added the little details (horns, strings, synths) piece by piece. The summer ended before we completely realized this project, but it was an eye opening experience. There is SO MUCH going on in the original track, yet it sounds so well blended.

Here’s what we came up with. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to it.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/jazz-trumpeter-freddie-hubbard-dies-1003925464.story

This is sad news. I was supposed to see Freddie a few months ago in Dallas, but he cancelled due to health reasons. Freddie along with Lee Morgan really embraced the concept of strength in trumpet playing. Trumpet has the potential to be very loud and in your face. I’m sad that I never got to see him perform before he died.

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Ethan Iverson has already put up a collection of important albums and links up at his blog, Do The Math. I saw the Bad Plus last night. Siri, my sister and I were fortuitously moved from the mezzanine to a table on the floor for some unknown reason. They played a couple tunes that they played last year, such as Ornette Coleman’s “Song X.” Being on the floor was great. Though we were off to the left side a bit, it was good to be able to see Iverson’s hands, which were matter and antimatter, operating in simultaneous and seemingly disparate meters and tempos.

School got into full swing and I neglected this webpage. I’m insanely busy, but here’s what I’ve been doing lately.

On Monday, September 22, Peter Brewer, Mike Shields and I did a trumpet night at the Greenhouse in Denton. We played all manner of trumpety tunes (”Milestones,” “A Night in Tunisia,” etc.). Highlights of the night included an open jam on “Cherokee” with about a half dozen trumpet players (and Prof. Brad Leali on alto sax) sitting in, my arrangements of “Theme From Shaft” and “Feels So Good,” and the ultimate: Peter’s arrangement of “Gonna Fly Now” (the Maynard version) arranged for 10 trumpets. We actually had maybe 14 trumpets and flugelhorns playing at the same time. It was momentous.

I’ve been writing again. I did an arrangement of “Ritual” by Chick Corea for the UNT Zebras and an original work for big band entitled “Collapse of the Moon,” which was commissioned by friend and former roommate Jeremy Stones.

More to come soon. Hopefully I’ll post more frequently.

Earlier I wrote about Brad, my trumpet teacher from high school. I met with him this past week again. The next morning, I met for breakfast with Phil Holm.

Phil was my concert and jazz band director from 7th grade to 9th grade. He also helped out with certain aspects of my high school band experience as well. When I was in 5th grade, all the students took a day trip to Valley View Middle school, where all the band instruments were out there to try. I couldn’t make a sound on any reed instruments. It might have had something to do with a yet-to-be-corrected overbite. Phil was at the brass station, and told me that he played trumpet and that I should think about it as well.

From that point on, Phil was always a source of encouragement. He was very passionate about music and education. He introduced me to the music of Frank Zappa. I think at one point, he found a big band arrangement of “Chunga’s Revenge” and had us try it out. That was a long time ago, but I’m sure the results were nothing less than catastrophic.

Phil has been a member of the Casablanca Orchestra for many years. They played George W. Bush’s 2004 inaugural ball. Regardless of one’s politics, that’s a pretty cool and high profile gig.

I try to meet with Phil a few times a year, just to catch up and see how he’s doing. He doesn’t teach band anymore, and has had success as a realtor, which is good because he has 4 kids to eventually put through college.

Phil and Brad are the two main reasons I decided to pursue a career in music in the first place. Talking with both of them usually reengergizes me into feeling excited about music and my future.

Steely Dan is coming to the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie on August 21, and (assuming the ticket price isn’t outrageous), I will be going. I took a look at who the band is for this tour, and it’s (of course) filled with heavy, heavy players.

A name I immediately recognized was Keith Carlock’s, whose band Rudder I’ve seen a few times. He’s incredibly energetic and is pretty influential among the young drumming crowd, even though he is still young himself.

I also recognized the names of trombonist Jim Pugh and saxophonist Walt Weiskopf. Jim visited UNT last fall for some master classes and the inaugural performance of the U-Tubes. Steve Wiest and I listened to some of Walt’s nonet music during composition lessons this past spring.

Steely Dan is one of those groups that I start appreciating way too late. Only in the past couple years have I really gotten into them, and I still haven’t seriously listened to either of the Donald Fagen albums, the Walter Becker album, or Steely Dan past Gaucho. Almost everything on the Citizen Steely Dan Boxset I’m at least slightly familiar with (if not deeply love). I need to step up my listening and get those albums on rotation.