Recently, the great state of Maryland lost two giants in the world of music performance and education: Chris Vadala, saxophonist and college music professor, and Fred Balmages, trumpeter and elementary school music teacher. Many community musicians knew them as friends as well as coaches, and both will be greatly missed. Chris Vadala Chris Vadala was […]
The Breadth of Jazz Titles
Some of the coolest titles I’ve seen are in the jazz lexicon. Whether you listen to an amateur or professional swing band practice its craft, there’s no shortage of original charts or arrangements with names that have been mashed together, rhymed, substituted, or otherwise cleverly manipulated to inspire your imagination before you even hear the […]
Experience vs. Pedigree
It’s an undeniable fact that overall, community music ensembles give good, but less-than-stellar performances. Most of us community band members do not make a living performing music, even though many of us maintain a professional mindset and can play quite well. We listen to professional musicians perform in venues from famous concert halls and jazz […]
Switching Musical Gears
I just left a concert band I’ve played with for 25 years. Naturally, I have mixed emotions. Stick with any group of people for that long and you’ll eventually get some life-long friends. I’ll miss seeing these friends on a weekly basis, but I’m also excited to (audition and, presumably) start rehearsing with a relatively […]
Biography: Artie Shaw
Jazz legend Artie Shaw achieved much in his lifetime, but was not satisfied with any of it. Known by most as a brilliant jazz clarinetist and bandleader, he formed and broke up at least five successful ensembles, was married eight times (to Hollywood icons like Lana Turner and Ava Gardner, among others), survived a stint […]
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