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 […]
Memorable Movie Music
Most films have music scores and soundtracks for a reason – they help tell the story and bring us into the characters’ worlds. The music allows us to feel glory, frustration, excitement, boredom, grief, joy, and dozens of other emotions so we can more fully enjoy the film. Thanks to a friend “nominating” me to […]
My Favorite Musical Pieces
Music is my religion. Whether I’m listening or performing, my favorite pieces provoke strong emotions and/or provide enjoyment or relaxation. I’m sure most of you are the same with your favorites. Recorded or live, slow or fast, with others or alone: The right chords, rhythms, and (sometimes) words can transcend this crude matter called a […]
Film Score Day
Princess Leia. Forrest Gump. Indiana Jones. Marty McFly. Hedwig (Harry Potter’s snowy owl). In honor of yesterday being the first National Film Score Day, I have a pop quiz for you: What do all of these well-known characters have in common? Yes, they all appeared in popular movies, but what else? That’s right, music fans, […]
Eager for Easter
Being an experienced trumpet player of quasi-local renown (okay, maybe extremely local), I sometimes get emails around this time of year from folks asking if I’m available for various Easter services. While there seems to be an unlimited number of trumpeters here in the Washington/Baltimore corridor, there also seems to be unlimited churches with organists […]