Do your prep work beforehand, and we’ll love you for it Various jokes and memes about musician gigs have circulated throughout social media for years. As a gigging musician with 30+ years under my belt, I can tell you that some jokes are silly and mostly harmless. Other jokes drive their point home, like this […]
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 […]
Interview – Pete BarenBregge
Name: Peter BarenBregge City, State of Residence: Venice, FL Occupation: Retired Favorite Instrument to Play: Tenor Saxophone By all accounts, Mr. BarenBregge is a professional musician. A small list of his accomplishments include: earning a student scholarship to the famed Stan Kenton Jazz Camp; teaching public school instrumental music in Wilmington, Delaware; directing the United […]
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, […]
Rock Bands with Horn Sections
Mainstream bands with horn sections (rock, pop, swing, funk, etc.) are becoming more popular, thanks to the public’s increasingly eclectic musical tastes. This expansion of wind instruments into rock and related sub-genres has evolved for many decades, ever since David Mason played piccolo trumpet for The Beatles’ hit Penny Lane in 1967. Bands with a lead […]