Six Years Later....

  So, perhaps this is my final post. It sure has been a long time since the last one. But Facebook keeps wanting me to "share my memories" and the whole Re-write of Spring project seems to be popping up a lot lately. So, maybe this will be like one of those "where are they now" segments.

   The project certainly seems to have run it's course. Every now and then someone expresses just a bit of interest in it. Just yesterday I gave a copy of the CD to a cook at a wine bar hear in town. The cook, Ricardo, is from Colombia and is new to the area. He's also a classical bassist and was excited to hear about the recording. And that's pretty much how it goes. One person at a time. A nearby conservatory is expressing some interest in performing the piece. It is a challenge, but not an impossible one for collegiate level players to play this piece. San Jose State University did it about a year ago.

   Speaking of colleges, a student in Brazil used the Re-write for his master's thesis. He did a 130 page paper with amazingly detailed analysis and comparison to the original. We did a skype session just before his defense. He was rather amusing to me. He was so excited and emotional to speak with me. It was like a young girl getting to speak to Elvis. Apparently he does not know that my farts stink just like anyone else's. (Can I say fart here?)

  The Blue Devils, one of the top drum and bugle corps over the last 40 years in the US, adapted some of my adaptation to use for their show a few years back. (2013?) I was able to watch it in the theaters, Fascinating.

  The writing I did has led to a little bit of other writing work for me. Recently I was asked by The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra to adapt some classical works of Leonard Bernstein. One was very beautiful and melodic (Lonely Town, Symphonic Dance) and translated really quite comfortably. The other Chichester Psalms, #1 was quite a challenge. Their all Bernstein program was quite good.

   So, ever onward and upward. Perhaps being inspired by this I've composed my first "classical" sax pieces. A series of ten composition for alto sax and piano. They are entitled "Orphan Sketches" with each piece being named after a child I know at Orphanage Emmanuel in Honduras. In 2011 my wife I started making annual trips to volunteer there. By 2013 the trips became twice yearly. That's a beautiful young girl named Johana in the picture below. Taken January 2014. My first composition was titled for her. We have been sponsoring her since our first trip. If anyone wants to hire a "coyote" to bring her here to us we'd greatly appreciate it.

  Anyway, I have live versions of the first five and midi versions of all ten up on my youtube channel. You can check them out as well as Re-write, a  lot of other big band compositions and arrangements of mine as well as some small group recordings. Spread the word. I have a lot of music out there to listen to and hopefully to sell as well. It's been a great experience and I hope to have the opportunity again sometime to do such a wonderful project. All the best to you and thanks for reading.