StraightAhead » Music

Great Player

Terry — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:05:27 +0000

This is an interesting article on one of the greatest musicians that has lived. He and his brother Randy , the trumpet player, had some great bands together. “The Brecker Brothers” had some great albums. Michael had the same disease that my wife has now, MDS. Trouble is, he was Jewish and never found a bone marrow donor. I was fortunate enough to hear his brother live at a clinic at U of H here in Houston last year. I got him to autograph a couple of my old Brecker Bro. albums. He’s one of my favorite trumpet players, Randy , that is.

Annie Get Your Gun

Terry — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:08:35 +0000

I’m going to be playing my trumpet for the musical at the high school again this year. We start rehearsals tonight for Annie Get your Gun. The theater at LPHS has gone through an enlargement and won’t be ready until march so we are going to be doing the musical in a large tent outside. It should prove to be interesting and cold possibly. Also we will be up on the stage instead of down in the orchestra pit so we have to wear some kind of outfit. Probably just a cowboy outfit or something like that. That reminds me of the old Smothers brothers bit. “If you get an outfit you can be a cowboy, too.” Some of you older folks will know what I mean. Anyway here is a video of a couple of the tunes from the show, done very well.

New Trumpet

Terry — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:42:46 +0000

I bought a new Trumpet last week. I am loving it. It has a smaller bore and is supposed to help with endurance. I am being faithful to a daily practice regime now as well. Here is the trumpet that I bought from Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center in D.C. They had the best price and I looked around a lot. I got to try the horn first because a friend of mine at a band rehearsal had one and I liked it right off the bat. So, now I have a Yamaha Fleugelhorn and Trumpet. I really like the laquer finish better, because it is easier to keep clean than silver.

Things

Terry — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 20:09:15 +0000

Been a while since I posted. Lots of things happening. My Mom is here with us and we are taking her to about 4 doctors. Pulmonary, Eyes, Stomach and Internal Med. I know I’m leaving out somebody. We don’t seem to be able to get her digestive system well and working. Every now and then she will have one good day, but lately she is not having any good days. We’ll keep up the good fight.

I’m going to this good music class on Monday nights. It’s all about learning to be a better ad lib soloist by learning all the chord families and notes that fit into those chords so you don’t land on a bad one, to put it into a nutshell. It’s taught by this really good pianist, Paul English, in his studio in Houston. There are only 9 people in the class so it can be pretty intense sometime. I’m learning a lot and learning my way around a piano keyboard at the same time.

My brother and his wife are arriving tomorrow to spend some time with us and Mom, since her 90th birthday is the 19th. We will just stay at home and have a good meal probably, that’s what mom said she wanted to do instead of going out to eat somewhere or nightclubin or something. Just kidding about that last thing.

I’ve got another new year’s gig coming up down in Lake Jackson. I’m going to be trying this new technique practicing my trumpet to try and get my chops in really good shape, since I’m going to be playing lead without a lot of help, it looks like. It’s a technique to try and learn to play with less pressure. My wife is going with me, although she doesn’t really care about hearing the band anymore since she has heard it so many times and we play the same music every time. I go back to work at the fire station tomorrow but just for one day. I took monday off so I could go to the last monday night class. Adios

Do You Like It

Terry — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:47:19 +0000

Hey, yall decide if you like this guy’s music. I’ve played in a few groups with him over the years. He’s a very good jazz drummer. Pretty talented guy all round.

The Littlest Trumpet Player

Terry — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:01:49 +0000

I was only in the 7th grade but I was in the 9th grade band at Colonial Jr. High. I had lived in Humboldt Tn before moving to Memphis and I had started band in the 5th grade, whereas, at Colonial, they started in the 7th grade. I was a bit of an oddity, you might say. I had probably been on 1st chair at one time or another, maybe not , with John North around. Mr. Walker was known to move a guy from 1st to last for bobbleing one note, though. It happened to me more than once. Probably the next year when I was in the 8th grade. We always had really good bands that could compete with many high school bands.

Hammer Katrina

Terry — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 02:52:00 +0000

Here is a site letting musicians in Houston know what they can do to help the people who are in shelters from the hurricane. I think this is a great idea and could go a long way in cheering up many who are cut off from their home. I’m a trumpet player and hope to get to do some of this. There are going to be some great musicians from the N.O. area, who have been displaced, playing in the Houston area, check out this site to find out where all of this good stuff will be taking place.

The Magnolia

Terry — Sat, 09 Apr 2005 01:28:00 +0000

Man, I went to a great show last night at the Magnolia Hotel , downtown. There was a great, big band playing made up of a lot of the Old Stan Kenton Orchesta. There was a big crowd there and just about everybody on the Houston jazz scene was there to hear the band, and I don’t think anybody was disappointed. The music and the arrangements were really good and fun to listen to. My brother and his wife were in town and they went with my wife and I. The magnolia has become a great venue for great jazz music. Let’s just hope it stands the test of time. That’s the pool on the roof, very nice. The Lobby with the big fire place is pretty cool too.

Blah Blah

Terry — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 20:32:00 +0000

I’m bored here at work so I thought I would post something. I’m still getting over an allergy thing which settled in my chest and gave me laringitis just before it got to this point. Same old story, I’ll cough for about a week before I get rid of it. It makes for very sleepless nights. There must be some new medicine to get the crud up a little quicker. The weather here has been matchless the last couple days. low humidity and in the 70′s for highs. I feel the need to go hear some live music while I’m off starting tomorrow. I haven’t heard any in a while. I still need to start my own group to do some Chet Baker and Lee Morgan stuff, maybe some Kenny Dorham too. I haven’t listened to him enough. I need to get some of his music at the itunes store. I feel a nap coming on. Pretty soon part of my family is coming to visit, that will be good. That’s about it for now.