review: outdoor Easter gig - NOT "sunrise"
Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2021 6:16 am
This was at Memphis' Overton Park Shell (along with many others built during the Depression, surely a "WPA" project).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Pro ... istration
As time passes and societal mores become more-and-more Orwellian, it continues to be renamed after yet another "historic" figure...
...so (other than media people) most continue to refer to it by it's original name.
This was an 11 A.M. service, and - though the air temperature was not quite 70 degrees - the sun beating directly down on my brown tuba and brown euphonium made them hot to the touch (one argument in favor of a mirror finish...??). Though (as seen) this was a "white shirt/black pants" gig), I always wear a full black suit/tie to such gigs, and remove my coat. I was glad to have the coat, and (with the tuba across my lap) hid my tuba from the sun with my suit coat. (I placed the euphonium behind me - in the tiny shadow behind my chair.)
Some probably know Bruce Faske https://www.astate.edu/college/liberal- ... fe1cfa39e0 , who has been teaching trombone at Arkansas State for a few years.
His wife, Brittany Hendricks https://brittanyhendricks.com/musician was playing first trumpet. She's a superb player, and also commutes over from Arkansas and plays with us in the Jackson (TN) Symphony...a "freeway philharmonic").
Robert Patterson http://robertgpatterson.com/biography is one of my favorite local horn players (who I first met at "youth symphony", and at "all-state" millions of years ago...one of those "Col. Arnald Gabriel conducted" things...pre-"band piece" era, so we played some really good music, at that event) is a very fine conservatory-trained player, as well as a computer wiz and composer.
The remuneration was only two "services" (a rehearsal and a church service), but did pay "holiday rate"...I was thankful that I was called.
I did use the euphonium, and for roughly half the pieces. We played a whole bunch, as there was no organ/piano/keyboard. Several parts (per typical, at church gigs) were marked "Trombone II", and (though - sure - playable) would have been just a bit "hooty" - even for F tuba.
This was the Handel - "The Trumpet Shall Sound" (down in B-flat, not D) - for tuba and brass quartet - gig. We began the prelude of the service with that.
The sun was something else. Hot air was chimneying out the mouthpipes of my instruments. As guesses, I pulled out the F tuba slide an additional inch, and the euphonium tuning slide an additional 5/8"...Those seemed to have been good guesses.
I don't consider any part of Memphis (nor the county which contains it) to be "safe", but
(other than random bullets emitted from moving cars, which is routine) there is some safety in numbers (probably 500 - 600, at this service).
This shell venue was recently vandalized, and had to be repaired/repainted. All restrooms/water fountains were locked/turned off, so there were two overused portable toilets, and no water...whatever. It was a nice outing, the choirmaster is a SUPER-nice person, and it was good to work with friends.
Decades ago (each summer) Alan Gilbert's (recent NYPO Music Director) grandfather (d. - asst. concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony) put on "Memphis Concert Orchestra" concerts in this shell each summer, to provide summer income for Memphis Symphony musicians. His name was Noel Gilbert, and he was the patriarch of the (to this day: ALL professional musicians) Gilbert family.
https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entri ... r-gilbert/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Pro ... istration
As time passes and societal mores become more-and-more Orwellian, it continues to be renamed after yet another "historic" figure...
...so (other than media people) most continue to refer to it by it's original name.
This was an 11 A.M. service, and - though the air temperature was not quite 70 degrees - the sun beating directly down on my brown tuba and brown euphonium made them hot to the touch (one argument in favor of a mirror finish...??). Though (as seen) this was a "white shirt/black pants" gig), I always wear a full black suit/tie to such gigs, and remove my coat. I was glad to have the coat, and (with the tuba across my lap) hid my tuba from the sun with my suit coat. (I placed the euphonium behind me - in the tiny shadow behind my chair.)
Some probably know Bruce Faske https://www.astate.edu/college/liberal- ... fe1cfa39e0 , who has been teaching trombone at Arkansas State for a few years.
His wife, Brittany Hendricks https://brittanyhendricks.com/musician was playing first trumpet. She's a superb player, and also commutes over from Arkansas and plays with us in the Jackson (TN) Symphony...a "freeway philharmonic").
Robert Patterson http://robertgpatterson.com/biography is one of my favorite local horn players (who I first met at "youth symphony", and at "all-state" millions of years ago...one of those "Col. Arnald Gabriel conducted" things...pre-"band piece" era, so we played some really good music, at that event) is a very fine conservatory-trained player, as well as a computer wiz and composer.
The remuneration was only two "services" (a rehearsal and a church service), but did pay "holiday rate"...I was thankful that I was called.
I did use the euphonium, and for roughly half the pieces. We played a whole bunch, as there was no organ/piano/keyboard. Several parts (per typical, at church gigs) were marked "Trombone II", and (though - sure - playable) would have been just a bit "hooty" - even for F tuba.
This was the Handel - "The Trumpet Shall Sound" (down in B-flat, not D) - for tuba and brass quartet - gig. We began the prelude of the service with that.
The sun was something else. Hot air was chimneying out the mouthpipes of my instruments. As guesses, I pulled out the F tuba slide an additional inch, and the euphonium tuning slide an additional 5/8"...Those seemed to have been good guesses.
I don't consider any part of Memphis (nor the county which contains it) to be "safe", but
(other than random bullets emitted from moving cars, which is routine) there is some safety in numbers (probably 500 - 600, at this service).
This shell venue was recently vandalized, and had to be repaired/repainted. All restrooms/water fountains were locked/turned off, so there were two overused portable toilets, and no water...whatever. It was a nice outing, the choirmaster is a SUPER-nice person, and it was good to work with friends.
Decades ago (each summer) Alan Gilbert's (recent NYPO Music Director) grandfather (d. - asst. concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony) put on "Memphis Concert Orchestra" concerts in this shell each summer, to provide summer income for Memphis Symphony musicians. His name was Noel Gilbert, and he was the patriarch of the (to this day: ALL professional musicians) Gilbert family.
https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entri ... r-gilbert/
Looks like a great event!! 