During this first week of the new school year, I continually
hear students and faculty asking one another how their summer was and what they
did. One colleague asked me to list the
three highlights of my summer. I found
myself stumbling for an answer --- probably because I’m usually so focused on the
present/future. When I did collect my
thoughts, there were some great memories to relate. Here’s a brief recap:
Kincardine Summer Music Festival:
This was my first summer teaching and performing at the KSMF
in Ontario, Canada. My friend,
Toronto-based trombonist Jules Estrin, runs the camp. Many of the faculty were old school mates
from McGill University in Montreal. It
was nice to catch up with them, and they have all become incredible players and
effective teachers. Students came from
all over Ontario and there was a nice mix of teens and adults. The days were well structured with a mix of
master classes, small and large ensemble rehearsals, workshops and
concerts. Having the faculty perform
each night with a variety of special guests was one of many things that
distinguish this camp from many of the others at which I have worked over the
years. There is no substitute for
hearing the music played at a high level, and I think it really inspired the
students. Hearing the impressive Jazz.FM91Youth Big Band with trombonist Al Kay (of Rob McConnell/Boss Brass fame) was a
highlight for me, as well as accompanying my old friend Denzal Sinclaire. What a voice!
Bushnell Park Monday Night Jazz Performance:
Two days after getting home from Kincardine I performed with
my 10tet, the Hartford Jazz Society’s New Directions Ensemble. It is always a kick to play in front of an
audience of 5,000 or so. I hired my
favorite recording engineer, Peter Kontrimas to document the evening and am
looking forward to hearing how the recording turned out. Here is some concert footage of my new
composition, “Mirror of the Mind”. It is
my tribute to “Prof”, the late William Fielder (1938-2009), who was the
professor of trumpet at Rutgers University back when I did my graduate studies
there.
Josh Evans is the trumpet soloist. The piece also featured Kris Allen on alto
saxophone.
I am currently writing an extensive plan of ensemble
activities to submit to the Hartford Jazz Society’s grant writer. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with
the jazz society, in their efforts to promote, preserve and pioneer jazz performance
in the Greater Hartford area.
Camp of the Woods:
Although music is a very important part of my life, these
days it takes a back seat to my family. I
deliberately planned to spend a significant amount of time with my wife and
kids this summer and we had some great times together. One of the absolute high points was our week
at the Camp of the Woods, a Christian resort and conference center in the
Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.
We slept in a tiny cottage, but most of our time was spent outdoors doing
activities like canoeing, hiking, playing on the beach, swimming, mini-golfing,
foosball, basketball, and rock climbing.
Every morning they had a reputable Christian speaker for the adults (Tony Evans, from Dallas), with children’s programming for our kids. It was nice to be able to spend some quality time
just with my wife. We ran a 5K race
together, and Jana won her age division! The camp even had an extensive music staff,
which included a full studio orchestra (wind ensemble plus rhythm section,
strings and vocalists). Most of the
instrumentalists were grad students from conservatories across the US. Church music is often nothing short of torture
for me, so this was a great surprise and very refreshing. We left spiritually uplifted, inspired and
well rested. I highly recommend this
vacation spot and hope to return there for years to come.
So there you have it… three high points, of many, in my
summer.
