Yesterday was our second day in Buffalo, New York. Multi-day stays are great for everybody: less time on the road means more time on the ground, doing whatever we need to do. If you see us on the second day of a multi-day stay, you’ll see a lot of us working out, a lot of us practicing, and a few of us sightseeing or getting lessons with local professionals. This morning, some friends and I drove to Niagara Falls.Staff Sergeant Chris Reardon, clarinetist and fellow jazz player, drove his own car this tour. This affords him and his friends some nice opportunities. When we realized how close we were to Niagara (20 miles), we decided to spend the morning there.I’ve been to Niagara Falls before, but for most of the group it was the first time. Yesterday was colder and rainier than my last time there, but there were a lot fewer people, too. The weather ended up being irrelevant anyway. When you get right up to the falls, it doesn’t really matter if it’s raining or not.
Tonight, the Army Field Band had a 7:00 concert. On the way over, we were told a high school jazz band was opening for us, and the director had apparently asked if any members of the Field Band would be willing to sit in with the group. This would ordinarily be fine, but we were on schedule to arrive between 6:20 and 6:30, and the jazz band was scheduled to play from 6:20 to 6:40. Still, a good number of musicians volunteered, and those of us who did essentially stepped off the bus, grabbed our horns and jumped onstage.
You never know what you’ll get with a high school jazz band. Some could pass for college groups, others don’t really play jazz at all. A lot of it depends on the director. Other variables include funding, class schedules, community support, etc. This band obviously has some of these advantages… they sounded good, and the kids seemed to take it seriously.The lead trumpet player sounded great for his age, but he fit the high school trumpet stereotype awfully well. When I got to the stage, I shook the hands of the trumpet section, exchanged first names with everyone, ending with the lead player.
“Hi, I’m Phillip,” I said.
“Did you want to play 2nd?” he answered.
“Wherever you need me is fine.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and play 2nd,” he said, looking away.
I wasn’t expecting to sign any autographs, but I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the blatant ‘I’ve-never-heard-you-but-I’m-better-than-you’ high school trumpet mentality. Other comments followed throughout the program that reinforced the stereotype (“Not bad for three rehearsals,” “I just sight-read this on Monday”). I don’t hold it against him; it’s just part of the culture.
In marching band, jazz band, and occasionally even high school concert band, undue attention is given to high notes, sometimes at the expense of other musical concerns. This makes the 1st trumpet player a kind of soloist, and if they’re pretty good, they can start to see themselves as the Hero of the Band. Hence the old joke: How many trumpet players does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Three.
One to do it, and the other two to judge him and talk about how much better they could have done it.
