trickg

Wilmer, great post. You know, I was reflecting this morning about some things related to the fact that we just lost Timofei Dokshizer and it called to mind a concert that I attended in the spring of 1990 in Norfolk, Virginia.

I was a student in the basic course at the Armed Forces School of Music at the time and we went to hear a Russian Army band perform a concert at a performance hall in Norfolk. They were very, VERY good. At this point I don't know which Russian Army band it was, but they were a top notch ensemble.

Anyway, after we got back to the Navy Amphibious base in Littlecreek, we found out that this Russian band was going to be staying at Shields hall, right there on the Amphib base with us, so a bunch of us gathered up some stuff (uniform insignia, cigarettes and the like) for trading, and headed over to meet these guys since it was only a block and a half away from our billeting. (I put a bunch of my favorite Maynard onto a cassette and gave it to one of the trumpet players. )

When we got there and saw the instruments they were playing, we were stunned - most of them were old, student model type instruments. Ceratinly nothing fancy, yet the music they made.....you see where I'm going with this.

There are going to be horns better suited to one thing or another, there won't ever be a horn or a mouthpiece that is going to make YOU a "better" player - it will only facilitate what is already within you.

__________________
Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius