bandman

I'm working on a project here at my home putting all of my old trumpet recordings (hundreds of records) onto CD's. It is a time consuming project because unlike today when we can copy a disk, I have to do real time recording. I must say that I'm enjoying listening to records that have been put away for 10-15 years.

I'll be the first to admit that the analog recordings were not the best quality compared to today's digital recordings, but I must say that it has become obvious that the majority of today's players are superior to those from the past. They play faster, higher, better in wine with better tone, and the accuracy of today's artists is amazing.

I always was one of those guys who told young trumpet players "man you should have heard __________", but the truth is that the young people of today are listening to the best group of trumpet players to have ever lived. Sure there were the few freaks in the past, but take out those old records and give them a listen. You will be shocked at how much better the bands, and specifically the trumpet players are today.

One last comment on this subject is about the bands that back up other players/artists. TOday I was listening to the Frank Sinatra's Duets CD that he recorded in 1993. I was amazed at the fantastic playing on that recording, and took a chance to look at the trumpet players in his band. Frank Szabo, Bob O'Donnell, Charlie Davis, Conte Candoli, Jack Nimitz, Ocsar Brashear, Rick Baptiste, Warren Luening, Jerry Hey, and Gary Grant. They are as good, and tight, as any band section that plays together all the time, and the recoded accuracy of those guys can't be hidden in a digital recording.

I guess my point is that we are lucky to have the wonderful players we have today.

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