Monday, July 27, 2015

The trumpet, Jazz and the Blues

Are we all dreamers.  Maybe only dreamers are dreamers, if that makes any sense.  I have mentioned here on the Shipslog I  played the trumpet for awhile.
Do you remember “It’s Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White”? Perez Predo’s trumpet player Billy Regis could make that trumpet talk.
First day in NAWLINS 052 (2)
(The boys and I on Bourbon street at the Musical Legends park.)
You gotta remember the man from Nawlins, Louis (Satchmo) Armstrong and that gravel voice combined with a beautiful trumpet, ‘Hello Dolly’ & Wild Man Blues.
Oh, and Miles Davis, ‘Surrey with the Fringe on Top’.
I never played serious sports in High School, so I didn’t dream of being Mickey Mantle or a Babe Ruth. But I could see myself on stage with Satchmo and playing second Trumpet somewhere in NY or Nawlins.
Dizzy-Gillespie
I imagined that I could make my trumpet talk like Dizzy Gillespi did in ‘I can’t Get Started After Midnight.’
Now to be honest I cannot tell you what constitutes Blues or Jazz, but I know it when I hear it. And when I could hear, I enjoyed both.
16c-Louis_Satchmo_Armstrong
Did you know Satchmo knocked the Beatles out of first place in record sales a couple times. Mixing that patter with an amazing Trumpet made my neck hair stand.
I was so good with the trumpet, I ‘thought’ I was the best. I sat first trumpet in two bands. UNTIL one faithful day in Valdese Jr. High, my silly, untalented band director took my trumpet to show me  a run, he was pathetic. I never went back to the band room, if that was the best he could do, I could do that blindfolded. I was not only good, but I was a wise a$$, of the first order.
Did you  ever attend PTA meetings with your parents? I did, three weeks after I quit the band. That night the Principal introduced the band director, who was going to do a solo. WOW, was the school that hard up for entertainment? This is going to be embarrassing, ugh.
To my amazement the man stood there with a Clarinet, what? No trumpet? Not even a sax? A Clarinet, a girl’s instrument!
OH, but when he started, I had never heard anything sound that good in my life. He was great. That is the first time I really scolded myself. I said to myself, you are a complete jackass, you were named right, you are a jackass. You are so ignorant thinking everyone must play a trumpet. Listen to the man stupid, he is on the edge of greatness.
I was too embarrassed to return to the band, but I had learned a great lesson about judging, I must have been 13. I have never forgotten that lesson. Looking back, I know I was never great on a trumpet, but good compared to the ones I knew. I knew when I didn’t go back to the band I would never see those dreams come true.
I played in several church bands after that, but it was by ear, not music.
There are times a dreamer must switch dreams, I did (several times). I still dream, but I try quit comparing..
Nite Shipslog
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Out of sequence but here are the 1937’s,  my Sherry’s year…..Check the Phaeton out, NICE37PackardPhaeton-1041937-PackardSix03-crop1937-1947-packard-six-137plycpe6cyl3spd1_Bay1937_Terraplane_picture_car%2520(8)1937-american-bantam-410471937-chevrolet-master-and-master-deluxe-11937-chrysler1937-Chrysler-Imperial-Model-C-15-Town-Car1937-Cord-812-Sportsman-Convertible-Black-fvl1937-hudson-terraplane-coupe-09451la-car-concours-1937-talbot_lago-img_3

6 comments:

TARYTERRE said...

Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw could make a clarinet sing and they were not girls. What sweet dreams and wonderful aspirations you had. Having dreams makes life worth living. when was the last time you picked up a trumpet? I bet little Stella would be amazed.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

I think a lot of kids have great musical aspirations when they are young. I don't think it matters if you don't turn out to be a star, but that you enjoy what you do.

Paula said...

I like what Ma says "enjoy what you do". I can hear that trumpet from here.

betty said...

Sounds like you did enjoy your trumpet playing days though Jack :) It is neat how there are such a variety of instruments out there that produce good listening music :)

betty

shirl72 said...

I did the same thing with piano lessons. Since I played for Church
I thought I am good. I play the piano, keyboard, drums, autoharp
and sing in a band. Mother started me taking piano lessons at age 5.
I took until starting HS.

Mevely317 said...

I like Taryterre's thoughts about you playing the trumpet for Stella!

To be real honest, I'm not a fan of jazz or the blues ...much to my sax-playing hubby's dismay! I know he'd love to visit the music scene on Bourbon Street someday. I'm hoping we can make that happen, and who knows I might learn to like (some) of it!