just returned from chip valley rehearsal followed by some 'old man ball' at the hastings house. if you haven't played, it's a great game. colin and i took the first two games versus phil and ryan. not able to cope with losing at their own game, they challenged us to a third and we lost. teams were then switched up with phil and i taking down colin and ryan with a dramatic rebound shot that passed ryan's by a mere inch, thrown by yours truly. a good time was had by all.
chip valley rehearsal was good. tenor felt great today. maybe because i warmed up before hand? also maybe because i'm endurance has shot way up from grad school preparations. if i can get a grip on that mendelssohn wedding march i'll actually feel like i made the right decision by playing principal for the season. I still can't believe we're performing that on ANOTHER concert....c'mon, it's ceremony music, not concert music. i'm sure nobu has a good reason though. the low brass, i thought, sounded pretty good tonight as well. our intonation is starting to lock in, mostly because i'm learning where to place 3rd and 5th degree chord tones. we don't see much of that in the bass bone parts. if you don't know what i'm talking about...it's okay. i don't know what i'm talking about half the time either.
tomorrow begins my journey to my first grad school audition at the eastman school of music. colin and i are going to drive to fon du lac tomorrow so we can be only an hour away from the milwaukee airport on thursday morning. we'll fly in on thursday, walk to the school, get aclamated (sp?) to our surroundings, and then play great auditions on friday. we both did mock auditions for studio class yesterday and they went fairly well. for those who are interested, which i'm sure very few of you are, i'm playing the hidas meditation for bass trombone as my solo, exceprts from berlioz hungarian march, haydn creation, and the sarabande from bach cello suite no. 5. i think these selections do a really good job of showing off my strengths, but the audition as a whole is quite a marathon for me. i'd be fine if i could take even a minute between the solo and the excerpts, but i guess i'll just stall as long as i can to catch my breath. everyone tells me that they can't tell that i'm tired by the end of it, but i know they're just being supportive (which i sincerely appreciate!). the other thing i feel good about is the fact that i've been through this process before and i can already mentally picture how it will all happen. go positive thinking!
if this is getting long winded, it's because i have a ton of crap on my mind and i'm trying to get it all out before i go to bed. sleeping is difficult lately with the pressure of auditions on the horizon.
but...the one last thing i gotta say is that i'm extremely thankful for the backing i have here in eau claire. i can honestly say that i'm not going into this audition trying to win it by myself and for myself. i'm pretty sure if i tried to do this all on my own, i'd fail miserably. instead, i have a teacher who knows what it takes to get in, and a studio who is eager to see how i fair. for some, that may be cause for more pressure, but for me, it relieves some of the pressure. somehow i just have this feeling that i'm part of a team trying to get me into grad school instead of trying to do it by myself. i feel extremely lucky to be even given the opportunity to go do this. i'm prepared because i've worked hard. i'm focused because i've attacked my pieces from every angle possible and nothing can throw me off. i played well last year at eastman and i think by showing up again, at my level of preparation, there will be no doubt about how much i want this. i know they want to hear me play well too. all of these things are going to make for a great audition.
well, you must be bored by now. so here's something mildly entertaining as a reward for stickin' in there. it's appropriately titled "flaming trombones." i don't remember where i got it, but i found it sitting on my desktop. enjoy.
http://www.jamesyardley.com/video/winning_the_audition.wmv
keep your stick on the ice,
james
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
brrrrr
dang it's cold right now. i'm beginning to wonder how i grew up in duluth where weather like this is considered warm. i'll never forget those 20 below mornings delivering newspapers for the duluth news tribune at 5am. those were the days. really...they were. i didn't have to think about grad school. i didn't really have to think that much about money. i didn't have to think about girls. all i had to do was deliver the papers, go to school, go to practice, do my homework, and go to sleep. life was definitely good.
mmea convention performance with trombone choir was really rewarding. the group played well, and the audience loved us. i've never seen a trombone choir receive a standing ovation before. that was a nice gesture. it was also rewarding being able to play for my high school trombone teacher who hadn't heard me play since i left high school. i was actually nervous for the first time in a while. that took me by surprise. my old band director was there too. i talked to them for a while after the concert and they made me feel really good about the progress i've made since i left. we got back to eau claire just before they locked the building so i got a good 1.5 hours of practice in afterwards too.
speaking of practicing, i just got done for the night. i feel like i was really productive in my practice, but i still don't feel like i'm 100% focused yet. i'm probably at about 88%. i recorded myself tonight with my mini-disc player and learned a lot about the way i am playing. whoops. that always happens though. stupid recording equipment....doesn't it know that ignorance is bliss? the bach sarabande is slooowly becoming acceptable. the other stuff is okay too. okay isn't where i need to be for these auditions, though. so, tomorrow will be more practicing.
not much else to say right now i guess. i'll probably be ready for some good old fashioned ranting by monday though.
what do you call a cow that plays the trombone?
a mooo-sician
-james
mmea convention performance with trombone choir was really rewarding. the group played well, and the audience loved us. i've never seen a trombone choir receive a standing ovation before. that was a nice gesture. it was also rewarding being able to play for my high school trombone teacher who hadn't heard me play since i left high school. i was actually nervous for the first time in a while. that took me by surprise. my old band director was there too. i talked to them for a while after the concert and they made me feel really good about the progress i've made since i left. we got back to eau claire just before they locked the building so i got a good 1.5 hours of practice in afterwards too.
speaking of practicing, i just got done for the night. i feel like i was really productive in my practice, but i still don't feel like i'm 100% focused yet. i'm probably at about 88%. i recorded myself tonight with my mini-disc player and learned a lot about the way i am playing. whoops. that always happens though. stupid recording equipment....doesn't it know that ignorance is bliss? the bach sarabande is slooowly becoming acceptable. the other stuff is okay too. okay isn't where i need to be for these auditions, though. so, tomorrow will be more practicing.
not much else to say right now i guess. i'll probably be ready for some good old fashioned ranting by monday though.
what do you call a cow that plays the trombone?
a mooo-sician
-james
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
andreistrizek.com goes live
andrei's website is now live. you can view it at www.andreistrizek.com. it's basic, but, as far as the code goes, it's my best work. let me know what you think.
james
james
thickburgers, ugh
ever had so many things on your mind that you can't even remember what day it is? or couldn't fall asleep till 4am? atleast i got to see a lot of the olympics.... i really wish i could just fast forward a month so i could see how it all ends. instead, it's all just hanging over my head, stressin' me out. usually i'm great about keeping my head on straight and staying focused, but something's come over me where i have these moments of terrible confusion. it's all gonna work out right? k, good. as long as you think so, i'll trust ya.
yesterday was valentines day, and in typical fashion, it was spent mostly with my trombone and trombone related friends. i did go on a date, however, with most of the trombone studio to hardees for thickburgers. i've never had a hardees thickburger, and now i can safely say, that i never want to again. until maybe next valentines day. something like 2/3 lb. of beef, w/bacon, fries, and a drink. i could barely finish the damn thing and i felt like crap afterwards. colin, however...that boy amazes me. 1 thickburger, fries, drink, then 2 chicken sandwhiches. then, just when you think he's done, he goes for the cookies n' cream shake. i think just the thickburger combo alone is somewhere between 1500-1800 calories. gross. it atleast reminded why i never eat that crap. i know it doesn't sound like any fun, but you gotta picture colin, randy, ben, matt caine, brad, justin, and myself at the deserted hardees on clairemont avenue all acting completely ridiculous while stuffing ourselves with terrible fast food on valentines day. physically i felt like poo, but it sure was a lot of fun socially.
rehearsed the bass bone feature with jazz 1 on monday. i felt like i played well, especially for having practiced it only twice (i got my part on friday for a monday rehearsal). i'm supposed to show up at the end of rehearsal today to possibly run it again. i'm having a lot of fun with it, but we'll see how much fun it is when i'm in the studio. recording is sooooo much different than playing something live.
not much else to report i guess. well, there is, but i'll spare ya.
monkeys, cows, bananas, so on and so forth,
james
yesterday was valentines day, and in typical fashion, it was spent mostly with my trombone and trombone related friends. i did go on a date, however, with most of the trombone studio to hardees for thickburgers. i've never had a hardees thickburger, and now i can safely say, that i never want to again. until maybe next valentines day. something like 2/3 lb. of beef, w/bacon, fries, and a drink. i could barely finish the damn thing and i felt like crap afterwards. colin, however...that boy amazes me. 1 thickburger, fries, drink, then 2 chicken sandwhiches. then, just when you think he's done, he goes for the cookies n' cream shake. i think just the thickburger combo alone is somewhere between 1500-1800 calories. gross. it atleast reminded why i never eat that crap. i know it doesn't sound like any fun, but you gotta picture colin, randy, ben, matt caine, brad, justin, and myself at the deserted hardees on clairemont avenue all acting completely ridiculous while stuffing ourselves with terrible fast food on valentines day. physically i felt like poo, but it sure was a lot of fun socially.
rehearsed the bass bone feature with jazz 1 on monday. i felt like i played well, especially for having practiced it only twice (i got my part on friday for a monday rehearsal). i'm supposed to show up at the end of rehearsal today to possibly run it again. i'm having a lot of fun with it, but we'll see how much fun it is when i'm in the studio. recording is sooooo much different than playing something live.
not much else to report i guess. well, there is, but i'll spare ya.
monkeys, cows, bananas, so on and so forth,
james
Friday, February 10, 2006
before i start practicing....
just went to the music building to play for an hour, found out it closes at 10, so i got my horn and came home. gonna practice all my stuff, but figured i'd kill some time while i wait for my apartment to warm up. biggest reason i haven't been practicing at home lately is because it's just too damn cold here and i can't really afford to turn the heat on. so here comes some blogging.
things are incredibly busy lately. you'd think that after a guy graduates and doesn't have a job, there'd be plenty of time to do whatever. thankfully, that's not the case for me. (and i am thankful for that!) so here's a list of all the things off the top of my head.
concerts:
auditions:
recording session:
maybe sometime before march 5? but not sure. the session itself won't take much time for me, but i've got a freakin' hard feature to prepare. take a listen at http://www.rewindplay.com/airmenofnote/sounds/holidaynote.htm. it's the last track, 'you're a mean one, mr. grinch' i'm totally pumped to play a feature on a cd, but i just got the part today and it's hard. 4 octaves of hard.
web design:
rehearsals:
every monday and tuesday night.
so like i said, that's all stuff off the top of my head. there's more. i'm not bitching about being too busy, because i'm not too busy. it feels a little overwhelming, i think, because the auditions and recording are somewhat high pressure ordeals. but, i know i can handle it and everything will be fine. yay positive thinking.
not much else is new. and i think my apartment is now at a bearable temperture for me to begin practicing. i'm gonna go check to see if my neighbors are home so that maybe i don't have to play with my practice mute in. that'd be a treat.
cows,
james
things are incredibly busy lately. you'd think that after a guy graduates and doesn't have a job, there'd be plenty of time to do whatever. thankfully, that's not the case for me. (and i am thankful for that!) so here's a list of all the things off the top of my head.
concerts:
- chip valley tomorrow night.
- bone choir at minnesota state music convention, friday, feb. 17
- chip valley march 10
auditions:
- eastman, feb. 24
- manhattan, march 5 and 7
- indiana, sometime soon after manhattan
recording session:
maybe sometime before march 5? but not sure. the session itself won't take much time for me, but i've got a freakin' hard feature to prepare. take a listen at http://www.rewindplay.com/airmenofnote/sounds/holidaynote.htm. it's the last track, 'you're a mean one, mr. grinch' i'm totally pumped to play a feature on a cd, but i just got the part today and it's hard. 4 octaves of hard.
web design:
- trying to update my site in a timely manner - http://www.jamesyardley.com
- working on andrei's site, hopefully will have something up in the next couple days
- working on prescott middle school band website, no idea when it will be complete, but it's going to be a huge project
rehearsals:
every monday and tuesday night.
so like i said, that's all stuff off the top of my head. there's more. i'm not bitching about being too busy, because i'm not too busy. it feels a little overwhelming, i think, because the auditions and recording are somewhat high pressure ordeals. but, i know i can handle it and everything will be fine. yay positive thinking.
not much else is new. and i think my apartment is now at a bearable temperture for me to begin practicing. i'm gonna go check to see if my neighbors are home so that maybe i don't have to play with my practice mute in. that'd be a treat.
cows,
james
Sunday, January 29, 2006
an interesting weekend
tomorrow's monday. that means the weekend is over....sad.
my family came down on friday to see the cabaret stuff i had been telling them about. just so ya know, i didn't encourage their visit. cabaret is nothing i would want people to travel 2.5 hours to pay $35? to see. it's fun for us, but it's not that good. when all was said and done with cabaret i successfully, however latefully, wrote the ricky martin set, which, i received praise and guff for doing, and played the solo on 'hit me with your best shot' during the 2nd overture. received an equal amount of praise and guff for that one too. i believe the words doc schwartzhoff used were 'taco bell' and 'flatualants.' well, my response to that is that atleast my flatualantly sound stayed in time and on pitch. just kidding...mostly...don't be offended.
seeing the fam and the dog was cool. i didn't get to see my parents much, unfortunately, because they had to take off early on saturday morning for a funeral. i guess one of my dad's friends suddenly dropped dead during a hockey game. man, life is so freaking fragile and unpredictable.
my bro hung around for the weekend, which was cool. he came to phil's surprise party with me after seeing cabaret on friday night. i was happy to make it to phil's party. he's just a sweet guy and we both came to the awesome conclusion that we need to hang out more. congratulations to him for making principal in orchestra too. that's uber cool to be playing principal on mahler 3. good for him.
speaking of phil's party and birthday stuff, i'm reminded of a conversation with someone, i won't name names, who once again put me back in my humble position towards the female race. quick story; we'll call her...um...crazy girl (it's an affectionate term, don't get upset). so i'm talking to phil about what he did on his birthday and he tells me that lauren took him to a dragonetti's. it's an italian place and i've never eaten there, but always wanted to. so i said jokingly, 'man, i need to find a girl who'll take me there on my birthday next friday.' so crazy girl walks up and i propose that she take me there. 'yeah right,' she says 'it's expensive and i don't have a car.' fair enough. 'so i'll give you some money and let you borrow my car,' i say. phil chimes in and says that's a great idea and tries to convince crazy girl to take me up on my offer. she declines, despite much prodding. you know you're a loser when....you can't lend a girl your car and give her money to take you out to a nice restaruant on your birthday. i probably would have been willing to dress up in a suit and everything. her loss right? ok, end of story. and crazy girl, if you happen to read this, you know it's all in good fun and that you're still loved.
so that about sums up my weekend. partied a little too late last night, so i'm gonna shower up and try to get some rest so i can make it to the gym before rehearsal tomorrow.
oh yeah, and if you're interested, i think i'm going to try to get my friends together for a nice lunch or dinner at dragonetti's on saturday sometime. gonna try to make my last birthday in eau claire a classy gathering of my friends.
love,
james
my family came down on friday to see the cabaret stuff i had been telling them about. just so ya know, i didn't encourage their visit. cabaret is nothing i would want people to travel 2.5 hours to pay $35? to see. it's fun for us, but it's not that good. when all was said and done with cabaret i successfully, however latefully, wrote the ricky martin set, which, i received praise and guff for doing, and played the solo on 'hit me with your best shot' during the 2nd overture. received an equal amount of praise and guff for that one too. i believe the words doc schwartzhoff used were 'taco bell' and 'flatualants.' well, my response to that is that atleast my flatualantly sound stayed in time and on pitch. just kidding...mostly...don't be offended.
seeing the fam and the dog was cool. i didn't get to see my parents much, unfortunately, because they had to take off early on saturday morning for a funeral. i guess one of my dad's friends suddenly dropped dead during a hockey game. man, life is so freaking fragile and unpredictable.
my bro hung around for the weekend, which was cool. he came to phil's surprise party with me after seeing cabaret on friday night. i was happy to make it to phil's party. he's just a sweet guy and we both came to the awesome conclusion that we need to hang out more. congratulations to him for making principal in orchestra too. that's uber cool to be playing principal on mahler 3. good for him.
speaking of phil's party and birthday stuff, i'm reminded of a conversation with someone, i won't name names, who once again put me back in my humble position towards the female race. quick story; we'll call her...um...crazy girl (it's an affectionate term, don't get upset). so i'm talking to phil about what he did on his birthday and he tells me that lauren took him to a dragonetti's. it's an italian place and i've never eaten there, but always wanted to. so i said jokingly, 'man, i need to find a girl who'll take me there on my birthday next friday.' so crazy girl walks up and i propose that she take me there. 'yeah right,' she says 'it's expensive and i don't have a car.' fair enough. 'so i'll give you some money and let you borrow my car,' i say. phil chimes in and says that's a great idea and tries to convince crazy girl to take me up on my offer. she declines, despite much prodding. you know you're a loser when....you can't lend a girl your car and give her money to take you out to a nice restaruant on your birthday. i probably would have been willing to dress up in a suit and everything. her loss right? ok, end of story. and crazy girl, if you happen to read this, you know it's all in good fun and that you're still loved.
so that about sums up my weekend. partied a little too late last night, so i'm gonna shower up and try to get some rest so i can make it to the gym before rehearsal tomorrow.
oh yeah, and if you're interested, i think i'm going to try to get my friends together for a nice lunch or dinner at dragonetti's on saturday sometime. gonna try to make my last birthday in eau claire a classy gathering of my friends.
love,
james
Thursday, January 26, 2006
stuffage
just returned from cabaret. it was loud, it rushed, the jokes were terrible, and the audience loved every minute of it. good for them. funny things included mr. baca talking to the orchestra in the pit while being recognized by dr. schwartzhoff out in the house and the entire audience looking back at the pit during the 'moment' in the josh grobin (sp?) set while we waved our horns back in forth in the air (i think i started that one...oops). 3 more performances to go. ugh.
tomorrow is going to rock. my family is coming down tomorrow. my parents are coming to see the show. they're way too excited to hear my ricky martin set and to hear my play a solo on pat benetar's 'hit me with your best shot.' couldn't get them to come to an orchestra concert during my 5 years here, but apparently they'll come to hear that. sheesh. my brother is coming down as well. he just turned 21 on wednesday, so i think he wants to go do some boozin'. the most exciting thing, however, about my family coming to visit, is that they're bringing my dog. her name is gert and she's the coolest dalmatian to ever have spots. she's going to stay at my apartment and i'm pretty friggen excited about that. you all should definitely stop by.
dad stopped by today and dropped off some mail from home. i got a diploma and a check from the university for my new york trip. also got a birthday card from grandma. overall it was an excellent mail day.
gonna cut this one short. i'm off to the joynt to hang out with my wonderful friends then up early to play routine with becker, rehearsal at noon, then working on some jazz stuff with my teacher, ben herpel-derpel.
thanks for reading,
james
tomorrow is going to rock. my family is coming down tomorrow. my parents are coming to see the show. they're way too excited to hear my ricky martin set and to hear my play a solo on pat benetar's 'hit me with your best shot.' couldn't get them to come to an orchestra concert during my 5 years here, but apparently they'll come to hear that. sheesh. my brother is coming down as well. he just turned 21 on wednesday, so i think he wants to go do some boozin'. the most exciting thing, however, about my family coming to visit, is that they're bringing my dog. her name is gert and she's the coolest dalmatian to ever have spots. she's going to stay at my apartment and i'm pretty friggen excited about that. you all should definitely stop by.
dad stopped by today and dropped off some mail from home. i got a diploma and a check from the university for my new york trip. also got a birthday card from grandma. overall it was an excellent mail day.
gonna cut this one short. i'm off to the joynt to hang out with my wonderful friends then up early to play routine with becker, rehearsal at noon, then working on some jazz stuff with my teacher, ben herpel-derpel.
thanks for reading,
james
Monday, January 23, 2006
a post about jazz
so it's 1.23am and i just got home from the stones throw. lots of people came out tonight, which was awesome to see. a lot weren't even music majors. i'm happy that monday night is staying alive because i realize it's been good to me all these years.
so lately i've been sitting in, trying to improve my improvising chops. to say the least, it's difficult for me. (i just had a random idea....i should record myself next time i go down.) i'm finding out that no matter how much i study a tune and practice it, it's going to be completely different when i go down and play it. things such as tempo (i played mercy, mercy, mercy tonight and it was so much faster than i had been practicing/listening), volume of the ryhthm section, and how well i can hear myself changed drastically for me tonight. in addition, i thought i knew the form of the tune and became slightly confused when we played it tonight. it was my own dumb fault i'm sure. so as i always do, i assess what i can do to improve the things that caught me off guard. the only thing i could really come up with is to listen to different versions of the same tune and play some of the licks i learn faster and slower. those are the things i can do on my own. other than that, i've concluded that i just have to get my ass down there every monday and play on something to get used to it.
i'm gonna start working with ben a little too. we're gonna meet on friday, which i'm looking forward to. i think ben will be a gentle and concise person for me to learn from. he sounded great tonight.
i'm gonna hit the hay now. maybe do a little reading or something to calm my mind, which is racing with so many thoughts about practicing and improvising. i got a gym membership today and need to get up at a decent time tomorrow and make use of it. i'm looking forward to working out again. it's been too long and i miss it.
g'nite,
james
so lately i've been sitting in, trying to improve my improvising chops. to say the least, it's difficult for me. (i just had a random idea....i should record myself next time i go down.) i'm finding out that no matter how much i study a tune and practice it, it's going to be completely different when i go down and play it. things such as tempo (i played mercy, mercy, mercy tonight and it was so much faster than i had been practicing/listening), volume of the ryhthm section, and how well i can hear myself changed drastically for me tonight. in addition, i thought i knew the form of the tune and became slightly confused when we played it tonight. it was my own dumb fault i'm sure. so as i always do, i assess what i can do to improve the things that caught me off guard. the only thing i could really come up with is to listen to different versions of the same tune and play some of the licks i learn faster and slower. those are the things i can do on my own. other than that, i've concluded that i just have to get my ass down there every monday and play on something to get used to it.
i'm gonna start working with ben a little too. we're gonna meet on friday, which i'm looking forward to. i think ben will be a gentle and concise person for me to learn from. he sounded great tonight.
i'm gonna hit the hay now. maybe do a little reading or something to calm my mind, which is racing with so many thoughts about practicing and improvising. i got a gym membership today and need to get up at a decent time tomorrow and make use of it. i'm looking forward to working out again. it's been too long and i miss it.
g'nite,
james
Friday, January 06, 2006
ahem
first, some musician jokes that i haven't heard before that i think are funny.
Q: how does a violists brain cell die?
A: alone
Q: how do you stop the spread of aids?
A: let BMG distribute it
Q: what do a viola and a lawsuit have in common?
A: everyone is relieved when the case is closed
and finally....
Q: how many trumpet players does it take to pave a driveway?
A: seven, if you lay them out correctly.
that was fun. i should start my blogs with jokes more often. now on to something relevant.
my first professional website went live today. www.fancypantsproductionsinc.com is now up and running. this is the first time i've developed a website for a client as a professional and i'm pretty proud of it. i'm pretty sure it's going to get some good exposure too, as dorney park's website is linked to it. i have a link on the bottom, crediting myself as the designer, and i'm hoping it will draw people to my site to hire me. that would be excellent.
hmm....what else. oh yeah, if you haven't seen my new facebook picture you should probably check it out. i laugh everytime i look at it. it combines my love for two very special people in one spectacular image.
on the horizon...gig for the luther midlefort employees party tomorrow night. then off to the cities on sunday for a rehearsal before leaving for new york city.
i got a haircut today and that's about it.
wuv,
james
Q: how does a violists brain cell die?
A: alone
Q: how do you stop the spread of aids?
A: let BMG distribute it
Q: what do a viola and a lawsuit have in common?
A: everyone is relieved when the case is closed
and finally....
Q: how many trumpet players does it take to pave a driveway?
A: seven, if you lay them out correctly.
that was fun. i should start my blogs with jokes more often. now on to something relevant.
my first professional website went live today. www.fancypantsproductionsinc.com is now up and running. this is the first time i've developed a website for a client as a professional and i'm pretty proud of it. i'm pretty sure it's going to get some good exposure too, as dorney park's website is linked to it. i have a link on the bottom, crediting myself as the designer, and i'm hoping it will draw people to my site to hire me. that would be excellent.
hmm....what else. oh yeah, if you haven't seen my new facebook picture you should probably check it out. i laugh everytime i look at it. it combines my love for two very special people in one spectacular image.
on the horizon...gig for the luther midlefort employees party tomorrow night. then off to the cities on sunday for a rehearsal before leaving for new york city.
i got a haircut today and that's about it.
wuv,
james
Friday, December 23, 2005
home for christmas
well, this is going to be the last update for a while. i'm going home to duluth tomorrow and my parents home on wilderness trail road doesn't have internet or cell phone service. there's a lot of trees, and the stars are friggen amazing up there, but just a simple phone line to communicate with the outside world. hence, i won't be in touch with most of my friends for a week or so. :-( sad...
couple things to talk about. first of all, i was talking to my friend katelyn tonight (she was a dancer at dorney and she's pretty awesome) and i was telling her about the northern lights and she said she had never heard of them. it reminded me that there's a lot of people that have either never heard of them or seen them live. if you're one of those people, you gotta check out this link to a photo gallery of the northern lights over lake superior. here's the link http://northernimages.com/webgallery/list.php?exhibition=39. Even if you have seen them before and know what they're all about, you should check it out because there's some amazing pictures in there. i'm hoping to see some when i go home this week.
went christmas shopping today. my whole family is getting sweaters. i asked them what they wanted, and they were way stubborn, so i decided i'm going make a statement and give them all sweaters. i bought them today, and don't get me wrong, they're not ugly christmas sweaters, they're actually nice and somewhat expensive, but the fact that they're each getting the same thing should get the message across. if you're going to be stubborn about telling me what you want, you're going to get a sweater. it'll probably backfire and they'll think they're the greatest gifts ever.
got a call from my ex-girlfriend, jennifer, tonight. boy was i surprised to hear her voice. i usually talk to her about once a year or so, which is somewhat unfortunate, but i'm probably better off that way. she was out with all of our friends that we used to hang out with in high school and i'm sure they asked her to call me. they passed the phone around and i got to talk to about 6 different friends that i hadn't seen or talked to in forever. it was really nice, especially since i'm in eau claire all by myself today, and somewhat on the lonely side. about half an hour later colin's dad called me to tell me that colin had just pulled an 'evan.' i laughed pretty hard. you know your friends are cool when their parents are calling you to tell you about stupid stuff their son or daughter has done. i guess they also called to say merry christmas too, but mostly to tell me about colin.
well, i guess that's it. i've got some stuff to do before i leave tomorrow. dishes, laundry, takin' out the garbage, all on the fun list of things to do. i hope you all have a wonderful break and that santa is good to you all.
thanks for stopping by san diego,
james
couple things to talk about. first of all, i was talking to my friend katelyn tonight (she was a dancer at dorney and she's pretty awesome) and i was telling her about the northern lights and she said she had never heard of them. it reminded me that there's a lot of people that have either never heard of them or seen them live. if you're one of those people, you gotta check out this link to a photo gallery of the northern lights over lake superior. here's the link http://northernimages.com/webgallery/list.php?exhibition=39. Even if you have seen them before and know what they're all about, you should check it out because there's some amazing pictures in there. i'm hoping to see some when i go home this week.
went christmas shopping today. my whole family is getting sweaters. i asked them what they wanted, and they were way stubborn, so i decided i'm going make a statement and give them all sweaters. i bought them today, and don't get me wrong, they're not ugly christmas sweaters, they're actually nice and somewhat expensive, but the fact that they're each getting the same thing should get the message across. if you're going to be stubborn about telling me what you want, you're going to get a sweater. it'll probably backfire and they'll think they're the greatest gifts ever.
got a call from my ex-girlfriend, jennifer, tonight. boy was i surprised to hear her voice. i usually talk to her about once a year or so, which is somewhat unfortunate, but i'm probably better off that way. she was out with all of our friends that we used to hang out with in high school and i'm sure they asked her to call me. they passed the phone around and i got to talk to about 6 different friends that i hadn't seen or talked to in forever. it was really nice, especially since i'm in eau claire all by myself today, and somewhat on the lonely side. about half an hour later colin's dad called me to tell me that colin had just pulled an 'evan.' i laughed pretty hard. you know your friends are cool when their parents are calling you to tell you about stupid stuff their son or daughter has done. i guess they also called to say merry christmas too, but mostly to tell me about colin.
well, i guess that's it. i've got some stuff to do before i leave tomorrow. dishes, laundry, takin' out the garbage, all on the fun list of things to do. i hope you all have a wonderful break and that santa is good to you all.
thanks for stopping by san diego,
james
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
what are you doing new years eve
so i stumbled across something pretty sweet that i need to share with you. if you like music at all, you should definitely check out this video with diana krall singing 'what are you doing new years eve' accompanied by the clayton/hamiton jazz orchestra. great singing, absolutely beautiful orchestration. here's the link: http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/player.aspx?fid=1365&ftyp=3&pgid=6&hid=2701&pl=72&fp=wmp. enjoy!
so here's my plan for the break...
time off mixed in with some gigs and a trip to new york. doesn't get much better than that as far as breaks are concerned. hopefully some of you will be around for some lunch dates and some much needed hanging out time. don't ever hesitate to call because i won't hesitate to call you back.
merry new years, happy christmas, shalom, peace, and everything else,
james
so here's my plan for the break...
- dec. 24 playing a gig in hastings, mn then home for christmas
- dec. 31 playing a gig in menomonie, wi then to eau claire for new years
- jan. 1-9 hanging in eau claire, practicing, working on my cabaret set
- jan. 10-15 in new york city for the iaje convention
- jan. 15-whenver, cabaret rehearsals and performances
time off mixed in with some gigs and a trip to new york. doesn't get much better than that as far as breaks are concerned. hopefully some of you will be around for some lunch dates and some much needed hanging out time. don't ever hesitate to call because i won't hesitate to call you back.
merry new years, happy christmas, shalom, peace, and everything else,
james
Monday, December 19, 2005
answering some questions
well, it seems to be that time when the people who don't know me very well start asking me lots of questions about myself and my future. so, i'm going to answer some of them here. before you read on, i must admit, some of these questions have annoyed me, but most have not. i'm not trying to lash out, just trying to write some thoughts down. it's more for me than anyone else i suppose.
1) what are you going to do now that you've graduated?
answer: the same stuff i've been doing since i got here. practicing, taking lessons, hopefully getting better, trying to get a job playing trombone. i'll still be living in eau claire, i'll still go to the joynt, and i'll still be the same person.
2) when are your grad school auditions?
answer: february and march. i've applied to eastman, manhattan, and indiana. still contemplating either northwestern or depaul. i won't know a thing about acceptance until late april.
3) are you going to get a job?
answer: possibly. if i do, i'm going to try to hold out till after auditions are over. i have some gigs and i'm returning as a web designer and have a few projects lined up including a site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School band and a site for Maestro Nobu Yasuda. i'm in the process of building an online portfolio at www.jamesyardley.com, but it won't be finished for another month or so.
4) why are you still single?
answer: this one annoys me a little, but, since it's usually asked by people that don't know me too well (like my parents or friends from high school) i tend to let it roll off my back. the answer is that i haven't found a girl that i'm in love with and that loves me back. i think it's a good idea to stay single until i do. i also don't tend to invest a lot of time towards such a goal. i think it'd be great and rewarding to be in that kind of relationship, but right now, i don't have the time to look for that. i don't want to force anything, so i don't spend my time pursuing a serious relationship. i'm happy enough with my friends and confident enough in myself to live without it for the time being. and if you don't believe any of that, then i'll give you answer b; i'm intimdating. don't buy that one either? fine, answer c; my trombone is my girlfriend.
well, when i first started writing this i had intended on addressing a few more questions, but after answering those ones, i've realized that i just shouldn't worry about those people that think i'm not doing the right thing with my life. if you're reading this, you're probably one of those that knows me well and doesn't really question my life path. i guess those are good questions to think about sometimes, they're just hard to swallow coming from someone else.
on a happy note. i really felt like i nailed my jury today. i'm pretty sure i heard Bach clapping for me when i got done playing the sarabande from cello suite no. 5. either that or it was the sigh of relief coming from dr. o signifying 'finally, james doesn't sound like crap on that piece.'
that's pretty much it. until next time, keep your stick on the ice,
james
1) what are you going to do now that you've graduated?
answer: the same stuff i've been doing since i got here. practicing, taking lessons, hopefully getting better, trying to get a job playing trombone. i'll still be living in eau claire, i'll still go to the joynt, and i'll still be the same person.
2) when are your grad school auditions?
answer: february and march. i've applied to eastman, manhattan, and indiana. still contemplating either northwestern or depaul. i won't know a thing about acceptance until late april.
3) are you going to get a job?
answer: possibly. if i do, i'm going to try to hold out till after auditions are over. i have some gigs and i'm returning as a web designer and have a few projects lined up including a site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School band and a site for Maestro Nobu Yasuda. i'm in the process of building an online portfolio at www.jamesyardley.com, but it won't be finished for another month or so.
4) why are you still single?
answer: this one annoys me a little, but, since it's usually asked by people that don't know me too well (like my parents or friends from high school) i tend to let it roll off my back. the answer is that i haven't found a girl that i'm in love with and that loves me back. i think it's a good idea to stay single until i do. i also don't tend to invest a lot of time towards such a goal. i think it'd be great and rewarding to be in that kind of relationship, but right now, i don't have the time to look for that. i don't want to force anything, so i don't spend my time pursuing a serious relationship. i'm happy enough with my friends and confident enough in myself to live without it for the time being. and if you don't believe any of that, then i'll give you answer b; i'm intimdating. don't buy that one either? fine, answer c; my trombone is my girlfriend.
well, when i first started writing this i had intended on addressing a few more questions, but after answering those ones, i've realized that i just shouldn't worry about those people that think i'm not doing the right thing with my life. if you're reading this, you're probably one of those that knows me well and doesn't really question my life path. i guess those are good questions to think about sometimes, they're just hard to swallow coming from someone else.
on a happy note. i really felt like i nailed my jury today. i'm pretty sure i heard Bach clapping for me when i got done playing the sarabande from cello suite no. 5. either that or it was the sigh of relief coming from dr. o signifying 'finally, james doesn't sound like crap on that piece.'
that's pretty much it. until next time, keep your stick on the ice,
james
Saturday, December 17, 2005
the graduator
welp, i'm gonna take a page from the book of dr. phillip ostrander and start with some positive comments about graduation. lets see, well, i got to sit next to two cool people, kara sorenson and sacia jerome, instead of next to people i didn't know. nicole's speech was excellent. and the last positive comment i have about graduation is that it is now over.
now how about a couple um...other...thoughts about the ceremony. orchestra sounded fine, but i certainly didn't expect the "hiccup" in the national anthem. it's okay, because i love nobu and the rest of the orchestra and it paled in comparison to the speech given by that grant writing lady. hmm...what can i say without being too harsh...how about..that was about the worst speech i've ever heard in my life. i can't remember the last time i wanted to punch myself repeatedly in the face just to dull the pain of having to listen to someone speak. i'm sure she's a very nice person, and i certainly don't have any hate towards her, but good lord. i would rather hear a speech given by a 12 year old about the finer points of bubble tape bubble gum.
oh well. i graduated, it's over, and time for me to move along. even though i'm not leaving immediately, which is what usually happens when normal people graduate, it's gotten me to think about what i'm going to do without all these amazing people i've spent the last 5+ years with. too many to name here, but you know who you all are. in a perfect world, i would keep in close contact with you all and maybe even be fortunate enough to live in the same areas as some of you too. i guess i shouldn't be saying my goodbyes yet though, because i'm still going to be in eau claire for a few more months. i hope to enjoy them to their fullest.
well, it's time to look over those loan papers and take note of how much money i have in my bank account. i think i need to write that stuff down so that when i'm rich and famous i can start my autobiography with "when i graduated from college, i had x amount of dollars in my bank account and x amount of dollars to pay back to the federal government that funded my education." maybe i'll just flee to mexico instead....i hear they have awesome tacos down there.
that's all for now.
james 'the graduator' yardley
now how about a couple um...other...thoughts about the ceremony. orchestra sounded fine, but i certainly didn't expect the "hiccup" in the national anthem. it's okay, because i love nobu and the rest of the orchestra and it paled in comparison to the speech given by that grant writing lady. hmm...what can i say without being too harsh...how about..that was about the worst speech i've ever heard in my life. i can't remember the last time i wanted to punch myself repeatedly in the face just to dull the pain of having to listen to someone speak. i'm sure she's a very nice person, and i certainly don't have any hate towards her, but good lord. i would rather hear a speech given by a 12 year old about the finer points of bubble tape bubble gum.
oh well. i graduated, it's over, and time for me to move along. even though i'm not leaving immediately, which is what usually happens when normal people graduate, it's gotten me to think about what i'm going to do without all these amazing people i've spent the last 5+ years with. too many to name here, but you know who you all are. in a perfect world, i would keep in close contact with you all and maybe even be fortunate enough to live in the same areas as some of you too. i guess i shouldn't be saying my goodbyes yet though, because i'm still going to be in eau claire for a few more months. i hope to enjoy them to their fullest.
well, it's time to look over those loan papers and take note of how much money i have in my bank account. i think i need to write that stuff down so that when i'm rich and famous i can start my autobiography with "when i graduated from college, i had x amount of dollars in my bank account and x amount of dollars to pay back to the federal government that funded my education." maybe i'll just flee to mexico instead....i hear they have awesome tacos down there.
that's all for now.
james 'the graduator' yardley
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
holy monkeys it's an update!
ok, this one's for you andrizzle.
haven't updated in a long time, but it's for good reason...sort of.
i've been too friggen busy. so here's the brief summary,
nov. 21-24 trip to NYC
nov. 24-26 back to school to finish work i missed while in NYC
nov. 28&29 worst jazz 1 tour ever
nov. 29-dec. 1 being very sick, jazz 1 concert on dec. 1
dec. 2-dec. 14, working madly on service learning, web design, and alexander technique class projects, while trying to improve my health, while trying to get my chops back from the time i took off while i was sick.
ok, so we're totally up to date now. graduation happens on saturday. i'm happy to graduate, but damn i'm gonna miss this place. don't worry kids, i'll be around all next semester.
current and future projects;
www.jamesyardley.com - this is going to be my online portfolio of the web design work i have done and will be doing. should be fun. check out www.jamesyardley.com/FancyPants to see my latest project. web design projects on the horizon include a web site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School Band and possibly a web site for Maestro Nobuyoshi Yasuda.
working on my ricky martin set for cabaret. it's fun but i know i'm going to struggle with guitar, piano, and drum parts. the horn lines are great and i have tons of different ideas on how i'm going to work some subtle unison instrumentation with the vocals.
playing a new years gig at the mabel tainter theatre in menomonie. it'll be my first new years in eau claire, and i can't wait to spend it with my college friends.
off to nyc again jan. 9-15 for the iaje convention. been keeping in touch with george flynn and certain i'll see him when i get out there. can't wait.
grad school auditions are on the horizon. manhattan, eastman, indiana, and possibly northwestern. holy money/time/travel/practicing. gotta keep tellin' myself it's going to be worth it once it's all over with.
well, i think that's about it. cheers!
james
haven't updated in a long time, but it's for good reason...sort of.
i've been too friggen busy. so here's the brief summary,
nov. 21-24 trip to NYC
nov. 24-26 back to school to finish work i missed while in NYC
nov. 28&29 worst jazz 1 tour ever
nov. 29-dec. 1 being very sick, jazz 1 concert on dec. 1
dec. 2-dec. 14, working madly on service learning, web design, and alexander technique class projects, while trying to improve my health, while trying to get my chops back from the time i took off while i was sick.
ok, so we're totally up to date now. graduation happens on saturday. i'm happy to graduate, but damn i'm gonna miss this place. don't worry kids, i'll be around all next semester.
current and future projects;
www.jamesyardley.com - this is going to be my online portfolio of the web design work i have done and will be doing. should be fun. check out www.jamesyardley.com/FancyPants to see my latest project. web design projects on the horizon include a web site for Brian Thorstad's Prescott Middle School Band and possibly a web site for Maestro Nobuyoshi Yasuda.
working on my ricky martin set for cabaret. it's fun but i know i'm going to struggle with guitar, piano, and drum parts. the horn lines are great and i have tons of different ideas on how i'm going to work some subtle unison instrumentation with the vocals.
playing a new years gig at the mabel tainter theatre in menomonie. it'll be my first new years in eau claire, and i can't wait to spend it with my college friends.
off to nyc again jan. 9-15 for the iaje convention. been keeping in touch with george flynn and certain i'll see him when i get out there. can't wait.
grad school auditions are on the horizon. manhattan, eastman, indiana, and possibly northwestern. holy money/time/travel/practicing. gotta keep tellin' myself it's going to be worth it once it's all over with.
well, i think that's about it. cheers!
james
Thursday, November 17, 2005
life is good
just got back from the joynt. won the first game of darts, nearly won the second game (nice job mcginnis!). left by 1:10, which is an accomplishment as my habit is to stay till close. now i should be able to get up early and play trombone at 8am. dropped colin off at home and as i drove away he ran beside my car waving. i laughed.
it's snowing. i'm happy and the ground is white.
my dad came down yesterday and we had dinner. he brought me some mail from home. i got my new check card and i have now been upgraded to a 'wells fargo gold check card.' ahh, the perks of being me. basically it's gold colored and it makes me feel important.
bone dinner is tomorrow night. one cajun fried turkey comin' up!
monday i leave for new york. i can't wait. it's going to be such a great trip. edlund called me last night just to say "hello and i'm glad to hear you're coming." such calls really brighten my day. taking lessons out there is going to be awesome. in addition to that trip i get to go home to duluth for thanksgiving, which i didn't think i was going to be able to do. i'm really looking forward to being with my family, as i have not been home since the summer.
life is good. i'm thankful. g'nite.
james
it's snowing. i'm happy and the ground is white.
my dad came down yesterday and we had dinner. he brought me some mail from home. i got my new check card and i have now been upgraded to a 'wells fargo gold check card.' ahh, the perks of being me. basically it's gold colored and it makes me feel important.
bone dinner is tomorrow night. one cajun fried turkey comin' up!
monday i leave for new york. i can't wait. it's going to be such a great trip. edlund called me last night just to say "hello and i'm glad to hear you're coming." such calls really brighten my day. taking lessons out there is going to be awesome. in addition to that trip i get to go home to duluth for thanksgiving, which i didn't think i was going to be able to do. i'm really looking forward to being with my family, as i have not been home since the summer.
life is good. i'm thankful. g'nite.
james
Sunday, November 13, 2005
stuff to read
well, some people write in their blogs everyday. i'm not one of em. i'm a little more sporadic. haven't really figured out what motivates me to write here, but it doesn't matter that much i guess.
anyways. raise your hand if you've ever heard a polka version of "oops i did it again," "toxic," or "eye of the tiger." well, i did this last weekend, and let me tell you, i haven't laughed that hard in a looooong time. i don't remember the name of the band, but while riding to hertel's wedding with joel this last weekend, i had the pleasure to hear such a thing. leave it to joel...
hertel's wedding was fun. i played decently enough on my tenor to not embarass myself in front of all my fellow music majors. i used to think the tenor playing was getting better (and it has...) but it is kind of up and down for me recently. actually, my playing on the whole is up and down. can't figure it out, but it seems as though i've lost a lot of consistency and range in my playing this last week. but, no one wants to hear about that, so on to something eles.
i went to the university orchestra concert today and enjoyed it very much. the strings are getting better every year, and that is so awesome to see. if we had a bigger french horn studio, i think that orchestra could really start to do some big things. the trombone players seemed less than enthustiastic about they're playing on the concert, but i felt like they did fine. i understand that it's hard to accept a performance that is less rewarding than past performances, but the good news is that the general audience loved it, and that's probably the most important thing...reaching an audience with your music. so, no matter how crappy you guys felt about your playing, just remember, you reached a lot of people and that and that deserves a congratulations.
so this week should be a good one. i'm going to buy a turkey tomorrow for friday's dreaded bone dinner so that is is thawed by the time i fry it. yeah, that's right, i'm frying a turkey on friday for the third year in a row. i've got a kitchen now, so i will be cooking and eating healthier food all week, which should lift my spirits quite a lot. i got into the gym tonight and worked out for a little while and will spend this week getting back into that whole routine. practice time will be a priority as i prepare for my trip to nyc the following week. for those who don't know, i'm flying out there to take a few lessons with one of the world's greatest bass trombonists, george flynn. in addition to taking lessons, i get to hear maria schneider's band play all that week. it's going to be great and i'm sure i will have lots of stuff to write here after that trip.
ok, i think i've written enough. someday i'm going to figure out how to organize these thoughts a little better. like when writing a music history paper....
g'nite kids.
anyways. raise your hand if you've ever heard a polka version of "oops i did it again," "toxic," or "eye of the tiger." well, i did this last weekend, and let me tell you, i haven't laughed that hard in a looooong time. i don't remember the name of the band, but while riding to hertel's wedding with joel this last weekend, i had the pleasure to hear such a thing. leave it to joel...
hertel's wedding was fun. i played decently enough on my tenor to not embarass myself in front of all my fellow music majors. i used to think the tenor playing was getting better (and it has...) but it is kind of up and down for me recently. actually, my playing on the whole is up and down. can't figure it out, but it seems as though i've lost a lot of consistency and range in my playing this last week. but, no one wants to hear about that, so on to something eles.
i went to the university orchestra concert today and enjoyed it very much. the strings are getting better every year, and that is so awesome to see. if we had a bigger french horn studio, i think that orchestra could really start to do some big things. the trombone players seemed less than enthustiastic about they're playing on the concert, but i felt like they did fine. i understand that it's hard to accept a performance that is less rewarding than past performances, but the good news is that the general audience loved it, and that's probably the most important thing...reaching an audience with your music. so, no matter how crappy you guys felt about your playing, just remember, you reached a lot of people and that and that deserves a congratulations.
so this week should be a good one. i'm going to buy a turkey tomorrow for friday's dreaded bone dinner so that is is thawed by the time i fry it. yeah, that's right, i'm frying a turkey on friday for the third year in a row. i've got a kitchen now, so i will be cooking and eating healthier food all week, which should lift my spirits quite a lot. i got into the gym tonight and worked out for a little while and will spend this week getting back into that whole routine. practice time will be a priority as i prepare for my trip to nyc the following week. for those who don't know, i'm flying out there to take a few lessons with one of the world's greatest bass trombonists, george flynn. in addition to taking lessons, i get to hear maria schneider's band play all that week. it's going to be great and i'm sure i will have lots of stuff to write here after that trip.
ok, i think i've written enough. someday i'm going to figure out how to organize these thoughts a little better. like when writing a music history paper....
g'nite kids.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
rebounding
well, life seems to be on the rebound...
my trip to michigan was so-so at best. the gigs were moderately rewarding and the traveling really sucked. to sum up the traveling, we left late wednesday night, arrived in byron center (near grand rapids, mi) at about 6am thursday morning. then we began our trip home late sunday night, and arrived in eau claire at about 6am. on the way home, evan managed to give us a tour of east lansing before i got us directions to I-496, and talked to a drug dealer, somewhere in western michigan, just before entering indiana. evan, you're amazing.
anyways, life is slowly improving.
becker, colin, randall, and i "decorated" dr. ostrander's house last night (halloween) while he was gone playing a gig with the MN Opera. ornaments included chalking the driveway with the Ride of the Valkyries in B-flat alto clef, which modulated to A-flat treble clef, which then turned into a jazz lick followed by chord changes only colin and randall could thing of. sharp 1, that's brilliant. other ornaments included hanging a trombone, with a knot that was supposed to resemble a noose, from his basketball hoop. oh yeah, and steve turre called...he needs him to play piano. blaming the freshman by signing their names was a nice touch as well.
i played my tune (cantaloupe island) last night at the stones throw and felt about the best i ever have about my improvising. sad as that may be...because i still have a long ways to go with that. but i'm starting to leave the realm of suck and enter the realm of it-could-be-worse.
i saw branden's sister, katie, there too. that lifted my spirits quite a bit. if she's able to go out, i can't feel too awful myself. it's still hard to cope with though, but time is doing it's thing.
i got two new wycliffe gordon cds in the mail yesterday and i can't stop listening to them. they're sooo good and inspiring me even more to practice my improvising everyday.
chip valley rehearsal didn't totally suck today. the tenor is really starting to feel comfortable and i'm actually enjoying the principal chair. high c's aren't so bad afterall. i still have a lot of improving to do, but i'm getting better every time, which is extremely encouraging.
i think if i could get back up to the gym on a regular basis i would be even happier. i just haven't felt like going lately, and it's bugging me, but i just can't find the motivation to get up there. i think it's the reality of how sore i will be from starting up again that is one hinderance for me. i've started running a little, which feels really good. but, i really do want to get back to the lifting.
i guess that's about it. i love my friends and i'm still thankful for the time i get to spend with them.
g'nite fools.
my trip to michigan was so-so at best. the gigs were moderately rewarding and the traveling really sucked. to sum up the traveling, we left late wednesday night, arrived in byron center (near grand rapids, mi) at about 6am thursday morning. then we began our trip home late sunday night, and arrived in eau claire at about 6am. on the way home, evan managed to give us a tour of east lansing before i got us directions to I-496, and talked to a drug dealer, somewhere in western michigan, just before entering indiana. evan, you're amazing.
anyways, life is slowly improving.
becker, colin, randall, and i "decorated" dr. ostrander's house last night (halloween) while he was gone playing a gig with the MN Opera. ornaments included chalking the driveway with the Ride of the Valkyries in B-flat alto clef, which modulated to A-flat treble clef, which then turned into a jazz lick followed by chord changes only colin and randall could thing of. sharp 1, that's brilliant. other ornaments included hanging a trombone, with a knot that was supposed to resemble a noose, from his basketball hoop. oh yeah, and steve turre called...he needs him to play piano. blaming the freshman by signing their names was a nice touch as well.
i played my tune (cantaloupe island) last night at the stones throw and felt about the best i ever have about my improvising. sad as that may be...because i still have a long ways to go with that. but i'm starting to leave the realm of suck and enter the realm of it-could-be-worse.
i saw branden's sister, katie, there too. that lifted my spirits quite a bit. if she's able to go out, i can't feel too awful myself. it's still hard to cope with though, but time is doing it's thing.
i got two new wycliffe gordon cds in the mail yesterday and i can't stop listening to them. they're sooo good and inspiring me even more to practice my improvising everyday.
chip valley rehearsal didn't totally suck today. the tenor is really starting to feel comfortable and i'm actually enjoying the principal chair. high c's aren't so bad afterall. i still have a lot of improving to do, but i'm getting better every time, which is extremely encouraging.
i think if i could get back up to the gym on a regular basis i would be even happier. i just haven't felt like going lately, and it's bugging me, but i just can't find the motivation to get up there. i think it's the reality of how sore i will be from starting up again that is one hinderance for me. i've started running a little, which feels really good. but, i really do want to get back to the lifting.
i guess that's about it. i love my friends and i'm still thankful for the time i get to spend with them.
g'nite fools.
Monday, October 24, 2005
my real friends
as most everyone knows, a lot has been happening around here lately. we all lost a friend who meant a lot to us. as a roommate of his for 3 years, i can tell you that he was an amazing person. his intentions were always pure and he was fun to be around. losing a friend like that, especially under such tragic conditions, hurts. branden and i were like the same person for a long time. we enjoyed the same kinds of things and were (are) extremely dedicated to music. he got me addicted to a computer game (team fortress) and i got him addicted to snood. we listened to classical music together (branden owned the wagner ring cycle box set) in governors hall as loud as my speakers would handle until the ra came and told us to turn it down. we would play frisbee in the hallway, again, until our ra made us stop because we kept hitting people's doors. whoops. the point is, branden and i were good friends and we shared a lot in common.
this last week has taught me that there is a major difference between friends, and acquaintances. friends are the people that are thinking about you when you're not around, and acquaintances are the ones who only think about you when you are around. i learned another thing this weekend too. friends can never be taken for granted. this is obvious stuff, i know. but, i haven't really been able to act upon it until now. i am seriously thankful for every minute i get to spend with my friends, because i know there will come a time when i never get to see them again.
branden, i miss you, and i can't wait to see you again so we can hang out together.
this last week has taught me that there is a major difference between friends, and acquaintances. friends are the people that are thinking about you when you're not around, and acquaintances are the ones who only think about you when you are around. i learned another thing this weekend too. friends can never be taken for granted. this is obvious stuff, i know. but, i haven't really been able to act upon it until now. i am seriously thankful for every minute i get to spend with my friends, because i know there will come a time when i never get to see them again.
branden, i miss you, and i can't wait to see you again so we can hang out together.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
homecoming
yay homecoming.
got up this morning, put on my traditional homecoming uniform (if you haven't seen it, well, that's too bad) and biked off to school to join a dixieland band to play in the parade. playing sousaphone is awesome.....once or twice a year. it went well and i had a lot of fun.
chili is in the crockpot, being awesome, waiting to kick ass at the cookoff tonight. the judges tongues are going to be doing the "james and becker's chili is awesome" dance for sure. that's kind of a funny image if ya think about it.
well, that's all i feel like writing. so far the soberness level for this homecoming as been very high (that means i'm staying sober). not sure why, guess i just don't feel like drinking. it's cool though because i'm still having a blast.
buh bye
got up this morning, put on my traditional homecoming uniform (if you haven't seen it, well, that's too bad) and biked off to school to join a dixieland band to play in the parade. playing sousaphone is awesome.....once or twice a year. it went well and i had a lot of fun.
chili is in the crockpot, being awesome, waiting to kick ass at the cookoff tonight. the judges tongues are going to be doing the "james and becker's chili is awesome" dance for sure. that's kind of a funny image if ya think about it.
well, that's all i feel like writing. so far the soberness level for this homecoming as been very high (that means i'm staying sober). not sure why, guess i just don't feel like drinking. it's cool though because i'm still having a blast.
buh bye
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
bass bone heaven
guess it's been a few days since i wrote on this thing last...that's ok though because i haven't had anything interesting to talk about until today.
turns out i'm flying to new york over thanksgiving to have a lesson with one of the greatest bass trombone players alive today. his name is george flynn and he plays bass trombone with maria schneider's band. i'm pretty sure he plays many broadway shows (lion king maybe?) and studio jingle type dates. basically, he's doing what i dream of...living in new york, kicking ass on the bass trombone, and making a living doing it all. so a friend of mine, whom some may know, is maria's new york assistant and he told me that i have to go out and take a lesson with this guy, so, i built up the nerve, got his e-mail address, and asked for a lesson. he responded the same day and said he'd be happy to. i have to admit, i was a little shocked at how easy it was. those guys can be seem so intimidating (and let me tell you, i know alllll about intimidation), but yet, they're just regular guys who do awesome stuff with instruments. so, i'm super pumped for that opportunity, and also very thankful. i have a LOT of things to work on before that lesson.
i also had the chance to drive to minneapolis on monday and play with my trombone quartet for another bass bone hero of mine, john rojak. he teaches at julliard, subs with the ny phil, plays in the american brass quintet, was the bass trombonist on les miserables for 16? years, etc, etc, etc. you get the idea, he's awesome. he's also an extremely nice human being. we had the great fortune of hanging out with him all day and i wish i had a second brain to store everything i learned from him that day. half of that storage would be used to remember how amazing he sounded. i really need to keep practicing my long tones, among many other things.
in the non-music related world everything is ship-shape. my house is under construction everyday, but, atleast stuff is getting done. within a week or so they might be finished. we'll see.
lots of stuff is coming up, so i'll probably be writing more frequently within the next few weeks.
why is there a street cleaner outside my house at 1am?
g'nite
turns out i'm flying to new york over thanksgiving to have a lesson with one of the greatest bass trombone players alive today. his name is george flynn and he plays bass trombone with maria schneider's band. i'm pretty sure he plays many broadway shows (lion king maybe?) and studio jingle type dates. basically, he's doing what i dream of...living in new york, kicking ass on the bass trombone, and making a living doing it all. so a friend of mine, whom some may know, is maria's new york assistant and he told me that i have to go out and take a lesson with this guy, so, i built up the nerve, got his e-mail address, and asked for a lesson. he responded the same day and said he'd be happy to. i have to admit, i was a little shocked at how easy it was. those guys can be seem so intimidating (and let me tell you, i know alllll about intimidation), but yet, they're just regular guys who do awesome stuff with instruments. so, i'm super pumped for that opportunity, and also very thankful. i have a LOT of things to work on before that lesson.
i also had the chance to drive to minneapolis on monday and play with my trombone quartet for another bass bone hero of mine, john rojak. he teaches at julliard, subs with the ny phil, plays in the american brass quintet, was the bass trombonist on les miserables for 16? years, etc, etc, etc. you get the idea, he's awesome. he's also an extremely nice human being. we had the great fortune of hanging out with him all day and i wish i had a second brain to store everything i learned from him that day. half of that storage would be used to remember how amazing he sounded. i really need to keep practicing my long tones, among many other things.
in the non-music related world everything is ship-shape. my house is under construction everyday, but, atleast stuff is getting done. within a week or so they might be finished. we'll see.
lots of stuff is coming up, so i'll probably be writing more frequently within the next few weeks.
why is there a street cleaner outside my house at 1am?
g'nite
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