MusicPro Magazine

You are browsing the archives of 2009 January.

With businesses cutting back on every expense you can think of (not to mention laying off employees in droves), what does that mean for working musicians.
One of the interesting things that comes to mind is whether or not a venue, restaurant, pub, nightclub sees entertainment as an expense or an income generator. This may [...]

Where do you go from here?
Fishing! (Laughs) What do they say? I’ve got a good career behind me. So, it’s been times when I think maybe now’s the time of my life where I can ease out of playing and start writing more, because I’ve always been a frustrated arranger. And I’ve felt that writing [...]

Hey Gang,
If you’re in the Washington D.C. area this weekend, Friday, Jan. 23rd and Sat. Jan. 24th, come on out to the International Saxophone Symposium. The Symposium will consist of live performances by a host of groups both days and a full schedule of clinics. The event will be held at George [...]

Where do you see yourself going from here?
What’s on the horizon for you?

Well, where we go from here really depends on the myriad of possibilities we try to pull in at one time. We are now opening up a new facility. For instance here at VCU music we have a renovated music center [...]

Of all the types of music you play, which type is your favorite?
Do you have a favorite?
Well, I think I listen to jazz more than I listen to anything else. I think the music I really like playing the most is playing with the Philharmonic. Not only because of the music but because, well [...]

What’s different now from when you first got started?

What isn’t different? Everything’s different. First of all, today there’s not as much in common with live people as there was when I got started. You had to make sure that everything was ready to go so that when you played some notes they were going to [...]

In your current role, what are you looking to improve upon or change?

I’m always looking for the next thing to work on and improve. At home I keep this big marker board or white board that I have divided into two categories, short term goals and long term goals and I encourage my students [...]

What did Bernstein say to you?

He never knew. He was too busy playing. So I managed to sneak in on that one. There have been many things that have happened, mostly in the concerts with the Philharmonic. Oh the usual things when people are falling off the bandstand, more crazy than funny. Or we’d make [...]