Smokin'
Most days D- calls me at work when he gets home from school. Just to touch base. He fills me in on his day and I tell him about mine. Typically he doesn't have anything earthshattering to report.
Today was not one of those days.
D- plays the trumpet. And for many high school trumpeters, playing in the high school jazz ensemble is the pinnacle, the peak, the top. It's what you strive for. Jazz is cool; jazz is hot; jazz ensembles take only the best. Playing trumpet in the jazz ensemble takes work, commitment, desire. "If you play jazz, your Tuesdays are mine," shouts the band director.
Jazz ensemble try-outs were Tuesday night. D- auditioned even though he knows he's not the best trumpeter at his high school.
In his phone call today he tells me matter-of-factly "I'm officially in the jazz ensemble."
Officially. What a great word. Officially.
D- and I have a little tradition. After every gig, he hands me his trumpet and I carry it for him. That's because I once read when Louis Armstrong was a boy, he would hang out with all the great New Orleans jazz bands. In particular, he would hang out with King Oliver's band. King Oliver was the greatest trumpeter of his day. King Oliver took a liking to the boy with his budding musical talent. So King let the young Armstrong carry his trumpet. That was all. That was the honor. That was enough. That's how Louis Armstrong paid homage to King.
Way to go, D-.
Love,
Dad
Congratulations, D.
Nice tradition.
A young girl in our family is in the high school marching band. It's practically her entire focus.
Congratulations to your young man.
That's a great accomplishment. It's usually tough for kids to stick to something so demanding without a careful mix of parental encouragement and prodding. So -- nice job to all.
An amateur jazz vocalist affirming what Dan said. If my family had supported me, I might have been a professional jazz composer, pianist, and vocalist.
Thank you all for you kind comments. I've passed them along to my son. School music programs are a soapbox issue for me, which I'll spare all of you until a more appropriate time.
K-
That's sweet.
I hope that at least one of my sons has some talent.