Last night I was in the crawl space getting stuff out for Christmas, and I ran across one of my boxes of old stuff. Right on top was this (click on the image to enlarge it):
I was a music major, and I played in one of the better college big bands nationwide. I also as an assistant for the jazz program’s director. One of my jobs was copying out the individual parts from his original scores.
A few weeks before my last year these began, he told me he wanted me to do a feature and he’d be willing to arrange it if I’d copy out the parts.
Well how do you turn that down?!
We chose one of my favorite songs, “Emily,” and the arrangement turned out beautifully.
The score above is obviously in his handwriting, but the page below is the first page of the solo trombone part in my handwriting (again, click the image to enlarge it):
As a copyist I don’t think I had a career ahead of me, but I think I do have a Schulzian love of just the look of notes on a page. (By the way, did I just create the word “Schulzian?”)
Anyway, this is just a so-so photocopy of my lost originals, but I thought it’d be interesting to see my art style in music form.
Ahh! Memories! You ever wonder what life would be like if you were a full-time musician now, instead of a cartoonist?
You know, I was never one for practice. I'd practice occasionally and make good-sized leaps in my playing, and I wonder what might have been had I ever really worked at it, but you can't beat sitting around in your jammies (yes, Mike, YOUR jammies!) drawing funny pictures for a living.
It's the living part that seems to be the challenge!
In my alternate universe, I am a jazz singer, standing next to the band, wearing a spangled, fish-tailed gown of midnight blue, with my shoulders and arms bare. I use a mike with a stand—don't want anything in my hands The horns are low and muted, the spotlight-
OOPS sorry! I got caught up in your handwritten memories.
Why is handwritten music so evocative? You should frame your page of "Emily."
OK, Fontessa, so what's the tune you're singing? "When Sunny Gets Blue?" Or perhaps "Lush Life?"
I was thinking "Skylark" or "At Last" but your suggestions will do 🙂
Mark, I still warm up to Emily on the rare occasion I get a chance to play 'bone. You were hilarious, by the way, recording the solo in the iso booth, headphones and specs askew.
Any jazz fan would thoroughly enjoy UNI's SKITTISH cd. It features easily the greatest jazz bone section ever on record. No lie. 😉
Seriously, "In A Mellow Tone" is about as sweet a bone section as you're gonna hear!