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You know you aren’t sleeping well when you are on your second cup of coffee and it’s not even 6am! On the flip side, that lack of sleep allows me to catch up on things and to do something that has been put off for far too long: write on this blog.
Life has been unusually crazed over the last few months. I have been very busy at school, but unlike past years, I decided to take on a good deal of playing around town. Was this a mistake? It’s difficult to tell. I made a little money, chewed up pretty much all of my personal time, enjoyed time with some old friends (and some new ones), and did manage to find some meaningful musical experiences in the midst of it all.
Most of the playing I have been doing is not really reading material — so I won’t bore you with details of gigdom — but I am currently wrapping up a run with the Miami City Ballet that has been noteworthy. We premiered a new ballet with music by Elvis Costello (yes, that Elvis Costello) and choreography by Twyla Tharp. It has been an interesting experience to say the least. Opening night was a pretty extraordinary event drawing out many of Miami’s elite, including Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco and New World Symphonies. Curious about what kind of ballet music Elvis Costello would write? So was I. That is one of the main reasons I signed on to play this season with the ballet. In the end, however, my curiosity was not rewarded with music of any noteworthy quality. The music for this ballet, Nightspot, is mundane at best, random and disorganized at worst. Make no mistake, you won’t be confusing this with Stravinsky’s ballet scores! I have to say, though, that discussing piccolo trumpet parts with Elvis Costello has to be one of the more surreal moments of my musical career. Now, if I had only managed to ask him why someone so unqualified would be given such a huge commission…
One other bright spot in the playing I have been doing lately has been getting to work with Boston Brass trumpet player and good friend, Jose Sibaja. Jose lives here in Miami, but is very often out on the road, so I don’t usually get to play with him. This time, though, we were lucky enough to catch him at home between tours and managed to get him to do some work around town. Having him there made sure the trumpet section was damn good (great pitch, great ears, incredible player. What’s not to like?) but most of all, it meant that we had perhaps a bit too much fun on the job. Why didn’t I ever have that much fun in any of my full time orchestra positions? Hmmm…
Glad you’re back! I was beginning to believe you were abducted by little green trumpeters in a flying saucer!
Any news on your CD?
Roy
Hello, Mr. Morris. I don’t know how relieved you are from this run of MCB, but I will tell you that after practicing and playing only the viola for more than three weeks, I am so happy to come back to the violin. Call it the Bach-i-don’t-know-anything-about-trumpets horn, it is heaven to come back to a right size instrument. (Yes, the viola is just not right, too long for the arms and too little for the legs). Now, any advice to take that 40 minutes long music out of my brain?
I liked your melody in Lolita’s Dance, though. But that is not the part I remember, I have the one that sounds as a hialeah factory at 11:58 am in my head.
Keep writing, see you in gigdom soon.
Renata