Spring Arts Concert

Unfortunately I did not get video of the close of this concert last night - battery died - but what I did get was something to be pleased with. And the crowd appreciated our students' work. We also had two students debut a song they wrote as "make-up" for a missed jazz band performance in February. The tune was Latin jazz and they arranged it for a combo. That debut went very well:



Here Colton is the guitarist and Dylan is the trombone solo. Yes, that is me playing ham-handed piano. I am a bass trombonist by major.

A highlight of a night of highlights for me was the presentation of a scrap book from my chamber vocal ensemble, the Chorale on stage at the end of their performance. It was quite a surprise and an honor. The book contained pictures and memories of the recent Anaheim trip. I will always treasure that! It reminds me that teachers are rewarded in so many ways other than monetary. We know that our pay is nowhere close to what it should be, but if it were strictly about money there would be no teachers at all. We're there to shape the lives of young people!

Here are s few more video highlights just posted from last evening:





One of the many attributes of this senior class was their spirit of initiative. I have three senor singers who pushed very hard as freshmen to form a Soul band, specializing in Motown and other songs from from the 50's and 60's. These students would practice on their own time, since there was no class for this and assemble a repertoire of songs that they could sing with my jazz band's rhythm section. Rehearsals have been few and far between because I need the rhythm section during regular class time for music the band was working on.

However, I did find a way to assign sectionals on a few days a month for the horns and bring these girls in to practice. This year there has been very little time for that type practice so it has been a little hard. However, we did get together a couple of sessions to reprise these songs previous years. Wished there had been truly more time to polish, but as such, this went well:

SHS Jazz Band

Here's some video from this morning. This number is called Feet Bone, by Duke Ellington, Colton Kreuzer bass soloist and Dylan Carpenter, trombone.



This is Willow Weep For Me, Alto Saxophone solo is Karaleigh Miller.

Arizona State Jazz Festival

My jazz band will be performing tomorrow morning at Willow Canyon High School in Surprise, Arizona. Thia is the second straight year that we have made this festival, after a long drought. It's also an honor to represent not only our high school and district, but indeed much of Southern Arizona. The schools to our south did not qualify, and only 5 Tucson high schools, including us, will be performing over the next three days.

Most of the schools are from Maricopa county, with a smattering from outlying areas. The festival will run 9-5 for three days and adjudication will be against state standards, not a ranking from band to band. Ratings will be Superior (I) to Poor (V).

I know our students are geeked and will respond accordingly. We have worked hard to put this together and I think will be okay. Our bans is playing a new funk chart, Flew The Coop, plus a saxophone solo feature in a bluesy arrangement of Willow Weep for Me. We'll conclude our program with Duke Ellington's FeetBone.

I'll have still pictures and hopefully video to update with tomorrow. Should be fun!

----Update----

The band scored a II (Excellent) for its performance this morning. It was a good performance but not Superior quality. I just felt we didn't have much energy today; but of course we drove up 3 hours and went right into the warm-up room. Kids were partially asleep I think. Still it was a very good effort to be proud of. And it was special because there were several seniors who were making their last festival with me; always bittersweet. Here are some stills from this morning:

More Anaheim Heritage Festival Pictures

Here are a couple of stills from the the Heritage Festival from April 1 in Anaheim, CA. Kids were a blast to work with!

Eastern Arizona College Large Ensemble Festival

We are back from the 2011 Eastern Arizona College Large Ensemble Festival. I took my Mixed Chorus, a younger group of students who have generally not had much high school singing experience. These students work hard but don't take private lessons and need extra special coaching on good, consistent choral tone and sound quality.

I was going to reinforce their sound with some "ringers"; men from my advanced Chorale, the group that went to Anaheim two weeks ago. Unfortunately another big field trip from another department and some grades issues got in the way of that plan. I then scrapped all the planned music and changed it on Monday; these kids buckled down, learned new parts in two days and just sang so well today. These videos don't quite capture the sound they made as expressed by the three clinicians.

I knew that they would score a Good and maybe an Excellent. I didn't expect the Superior that came out of this performance, as determined by the judges. It was a great bus ride home afterward and such a lift for these great kids.

SHS Chorale at Heritage Music Festival - Music Video

Now that I have a chance, here are some viedeos from my Chorale's performance at the Heritage Festival in Anaheim on April 1. The sparse crown noise stems from the fact that we were the very first group of the day and there were no other performing groups in the audience. I posted the sound earlier, so now here is some video.

Gordon Goodwin's New Album

One of the joys in my professional life as a music educator is to see and hear vibrant pro musicians reaching out to younger generations. Gordon Goodwin is living up to that, bringing big band jazz music to life with his CD's, videos, arrangements and school appearances. His Big Phat Band are all superstar studio musicians who get together when they can to record Gordon's newest charts. That music is published and sold to schools at all levels, and is readily available.

I have done several of his charts with my band, and my kids absolutely love the music. We've also had the pleasure of having a clinic in person this spring with Eric Marienthal, his lead alto sax player. Eric is a great guy and had very insightful comments to help us along at the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Jazz Festival in February. We've put in our name into the the ring to have Mr. Goodwin come to our school next year and work with us. We'll see how that goes. Here's the latest video promoting that album. These guys truly do have fun!

Filled Rolled Bread

This is my all time favorite pizza recipe, a filled rolled bread! Yes there a re a lot of steps, but really the toughest part is making the dough. And if you are squeamish about that there is ready-made dough (boo!) that you can buy in the grocery story to shorten the time this takes to make. I like to make my own dough because I know exactly what I have put in it. I owe this to The Frugal Gourmet, Mr. Jeff Smith, whom Linda and I loved watching on PBS oh so long ago on WTTW channel 11 in Chicago. I like to think he taught us how to cook.

THE DOUGH
1 package fast-rising dry yeast
1 cup tepid water
2 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ c salad oil
½ tsp salt
2 ¾ c unbleached flour

THE FILLING
1/3 pound Italian sausage or mild, casing removed
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, slice into ¼ in strips
1 large red bell pepper, cored and sliced in 1/4 in strips
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 ¾ c canned plum tomatoes, crushed with juice
1 tsp dried oregano
(Optional) 1/3 lb wine cured hard salami, sliced 1/8 inch thick and chopped
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/3 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Egg white wash

Directions: dissolve the yeast in a mixing bowl with the tepid water. Add the sugar, olive oil, salad oil, and salt. Mix in 1 ½ cups of the flour and whip until the batter has formed and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour and kneed until a smooth dough is achieved. Allow the dough to rise twice right in the bowl and punch down after each rising.

Heat a large frying pan and brown the sausage until crumbly. Remove and drain the excess fat and discard. Set the cooked sausage aside on a paper towel covered plate. Heat the frying pan again and add the oil, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes and add the parsley, crushed tomatoes, cooked sausage, and oregano. Simmer for 20 minutes more until all is tender, thickened, and some of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the remaining ingredients for the filling and allow to cool completely.

Press the dough out into an 18 X 13-inch lightly oiled nonstick sheet pan. Spread half the cooled filling lengthwise down the center of the pan of pressed-out dough. Sprinkle on some of the cheeses. Fold one layer of dough over the filling. Spread another layer over the top of the fold and sprinkle remaining cheeses on. Fold over remaining dough layer. Pinch ends to keep juices in and poke holes in top with a fork and brush egg whites over the roll.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool until warm. Slice and serve.

Skillet Sausage and Potato Cassarole

This quick dish is a favorite of my son, Matt, and works great if you are pressed for time after work and have some basic ingredients in your fridge and cupboard.

Ingredients

Smoked link sausage, sliced (low fat turkey is great if you are watching fat intake)
Two or three medium potatoes, peeled and sliced medium
1 medium white or yellow onion, sliced
1 bell pepper (any color), cored and sliced the same width as the potatoes and onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp rosemary
parsley sprigs
dash salt and pepper
(you may use your favorite spice mix if you do not have dill or rosemary, but for shame if you don't)
1 gallon size plastic bag

Add sliced potatoes to the bag, pour in oil and spices. Toss thoroughly to mix and
set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium flame and pour in the seasoned, oiled potatoes, discarding bag. Saute until potatoes are beginning to brown, stirring frequently to expedite even browning, but do not cover. After browning has begun add the onions and peppers, and stir frequently until onions are clear. Add the sausage, stir and cover, reducing flame to low.

Dish is done when the potatoes are fork tender and the sausage is heated through. Garnish with parsley and serve with a green salad and, if you prefer, a red wine or beer.

Politics And Me

Those of you who really know me understand that I do have a sense of political justice and I do take stands with close friends, but I have never been one to publicly spout my political viewpoint or try to persuade others over to my way of thinking. No need for all that because we're going to think and do as we please anyway.

But once in awhile I come across something on the web that I find interesting, even poignant. I like this website a lot; a friend on Twitter tweeted it and I have re-tweeted it and posted it on Facebook too. I don't expect everyone will appreciate the ideas here, but that is why we choose to live in a democracy. We can all have our viewpoints, whether we disagree with each other or not. And we should be able to do it with civility.

There is a profanity laced, F-bomb ridden version of this website, but this is my place and I don't prefer to indulge in such language gratuitously. I hope you can at least appreciate it!

Go to www.whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com/

Update

This morning I tried on a pair of blue jeans that I had purchased 8 years ago, knowing then that I could not fit into them. I took them out and slipped right into them! That means I have lost over six inches off my waistline since October 1, 2010, and approaching 50 pounds lost.

What am I doing? Really nothing more than 45 minutes to a hour of aerobics, including treadmill, stationary bike and walking three to four days a week for a workout program. In terms of diet, I have cut out breads, soda, candies, chips and other things that are weaknesses of mine, and except for Subway occasionally stopped my visits to fast food franchises.

I know that my cholesterol level is way down now, under 170, based on blood work in November. I do enjoy steaks, ribs and the like and can eat them; I just pick and choose when and where. It's really been a lifestyle change in so many ways. Yeah I still crave those fries, burgers and other fatty foods. I have realized that they can still be enjoyed, just like alcohol can, but in moderation and as more of a treat then as a dietary staple. I have really been helped by subscribing to www.calorieking.com. It's a very comprehensive fitness site that allows you to keep track of what you ea and the caloric values, set goals and design workout programs.

I still feel that I need to lose another 30 pounds, so I am devising some knew workout goals to help make that happen. I'll keep you updated on my progress in the weeks to come. I hope my success inspires you to keep with your fitness goals.

Dianne Reeves - A Breath of Fresh Air

There are artists who come along once in a generation who are at once throwbacks to an older period, and in the same sentence forward looking. Dianne Reeves for me epitomizes that statement. She celebrates the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald and, perhaps even more closely, Sarah Vaughn, while at the same time fully embraces current trends in world music. Her stage is the world; she travels extensively.

Her voice is rich, yet ever so fragile, breaking deliciously on the the most beautiful and subtle phrases. She is in total command of her instrument and delivers not only the lyrics, but the depth of emotion that embody them. And there is never a question about what she has sung; her diction to me is impeccable!

I saw her once in concert with my wife here in Tucson three years ago, a magical night I remember to this day. She rocked Centennial Hall on the University of Arizona campus with a full display of her vocal prowess, backed by a wonderful quintet of talented musicians. Jazz music is well-served by her presence on our stages.

These two favorite songs in her repertoire represent her subtlety and silky smooth voice, on the one hand, and her marvelous swing timing on the other. She's backed in Too Close For Comfort by Gordon Goodwin's Phat Band, another favorite ensemble of mine, made up of gifted studio musicians. The lead alto in that band, Eric Marienthal, recently gave a clinic for my own high school jazz band at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

I hope you enjoy these two songs as I do!

Anaheim Adventures

Here are a few more pictures that I took while I was with my choir. The concert pics are still to come!

SHS Chorale at Heritage Music Festival - Anaheim

Here are the three madrigal songs recorded at the festival on April 1, 2011. It's a raw recording, unedited. The first is Fire, Fire, My Heart by Thomas Morley 1557-1602), arranged and edited by Linda Spevacek:




The second selection is Your Lovely Face by Adriano Banchieri (1568-1634), arranged by Patrick Liebergen:



And the final selection that day was All at Once, Well Met Fair Ladies by Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623), also arranged by Patrick Liebergen:



The scoring was fair from the three clinicians but not always consistent; yes it came out about where it should - an 85/100 average from three judges and earned a Silver rating. 90 points would have earned a Gold plaque. We did very well and were happy with this rating of unknown music and genres. Also this group has an eclectic repertoire, from classical to Broadway. They sang against school madrigal groups who meet everyday and specialize in that music. We started rehearsing this music at the end of January after our Night of Broadway show wrapped up. Oh about the "crowd". Our group was the first up on the first day, so no one was in the audience, except for the judges, one of whom obviously was a fan! Please enjoy!

SHS Chorale Trip Update

Here are some images from our Heritage Festival trip to Anaheim March 31 to April 3. I'll have some You tube footage to upload at a later date. The kids sang well this weekend and deserved some down time for the work they put into the performances. I'm just the patrolman after the music is done.

Saturday (April 2) we'll be in Disneyland all day. Woe to my poor feet!