Sitting in with Avocates

I heard from a North Shore trombonist I'd played with before with an invitation to sit in with the Avocates Swing Band. The only downside is the location - Beverly. Turns out I'd met a handful of these guys before. The band rehearses at Dane Street Church, the same place where the resident community band plays, also where I'd played the Missud session a while back.

In any case, it was super fun. I played the second book and had a great time sightreading - mostly sightreading anyway. We started off with Bandstand Boogie, which I hadn't played or heard since I played it in high school! It came flooding right back, though, and I powered through with nary a missed note or rhythm, garnering accolades from the git-go.

The band is fun and interesting, just a pain in the neck to get to. If I can manage it, I hope to play regularly with them.

Recalled to Life: Lost Marches of Jean Missud

Earlier this week I joined the Dane Street Church Community Band in Beverly to play a handful of marches by Jean Missud. They'd been in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum for ages, recently discovered and made the focus of post-graduate study by tuba player Kevin Carubia. Fine, it didn't alleviate my general distaste for marches, but it was fun playing pieces that hadn't been done for over 130 years!

Click to enlarge. I dare you to figure out the roadmap!