Gratitude

This being Thanksgiving Day weekend and all, during a long drive out to a rehearsal, I had time to reflect on what I have been grateful for in my musical life.

It struck me that I may not be unique in being thankful to a long line of people who helped me develop what has become a life-long journey. I assume most musicians whose careers extend beyond their bedrooms don't develop in a vacuum.

If long acceptance speeches during awards shows or lengthy acknowledgements on an album cover are not your cup of tea, then you might as well skip this post. I figure I might as well do it here, where I control the horizontal and the vertical.

First and foremost, my friend and partner Clara has been my strongest supporter for almost 30 years. During all those years, she has had near unfailing support for my musical misadventures, often giving me wise advice and the occasional well-earned ass-kick.

My very first band teacher, Don MacKay, started me off on recorder in Grade 6 . I was considerably less thankful when I joined his marching band and he gave me a beat-up euphonium to play. My first-ever public performance was a Santa Claus parade and the mouthpiece froze to my lips. I switched to tenor sax the next day.

Band teachers: grades 7-9 Ken Elloway, grades 9-12 Jack Armitage - very patient and dedicated men, to say the least.

My music teacher in junior high school was Sister Margaret. A key day for me was late in my Grade 9 year when she asked the class who was going to continue on taking music in high school. Nobody put up their hand and she was so disappointed that she started to cry. I knew right away that she felt like she had failed in instilling her love of music to her students. I felt guilty, as I hadn't disliked her music class, so I signed up, no big deal, if it helped make her feel a bit better.

My high school music teacher and choir director turned out to be a significant influence on my life. Jim Farmer loved to show the interrelation of all of the arts through history, and was the person who introduced me to the likes of Stravinsky, Stockhausen, Penderecki and Cage. He taught us many useful skills like how to cheat on university listening tests, by memorizing the labels of the records. He staged big musical productions every year, sometimes too ambitious. He coped with them by sneaking a drink or two or three. He told us how being a music teacher meant a constant struggle with school administration for funding and recognition - how times haven't changed. The way he managed to be successful was be having a top-notch choir which always won its class in the music festivals, and to put on the crowd-pleasing big productions. He was only a few years older than us, and had plenty of human failings, but he was one of those very few great teachers that had a profound effect on hundreds of his students. That choir was my life in high school.

Jim's former university roommate was also a music teacher in the city school system. Brian May recommended me as his replacement in what became my first pro band. I had a union card before I graduated from high school.

In university, I am very thankful to have had a couple of great professors. Dr. Alfred Fischer was my composition prof. He was a student of George Crumb and pianist David Burge. Al really opened my eyes to the avante-garde. Marie McCarthy was a fabulous voice teacher and choral director. The rest of the faculty taught me many of the skills I was later to use in business - petty back-biting, bitter politics and general discord. The less I say about my sax prof and other voice prof, the better. This post is about gratitude.

I had also formed another band with some high school friends that was probably the only bona fide prog rock band in the Maritimes in the 70's. We kept at it for 5 years and gained some measure of success, and a fair amount of debt. Kurt Haughn, Kevin Atwood, Bob Atkinson, Bill Elliott and later Glenn Wright, Terry-David Désprés and Mike Connor were all a key part of my life. We were into that band as only a bunch of young fanatics could be. It broke my spirit when that band split up and I put my horns away for quite a few years.

I moved to Vancouver with Clara and forgot about music for many years. When I saw Urban Sax do their thing at Expo 86, I knew I had to play again.

Dave Quarin led the community big band that I stayed with for 16 years. He passed the band on to late great Ray Sikora, who inspired us to the end. Once Ray's health was no longer sufficient to lead the band, on the recommendation of bandmate Lorae Farrell, I called Robin Shier to see if he would take over, and he continues to lead it to this day. I learned volumes from these leaders, and the many great subs who directed over the years, as well as the workshops they organized with the likes of Jeff Hamilton and Bobby Shew.

Music stores have been very helpful for me and a couple have certainly seen a fair amount of my income, disposable or otherwise. Gerry Prussin has been there for me for years, and also now Sandro and the guys at Mussullo Music. Bob Syme has been my number one repair guy forever.

Bob introduced me to Stan Karp over ten years ago. I was looking for a new sax teacher and Bob told me there was only one guy to see and he would rock my world. Bob was right. Stan has been a great friend and teacher and has been the single reason why my playing has gotten to where it is today. I hope I'm still studying with him when I'm 100.

The other guys I've taken some lessons with: Dave Quarin, Graham Ord, Mike Allen, Cam Ryga.

I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to three of the stalwarts of the new music scene in Vancouver - Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Coat Cooke and Ron Samworth. They have been movers and shakers in this city for as long as I've lived here. I've known Kate since our days together at Acadia and she occupies a special place in my heart. Even after all of these years, she continue to knock me out with each new performance. Ron continues to create amazing and inspiring music in a variety of situations. His words of support to me are valued. I have done what I can to support the New Orchestra Workshop's endeavours, especially when Coat has had a heavier workload in recent years. In return, Coat's support of my musical ventures has been invaluable.

I can't begin to list what I've learned from them personally, and also from the things that they have been involved with, especially the New Orchestra Workshop and the NOW Orchestra. I took my first improv workshop with them 12 years ago. Last week, I taught my first one for them. The list of facilitators over the years (myself excluded) reads like a who's who of the world improvising scene. I got something from every session I attended. The individual members of the NOW Orchestra have all been inspiring to me.

Another one of those giant debts of gratitude is to Hugh Fraser and Lorae Farrell. The first call to Banff five years ago was one of the major turning points in my musical life. The guest artists - Maria Schneider, Kenny Wheeler and Chucho Valdes in particular - what can I say. Words fail. The friendships and musical relationships that have come out of that experience - Bill Mahar, Michelle Grégoire, Paul Rucker and Marianne Trudel to name but a few.

All of my bandmates past and present. Even the dinks (rare as they may have been) - I am a better person for playing with all of them. In particular, the people in my two main current groups: Wanda Nowicki, Chris Potter, Mark Bender, Carol Sawyer and Clyde Reed. I am blessed.

In previous posts, I've given shout-outs to guys who present music in Vancouver: Cory Weeds, Cem Zafir, Tom Cone and David Pay, guys like Raymon Torchinsky, also at The Cellar. Ken Pickering, Robert Kerr (now at VANOC), Carl Chinn and everyone at Coastal Jazz and Blues. People like Stefan Smulovitz and Jared Burrows who organize annual events for the improvising community. Julie Smith, for organizing the Vancouver Creative Music Institute with an illustrious faculty - George Lewis, Evan Parker, Marilyn Crispell, Mwata Bowden, Nicole Mitchell, François Houle, John Korsrud, Giorgio Magnanensi, et all.

Then there's Brian Nation at vancouverjazz.com. The contributors to the jazz forum and blogs, trolls excepted.

So many good friends that I've made. I've written about many of them in this blog, many more still unnamed. My community in high school was the musicians, and they continue to be so today.

Yeah, I'm bloody thankful. Time to eat turkey.