Nostalgia

Last night I went to Jazz Tracs, the annual jazz concert put on by my alma mater, Lincoln High School. This was Jazz Tracs 44 and I was in numbers 4, 5, 6 when I was in high school. For each event, the band director brings in a clinician to work with the band and in the evening, they perform together. I try to go to the concert every year when I am in town. While I am saddened by the declining attendance, I am happy with the quality of the jazz that I hear. We have some talented young people in our community.

The concert always takes me down memory lane. I was fortunate to have engaging band directors, from Mr. Dallenbach in 6th grade, Mr. Caviani in junior high and Mr. Torkleson, Mr. Larson, and Mr. Greene in high school. We were not lucky enough to have jazz band offered as a class in high school. We practiced on Monday evenings. At this time, M*A*S*H* was my favorite show and it was on at 8 p.m. on Mondays, overlapping the show. And since I grew up in an era devoid of VCR technology, I had a choice to make. Fortunately, I chose jazz. Mr. Greene challenged us. He raised the bar and from my perspective, had high expectations. Mr. Greene also took us to jazz competitions at UWGB and UW-Eau Claire. One of my favorite pieces was Tuning Up by Toshiko Akiyoshi. To this day, I maintain I was probably the weakest link and I am grateful to have been along for the ride. I practiced some challenging solis and I was able to be part of creating some incredible sounds. It was no accident that one year, our piano player, bass player and drummer all made the state

honors jazz band. Patty, Ann and Rod kept us moving. I have such fond memories of rehearshing, as well as the concerts. Garrett was our trumpet player extrodinaire. The late 70s was the time of the mellow sound of Chuck Mangione and the screech trumpeting style of Maynard Ferguson. Garrett had the chops to play. Randall and Al were there too. Drew played a solid trombone. I played tenor sax next to Peter. Thankfully, Peter took all of the solos. One of my regrets in life is not having the courage to play one. I sat in awe of Peter getting in the zone and cranking out a wicked solo. Ann or Julie on alto, Brian on Bari rounded out our section. My senior year it was nice to share the stage with my sister and her peers who were also in jazz band.

As I was getting ready to drive to Madison this morning at 5:30, I grabbed a few CDs from a stack in my family room. I have been slowly sorting through them and literally took some randomly. I knew that my options for radio at that hour would be limited. The first CD I popped in the player was Barry Manilow. This was another trip back to my high school days. Barry sang to me often as I navigated my adolescent years. Even Now, Can't Smile Without You, Mandy, Somewhere in the Night, Ready to Take a Chance Again, they all spoke to me at that time. One thing nice about traveling alone, I can sing loudly and poorly and nobody utters a word.

A couple of the other CDs were ones that I burned about a decade ago. I took all of the 45s that we had growing up and I transferred them to CDs for my siblings. One thing I noticed was we certainly had eclectic tastes! I listened to songs that took me back to times before high school. Dueling Banjos, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Popcorn and The Hustle were a few that came loudly through my speakers. Music certainly has a way of transporting back to a time and place. My first job was delivering pizza for Pizza Garden. I drove my Dad's 1972 Vista Cruiser, like the one they used in That 70s Show. Late nights driving around town looking for a house without any GPS, was a challenge sometimes. The radio was my constant companion.

I love all of the memories that music provides. (Well, to be honest, there are a few songs that take me to darker memories but that's for another blog.) There are some regrets that I have based on these musical journeys, but for the most part, the music allows me to appreciate the experiences of my past with fondness. I admit to shedding some tears while driving this morning, singing the songs of my youth, but I am learning to explore the past without spiraling downward, in the same way I am trying to think of the future with less worry. Perhaps it will be easier to stay in the moment if I explore new music that's devoid of connections to the past. However, I like remembering people with whom I've crossed paths and with whom I've created music. Here's to Jazz Tracs next year, and more random CDs to take my mind back in time as my car is moving me forward in life.