First Concert Sets Tone!

I thought overall things went well last night, especially for it being the first concert of the year -- and first performance of any kind at OCHSA for the 2008/2009 season. The combos all played well and showed early in the year, in true jazz fashion, that they can adapt when things don't go as planned. AJO, in my opinion, was in mid-season form, but I am sure Mr. Fiddmont would disagree with me and argue that they still have a long way to go. However, based on last year, I'd say we're way ahead of schedule. Gary Foster was a great addition as the the guest artist and seemed to work well with the students.

I love hearing the details of the concert from Felicia and Kalia. We usually discuss them the morning following a performance as we did this morning. We have done this for years and it is always interesting to hear how things went from the students' perspective, who struggled, who triumphed, etc. I also like to throw out my own thoughts, questions, and insights on combo member communication, solo breakdowns, and a host of other aspects of the evening. I do this because I am a jazz geek and my daughters play along. It would be great if the students shared some of those insights on this blog.

Still like to see more folks attend the concerts, but those who were there made tremendous impact both with enthusiasm and raffle ticket sales. We also had strong volunteer and raffle prize support. I look forward to building from the momentum from last night.

Oh yeah, my apologies to Mr. Fiddmont. Last night during my intermission announcement, I stated that we are heading to Reno to take first place. Well, as Mr. Fiddmont tells the students, it's not about going to Reno to win, it's about the experience of performing in the midst of other musicians and learning from that experience (I am paraphrasing). I agree. Mr. Fiddmont is right, the experience and journey along the way far outweigh the prize...but it would be nice to win, too.