SFA Tubaween...

Last night I attended the Stephen F. Austin State University Tuba Euphonium Ensemble "Tubaween" concert. Looks like the SFA low brass group has what they call Octubafest where in addition to this show they also do a thing at the old Stone Fort and make an appearance at the local brewery. They announced that their next upcoming performance would be Tuba Christmas in December. 

There were two different groups. It's called Tubaween because for the most part everyone had some type of costume. This was the Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble directed by Erasmo Herrera. Erasmo played with Ross on The Pearl Fishers euphonium duet at our  last Lufkin Community Band Concert. Couple of the numbers performed by this group were the Game of Thrones Theme and New York, New York. 

Here's a little closer look at the tuba section which as a tuba player myself always catches my greatest interest. There are a lot of different kind of horns here. Back in the day, and I have been playing tuba since 1969, I never knew a tuba player that owned his own horn. I was lucky to always be furnished a good school issued instrument. Sometimes the old marching sousaphones could be a little spotty but in junior high we had 3/4 size Conn tubas, in high school we had Bessons and in college I played a Miraphone. When I participate in the internet tuba community I see young men trying to make a decision on what horn they should buy to continue their tuba career. We all came up on B flat horns. I might have known one E flat tuba player but if you continue to continue to participate in symphony and wind ensemble groups at the professional level some will prefer F or C tubas. It seems some purchase their own horns in hopes of these jobs.

When I went to college I had a $1400 used car and a $59 stereo. I was pooping in the tall cotton. I was issued a good quality school horn. Looks like some of the Chinese brands, which get good reviews, but I have been told by a band director that repair work can be difficult, will run a student $3000 to $5000 roughly. The Bessons and Miraphones, old world quality, will run $10,000 to $15,000. Of course there are used horns. No reason a tuba properly maintained cannot have a life span of 100 years. My record bell King 1240, made in USA is 83 years old.    

Here's the other group called the Tubonium Ensemble. It is directed by J.D. Salas. They do have a Tuba Christmas scheduled in December. Tuba Christmas is a world wide event began in 1974 and is usually a come one come all event. I participated in the Houston Tuba Christmas last year. I am working the days that the Houston group and this group have their events scheduled but I kind of caught the vibe that this Nacogdoches event might be more a performance platform for this group vs a come together fun day like in Houston.   

I urge you to check the SFA web site and our local Angelina Jr. College web site for Fine Arts performances. These events are sometimes free, or nominal admission, fun and good quality. 

The Jamar Toy Piano...

We were in Chicago and it started out like most things start out with and that is a well intentioned mad dash to somewhere that seems like a good idea. This mad dash good idea was a quick visit to the thrift store. That is always a great idea for my wife, Cathy and daughter Katie. I don't think either one ever buys a brand new article of clothing and only occasionally a new pair of shoes when a gently used article of good quality will do. 

This trip got off to a great start when in the ally behind Katie's garage they spotted this toy piano sitting by a trash can. There was also a lamp but it was pronounced, even with a second return for closer inspection, undesirable and possibly electrically dangerous.     

A little research tells that toy pianos date to the mid 19th century. I guess they were made while kids were biding their time while waiting for ipads to be invented. Instead of hammers striking a string to make sound like a real piano they strike a metal bar to produce a tinkling western saloon type sound. By the 1950s the leading makers were Jaymar, which produced this example and Schoenhut. In the 70s Jaymar acquired it's competitor. In the 80s Jaymar went bankrupt and again emerged in 1997 as Schoenhut which looks to make many of the percussion, ukes, kalimbas and other instruments for children. Since their web site has a Chinese language version I would guess no longer made in the USA.  

This piano seems to date from the 50s to early 60s. Some logs look a bit cartoony which I am going to guess were later models. Values on auction sites indicate $25 to $360 depending on condition. It is a chromatic instrument and while it's probably not tuned A440 a toy piano has been used in everything from serious Avant guard compositions to pop music. Here is a video of a Jaymar piano with exact patent number as this ally find. 

So why did the piano end up in the ally? I guess that's another blog post with a story of people's lives that we can only guess at. My grandson, Wallace took right to this thing. I think it's in a good home and has a good chance of making 50 or 60 more good years. 

October Catfish Report...

I may have missed one recent catfish report but I think yesterday's trip was remarkable enough I'll post the results for all to analyze. 

Final catch was 23. No great ol big ones but just a bunch of tasty eating size channel cats. You can see they were enough to make Cathy grunt and bend a pole. 

I tried to catch the two at a time action but all I really got was my camera wet. 

 We left the house about 2:30. Just for the record water temps were 75 degrees so we hit a shallow water spot to try slip corking. No luck there. Water that was 15 feet deep this spring when the lake was overfull was less than 2 feet. No bites so we headed out to 28 feet to find these fish laying right on the bottom. Wind was from the north. We quit fishing at 5pm and headed home to cook. 

I have made good photos of East Texas Fall Colors on this bank but none showing up yet. 

Cathy is working on being  celebrity endorser for Heineken00 Non alcohol beer, Zatarain's fish fry, Yamaha guitars and Melinda's Hot Sauce.   

Mr. Singer and the Sharp Cookies...

Most of the time when we think about making it in the music business we think of that Saturday night when we finely write a hit song. We think about playing in some super group. We think about that rapper that samples our tune on his or her hit that results in thousands of dollars in mailbox money. Some people like MR. SINGER AND THE SHARP COOKIES think about entertaining the children, of whom there are millions.  

When we visit Chicago we usually go to the Chicago Cultural Center to check out exhibits and to take our grandson, Wallace to the Juicebox Series which are performances by dancers, singers, actors and others designed to appeal to the "stroller set."   Note right under the "x" in Juice box you see Wallace dancing. 

All events at the center, performances and exhibitions are put on by the City of Chicago and are free to the public. 

I would imagine that all the performers I have seen here have spent a good bit of time including college, private lessons and so on developing their craft. Mr. Singer is quite popular around town often performing at a series the zoo offers and I would imagine private parties and such. He might even have an act for adults but certainly when I was tolling away in a music building practice room while in college I never thought, "can't wait to graduate and start playing at the zoo." 

That said, our little polka band, The Lufkin Brass has a gig this weekend, Oct 19th at 9:30 am playing at the Heritage Antiques Flea Market. Come check us out. Maybe we make a zoo gig sometime. 

Fun for all ages. 

If in Chicago, check out the cultural center. It's free. 

The Dog Blog Post...

I used to have dogs and I liked them. I don't have them now and certainly don't want one but recent remembrances, ancient history and the Lufkin Daily News Police reports certainly has me thinking about them. 

I had a dog one time called Buckwheat. Maybe one of the best dogs I ever had and for sure one that caused the least amount of trouble. If I ever figure out the difference between a dog that causes trouble and one that don't I'll write a blog about that too. Old Buck was good and I would let him drink Schaefer beer and drive the boat. 

Recently remembering good times gone by a friend sent me a photo of Buckwheat, also taken at the lake. The Back of the photo says, "Carl's dog singing while they were fishing, Oct 25, 1987. That's 32 years ago. 

It was easy to make Buck sing. You could just start howling, you could play the harmonica or you could put on a Peter Tosh Album called "No More Nuclear War" which had a song that opened with a wolf howl and Buck would raise his voice in song. If you are wondering about the title of the Tosh album it came out during the Reagan years when Ronnie once made the announcement into what he thought was a dead mic that the bombers had been launched and his Secretary of State Al Haig suggested that a nuclear "warning shot" was an effective diplomatic opening to get Russia's attention. 

Speaking of the end of civilization that brings us to the Egyptians and Romans and their relationship with their animals. They did not give them Schaefer beer to drink but we know the Egyptians dressed their cats in clothes and the Romans once elected a dog mayor. Where are these people now? This summer I saw a family swimming at the lake. The dog had on a life jacket. The kids did not. As songwriter Randy Newman says if I may paraphrase, our time at the top may be over. 

All this brings me to the Lufkin Daily News Police report. Each day they have something about a dog in it such as:

A man called officers and reported his ex would not return his dog. 

or:

A woman called in a report said she walked her dog and two dogs barked at her. 

or:

A man reported to ACSO that a dog came in his yard. 

As I said earlier Buckwheat was a dog I had that caused the least amount of trouble. While I was wondering if these things should even be in the police report my wife, from whom many good things come came up with a game we could play. She said read a police report item inserting the word "dog." 

"A dog stole sunglasses and cologne from a truck in the __ block of __ Avenue Wednesday."

"A dog was arrested passed out in his vehicle in the Taco Bell Drive thru"

I think you get it. I may have made up the part about electing a dog mayor. The stuff about Reagan and Haig and our time at the top is the truth. If you want to make the police report real funny take a drink of Schaefer beer every time you insert the word dog.  

Chicago and More...

We are just back from a Chicago trip where we celebrated a birthday, a cousin visit and a whole lot of fun. 

Wallace and Peter chow on German food at the Octoberfest in Cedarburg, Wi. In a addition to the food attractions were a polka band, German singers and dancers and a live glockenspiel performance. No DAG acts need to apply. I noted on the fest website they specified German music only.  

The reason we found ourselves in Cedarburg is because my cousin Julie and husband Charlie live there. Julie is my second cousin, my dad's oldest brother's grand daughter. We have got to hang out maybe two or three times in our lives and this was a fine visit. One of the good things of social media is all the family photos and stories Julie posts so that even though we are separated by miles I feel as if we know each other. Cedarburg is two hours or so north of Chicago, near Milwaukee. 

It's been a year of connecting with cousins, so which of you guys is in line next for a visit? 

Wallace turned two. When you turn two the City of Chicago sends out a tractor and you get to drive it and tear up the street you live on. Only catch is you must promise to have it all fixed by the time the snow melts in the spring. 

Although the cool 50-70 degree temps in the Windy City were a welcome relief from the Fall Texas heat the leaves show no hints of turning color and the neighborhood is quite green with the small front yards of the PK block generally well kept. despite reports of a hotter than normal summer for this area rivers and creeks we noted on our drive to Wisconsin seemed full of rushing water.   

Slide me on the slide, swing me on the swing, see me on the saw. That's an old original song, written by Grandma and Katie that Wallace needs to learn to sing. 

Happy birthday. Be careful talking to Wallace. He probably knows more words than you do.