Wayne Bergeron in Concert with the Hudson Jazz Band...

On Tuesday night the Hudson High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Steven Brown hosted a concert featuring trumpet player Wayne Bergeron. Bergeron is one of those screaming high note trumpet guys and came to prominence in trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's band in 1986. You have heard him because in addition to playing with a who's who of musical artist across many genres he has contributed trumpet to more than 500 film and TV scores.      

Of course Bergeron played great at this concert but I can's say enough about how great the Hudson Jazz Band sounded. They were tight, they swung and kids stood up and took solos. 

I was certainly in some good bands with good directors and talented people when I was learning to play but kids these days are really outstanding. In the local Civic band I get to hear and play with young people and I see players from 7th grade that are just amazing and for good reasons. Programs start kids earlier, the instruction is better and staffs are larger, the equipment they are provided is top notch and then of course there are players like Bergeron, traveling around the country as a clinician and educator.  

Bergeron did make a joke about how no one makes a living from big band records but I think getting a tune on TV or movies is a pretty good payday. 

He also made a joke about wearing women's clothes which is pretty cutting edge for a high school concert in Texas these days. 

I have occasionally played with director Steven Brown in brass quintet and civic band. Maybe if I play my cards right I'll live long enough to play and learn from some of the kids he's trained.  

There were also a few of the local jazz cats filling out the band and doing a fine job of backing him up.  

Steven and Wayne played a fine trumpet duet together. 

This is another great example of fine music coming to Lufkin. Thanks to the Hudson School District and Temple Theater we have organizations that can inspire young people, bring entertainment to town and a fine facility to host it. 

As I mentioned Bergeron came up through Maynard Ferguson's band. I have been buying Maynard records since the 70s when I was a band kid and he getting some fame from covering pop hits and I tried to listen to any record that had a horn on it. I have continued to expand my Maynard collection because it's pretty easy to find these 70s and 80s records in thrift stores. It's harder for some reason to find Maynard records from the mid 60s when he was hanging out with Timothy Leary and Ram Dass but I'll keep looking. 

Till then this will do: