So, I have found a new band! (Or rather, a new band has found me, is probably more accurate.) Which is excellent, as I have been rejected (!) from rejoining my old band…
So a week after we got back home to Oz, we dropped in to our old band briefly to see how things were going and show off Calliope. We got there right towards the end of when Swing was supposed to be rehearsing, but unfortunately they didn’t have rehearsal that night. Still, we got to see the folks at Symphonic and they were eager for us to come back.
For the next week we were going to go — I had found a few people willing to babysit and all that — but then, the day before, I wrote a token email to the swing band leader telling him we were back and could we come back. It was a token email, because they’d all known we were just going away for a 7-month secondment, and would be returning, and I thought it was known and accepted that we’d be coming back at that time. So imagine my feeling when the leader said “Nope, band is full!” They never limited the number of players before — it’s a community band, for crying out loud: there are no auditions, we certainly don’t make any money; in fact, we *pay* to take part in it! I was really upset and disappointed. Hurt, in truth, even though it wasn’t anything personal. And kind of angry too. Even if they limited how many people could come to each gig with a rostering system (which is what we were doing last year) I don’t see why they should limit the number of players. Community band. Not pro band. Players come and go. I’d been looking forward so much to be coming back to Swing. And the girl who had taken over my place as 1st tenor was eager for me to come back as well. We had really enjoyed sitting together and playing together last year.
So I decided therefore not to return at all. See, I’m not a great fan of Symphonic — the tenor parts are usually pretty dull and it’s just not my style of music anyway — but I really loved Swing, and in order to play Swing, you have to play Symphonic, so I did both. But if they won’t let me back into Swing… well, I don’t see a lot of point. Oh, I don’t know.
But anyway, simultaneously, last week the lead alto from our informal and impromptu sax quartet of last year suddenly had to move to Cairns for work. That was also terribly disappointing: we’d all really been looking forward to continuing the sax quartet: maybe even doing a bit of busking around Brisbane city. She’d just bought a new soprano sax and I’d just bought an alto in the States… disappointing. But the up side of that was that she had to leave her other band, a 4 piece kind of old school jazz band, and asked if I wanted to take her part in it.
I was really nervous, of course: I always get myself so worked up about these things! But the four of us met yesterday and it was great. I really had a good time, and I think I did fine too. A vocalist/guitarist is the band leader, she arranges all the charts; and then there is a drummer, bassist, and me on tenor. The charts are simple but well put-together. Really catchy. Just the sort of music I like. None of this modern day self-centered virtuosic stuff, but good tunes you can dance to, or snap your fingers to. I really like it.
This is the sort of thing I’ve wanted to do since I first picked up my sax 3.5 years ago. I’m excited!
excitedTags: music