I’m here in Austin for the weekend visiting Skippy Tull (Fisher’s daughter). We’ve been discussing her father’s work, her brother’s legacy, and enjoying the warm weather of Texas while visiting Six Flags Fiesta in San Antonio. (See additional photos at the end of this post.)

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers, grandfathers, and daddy-wannabees in the group! I hope everyone enjoys their special day tomorrow! Special greetings to father-son members Ed & Eddie and father-daughter members  Dan & Emily.

We rehearse again on Monday back at TMH. Meet under marquee at 7:30 pm, wait for Children’s Theater to clear, then we’ll set up the stage. Because of the late start, this will be another “rolling bathroom break” rehearsal. (Please plan ahead, but don’t hesitate to take action as needed.) We have two working rehearsals remaining (June 18 & 25) and then our dress rehearsal (July 2) will prioritize the integration of our soloists, Meredith and Miles.

Caramoor

IMPORTANT: If you have any specific food/allergy requests for Caramoor, please alert me by Monday night, so I can pass this along to them.

REALLY IMPORTANT: We just received a donation from Caramoor, via CEO Jeff Haydon, for $1000.00, in honor of our 30th anniversary! This is not only a wonderful financial gesture, but says so very, very much about Caramoor’s support and their trust in us. Please keep this in mind as we continue preparations, and especially on July 4.

Sound Beach Concert Band outreach

Holly Saks (WSW horn sub Scott Bernitt’s twin sister) has reached out to us on behalf of the Sound Beach Concert Band, which is looking for members to join in all sections. They rehearse weekly (Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:15) at the Sound Beach Volunteer Firehouse at 207 Sound Beach Ave Old Greenwich, CT 06807. All performances include food and beverages. Click here for their rehearsal/performance calendar. Contact Zach Kampler, Music Director, for membership information. Note that you are welcome to play for any individual performance cycle; you do not need to commit to their entire season to play their July & August band shell concerts. I’ve guest conducted this group several times, and it’s a lot of fun!

Six Flags Fiesta

If you already know I’m a little coaster-crazy, stop reading now. If you’re curious, here are some photos from yesterday’s trip to Six Flags Fiesta in San Antonio.

The new single rail coaster, Wonder Woman Golden Lasso (first in the US!):

The view from the back seat. No fear here!

Skippy Tull and me waiting to board . . . .

this train . . .

bound for this lift hill:

before plummeting 180 feet on an 87º descent! This was our favorite; we rode three times. It was a great day!!!

If that didn’t get your heart racing, our rehearsal on Monday certainly will! See you then!

We’re rehearsing at New Rochelle HS again this week, starting at 7:30 pm, ending at 9:30 pm (to accommodate cleanup/clearance by 10:00 pm). Like last week, we won’t be taking a break mid-rehearsal.

Ed Herko spoke about the Ossining Jazz Festival last week. See info below, and contact Ed if you have questions. It’s a great lineup — hope you will consider attending! See you Monday!

Fellow WSWers,

As you consider your weekend activities, I hope you’ll consider venturing to the Elk’s Lodge of Ossining Friday and/or Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon Kid’s Jazz Day at the new Bethaney Arts Center in Ossining. Worth the visit to see the new space.

Correction: Kristen Mather de Andrade (Brazilian Jazz) is Saturday night.

So proud of my wife for producing this and for the Sponsorships including the Cortlandt School of the Performing Arts amongst several others.

Details below, and I will gladly buy you a round if you can make it. Feel free to call me at 917-716-3344 with questions.   -EDH

Second Annual Ossining Jazz Festival, June 8-10 to Pay Tribute to Women in Jazz and Blues

Two Nights of Music with Four Different Acts to Perform at the Ossining Elks Club

Ossining Jazz Festival for Kids Day at Bethany Arts Community

Ossining, NY – The Ossining Jazz Festival announced today that the second annual Ossining Jazz Festival will take place on the evenings of Friday and Saturday June 8 and June 9. The event, which will feature four different musical acts performing at the Ossining Elks Club, will pay tribute to the women in jazz and blues. Capping off the festivities will the Ossining Jazz Festival for Kids Day. A master class for the Ossining School Jazz Ensemble followed by a performance on Sunday, June 10 at the Bethany Arts Community.

Ted Daniel, a renowned jazz trumpeter, Ossining native and Artistic Director of the OJF comments “Our Ossining community has a rich musical heritage, and so it is only fitting that we celebrate each year some of the artists and sounds that have inspired us. Too often the contributions of women in blues and jazz are overlooked. In Ossining, we’re hoping to change this.”

The double bill on Friday, June 8 at the Elks Club will feature Ossining resident Anne Carpenter & Friends at 7:30 PM and drummer Camile Gainer Jones and her band at 9 PM. The lineup on Saturday, June 9 includes Tom do Brasil, a band led by vocalist and clarinetist Kristen Mather de Andrade, at 7:30 PM and Ossining resident and urban folk-jazz legend KJ Denhert at 9 PM. Tickets are $15 for one band only, $10 for the Sunday afternoon program, $28 for a one night festival pass and $60 for a three day festival pass. To purchase tickets, visit the Brown Paper Ticket’s site for this event at ossiningjazzfestival.bpt.me or ossiningjazzfestival.com 

The headliners:

• Vocalist and songwriter Anne Carpenter has performed widely around the New York metro region, leading her own band and singing with groups like Steve Wexler & the Top Shelf. One of her compositions, “Holland,” was recorded by Sloan Wainwright. Anne’s band includes John Pondel on guitar, Dave Ruffles on bass and Gregg Sulzer on drums.
• Camille Gainer Jones studied piano, guitar and violin early on before focusing on drums. After a mentorship with Michael Carvin and full scholarship at Long Island University, Camille worked with music luminaries like Roberta Flack, Chuck Mangione, Roy Ayers and Lonnie Liston Smith. More recently, she has produced tracks for jazz, R&B and hip-hop artists while continuing to lead her own band.
• Kristen Mather de Andrade sings and plays clarinet in Tom do Brasil, the Brazilian ensemble she founded in 2012. Currently, she is also the principal clarinetist and soloist for the West Point Band, an Army Special Band, as well as its Education Outreach Manager. Additionally, busy Kristen plays clarinet in the group Quintette 7, another West Point band, and is also the clarinetist and co-founder of Vent Nouveau, a chamber music collective.
• One-of-a-kind singer-songwriter and guitarist KJ Denhert consistently intertwines jazz, funk, blues, rock and folk, all with the most poetic and heartfelt lyrics imaginable. Denhert started out in the all-female band Fire back in the 1980s, and for the past twenty years has been leading her own band, the NY Unit.

Famed jazz trumpeter and educator Ingrid Jensen, also an Ossining resident, will lead a master class for the Ossining Jazz Festival’s “Kids’ Day” on Sunday, June 10 at 12:30-2 PM followed by a performance of the Ossining School Jazz Ensemble at 2:30-3:30 PM. This all-ages workshop for musically-inclined school-age children of the Ossining School Jazz program will take place at the Bethany Arts Community. Jensen’s long career includes work with Clark Terry, Esperanza Spalding, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and Sarah McLachlan.

The inaugural Ossining Jazz Festival paid tribute last year to the late visionary jazz guitarist-composer Sonny Sharrock, who lived most of his life in Ossining.

We just got word that we’ve been confirmed for both tonight and next Monday night at New Rochelle High School, starting at 7:30 pm. There will be no Board meeting prior to rehearsal tonight because of the change of venue.

Remember that the Band Room is in the Arts Complex at the north end of campus, nowhere near where GPS devices will take you if you plug in the school address. If you must rely on GPS use “Intersection of Braemar Road and North Avenue,” pull into the parking lot to the left, and park at the far end of the lot, closest to the building.

Click here for complete directions from all points.

Please contact your principal or section leader to confirm that you’re read this message and know to go to New Rochelle tonight. Principals/section leaders: please reach out this afternoon if you don’t hear from all players by 3:00 pm. 

When you can, please thank David Church for all his efforts on our behalf to secure NRHS again. It’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and David has shouldered the full load.

See you tonight!

I hope everyone had a nice 3 week break. We’re rehearsing again on Monday, and the rehearsal plan is posted.

We had a wrinkle develop last week at TMH when we learned that the administration there planned to move all of our equipment back and forth from the underpass storage area to the Annex six times between now and September, at our expense. This was because of dance ensemble programs in June, and the need for that underpass area for costume changes. Our only other choice was to ask you — the members — to make these moves. I politely said, “No thank you.” But it seemed prudent to reduce the number of moves to conserve funds and also reduce wear/tear on our equipment.

So we contacted New Rochelle High School and we have a tentative approval to move rehearsals there on June 4 & 11, eliminating 2 of the 6 equipment moves, and several hundred dollars. But, by end of business Friday, we did not yet have an iron-clad commitment from New Rochelle. We’re hoping and expecting it on Monday, but we need a Plan B. Therefore:

• The pre-rehearsal Board meeting tomorrow is postponed to next Monday, June 11.
• Plan A rehearsal site is New Rochelle High School, starting at 7:30 pm. Park/enter as we’ve done before.
• Plan B rehearsal site is Temple Kol Ami in White Plains, beginning with access to the chapel at 7:30 pm for setup, and ending by 9:15 pm so we can reset the room and clear the space by 9:30 pm. Percussion – please bring drum set and whatever small personal percussion is possible.

We will confirm the final site on Monday by both email and phone text message. In the meantime, please contact your section leader/principal to acknowledge you’ve read this post and are ready for New Rochelle or Kol Ami for Monday, until we send final news.

We’ll be in touch again on Monday to confirm the final rehearsal site, at noted. Thanks for your flexibility, attention, and response!