On our last outing...
...the Sounds Of The South Hornline did our second show for a local Blues Brothers revue. We supply the six horns (alto, tenor, baritone, two trumpets and a trombone) plus a good part of the stage equipment, while the venue supplies the rest.
They have been rehearsing this show for almost a year now, and one of the male vocalists still doesn't have either his lines or his lyrics down pat. Very frustrating, and made moreso by the fact that a rehearsal with them entails endless repetitions of each chart from the top, since they (the rhythm folks and most of the vocalists) cannot read music.
Having said all of that, they filled the house, paid those of us who wanted pay, and put on a good show from the theatrical side. We were on point completely, and even supplied our trombone player who does a good job with Minnie The Moocher (complete with white tail coat) to fill out one of the sets.
I always tell people that my impression of the music business is that it is made up of 70% heavy lifting, 5% arguing with other vendors, 20% dealing with personalities, and only 5% actually spent playing.
But,, with this Blues Brothers stuff, the charts are simple as hell (even in the extreme keys that guitar players like to use), the equipment moved is minimal (so little that it could fit in my smart, were it not for the need to bring my lovely wife along for dinner), the setup is easy since we're using their sound system, and they have comfortable chairs to sit in.
I've started fitting our version of it together, and have about two thirds of the tunes down with my on-again, off-again Blue Brother. I've got two places here in town, both of which would love to have access to a well-instrumented Blues Brothers and Rat Pack revue. All we need are the Sinatra charts.
Along those lines, next week I am driving down to Orlando to 1) visit Walt Disney World, eating through their better restaurants and with the two of us riding around in ECVs - the only way for old people in their sixties and seventies to see the place, and 2) pick up the entire music library of a respected arranger.
A group that I am representing purchased the library from his next of kin, and I'm doing the heavy lifting to move it half-way to CO, its ultimate destination. I've got a box trailer that will hold forty filing tub equivalents, plus the back of the car that will hold ten more - hopefully it won't take that many.
I am hoping that he did enough Sinatra, Martin, Darin and Davis charts for six horn to put together a couple of solid sets. We've used the arranger's work in my 5444-4 group, and they are tight and first rate, even if the manuscript is a bit hard to read at times.