Possibly the best recording I've heard of the alto clarinet...

[JfW]

 

[Gandalfe]

Like I've said before, there are musicians out there who could make a 2X4 sound good. Wowser, fab share JfW, thank you. I'm on my third listening.

 

[Gandalfe]

This is a live recording from the 2019 Clarinet Colloquium at Texas A&M University at Commerce where Matthew Banks and I try to dispel some of the myths and rumors about the Alto Clarinet:

 

[pete]

For a minute, there, I thought that was Jim and he looked like he gained a lot of weight and grew a rather long beard. That was a pretty nice video and it actually kept my attention all the way through.

I really liked the Paganini piece. Great tone. Played with restraint. Played with dynamics. The only thing I disliked was that I could hear the keys clicking.

I'm on the record for saying that if there's nothing else you want to play and it's alto clarinet or nothing, please play the alto clarinet. I really don't care too much what you play as long as it gets you interested in music. However, I'm still unconvinced that an alto clarinet is the best "tenor clarinet" choice. What about the basset horn in F?

 

[Gandalfe]

For a minute, there, I thought that was Jim and he looked like he gained a lot of weight and grew a rather long beard. That was a pretty nice video and it actually kept my attention all the way through.

I've often wondered if we passed on the street would we recognize each other. Did have a busker up in Vancouver recognize me when I stopped to tip him. But that was from my Sax on the Web daze. "Are you Gandalfe?"

 

[pete]

I've often wondered if we passed on the street would we recognize each other. Did have a busker up in Vancouver recognize me when I stopped to tip him. But that was from my Sax on the Web daze. "Are you Gandalfe?"

Hmmm.

I've not met Jim, Helen, or Ed in person. I've met maybe two or three folks from SOTW. I seem to remember one of the OR nurses recognizing me while I was on the table prepped for surgery, which probably is one of the weirdest places for recognition. It wasn't because of my online persona, though, but because she was a member of the rather large church I was the assistant to the director at. I had already been there for several years, recorded singing/playing on video and occasionally grabbed for video "bulletin boards" / and other in-house video things at that church, which kinda ups the probability of being recognized. You also get some more recognition when you bring in a bass sax or a contrabass clarinet.

There is a picture of me on SOTW. That was almost 100lbs and over 20 years ago. I resemble that picture and that's about it.

 

[saxhound]

I think I have mentioned before that I had the good fortune to meet Ed and recruit him to play bari sax for a while in the Moonlighters Big Band in the Chicago area. That seems like a long time ago now. I played in that band from 1990 to 2014.

Back in the early 2000's I used to travel to Phoenix on business several times a month. Haven't been there since 2006. Never been to the Pacific Northwest.

 

[pete]

I don't know if it's just me, but I tend to think that people that have avatars look like their avatars, if I haven't seen other pics of them. That can be entertaining. Unfortunately, I have gotten it wrong before: I told one poster that I was happy with the obviously silly avatar he had. He responded that it was an actual pic of him playing. He hasn't posted since .

 

[JfW]

The only pictures of me online are from a class reunion thingy that shows a group picture of when I was in Kindergarten. The only time I'm knowingly on film was when I was in the marching band at a Packers game, and even then the shot is on the "action" of the play. I'm just a couple pixels in the background.

 

[JfW]

I don't know if it's just me, but I tend to think that people that have avatars look like their avatars, if I haven't seen other pics of them. That can be entertaining. Unfortunately, I have gotten it wrong before: I told one poster that I was happy with the obviously silly avatar he had. He responded that it was an actual pic of him playing. He hasn't posted since .

I do that too. Of course no, I am not Randy Poffo.

 

[Gandalfe]

I used to pawn this picture of David Bowie off as me. I even did a double take when I first saw it.

 

[pete]

I do that too. Of course no, I am not Randy Poffo.

I've got to say that not only do I think you look like Randy "Macho Man" Savage, I read your posts in his voice.