The following songs and arrangements were written between the summer of my Sophomore year in High School (1975) and the summer after my Junior year (1976). They were recorded in July 1976 just before my Senior year in High School. The recordings would become my audition tapes for the Eastman School of Music and the University of Hartford for Jackie McLean (jazz saxophonist). Both schools offered me admission and a jazz scholarship. I also received a classical scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music, Julliard, and Manhattan School of Music under Joseph Allard (classical and jazz clarinetist and saxophonist). [Unfortunately, George Russell, the director of the Jazz Program at New England Conservatory, rejected me for admission into the jazz program as a transfer student from Berklee. ] I chose to matriculate and then remain at Berklee College of Music in Boston where I had Tiger Okoshi and John Laporta as my small band instructors. I switched majors in my third year and eventually matriculated at Indiana University at Indianapolis as a Religious Studies major. (See my bio page for more information.)
Willy. Copyright 1975, 2010. Written in honor of Mr. William Saltzman, the Band Director at Arlington High School, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Teacher. Copyright 1975, 2010. Written as a practice and learning exercise for my bandmates who did not have the good fortune of attending a Jamey Aebersold Jazz Camp.
Bop-I-Hope. Copyright 1975, 2010. This was also written as a practice and learning exercise for my bandmates.
Band Mates: Timothy Robinson (Drums); James Brown (Bass); James Eastman (Piano); Floyd Knight (Alto Sax). Originally, the recordings and arrangements were to be done as a quintet with James Taylor on trombone, but he ditched on us on the day of the recording.
I hope to have these posted as an MP3 download for as close to free as possible someday for all of my old Arlington High School classmates. Unfortunately, I lost the 8-track reel masters, but I have copies of the stereo, mixed-down version on cassette tape. Now, all I have to do is find a cassette player.
See my bibliography for my music publications.