On the 12th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Twelve bars a-bluesin'!
Eleven drummers drumming,
Ten months of band fun,
Nine flutes a-dancing,
Eight Brame analogies,
Seven saxes swinging,
Six cool band trips,
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

As we come to the close of this fun little parody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," we finish, appropriately enough, with the 12-bar blues. This was one of the units Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble studied in the fall, as we listened to the great performers from B.B. King to Muddy Waters. We also became a giant blues band and had many students taking their own improvised blues solos.

And speaking of improvisation, we just finished our annual blues unit in Jazz Band. The students learned the progression and its many variations, played a transcribed solo by Dexter Gordon, wrote their own blues heads, and took a blues solo playing test. I can confidently say that all 14 players can now play stylistically appropriate jazz solos over blues changes.

Before I close this blog series, I have to leave you with one track to enjoy. Here is that rare cross between holiday music and the 12-bar blues. Lightnin' Hopkins, take us home!

Christmas Blues - Lightnin' Ho...

On the 11th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Eleven drummers drumming!
Ten months of band fun,
Nine flutes a-dancing,
Eight Brame analogies,
Seven saxes swinging,
Six cool band trips,
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

Okay, I know the actual song goes "Twelve drummers drumming," but in our Symphonic Band, we have eleven, which is quite a large number. Most bands of that size would be well served with six or seven percussionists, but we are blessed with a large and diverse crew, not one of whom I would ever give up. Sure, it means a lot of sharing of parts, but it's a happy section that knows how to both work hard and to have fun. I credit this to the leadership of past-president Paul Brisske who set the tone for his successors, who in turn have ably carried on in his footsteps. So here's to drummers everywhere, to anyone who has ever felt that hitting things was the best way to make music!

On the 10th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Ten months of band fun!
Nine flutes a-dancing,
Eight Brame analogies,
Seven saxes swinging,
Six cool band trips,
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

So here's my list of the coolest DHS Band event for each month of the school year:

• August - Marching Band Camp! The march off at the end of the week is only one of many great traditions.
  
• September - The Potpourri Concert where Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble debut for the year in front of a capacity crowd in the auditorium.
  
• October - Bandorama, the shortest and loudest concert of the year.
  
• November - The Fall Band Concert where each group gets to show off all of their first quarter work.
  
• December - The Jazz Band's gig in the front hall on the day before winter break (although the citrus unloading is a close second!)
  
• January - The Honors Level Recital, everyone's favorite last-minute concert paper opportunity.
  
• February - The Evanston Township HS Jazz Festival with the requisite side trip to Buffalo Joe's.
  
• March - The Solo and Ensemble Contest together with our friends from HPHS.
  
• April - Jazz Night as the Jazz Band joins forces with Choraliers for a swinging evening.
  
• May - The social event of the year, the Band Awards Dinner!
  

So what do we do in June and July? To paraphrase former Chicago Cub legend, Rogers Hornsby, "We stare out the window and wait for fall."

On the 9th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Nine flutes a-dancing!
Eight Brame analogies,
Seven saxes swinging,
Six cool band trips,
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

Just when did our normally mild-mannered flutes become the Dancing Flutes? Well, it started back in the early part of this decade, when a bunch of flute players decided to dance along to pep music in the stands. At some point, they convinced me to let them dance on the field. I'm not sure exactly which year it began, but I do remember one routine that involved sword fighting with their instruments and another that included the pom pass-off. This year, we only had three flutes in the section, and it was a bit much to ask them to dance in front of the band as a trio. So we decided to bring it to an end. Thus, another tradition fades.

But that's actually okay. Traditions don't last forever. Take the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival. Sometime in the 1980s or late 70s, the marching band began competing in a parade contest in Sycamore, Illinois. The trophies that we won always had a grinning pumpkin head on top. Some years, we won our division as well as several categories like best drum major or best winds. One year we forgot to bring all of our drum sticks and beaters and had to go around to other bands to beg for their cast-offs. Of course, instead of this being a valuable lesson to our forgetful drummers, they won the outstanding percussion section award. Go figure.

Anyway, the festival was the source of all kinds of crazy traditions: Edu the inflatable pumpkin, the "We hate clowns" chant, the 50-piece Chicken McNugget challenge, the retelling of the 40 mph/40 degree monsoon story, etc., etc. But the parade competition eventually passed into the hands of people who didn't know much about marching bands, and the contest deteriorated quickly. When we stopped going, it had pretty much fallen apart. For a few years, band students were very upset, but we began new traditions. Maybe none quite so colorful, but Sycamore had a good run, just like "The Funky Warrior" and the "Where's Waldo" pep band shirts. In the same manner we have retired the Dancing Flutes, destined to become an obscure blog entry of their own in the year 2016.

On the 8th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Eight Brame analogies!
Seven saxes swinging.
Six cool band trips,
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

So what's your favorite Mr. B analogy? Here are some of mine:

1. The pyramid (for balance)
   
2. The star (for precision)
   
3. Sour milk (for intonation)
   
4. Sizzling (for soft energy)
   
5. The see-saw (for call and response)
   
6. Walking through mud (for dragging)
   
7. Nesting Russian dolls (for blend)
   
8. And of course, the oldest one, breaking the glass (for releases)
   

Leave your comments with any I might be missing!

On the 7th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Seven saxes swinging!
Six cool band trips,
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

Ah yes, the glorious saxophone which comes in so many different sizes, the best known of which are:

1. Eb Sopranino
   
2. Bb Soprano
   
3. Eb Alto
   
4. Bb Tenor
   
5. Eb Baritone
   
6. Bb Bass
   
7. Eb Contrabass

That's seven to go along with the seventh day, but let's not neglect the C melody sax. In between an alto and a tenor, it's a concert key instrument and doesn't transpose. It was created so that it could read off of piano sheet music. I inherited one from a family member, and I took it to my high school sax teacher, Casper Boghosian (the original Mr. B) who was also a top-notch repairman. I asked him if we could fix it up. His response was, "We'll make it into a lamp." Thinking he was joking, I said, "No, really, can we do it?" Again he said, "No, we'll make it into a lamp." I guess he had little respect for this obsolete member of the sax family. I still have it in my basement, and no, it's not a lamp.

But we're still missing some other members of the clan. Besides altos in F, curved sopranos, and straight altos, tenors, and baris, there's a tiny Bb soprillo sax, also known as a piccolo sax. On the other end of the spectrum, there's the granddaddy of them all, the Bb subcontrabass, also called the tubax. You can learn about all of these wonderful, esoteric instruments at the Sax Family Gallery. Check out the pictures and soundclips, especially the one of the tubax playing the bass line on "The Entertainer." Mercy!

On the 6th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Six cool band trips!
Five golden means,
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

Yes, I know this is a non-trip year.
Yes, I know the seniors hate me because of it.
Yes, I know I've never taken you overseas.
However, I will now give you my six favorite band trip moments from the last 21 years:

1) EPCOT, 2009 - Getting a standing ovation from the hometown crowd of orchestra and choir students after playing the quasi-Brazilian samba tune, "Rio Con Brio."
2) Boston, 2007 - Scheduling an outdoor performance at Faneuil Hall in April, and having the weather forecast predict 45 degrees and rain. Instead, we had mid-50s, sun, and an appreciative lunchtime crowd of native Bostonians enjoying our concert.

3) Philadelphia, 2005 - Besides a cool performance at the Constitution Center, the real story of the trip was transportation. A band father rented a trailer for all of the band and orchestra instruments as well as all of our music. Unfortunately, his pickup truck died in Pittsburgh, and we had nothing to play at our first stop at a high school. The father then proceeded to do what any self-respecting band parent would do. He bought a new truck in Pittsburgh and drove the rest of the way.

4) St. Louis, 1989 - My very first trip with my very tiny band. One of our gigs was playing along with the entertainment on a dinner boat cruise. The jazz band augmented the backup ensemble and became part of the show. We almost didn't make it, however, because our bassist locked his case and left the key back home. The day was saved when he picked the lock with a fork.

5) Los Angeles, early 2000s - We performed at DisneyWorld and had an excellent clinic at UC Santa Barbara. We also went to a famous rock club to see one of our alums' bands play. One of their songs went into very raunchy lyrics as Mrs. Akers and I sat very uncomfortable between two band parents, an Episcopalian priest and a rabbi. Oh, and the La Brea tarpits were very cool, even though Mrs. Akers kept calling me a geek for thinking so.

6) Seattle, 1990 - This destination was chosen because the students wanted to visit their beloved former band director, Paul Harshman, who spent one year at DHS before leaving for his home state of Washington. I owe him for telling me that he was resigning from DHS and that I should apply for his job. We had a great exchange with his very fine high school band and a clinic at the University of Washington.

Here's to Montreal, 2011!

On the 5th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Five golden means!
Four pep band games,
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

Ah, the golden mean! This is a fascinating mathematical ratio that is found in numerous art forms, from architecture to music. It is based on an irrational number called "phi" that is approximately 1.618. (The symbol is the Greek letter you see to above.) It is found by solving the equation x-1=1/x. By using it in different combinations, you can create what many artists believe to be pleasing ratios for various shapes like rectangles. It also appears in nature, as seen in pine cones and nautilus shells. When used in music, it means that the composer places an important event (like the return of a main theme) 61.8% of the way through a piece. Some theorists have shown this to be true in the music of Mozart, who was fascinated by numbers. The piece that SB and WE played last year, Spring Festival by Chen Yi, made use of this ratio three times.

Want to know more? Click here.

On the 4th day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Four pep band games!
Three French horns,
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

Yes, it's that time again! From what Mr. Velleuer told me this morning, Pep Band A did a wonderful job last night as the Warriors crushed Maine West, 70-24. I wish you all lots of fun as you play all those great rock tunes and cheer on our home team. I played in my high school pep band, did one year at Northwestern, and then conducted pep bands for 20 years at Round Lake and Deerfield, so I know how much fun they can be. Good luck on a great season!

On the 3rd day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

Three French horns!
A two-headed turtle,
And a piccolo in the key of C.

So why is the horn called a "French" horn? According to Grove Music Online, the circular, coiled hunting horn (without valves) developed in 17th-century France, but it didn't really become the modern orchestral horn until it was refined in the 18th and 19th centuries in German. It could probably just as easily be called a German horn, but music snobs like myself refer to it only as "the horn." I'm sure our student teacher, Mr. Morden, would agree. At least it's not as bad as the English horn, which is neither English nor a horn.

On the 2nd day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

A two-headed turtle!
And a piccolo in the key of C.

On days when the orchestra players leave Wind Ensemble to play in the symphony, we typically spend a few minutes discussing topics that are brought up "for the good of the order." This can range from YouTube clip oddities to random thoughts about current events in the school. One day, we found out that Katie had found a two-headed turtle and kept it for a pet. That's the kind of important information that we share on OW days. And we get cupcakes and $20 bills.

On the 1st day of the 2 weeks before winter break, my band director gave to me...

A Piccolo in the Key of C!

Did you know that piccolos used to be in Db? That means that when a band played in Bb concert, the piccolo was in A. This was done so that fingerings in orchestral transpositions would be easier. It gradually fell out of favor, but whenever we pull out a piece of music from before 1950 or so, there is always a Db piccolo part.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Citrus!

Yes, this morning we unloaded our several tons of oranges and grapefruit, fresh from the sunny orchards of Indian River Groves in Florida. As always, many hands made for light work, and we earned lots of money for future trips and the general band fund. As Mr. Velleuer commented, "It's our one fundraiser that's actually healthy!"

Band Website URL Change

Just a quick note--

If you have the DHS Band website bookmarked, please update it to the following URL:

http://dhs.dist113.org/faculty/BrameD/website/index.htm

Thanks!

Mr. B

As the decade draws to a close...

...I have come across the first "Best Music of the 2000s" list as chosen by the music editors at National Public Radio. It's their "50 Most Important Recordings of the Decade," and it's a great conversation starter. You can read the blog entry and see the complete list.

No time now for any in-depth comments, but I like the inclusion of classical composer John Adams' elegy for the victims of 9/11, "On the Transmigration of Souls" and Sufjan Stevens' brilliant disk "Illinois." Check out the list and see if your favorite recording made it!

Veterans Day 2009

This year, instead of taking the day off, 27 DHS Warrior Marching Band students gave back to the community by performing patriotic music for veterans throughout Deerfield and Riverwoods. We began the day at Brentwood North where 30 residents were treated to a concert including the service songs of the US Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force. Each student shared the name of a family member or friend from the armed forces to whom his or her performance was dedicated. Harrison Middaugh performed "Taps" in memory of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

Our next stop was the Veterans' Memorial in Jewett Park where the American Legion Post 738 led their annual ceremony with the band supplying appropriate music. After lunch, we finished our day at Whitehall where we serenaded about 40 residents and physical theraphy patients in their lovely downstairs cityscape. The band students did a wonderful job of performing and talking to the senior citizens. There were smiles and tears all around, and I was told time and time again how wonderful it was to have the students visit. We even got to sing "Happy Birthday" for a woman celebrating her 93rd birthday. It was a memorable experience that showed me once again the power of music to affect people in a deep and meaningful way.

Catching Up...

It's the end of the quarter, and almost all of my grading is done. I have two projects on my desk to grade in the morning, and then I'll be all set.

All four bands seem to be in good shape for the concert Tuesday night. I feel like the concert groups are peaking at just the right time. Certain passages that have always been struggles are now falling into place, and there are some hints of glorious brass sounds at times in the SB and WE. Let's hope that the good work in rehearsal and at home continue for the next six days so we can have a positive culmination to the last 9 weeks worth of work.

The Warrior Marching Band finished the season in grand fashion. We accompanied the football team to their first round playoff game in the city. It was a very interesting setting--the field was a mud pit after a week of rain, much like our home turf probably would have been. The field was surrounded on the sidelines by bleachers (no running track) and in the endzones by the school building to the south, and a street and apartment building to the north. Field goals went on roofs and threatened to break windows. Just across the parking lot behind the home stands was a very busy L-train stop. To quote the Blues Brothers, "How often does the train go by? So often that you won't even notice it."

Our band played from the stands, reveling in the fact that we weren't being rained on (although it was cold and blustery). The opposing team's band was quite small due to their having a day off from school. Their director played along on trumpet, and it was fun to hear their pride. Unfortunately, we heard their fight song way too many times and ours not enough. By the end, we were beaten soundly. But, as always, we had our own fun.

My dissertation is going along well. My survey of Illinois and Wisconsin high school band directors is in its third week. I'm hoping for one last surge of responses to provide a deeper pool of data, but at a video conference tonight with my online peers, our supervisor told me that the 250 responses I have so far will probably be plenty. I'm at about a 22% response rate, and I think that's fairly respectable for an internet survey. 30% would make me feel better, but I think I'm in good shape. Once the questionnaire closes on 11/15, I'll have about four weeks to analyze the data for a presentation I'll be doing at a regional seminar in Chicago in late December. This will be good because it will get me moving on it right away instead of letting my research grow cold over the holidays. I'll share more over the coming weeks.

And because every blog should include some music for you to enjoy, I leave you with a taste of the Scott Joplin ragtime unit we'll be doing in SB and WE:

The Entertainer - William Albr...

And, just to show you that ragtime music is not dead, here is some contemporary ragtime by a Chicago composer/pianist, Reginald R. Robinson:

Lightning Strikes Twice - Regi...

Monday Morning Run

The randomly shuffled playlist from my morning run, which was unfortunately indoors due to the rain:

• You're So Vain, Carly Simon (turns out she was singing about Warren Beatty)
  
• Hot Thing, Prince (awesome atonal sax squalls over drum machines)
  
• The Royal Scam, Steely Dan (as cynical as ever)
  
• Hurricane Eye, Paul Simon (brilliant manipulation of time signatures)
  
• Born at the Right Time, Paul Simon (referencing the story of Moses)
  
• Twist and Crawl, The English Beat (old-school ska at its best)
  
• Life and How to Live It, R.E.M. (takes me back to my first year of teaching)
  
• Rock and Roll, Led Zeppelin (excellent drum fills)
  
• Sajna Ve Sajna, Sunidhi Chauhan (the wildcard in this playlist--Bollywood music from India)
  
• Rock On, David Essex (early 70s pop bliss)
  
• Miss You, The Rolling Stones (mix a blues harp in and disco suddenly becomes hip)
  

Interesting how Mick Jagger sang background vocals on the first song and then lead on the last. A nice rounded form.

Theme and Variations on "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

Theme and variations form has been popular with composers for centuries. The idea is simple: take a well-known melody and come up with new ways to play it, like changing the rhythms, adding notes, going from major to minor, etc. Charles Ives wrote a set of fascinating variations on "My Country Tis of Thee" for organ. Here is the band arrangement of the orchestral version:

Variations On "America" - US M...

Mozart used "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman," better known to anglophones as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," as the basis for a virtuosic piano piece:

Variations on Ah, vous dirai-j...

In music theory class, we tried our hand at doing something similar. Here are three variations on "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Enjoy!

Julie and Nick's version


Stuart and Ryan


Kenny and Nathan

Renaissance Music

This quarter, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble students have been studying Renaissance music. We have rehearsed modern band pieces based on music of the era, including Court Festival by William Latham (SB) and Four French Dances by Robert Hanson (WE). Earlier this week, we learned about some exotic Renaissance instruments (see the previous post), and then we divided into chamber groups to create our own arrangements of Renaissance dances composed by Tielman Susato. All of the students received the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts to three dances, transposed into the proper key. Then, each ensemble was responsible for orchestrating one of the pieces, adding percussion, and applying ornamentation and dynamics. Here are some of our best results. (Click on the arrows to hear the sounds.)

Symphonic Band (clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, trumpet, trombone, euphonium, and percussion)

Wind Ensemble (flute, clarinet, bassoon, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion)

Wind Ensemble (flute, clarinet, baritone saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion)

Home Sweet Homecoming

Well, it's mid-October, so that means it's Homecoming! The school is all decked out to reflect the Windy City theme, and the Concert Band has created their annual banner, which in my opinion looks great. We are defending champs in the advisory banner contest, so I hope we can hold on to our crown.

On Tuesday night, we had a small group of Warrior Marching Band members form a pep band for our boys varsity soccer team. We cheered them on to a 4-1 victory over our crosstown rivals, the Highland Park Giants. Now we are frantically preparing our halftime show for Friday night. Hopefully it won't be raining non-stop like it did last week. Thank heavens for ponchos! Tomorrow we also have our traditional 8th period march through the halls and the pep rally. I can't wait!

UPDATE: The banner took second place! And, the band did a great job at halftime, in spite of being rained out of several early bird practices and having to perform on the rice paddy that was Adams Field. The team was successful, too, defeating Niles North 26-13 to improve to 5-2 on the season. One more win puts us in the playoffs!

Renaissance Musical Instruments

During the week of October 5 (Homecoming week!), the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will be studying Renaissance music and musical instruments. Here are a few videos to supplement our work in class.

Click here for a USC music professor demonstrating a number of Renaissance instruments, like the recorder, bagpipes, and shawm.

The Crumhorn


The Cornett


The Lute


The Recorder (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass)

An Intro to the Jazz of Today

One of my favorite jazz blogs is National Public Radio's "Take Five," a weekly sampler of five tracks that follow a theme, like Latin jazz, Beatles' covers, jazz from Canada, and the like. This week they feature five albums specially chosen by a panel of young jazz critics designed to introduce the casual listener to the latest in modern jazz. The list is highlighted by pianist Brad Mehldau, trumpeter Christian Scott, and the acid jazz band Soulive. You can check it out here.

Here are a couple of albums I'd like to add to the list:

Prime Directive by Dave Holland. Not all that recent, but in many ways it changes the notion that jazz must swing and have a pianist comping away in the background.

Little Things Run The World - ...

Little Things Run the World by Ben Allison. Allison is a bassist and composer who shows how rock influences his mostly acoustic jazz. Deceptively simple, yet compelling tunes.

Red Earth - Dee Dee Bridgewate...

Red Earth by Dee Dee Bridgewater. During a trip to her ancestral and spiritual homeland of Mali in West Africa, jazz vocalist Bridgewater collaborated with Malienne musicians to create a wonderful disc that meshes the two cultures in a very engaging manner.

Listen and enjoy!

Do-It-Yourself Ravinia

The "Do-It-Yourself" concept in music has its roots in the garage bands of the 1960s and the punk movement of the 1970s. Bands would create their own look and sound, and then tour relentlessly, relying on self-promotion to make it big (or not.) Whenever musicians get together to make something special without the help of large organizational structures or corporate sponsorships, they celebrate this DIY ethic. Here is a great story on NPR about underground concert promoter Todd P that gives you an idea of what I mean.

I had a personal connection with this type of musical gathering a couple weeks ago when a friend of mine invited me to his annual backyard music festival. For several years now, he and his wife have been staging a full evening of musical acts on their backyard stage for an appreciative audience of about 100 friends, picnicking under the stars and enjoying the sounds. He first called me because he wanted to add horns to his "hootenanny" band, which consists of two guitars, keyboards, bass, accordion, drums, three lead vocalists, two background vocalists, and dobro (click here, scroll down to "dobro" and roll over the picture). So, I wrote out some horn charts for alto sax (me), trumpet (my brother), and trombone (another friend). We played on a flamenco version of "Hotel California," Billy Joel's "River of Dreams," and Neil Young's "Long May You Run." It turns out that we were only a small portion of the evening's festivities.

The opening act consisted of two of my friend's neighbors, one of whom ran sound for the evening. They played guitar and sang some old favorites like "I'm a Believer" in a delightfully ragged manner. They were followed by the contemporary worship pastor from our church who sang a solo acoustic set of his own music. Then, leading American operatic baritone, Robert Orth (who just happens to sing in our church choir), performed a set of opera, show tunes, and other numbers. He is an amazing performer and a wonderful guy to know.

The fourth act was also a treat, the Dave Ness Trio. This acoustic jazz group features guitar, bass, and drums/percussion. They play music that is full of interesting nuances and subtle details, reveling in quiet textures and silences. The drummer enjoys playing the Cuban cajon, a wooden box that the player sits on and plays by tapping and slapping the various surfaces. Here's an example of one in action.

Finally sometime after nine, the hootenanny band came on, playing folk, country, and country rock numbers. Towards the end of the set, we horn players joined the group for the grand finale. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun making music without waving a baton, and it was especially great to play alongside my brother again. In high school and college, we got to do this a lot more, but it's become too infrequent as the responsibilities of family and career tend to crowd out recreational music making. I've always admired his trumpet playing, and hearing him up close again was a blast.

Afterwards, a folk music sing-along lasted until midnight. It was an incredibly full evening celebrating the talents of a lot of outstanding musicians. Playing with people who can sing harmony parts by ear or who can play a tasty blues solo on dobro is a real kick. And the amazing thing was that it all came about because my friend wanted to get some like-minded people together to make a little music. Moral of the story: keep practicing and never stop playing! You can still enjoy your instrument well beyond your time at DHS.

Music for Labor Day

Labor Day began in the 1880s in New York City as a way for labor unions to celebrate the hard-working men and women who put in a six-day work week building up the vast American industrial complex. Today, I offer you a quick hit of soulful saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, playing a tune appropriate for today, "Work Song." Enjoy your day!

Work Song - Cannonball Adderle...

Inauguration Music

I just read that Air and Simple Gifts has been published. This is the chamber ensemble piece composed by John Williams for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. It was "performed" by Yo-Yo Ma and company, miming the piece while the crowd heard a pre-recorded track. This actually made a lot of sense, as it was 15 degrees in Washington DC that day, and there was no way those acoustic instruments would be able to stay in tune. You can read my previous blog about it here.

When I first heard it, I thought it was a lovely bit of Americana, and I still do. If you would like to see a sample of the score or purchase the work, it is available here (click on "Closer Look.") You can also purchase the original track on iTunes or listen to it below, courtesy of Lala.com. And finally, if you'd like to see one musicologist's opinion about the political ramifications of performing the piece, check out the Dial M for Musicology blog. It's an interesting entry, albeit from a decidedly liberal stance.

Air and Simple Gifts - Yo-Yo M...

Guns 'n' Roses on Fiddle

Check out this video of DHS Alum, Adam DeGraff. He was our concertmaster and even played in the jazz band for a bit in the early 90s. He has since gone on to a fine professional career as an orchestral player and soloist. Currently, he is one half of Pianafiddle, a nationally acclaimed duo that plays everything from classical to bluegrass. Pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a concert violinist, he can be seen here playing "Sweet Child O' Mine." Well worth your time!

Band Camp, Day 4

Here is a batch of pictures from day 4 of band camp. Congratulations to the flutes who won the section march by, followed by the saxes in 2nd and tuba/euphoniums in 3rd. Today we will polish up pregame and halftime, clean up the music, and have our traditional march off. One week to the first game!

Band Camp, Day 2

A beautiful day in Deerfield with sunny skies, a cool breeze, and much less humidity than yesterday. We worked on more fundamentals and percussion cadences and started the halftime music. Tomorrow we will learn the pregame drill during our extra-long afternoon and evening rehearsals. It looks like it's going to be a bit stormy over the next few days, so hopefully we'll find some windows of opportunity.

Check out the slideshow of pictures from today. Notice how we are sharing the practice field with the football team! How many schools can boast of a football program so supportive of the band that they make space during their pre-season two-a-days for a marching routine? A special thanks to our wonderful coaches!

Warrior Marching Band Camp 2009

We are one day into the new marching band season, and I'm very pleased with the band thus far. We have 52 members, so we are right where we were last year. With a total band enrollment of 150, that means over a third of the students have volunteered to march, which is great! We had a number of officers in last week to get everything ready, and the band moms are busy preparing for Wednesday night's dinner and uniform distribution. Our two drum majors, Nick and Logan, spent a week at the Smith-Wallbridge camp with their instructors, who included former DHS drum majors Emma Burrows (University of Illinois Drum Major), Wade Wheatley (Vanderbilt University Drum Major), and Pres Maxson (former University of Iowa Drum Major). I'll be sitting down to write up our pregame and first halftime this morning, so everything is in great shape for another wonderful season. We even have fresh editions of the Fight Song, Alma Mater, National Anthem, and America, as well as some of our favorite stands tunes.

If you are a parent, alum, or just a friend of the band, I'd like to invite you to join us on Friday, August 28 at 7:30 for our first home game at Adams Field. Check out the new students and see how our veterans have taken on the mantle of leadership. It's going to be a great year!

Check back later this week for some pictures of camp...

Saturday Morning Run Playlist

These are the songs that came up randomly on my iPod during this morning's 5-mile run:

Cuyahoga - R.E.M.
She's Already Made Up Her Mind - Lyle Lovett
Stop - Jane's Addiction
With a Gun - Steely Dan
The Legend of the Golden Arches - Frank Zappa
Love You To - The Beatles
Blessed Relief - Frank Zappa
Little Creatures - Talking Heads
Aja - Steely Dan
Familiar - Pufferfish

The last one is particularly interesting as Pufferfish is a Seattle alt-country band featuring Scott Bilstad and Jonah Baker, DHS Band Class of '92. Jonah played guitar in jazz band, and Scott played drums as well as serving as drumline captain and percussion section leader. They were also members of the legendary student band, None of the Above, which was kind of like the Living Heir of the early 1990s at DHS. It's great to hear that they are still making music on the side these days.

You can tell by my playlist that my rock music interest is fairly rooted in classic rock and early alternative. My other iPod (which is very old school and too big for running) has a ton of jazz and world music, and is therefore much more diverse on shuffle. But for an early morning run through the middle of my town, I'll take Zappa and R.E.M. any day.

Annual Summer Mailing, Etc.

By Wednesday, current students should be receiving the annual summer band mailing with details about the new year, such as some calendar dates, curriculum info, marching band camp, and my not so gentle reminder to become reacquainted with your musical instrument. I've actually been somewhat busier than usual with my saxophone over the past two months. While at the Wisconsin Comprehensive Musicianship workshop, I played every day in the demonstration rehearsals. My favorite session had me sight-transposing the alto clef viola parts to alto sax on orchestra day. Then, this past Sunday, I played in a combo for a jazz service at church. We had our contemporary worship pastor on piano, along with drums, bass, trumpet, trombone, and myself. One of the three singers was my daughter, who is a regular in the group. I got to write out some horn arrangements for a number of the pieces and do some improvising as well. It was interesting doing "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" as a 5/4 Latin and "Ode to Joy" as a big-band swing tune. (Neither were my idea--I just did the voicings).

Anyway, I hope you are practicing now and then and enjoying yourself wherever you are!

July Jazz Listening

Here you go, Jazz Band members! Listen and reply by email. Enjoy!

For your July dose of jazz listening, I want you to begin with some big band music. Remember, 99% of the high schools in America have a big band as their main ensemble. That means 5 saxes, 5 trumpets, 5 trombones, and rhythm. Everybody plays off of sheet music, just like in concert band, and there are a few students who improvise. The focus (usually) is on learning the charts, note for note, with proper jazz style, blend, and balance. At its worst, it becomes the same thing as a concert band rehearsal. Our model focuses on everybody learning to improvise and creating our own arrangements of classic jazz combo tunes.

In any case, you should be familiar with the big band style and sound, and the Count Basie Orchestra is a great place to start. His album, Straight Ahead, is a classic, and it is filled with tunes that high school bands play often. After listening, write me an email about how this differs from a typical combo recording and provide your own thoughts and opinions.

Straight Ahead - Count Basie

If you have never listened to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, please read on. You don't need to do album three. If you know the album well, skip to recording number three.

This album is considered by many critics and jazz aficionados to be the greatest/most important album of all time. Listen to how the three main horn soloists, Miles Davis on trumpet, Cannonball Adderley on alto, and John Coltrane on tenor, differ in their approaches. Compare the two pianists, Wynton Kelly on "Freddie Freeloader" and Bill Evans on all the other tracks. Notice how the chord progressions move very slowly, especially in "So What." This was the birth of modal jazz, when Miles and others decided to focus on improvising interesting melodies by limiting the number of chord changes they had to navigate. That allowed them ample time to explore a single scale or mode. After listening, write up your thoughts about the three horns, two pianists, and any other thoughts you might have.

Kind Of Blue - Miles Davis

If you've already explored Kind of Blue in the past, listen to this greatest hits package by pianist/composer Thelonious Monk. His tunes are some of the most often played in all of jazz, and his playing style is very individual. Note how he uses clusters (dissonant bunches of closely-spaced notes), little flourishes on whole tone scales, and a very punchy touch on the keyboard. He is also a master of rhythmic displacement, meaning he will play a lick on one beat of a bar and then repeat it on another beat in a later bar, giving it a new perspective. You'll especially hear this in the main theme of "Straight No Chaser." Write up your impressions of his playing and tell me about one or two of your favorite tunes.

The Very Best - Thelonious Mon...

Summer Marching Band Update

Hey, Warrior Marching Band members! Please check your school email accounts for a message from me about possible tunes for our first show. I could use your input on a couple of ideas. Thanks!

Music from the Stone Age

And I don't mean the theme to The Flintstones! Here is an article about the discovery of a 35,000 year-old flute in a cave in Germany. There is also a sound clip of a replica of the flute so you can hear what it may have sounded like "back in the day" at the end of the Ice Age, which is also when modern humans first began creating art by carving sculptures out of ivory.

Hello from Wisconsin!

This week I'm attending a workshop on Comprehensive Musicianship at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. The Wisconsin music associations have truly cornered the market on CM teaching, which is the subject of my dissertation. Essentially, they are promoting the teaching of performance, theory, history, and composition as a single, integrated topic. Too often, we teach the latter three disciplines in a specialized course, like Music Theory at DHS. This workshop challenges us as directors to go beyond teaching notes and rhythms to provide a "comprehensive," or complete, music education in our ensembles. So, when I teach about different chords in band rehearsal or talk about the history of the composer, I am engaging in CM teaching. This is something I've done all along, but this workshop is giving me some ideas about how I can do it in a more organized, intentional manner.

Next year, I hope you will recognize when I am asking you to be analysts, composers, and critics in addition to performers. Don't get me wrong--our main focus will still be learning to play our instruments well so that we can experience high quality music and perform it at the highest level possible. We'll just add on to that traditional model in a way that will make us all better musicians. Think of it as not just performance, but performance with understanding. Stay tuned!

(By the way, I am too old to be staying in a dorm without air conditioning. Just thought you should know that.)

Jazz Band Summer Listening, Part One

To the 2009-10 Jazz Band:

Here it is, your first monthly installment of the summer listening! What I'd like you to do is listen to these two albums and send me an email with your impressions, thoughts, and/or questions. Since these are provided courtesy of Lala.com, you will only be able to listen to each track once. After that, you will only be able to listen to 30 second samples unless you join and purchase the album.

The first album up is one of the many great albums from 1959 that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Mingus Ah Um by the great composer and bassist, Charles Mingus. Some important things to listen for:

• Most of what Mingus wrote is steeped in the blues, and this album is no exception. Listen to the bluesy phrases even in tunes that aren't in the 12-bar form (for example, the head to "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat."
  
• Mingus' band is very loose--they always stay together in perfect time, but it never feels uptight. There is always that sense that he values each player's individuality enough to allow them some flexibility in playing the heads.
  
• "Better Git It" is a great example of bluesy, gospel-style playing.
  
• "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" was written in memory of the great swing-era tenor player, Lester Young, who was known as "Prez," short for "The President."
  
• "Self-Portrait" is a rare jazz tune with no improvisation. It's a single chord progression of 14.5 bars (there's a 2/4 bar in there somewhere). The horns play it three times, adding a counterline the second time and another on the third.
  
• "Open Letter" and "Bird Calls" are tributes to Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker, respectively.
  
• "Fable of Faubus" is one of the many tunes that Mingus wrote and then gave politically charged titles. Orval Faubus was the Arkansas governor who, in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court, ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the "Little Rock Nine" from integrating a Little Rock high school.
  
• "Jelly Roll" is for the the great early jazz pianist, composer, and band leader, Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton.

The final three tracks are optional listening. They were not on the original LP release in 1959 due to the fact that vinyl records could only hold about 45 minutes of music total. You can read a bit more about the album on AllMusic.

Ah Um - Charles Mingus

The next album I'd like you to check out is much more recent, and it's by another bassist composer, Ben Allison. Little Things Run the World was released in 2008, and it is much more rock-influenced. Read these reviews as you listen to the album:

• All About Jazz
  
• AllMusic
  
• Palmetto Records--this is the label that released the disc, and the article includes some of Allison's own thoughts about the recording.
  

Little Things Run The World - ...

That's all for June. Enjoy your listening!

Summer is here!

Classes are done, all the grades are turned in, the music and instruments have been put away, and the uniforms are on their way to the cleaners. Summer is here!

Remember to keep practicing so you come back in good shape for the fall. The first football game is August 28, and the Potpourri Concert is on September 23. No summer chops!

Best wishes to the entire DHS band family!--Mr. B

Cool Concert This Thursday

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has a training group called the Civic Orchestra (sort of like a AAA farm club). It is a fantastic ensemble led by Cliff Colnot, and they perform several times a year for free. This Thursday, June 11, at 9:30 AM, they will present Dvorak's 9th Symphony, commonly known as "The New World Symphony." The fourth movement of this work will remind you of John Williams' theme from the movie Jaws, although it's important to note that Dvorak wrote his work several decades earlier. The second movement is one of the most beautiful melodies of all time, an English horn solo also known as "Going Home." It sounds very much like an old-time African-American spiritual. In fact, Dvorak, a Bohemian (Czech) composer, wrote this symphony in part to show his American counterparts how they could use the music of African and Native Americans to forge a unique style that was less influenced by European romanticism.

The concert will begin with a multimedia presentation on the background of Dvorak's piece, followed by a complete performance after intermission. It will be held in Symphony Center on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Click here for more details. Let me know if you get a chance to attend and celebrate your first day of summer vacation in style!

Spontaneous Public Music Making

For the last several rehearsals, all but seven members of the Wind Ensemble have been rehearsing with the orchestra for graduation. That left me with one trumpet, one euphonium, four alto saxes, and one baritone sax. So, instead of sitting around with nothing to do, we put together two fun ensembles. The first is a quick arrangement I did of Canzon III a 6 Voci by Giovanni Gabrieli. This was written in the early 1600s, probably for brass instruments, but it works surprising well for our chamber group. My music theory class was down to one student after the seniors left, so I encouraged him to write an original work for the same instrumentation. He came up with a delightful modal piece in 3/4 with interesting syncopations and texture changes.

We worked on both pieces for a few days and then decided to take our show on the road. We wandered around the school during our class period looking for odd places to play. We began in the student union where we were largely ignored, except for the appreciative teacher who was supervising the empty space:

We then played in the open hallway space known as "The Blocks." Some people seemed very annoyed with our disrupting their precious social time, but one student decided to be a groupie and follow us.

Our next stop was the front entrance. Bad acoustics but lots of natural light:

We found a much more receptive audience in the north gym, where a number of girls were on treadmills and exercycles. The guys lifting weights next door went about their business, clanging barbells and grunting:

After picking up another groupie, we went to the library lobby. Here we drew a large audience and more followers:

When we finished up in the courtyard, we had a number of fans listening, as well as the rest of the Wind Ensemble, who had just gotten out of rehearsal. All in all, it was an interesting experiment, and we brought live music to some people who would have otherwise heard only their iPods and car stereos today.

Ravinia--Summer Music Under the Stars

Those of us here on Chicago's North Shore are blessed with one of America's truly great summer music fests, Ravinia. Located in a beautiful park setting in a neighborhood just east of us in Highland Park, their eclectic line-up, quality sound system, and great dining choices make this a wonderful place to spread out a blanket and soak up great music under the stars. You can sit in the pavilion if you have the cash for the ticket, but I enjoy plunking down $10 or so and sitting on the lawn. The parking is pricey ($10-20), so I suggest parking in one of their shuttle lots along the train tracks on St. Johns. A free bus brings you directly to the park. Plan to arrive a couple of hours before show time to enjoy a meal and social time with friends! Look for some of your friends from band who are working as ushers this summer (what a great job!).

After perusing the schedule, I'd like to recommend the following events to my students:

Classical

• June 18, Music of Handel
• July 12, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with actual cannons! (This will be very crowded--arrive early!)
• July 18, Beethoven's 9th Symphony (Probably also very crowded)
• July 19, Mahler's 9th Symphony (two ninths in two nights!)
• July 24, Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Gershwin and Bernstein (West Side Story Dances!)
• July 25, Dvorak's New World Symphony (this is probably where John Williams got the Jaws movie theme)
• August 9, James Galway (one of the greatest flutists in history!) with the CSO

Jazz/Pop/World

• June 12, Ramsey Lewis (Chicago jazz legend) and his tribute to Abraham Lincoln
• July 1, Femi Kuti and King Sunny Ade, two African pop legends, guaranteed to get you dancing ($16 lawn tickets)
• August 11, James Galway (see above) playing Cuban and French jazz
• September 2, Kurt Elling (incredible jazz singer) and Ernie Watts recreate a famous John Coltrane with vocals album

If you want more information, click here for the official Ravinia website.

Memorial Day 2009

It was a beautiful day in downtown Deerfield, surprisingly so when past Memorial Days have featured thunderstorms or 90 degree heat. A rare, comfortably cool fourth Monday in May as the Warrior Marching Band once again traveled to Jewett Park for the American Legion's annual commemoration of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedoms. As usual, there were speeches made and honors bestowed, the band played our national anthem, and several alums stopped by to say hello. Recent alums like Ethan Kaplan (trumpet '08) and long graduated alums like Jerry Madden (alto sax '90). Army veteran Frank Harrison (baritone sax '92) carried a flag in the Legion's color guard as he has for several years. I spotted Herb and Vivian Landon, parents of Erica (trombone/drum major '92) along the parade route, and Bruce Stupple, retired DHS art teacher greeted me as well. It is always good to see old friends.

As we have for the past several years, we marched to the tune of "America On Parade." This is an arrangement I did a number of years ago that combines our "American the Beautiful" pregame entrance music with "Battle Hymn of the Republic." I originally put it together for the band to play in the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival parade competition. (If you're too young to know about that, it was an almost sacred event for the band each October). My favorite part of Memorial Day, however, is when we get to the cemetery just south of downtown. The drum majors, two senior buglers, and I join the queue of Legionnaires and scouts as they read the names of Deerfield residents who have died in America's many wars. It's an impressive list, beginning with a man who gave his life during the War of 1812 and ending with several names of men who died in Vietnam. I can't help but imagine that some of the latter were DHS grads who enlisted or were drafted right out of school. After the last name is read, three Legionnaires fire three volleys into the air with their rifles. Then our buglers, this year Josh Sacks and Max Polisky, play an echo version of Taps. Afterwards, there is a benediction and we parade back to the Legion Hall.

All in all, from the time we arrive at DHS to warm-up until the last uniform is checked in for the year, we spend less than three hours on this activity. While most students are sleeping in or relaxing at their family cottage, the marching band members are taking time out to pay tribute to the brave men and women who laid down their lives that we might enjoy our peace and prosperity. From Gettysburg to Normandy, from Iraq to Afghanistan, whether you agree with the politics of a given war or not, over one million Americans have given their lives in service of our country. And three hours on a holiday is a very small gesture for us to make in return.

Dissertation Update

I reached an important milestone with my doctoral dissertation yesterday. The whole process has been a series of these "red-letter days." The first came at the end of 2008 when I finished my last class. The second came in April 2009 when I passed my eight hours of qualifying exams. Then I spent all of last summer writing the 130-page proposal that spells out exactly what I plan to study. After attending a 10-day residency at Boston University in August, working with my professors and six colleagues, honing my plan, discussing the finer points of research, and doing a lot of reading and rewriting, my proposal was accepted by my professors, which means I was officially "ABD" ("all but dissertation"). My next step was approval by the Institutional Review Board.

The "IRB" reviews all proposals to make sure we researchers are using sound methods and not endangering our subjects. They looked over my work and returned it to me in October with specific questions and requests. I was able to answer all of them to their satisfaction, but I needed some supporting documentation from the state music education organizations. I finally received those letters late this spring and was able to resend my packet to the IRB. After one last minor edit, I was notified yesterday that I had passed this final hurdle and can finally begin my work in earnest. Woohoo!

Unfortunately, my major data collection instrument is a survey of high school band directors, which I now won't be able to undertake until the fall. This puts my time line about a year behind schedule, but at least I can now see a clear path forward. Luckily for me, I am still passionate about my topic, which is Comprehensive Musicianship. This refers to the teaching of diverse musical disciplines in an integrated fashion. In other words, band students can learn history, theory, and composition as part of the rehearsal process for a piece of music. If you've been in the Deerfield HS band program, you know that I have tried to do this to some extent over the years. Some directors have developed programs in which they do this in a very organized and intentional manner. I will be looking to determine just how much band directors know about this topic and how many of them engage in CM teaching. I'll be updating my blog readers throughout the process of my research. Stay tuned!

Free Music Samplers from Amazon

Amazon.com, still a relatively new player in the online music market, is carving out quite a niche for itself with the release of several free samplers from various record companies. A lot of it is indie rock, so if you are into that, you can check out a wide variety of new tracks. There is also a variety of other genres available as well. They are giving these collections away, no doubt, in an attempt to entice you to buy more music by the featured artists. It's a great way to explore records that you might not otherwise hear. Three of my favorites:

The Koch Records jazz sampler is a mixed bag, with some instrumentals, some vocals, and a bit of smooth jazz. I do, however, really like the tracks by Vinicius Cantuaria (some nice samba), Jason Miles (a cover of "Stolen Moments"), and Jenny Scheinman (jazz violin).

I'm always looking for interesting music from cultures beyond my own, so any world music sampler is highly appreciated. The Rough Guide series is an excellent introduction to exotic sounds. This small sampler of their many, many discs goes from Guinea, South Africa, and Madagascar to Latin America and Arabia with a nice variety of Afropop and salsa.

Finally, Daptone Records offers some great funk and soul that sounds like it's straight out of the 1970s. If you want to hear some greasy horn vamps and hip vocals, check this one out!

Click on any of the album covers to go to the webpage and start downloading!

Jazz Nite 09

Come one, come all to this year's edition of Jazz Nite, on Wednesday, April 29, at 7:30 in the Deerfield High School auditorium! The Jazz Band will perform the world premiere of Geoff Shell's composition "Twilight," as well as three jazz classics: "Red Clay" by Freddie Hubbard, "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday, and "Moanin'" by Charles Mingus (not to be confused with the Bobby Timmons tune of the same name). In addition, the Monday and Tuesday Afternoon Jazz groups will each play a set. The ever-popular Choraliers and various vocal soloists will be singing some favorite numbers from the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and '40s, and the Jazz Band and Choraliers will open and close the show together in spectacular fashion. We hope to have a big crowd--it's a great concert paper opportunity for all you sophomores and juniors!

Unexpected Music

We should all enjoy life this much!

I feel this way when the Jazz Band takes over the front lobby on the day before vacation. When was the last time you made music or danced where it was unexpected? We should all do this more often!

The Joy of Vinyl

Many of you reading this post are considered part of Generation Y, or the Millenials. I myself am on the tail end of the Baby Boom. Therefore, while I have very fond memories of vinyl phonograph records, also known as LPs (for long-playing), you are better acquainted with the CD, that staple of Generation X. Many of you, however, probably own few CDs and store most of your music collection digitally on hard drives, mp3 players, and cell phones. It is to you that I address this post about the Joys of Vinyl.

When I was a kid in the early 70s, I listened to WLS, 890 on your AM dial. Yep, we kids listened to our top 40 music on an AM (meaning non-stereo) radio station. FM was for cool college kids and aging hippies. We used to collect 45s, which were 7" records with one song (the one you really liked) on side A and another (an obscure album cut you'd never heard of) on side B. They were usually 79, 89, or 99 cents at the local department store. We'd hear a song we liked (typically over and over), and then run down to the store and spend our allowance on such classics as "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers or "Loves Me Like a Rock" by Paul Simon.

As I got into junior high school and had a larger allowance, I began to discover the LP record album. This was a two-sided collection of several songs by an artist. My tastes had moved into groups like Chicago and Foreigner, re-releases of classic rock like Jimi Hendrix, and jazz artists like Charlie Parker and Dave Brubeck. I would get my dad to take me to Rose Records on Milwaukee Road in Niles where they had a huge selection of titles, and I always looked for the $4.99 specials. This was the beginning of my record collection.

Now for those of you who don't know about LPs, here are several reasons why they are cooler than CDs:

1) They have two sides of 18-22 minutes each. Artists worked to craft a cohesive statement for Side A (begin with a attention grabber, end with a rocker) and one for Side B (start with something a little more daring or experimental, end with an anthemic rocker). CDs, on the other hand, are one, 70-minute long statement that often includes a lot of filler tunes that never would have made it onto the tighter, more focused LP format.

2) The album art is on a much larger canvas (roughly 150 square inches vs. 22.5). This becomes very noticeable when you look at a classic album cover like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and compare it to the minuscule CD version. When you sit down and look at an LP cover, it fills your lap. Also, artists would occasionally put a full-sized wall poster in the record jacket like Prince did with Purple Rain.

3) Many audiophiles (people who really, really love their music and can discern minute differences in sound quality) will tell you that the analog sound on an LP is warmer and more accurate than the digital sound on a CD.

Granted, there are some reasons why CDs are better--portability, durability (records sound scratchy pretty quickly), "ripability" (you can put them on the computer fairly easily), and availability of players. However, most people my age and older have a special place in their hearts for vinyl records.

If you would like to explore vinyl records in all their glory, then you are in luck! This Saturday, April 18, is Record Store Day all across America. If you go to your local independent record store, you'll be able to buy all sorts of cool, limited edition vinyl, produced just for this event. Click on the logo below to find a participating store near you!