Best posts made by SSmith1226

Holy Crap!!! The Bot’s “User Name” isn’t HAL 9000, is it?

@J-Jericho said in A little humour:

Heard this one on the radio today:

Unfortunately it reminded me of a band concert I played in this past Sunday at a nursing home to help celebrate Mother’s Day, but that’s another story.

In another vein, I recently called an old Engineering buddy of mine and asked what he was working on these days.

He replied that he was working on "Aqua-thermal treatment of ceramics, aluminum and steel under a constrained environment."

I was impressed until, upon further inquiry, I learned that he was washing dishes with hot water under his wife's supervision.

A very interesting story concerning an unwelcome interaction between Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis:
https://lithub.com/the-icon-and-the-upstart-on-miles-daviss-legendary-feud-with-wynton-marsalis/

@neal085 said in Trumpet Board Remote Performance:

@SSmith1226 that was great, man. Loved seeing the performers and the end credits.

And if this is the Youth Ensemble, I'll add that I sure don't know what's gotten into today's youth.

That’s what lock down does to you.

@moshe said in Hello nursing home, Goodbye cornet:

I went straight from hospital to nursing home 3 weeks ago.

So no more playing any instruments.

Oy...
Moshe,
I’m very sorry that you have these health problems and hope that you can improve with time and therapy. If you are physically able to play your cornet, and want to play, why not do so. As was mentioned, most nursing homes have a common area, and most of these have pianos or key boards. There are bound to be other patients, staff, or visiting families, with musical skills who would find it as a fun activity, or even therapeutic, to join you, and then have other patients join in song. Alternatively for practice purposes, a practice mute would allow you to play without disturbing anyone else. If you are going to be living in the nursing home long term, as opposed to short term rehabilitation, and you don’t have a practice mute, email me ( ssmith1226@aol.com ) with your name and the address of the nursing home, and I will send you one.
Lastly, if you feel that there will be problems doing the above, talk to the facility social worker about: 1) the possibility of, if you can ride in a car or van, providing transportation too and from local Community Band rehearsals, and 2) pointing out that Music Therapy is a recognized treatment modality and specialty that can be beneficial not only to you, but many other patients in the nursing home. If you don’t have a Music Therapist at your facility, and you do have a Recreational Therapist, or even Physical or Occupational Therapists, talk to them to see whether they can incorporate music in their programs. Another thought would be, in your conversation with the social worker, suggest that perhaps a volunteer program using local college or high school students, could be set up to start a music program in your facility.
I hope that this helps. Get well soon!

On April 27, I played in a six piece band backing up the Lake Nona Arts Choir, a community based choir in Orlando, FL. It was a great experience for me as a comeback player who in December went through extensive open heart surgery. The ensemble performed 14 numbers. The following link is our performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, from Disney’s “Encanto”.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/4VAujH2ozG2eBUC3/?mibextid=MeSgDu

My latest remote performance was with my niece who plays flute. It tells the story of an egotistical nightclub owner and dancer, Raoul, who is world famous for his dance, the”Bolero”. His Parisian Nightclub reopens after the end of World War I, with the club packed with an enthusiastic audience who are excited with anticipation to once again see the Bolero performed. His regular dance partner was drunk an was unable to perform. On top of that his band ate a bad batch of escargot and all were deathly ill. As fate would have it, a former dance partner, and romantic interest, Helen, who was now a member of high society, was in the audience with her husband, and musicians, Elana and Steve, were available by Zoom. The evening was saved, and just like in the case of the Titanic, the band played on.

Please excuse this post placed under “Humor”. It is about Father’s Day, and being posted on the day itself, I felt that the discussion would be very limited and short lived. Never the less I wanted to share my thoughts with the group. Being a comeback of three years I have done virtually no posting in the technical sections of trumpet playing, so I am posting these thoughts in the section that I have the highest comfort level in.
It’s Father’s Day today in the United States, which caused me to reflect on the past 40 years of my life. During this time I have lived in the Florida Keys, a 112 mile long chain of beautiful tropical islands interconnected with roads and bridges south of the Florida Peninsula. I raised my family there, and now my children, who are well into their own independent lives, are raising their children. Over the last 40 years I have witnessed many touching situations. The following is one of the most memorable and touching experiences I have had in the Keys involving a father and his children, outside of my own family. It’s about a friend of mine, Doug P....r who was born in the Keys, as were generations before him dating back to the mid 19th century, when they came over by boat from the Bahamas. Doug was a true “Conch”.
Doug P.....r lived all his life in the Florida Keys and was on his deathbed. He knew the end was near. His nurse, his wife, his daughter and two sons, were with him. He asked for two witnesses to be present and a camcorder be in place to record his last wishes. This is where I came into the story as a witness. When all was ready he began to speak:
“My son, Bernie, I want you to take the Ocean Reef houses.”
“My daughter Sybil, I want you to take the offices over the Marathon Government Center.”
“My son, Jamie, I want you to take the apartments between Mile Marker 100 and Tavernier.”
“Sarah, my dear wife, please take all the residential buildings on the bayside on Blackwater Sound.”
The nurses and witnesses were literally blown away, as none of us realized that this wonderful man, the consummate father and husband, who lived his whole life so modestly had such extensive holdings. As Doug slipped quietly away, the nurse said, “Mrs. P....r, your husband must have been such a hard working man to have accumulated all this property.
Sarah, his wife, replied, “The asshole had a paper route.”

The following is an interesting article from the BBC which gives a British perspective of Louis Armstrong’s legacy.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240722-louis-armstrong-the-us-jazz-icon-with-a-controversial-legacy

I just watched this fascinating BBC Documentary featuring Herb Alpert. It’s about 1 hr long, but at least in my experience, was well worth the investment of time.

Youtube Video

@BigDub said in A little humour:

Then there’s this........

Variation 2 & 3

@J-Jericho
After watching this documentary I have developed a tremendous amount of admiration and appreciation of what he accomplished.
At age 90 (on March 31) he is still performing.
Youtube Video

Youtube Video

@Seth-of-Lagos
Here is the harmony of George Friderick Handel:

@Vulgano-Brother said in Dr. GO? My back's been bothering me...:

@Dr-GO ...
It's not just my back though. After the Viagra you sent me I developed carpal-tunnel syndrome.

Vulgano Brother and Dr.Go,
I ask for your forgiveness and understanding for inserting myself in this exchange, but I had some relevant thoughts about Vulgano Brother’s carpal tunnel syndrome. Certainly if allowed to advance, the carpal tunnel syndrome would adversely affect his trumpet playing to the point that Clarke Studies would no longer be possible to play.
My first thought would be to go to a well qualified massage parlor for therapeutic massage. If a minimum of five treatments per week for a month do not improve your carpal tunnel syndrome, or at least take your mind off of it, wearing the below pictured gloves 24 hours a day will certainly give your hands and wrists adaquate rest to allow all swelling to subside.
Good luck!!!

On June 20 I posted this cartoon. Today I saw yhe video equivalent of it.

@Dr-GO said in Dr. GO? My back's been bothering me...:

@SSmith1226 said in Dr. GO? My back's been bothering me...:

@Vulgano-Brother said in Dr. GO? My back's been bothering me...:

@Dr-GO ...
It's not just my back though. After the Viagra you sent me I developed carpal-tunnel syndrome.

Vulgano Brother and Dr.Go,
... Certainly if allowed to advance, the carpal tunnel syndrome would adversely affect his trumpet playing to the point that Clark Studies would no longer be possible to play.

Not to mention the vision loss due to the overriding affliction!

I agree with Dr. GO’s analysis completely! In my unprofessional opinion, Immediate Ophthalmologic evaluation should be considered in cases such as this one! It is sad to consider that this affliction was first reported in the Old Testament (Gen. 38, 7–10), and later discussed by Julius Ceaser who said
“ to the lonely it is company; to the forsaken it is a friend; to the aged and impotent it is a benefactor; they that be penniless are yet rich, in that they still have this majestic diversion. There are times when I prefer it to sodomy.". Unfortunately, as of yet, medical science does not seem to have a handle, or any other grip, on solving this conundrum, only perpetrating it with drugs and water based substances heavily advertised on television. (Warning: Hetman, Blue Juice and similar substances ARE NOT water based.)
It is a sad state of affairs that this problem, and case study, has been brought out from the shadows to the public eye on a Trumpet Discussion Site, and not in a peer reviewed prestigious medical journal. Kudos to Trumpetboards.com!!!
Now that I have taken a break, resting as long as I have played, back to my Clarke Technical Studies. I’m glad I got that off my chest.

"Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He's not breathing and his eyes are glazed, so his friend calls 911.
'My friend is dead! What should I do?' The operator replies, 'Calm down, sir. I can help. First make sure that he's dead.'
There's a silence, then a loud bang. Back on the phone, the hunter says, 'OK, now what?'"