(THIS IS LONG!!!!!! YOUVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!) Starting my day with a bit of nostalgia. I was The Voice last night for the 38th Annual Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District Band Pageant, a district show off extravaganza of the six junior high and four high school marching band programs. This is a district that prides itself in the support of the fine arts--a rarity, in my estimation, where FROM THE TOP (superintendant Dr. Don Domene was there THE WHOLE NIGHT and actively engaged in watching and enjoying the show) the support filters down and it shows. The home stands at Bradford Stadium were PACKED with about, in my estimation, 5-6000 people. Its a great night. But the nostalgia came in the form of a few people that came up to the pressbox.... Phil Mortensen....I always refer back to the fact that in 1986, when I joined the Big Brown Music Machine at CSULB, there was a point in the drill (written by my mentor and big brother David Weinberg) that I was flanked in a company front by Phil on one side, and trumpet extraordinare and SCV alum and drill design/winter guard luminary Robert E Whitaker). All three of us became fast friends and would over the years work and play together and support each other in our trials. I made a snide comment earlier in my timeline that you would think after nearly 30 years of friendship....and it hit me this morning on the drive to work through crappy traffic, that I indeed had been friends with Phil for almost 30 years. Hes been my boss...hes been a colleague...but hes been a FRIEND all these years. And a perfect example of that same phenomenon in the world of friendships where as we got older, our paths went separate ways...but every the rare times we talk and/or work together, like last night, its like a well oiled machine. Thank you Phil.... But then I was visited by two more people that both have that same type of long friendship.... Peter Perez, long time fixture in the music education world in southern California, a VERY accomplished professional musician, and long time friend, came up and said hi. Pete too was in the Big Brown Music Machine with me, and he and I would end up working together on several projects and shows together. He even played oboe for a church choir gig I hired him for that I was conducting. And one of the most endearing memories was being his chauffer for a few years, and having MANY early morning breakfasts at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant at Knotts in between some our project gigs we had. Now hes a dad, with kids of his own, a rich life, a great wife, and just like I said before....our lives have gone different paths but so fortunate to have that ability to pick up like no time has passed. And third person....someone I met when he joined the Velvet Knights as just a skinny mellophone player with spiky hair. Don Gallaher and I may not be the CLOSEST of friends, but we are brothers and Ive absolutely MARVELED at where hes gone with his life. He is a great drill designer in his own right but hes also a great winter guard designer as well. His massive collection of awards and accolades over the years proves THAT out. But how great is it to have been his drum major 25 years ago, and to watch him grow up--and be even a competitor of mine. And how great is it to see that skinny mellophone player be such a major name in the business, and someone I can call a brother and friend. Yeah--Im a sap! Sorry this was so long. But this is what I was thinking about this morning. I love my own family--OBVIOUSLY--but I am BLESSED beyond my comprehension to have an EXTENDED giant family. And these three guys are just part of that family. And I wanted to recognize them and thank them....and I guess, since its November, be THANKFUL for them. Thats it....now go take on your day and Hulk Smash!!!
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 17:15:02 +0000
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