Day thirty-three - Living in a Bubble

Tuesday was an exciting day for me. I drove into Denton after a few days of meetings in Dallas. I planned to spend the day visiting the music department and listening to bands perform. Apart from the urban sprawl all around the campus, things didn’t seem to have changed much.

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Photo of the Campus.

I was still in awe at how much music was happening and the standard of it all. I think that one can never imagine what it’s like. You’d really need to visit to experience this first hand.

From the first hour I arrived, I heard music non-stop until the time I left. I sat in on a class during an incredible performance of African drumming (and dancers). Out of respect for the performers, I didn’t take any photos of this. I had heard that Phil Woods, renowned alto sax player would be rehearsing with the 1 o’clock lab band so while I waited until one o’clock, I walked down to the commons area where I was pleased to find a noon hour performance of the 4 o’clock lab band. At UNT, students in the jazz department audition for positions in the bands. Nine big bands rehearse (at their respective times) each day. As a student progresses in ability, he/she moves up to a band rehearsing earlier in the day. Hence, students in the bands rehearsing at one, two, three and even four o’clock are seasoned and veteran players even at the age of 21.

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The 4 o'clock lab band performing in a concert.

The practice hall at one o’clock was crowded with students anticipating the rehearsal of Phil Woods with the band in preparation for a Thursday night performance. Unfortunately, Phil didn’t not show up because he was feeling ill, but listening to the band was fantastic anyway.

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Photo of the 1 o'clock lab band.

The next hour everyone trouped over to watch the Phil Woods master class. Here he did show up, tell animated stories, perform a few tunes and listen to some of the more advanced players play with the one o’clock rhythm section.

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Phil Woods performing [left] and the master class [right].

I started my studies at UNT almost 30 years ago and stayed there for 3 years finishing up a Bachelor of Music degree. At that time I was in awe of the players. I still am. It seems that the best players flock from all across the country (and some from outside of the country) because of the dynamic music program. What happens, because they live inside this small little bubble of Denton Texas, is that they start to compete among themselves. It’s really an amazing place. I started to think that if I could become independently wealthy, maybe I would return and try to compete again. Ha ha. I hope someone buys this business fast or I might be 70 years old when I finally start playing in a lab band again.

The thing I like about being at North Texas is that it’s just about being the absolute best. When you listen to all of these players, and you start to wonder, how they could ever all get work when they get out, you realize that some probably won’t work as musicians.

However, the training that they have had and the years of trying to be the absolute best in an art form, will carry over into the rest of their lives and I am sure that graduates go on to try to “be the best” at whatever they do.

After leaving the campus I decided to walk over to see if my old residences were still around. The very first, a second floor flat in an old mansion on Oak Street was not there. Alas, it had been torn down. Oh well. It had been in pretty bad shape even when I was there. What was a gracious big old building now it seems is a paved parking lot.

My second places of residence were on a street called “Normal Street”. Pretty weird name but “Normal” used to be the name for the “College of Teachers” which was called “Normal College”. Those two humble abodes were still standing. They had been old when I lived there. They looked even worse now. Oh well. Maybe my living expenses wouldn’t be too high if I moved back here!

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My first little house [top left], my second little house [top right] and a photo of the little houses on Normal Street [bottom].

Even my friend and neighbor, Ross’s house was still standing. Although I think it has seen better days. (I’ll have to e-mail a photo of this to Ross.)

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My friend and neighbor Ross's house.