6/30/05
I played a wedding reception at a very opulent home in Connecticut last weekend and I asked a colleague if he could ever imagine having a band as a toy. (which is what it is on jobs like that) He then related to me a story about a gig he recently did with Aretha Franklin. It was a surprise birthday party at a similar residence. At the beginning of the evening the host quieted the guests down and announced, "and as part of the surprise we have .....Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul!" The band started up and all the guests resumed their conversations.
5/9/05
I've read in a popular mail order musical instrument catalog that my rubber mouthpieces will wear out in three years. Oh no. That means I'll have to replace all my rubber pieces every three years. How convenient for the mouthpiece makers. I guess this valuable info should have been shared with all the great players who used the same piece for most of their lives. (sarcasm off) An associate related to me how when her students read this they all came to her freaked out that their mouthpieces were going to wear out. This kind of sales technique is really low. Why can't they just make a great product instead of resorting to scare tactics?
4/14/05
Came across an impressive collection of bassoon fingerings here and a good article on "flicking" by Robert S. Williams first bassoonist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra here. This last one is a pdf so right click the link and "Save As..." to grab the file.
3/16/05
The new web address is www.frankvacin.com. No more tildes (~).
3/9/05
I finally found a place to get chord changes online. Most people want you to buy a whole book but I'm usually just looking for a tune or two. Ralph Patt has his Vanilla Book online here. I haven't had time to check it all out but it deserves mention
3/8/05
I've started an mp3 page here.
3/6/05
Hamiet Bluiett told me about the Maccaferri reed when I first moved to NYC in 1991 but I've just gotten around to trying them out. The founders of the company, Mario and Maria Maccaferri, have an interesting story and even better the reeds are great! If you're tired of the crappy cane in Rico's and the annoying inconsistency of Vandorens try a box of the "My Masterpiece" reeds. These reeds are not mass produced by a giant corporation only looking to increase their bottom line. The French-American Reed Company has been around since before WWII and the reeds are still made by the Maccaferri family. This is a excellent reed made by good people.
2/22/05
This is the place to find out a little bit about me, get my contact info and download a couple of things.
2/21/05
You've reached my web page.
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