MLT Club Member Bud Jackson
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
-
Jung and everyone,
I’m really enjoying the back & forth conversation here! Now I HAVE to get back to my Planning, Practice & other Work! (DANG!!) — Bud
(Looking forward to seeing Mona & Lisa again on Friday!! Hooray!!)
-
Jung,
That’s the first time I’ve seen that version, & it is really Excellent, with lots of great harmonizing, along with the beat box & fist thumping! The combination of male & female vocals gives it a wider range too, thanks! — Bud
-
Daryl,
Related to what you said about Newfoundland Sea Chanteys, I found some string books back in the 1990’s for my String class to play — Violins, Violas, Cellos & Bass. One of the songs was “Ise the B’y,” complete with lyrics. My class loved the songs & got a kick out of singing them too! We probably did a few of them when we were up in Victoria, BC, playing in our concerts.
Concerning the “Wellerman” song, it’s not a Flute that Alina plays, but a “Penny Whistle,” also called a “Tin Whistle” which originated in Ireland, & the earliest instruments made of bone were unearthed in High Street, Dublin from the 12th Century! They were first mass produced in Britain around 1825, & more so in 1843. Supposedly they cost a “penny” back then!
The Recorder, that Mona plays in “Any Other Day” first came from the 14th century & was used in Europe for their Medieval Music. The differences? Recorder can play chromatic notes, some by covering 1/2 a hole, & the Tin Whistles are Diatonic, & only play natural Notes, no sharps or flats, & have no back hole as the Recorder does. They are held Vertically & are blown on the front of the instrument. Both instruments have only finger holes, but no keys, although I think some modern Bass Recorders have a few keys.
FLUTES on the other hand are held horizontally, are side blown, have keys & have a wider range.
They’re all amazing, fun instruments! Recorders & Penny Whistles are great for starting out, because they’re much easier to play than the Flute!The oldest FLUTES, made out of Bone, go back 35,000, 45,000 & even 60,000 years ago! The later having been played by Neanderthals! (HMMM…. maybe they were smarter than we give them credit to have been!)
(Also, Mona & Lisa I KNOW, could do a GREAT version of the WELLERMAN; if they wanted to do it!) At any rate, I would love to see Mona play the Flute & Recorder again! I’m sure Lisa & Mona are very busy now practicing & doing more videos, so I doubt they have time to look at our conversations. But I hope that Mona will use these wind instruments again in upcoming videos!!
Mona?…. are you out there?……MONAAAAAA!!??
Just for fun, check this out! — Bud J.
Your first RECORDER LESSON! | Team Recorder BASICS (youtube.com)
-
Hey Jung!
I’ve seen parts of that movie, but someday I’ll have to watch the whole thing! I read a while back that it was Harry James who recorded the trumpet parts for that movie. Knowing his sound, you can tell right away that it was him! That is a great movie!
I could talk about music & the trumpet for days! But I feel like I’m getting too much off the subject of the MLT’s! I did notice somewhere, when looking thru pictures of Mona & Lisa that Mona had a SLIDE TRUMPET, that someone must have given her! People on the site were calling it a Mini-Trombone, but no, it’s a slide trumpet. (They’re a novelty & aren’t used very much. However, Maynard Ferguson had the Holton company manufacture a trumpet w/both the slide AND the valves and the same w/a Trombone. He named them the “Firebird Trumpet,” & the “Superbone!”) I could get into Maynard stories, but maybe another time! Getting back to M & L:
Somewhat later, someone asked Mona if she had practiced the “mini-trombone” yet, & she said no, but that she passed it every day in her room. That’s exactly how I feel many times, when I don’t have time to practice, and I’ll look over and see one of my instruments sitting there, waiting to be played! Then I often have to practice what I need to the most, with a busy schedule!
Here’s Maynard soloing on the superbone, opposite the “Bad Man” on Bari Sax.
Maynard Ferguson – Superbone Meets The Bad Man 1974 (youtube.com)
youtube.com
Maynard Ferguson - Superbone Meets The Bad Man 1974
Maynard Ferguson - Superbone Meets The Bad Man 1974 from the album Chameleon.Superbone is the name of a special valve/slide trombone that was created by Mayn...
-
Jung,
I’m glad you like the Maynard Ferguson Jazz recording, thanks!
Also, I do LOVE the 3 California songs that Mona & Lisa recorded, plus the George/Beatles song, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps!” They’re ALL excellent, & some of their very best videos! I didn’t see the Hotel California video until this year, and WOW, they did a great job all around on that one! And the Guitar solo! At age about 15? Whoa Nellie! The Girls/Ladies really have something special!
And the “Kansas City” Cavern Club video, is another great performance! I’ve seen it before, but I’m glad they posted it again! — Bud
-
Jung,
I’m so glad you like that Jazz recording! It is brilliant! I got to know Maynard from talking to him so much over the years. He was one of the greatest musicians of all time, yet he was a very nice, happy person, & very easy to talk to! He really CARED about his band members & fans too!
Maynard was born in Verdun, Quebec, near Montreal in 1928. He was a child prodigy musician, played on the radio at age 15, and at 20 moved to the US to play in famous big bands. I have about 60 albums/CDs of his. I believe his ancestry was part German.
He lived near London, England for a few years, & also both taught & studied Music in India. He moved to California in 1973 and played at a high level up until a month before his death in 2006. He played & travelled his whole life and had 4 daughters & a son.
He performed at one of my music fund raisers in 1998, during the 12 years when I taught in middle school. In case you’re interested, here’s 2 TV show performances from probably the late 50’s or early 60’s. He was the loudest trumpeter I ever heard, & his double high C’s (& higher) were as big as a house!) CIAO! — Bud
MAYNARD FERGUSON – DANNY BOY (youtube.com) A beautiful Ballad. (The counter in the middle of the screen is annoying, but the Music is great!)
Maynard Ferguson Where’s Teddy (youtube.com) A funky up-tempo Blues!
-
Jung,
One last comment. After researching the Wellerman, I found that “Tonguing” was a term for cutting up the whale blubber. And that the workers usually did that work on land. This was in New Zealand. They weren’t paid in money, but in necessities, like tea, sugar & rum, etc. The song was written sometime in the mid-1800’s, and later a Music teacher got ahold of the song. You can look it up on Wiki. Thanks for posting that song, Jung! It’s very catchy! — Bud
-
Yeah Jung,
I saw a different compilation of the Wellerman a few years ago. I like ALL the versions, but I think I prefer the Gingertail one, because it’s so interesting & musical! And she takes care in setting up her backgrounds, just as Mona & Lisa do!
Is that your robot? He/She is hilarious! — Bud
-
Jung, Jacki, Daryl,
I find the topic of “Vocal Quality” and “Instrumental Quality” very interesting, because it’s one of the first things I listen for in performers! Music Terminology would call it “Timbre,” which is like the “Texture” of an object, or of someone’s sound. It’s kind of like each individual Musicians’/Singers’ “Thumbprint” of their particular sound.
Various people react differently to different sound qualities for reasons as unique as we all are! One person could hate a particular sound or style & the other could LOVE it! When I first heard Neil Young, and also Bob Dylan, I thought, “Oh, he has an unusual sound!” I have MANY, MANY favorite musicians, & those two performers aren’t my absolute favorites. BUT, I do really like Neil & Bob’s signature sounds & styles, & they do lend very well to the styles that they both created!
Dylan kind of talks his way through his performances in addition to singing, which I find rather cocky, but interesting! No criticism meant there! He was a big influence on the Beatles lyric writing. I always thought that John Lennon had a kind of nasal sound to his voice, but WHAT a voice he had; very distinctive! I’ve heard many people try to copy it, (including me…, ha-ha,) and some can come close, but he’s just about impossible to imitate. Same with Louis Armstrong. These aren’t college trained voices, but millions of people sure like them! They’re all DIFFERENT, and DISTINCTIVE! We don’t have to love everyone’s sound, but I like the uniqueness of each person’s vocal or instrumental quality!
I think of Dylan & Young as modern day “Troubadours!” They’re like the entertainers of old, who traveled around from town to town, often performing on the street. And I dig street musicians!
The electric Guitar can make a huge variety of sounds, as can the synthesizer, but as far as acoustic instruments go, I think that the trumpet can make the most varied sounds of any acoustic instrument. And each player sounds different. Yet in a trumpet section you have to blend together, but then each person sounds different when soloing!
I like the way that Paul McCartney & Billy Joel can change their vocal timbres/sounds at WILL, depending on the song. They are both remarkable! Lennon was good at that too, as of course are other vocalists! Louis Armstrong had a signature sound, but he sounded different on different songs, & he changed as he grew older, as has Paul’s voice.
I’m also noticing how both LISA & MONA’s voices have changed & improved over time! They’re getting better at changing their sounds to match each song! I’m glad we’re here to witness Musical History in the making with the Mona Lisa Twins! After such a short time, they have come so far & done so much! They’re on a roll, and I can’t wait to see what they take on next! They make it all look so easy! They give me that “Peaceful Easy Feeling!”
(Here I am, writing a book again!)
I’LL BLAME IT ALL ON JUNG!! You wrote down such great comments & observations that you got me going!! If I disappear for a while, it’s because I need to catch up with all the work I need to do to stay afloat!!
LATER GATERS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to ALL!!! — Bud
-
Yeah Chris!
I’m tending to write TOO much, but I do get into it, so oh well!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! — Bud
-
Daryl, Jung et al,
I’ve been reading your posts today, & we have a very good discussion going on! I’m enjoying reading what everyone has to say! I want to reply more, but I just have too much going on right now, so I’ll leave a few comments.
I don’t worry too much about being politically correct, but I try not to hurt other peoples’ feelings.
Everyone has Music that they enjoy more over other kinds & I respect that! I’m glad that Mona & Lisa have all the Cavern gigs on video, plus all the Duo Sessions, to prove that they can perform live, just the two of them, and as a 4-piece Band. The Livestreams are great too, because we can see that there are very few mistakes there. When they do mess up briefly, (though rarely,) it’s funny, and we can see they’re human like the rest of us! (But on a higher level!)I can understand why groups like ABBA & many others would often supplement their TV appearances with recordings. Maybe they were worried that the big, layered sound that they’d produced in the studio wouldn’t sound the same live — & they were correct of course! Today it’s easier to produce that big sound live. But when I see Paul live, I really want to hear HIS VOICE, in the moment, & not a recording!
So, THANKS MONA & LISA for all your tremendous efforts & work! You really pulled off your performances in an excellent manner!! We Love You!!
After watching some ACDC videos, & Agnus’s amazing Guitar work, (and slightly weird school-boy clothing look; sorry, not judging here, each to his own!) I did enjoy his Guitar work! I also want to say that when you hear a Jazz group live, (the same with a great Rock group,) you really want to hear different, creative solos every time. And also, each person’s individual sound, & how they interact with each other makes the Music the creative force that it is!
Here’s a recorded example of one of my favorite Big Bands. Everything is recorded live, no overdubbing. They’ll record different takes, & pick the best one, but every solo will be different every time. Here’s Maynard Ferguson’s Band, with a Baritone Sax solo by Ronnie Cuber, & a Trumpet solo by Maynard — all improvised. (I saw Maynard close to 60 times live, & he even played at a fund raiser for my middle School Music program in 1998.) This album cut is from a 1963 recording. It’s Big Band Bebop, similar to what Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker played, very up-tempo!
-
Thomas,
Sorry to hear that! I’ve had a cough for close to a month, & it wrecked my voice. It’s starting to get better, but TOO slowly! But 4 & 1/2 months for you? Wow, that’s no fun! Hope you’re feeling better soon!
— Bud
-
Thanks Chris,
I’ll try that next time! Also what Jung said, you can find the person’s post that you were replying to and hit “Reply.” That’s how I found my text. But I’ll try yours next time, Thank You! — Bud
-
Hi Jung,
Yes, trumpet is a B***H to play, and I love hearing someone on the instrument that has their own style & can play anything! By the way, Rafael Mendez was from Mexico, but his ancestry was Mexican, Spanish & Irish! His family orchestra was kidnapped by Pancho Villa’s army in 1916, and he played as a captive for Villa for 6 months! He moved to Michigan at age 20 & became internationally famous!
I’m into Beatles history, & I visited Hamburg once, & London & Liverpool 3 times each! It’s true that the Beatles honed their craft in Hamburg, playing 6 or 8 hours a night. They could copy any other Rock/Skiffle group at the time! Their story reminds me of how many Jazz musicians worked hard to perfect their playing. Both McCartney & Lennon were influenced by Jazz, Blues, early Rock & even music in old Fred Astaire movies!
The North American equivalent to Hamburg is Alaska, where many Rock bands play for 6 hours a night, (including one that I was in during the 80’s. It’s NOT as exciting as Hamburg though!)
I first heard “The Wellerman” 3 years ago when another Music teacher sent the video to all of us. I worked on it with my Guitar, & I wanted to do it during a long-term sub job that I had, (after I’d retired.) One of the students told me she loved that song, but her regular teacher wouldn’t play it because of the reference to “rum” in the song, so I didn’t use it. But I might do it sometime. I believe that if you always SHIELD kids from the bad things in life, they’ll have no knowledge of these things, & can easily fall prey to alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc. I can explain that in the 1800’s when this song was written, people drank WAY too much alcohol, and their health suffered greatly as a result. There wasn’t a lot of safe drinking water either, which was a problem!
I also love Celtic Music! (I’m a small part Irish, like many people.) You may also enjoy this version of “The Wellerman.” The multi-instrumentalist, Alina Gingertail is from Russia. I like her arrangement because it’s interesting & varied. But I like Nathan Evan’s original version too, though the song goes back to the mid-1800’s. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! — Bud
(Btw, anytime I post other videos doesn’t mean that I am not still a HUGE Mona & Lisa fan! I just listen to lots of Music like they do!)
-
Hi Jacki,
You explained very well exactly why you love the Music that you do, & why you don’t like certain styles. I won’t criticize what you said, but I might offer a few videos for you to check out.
I listen to a wide range of Music, but for different reasons. I’ve listened to a lot of Jazz, because I’ve played in Jazz bands for so long, & it’s more fun for me to play as a trumpet player. When I was in Rock/Funk/Motown/Blues/Pop groups I was often learning styles I hadn’t listened to much, & it was fun! Rather than just playing for listeners, I was up on stage playing, singing & enjoying watching the dancers, & how they were interacting with us.
Then I also listen to, & practice things to teach in classes, but I have to like it, or I won’t teach it.
When I taught middle school Band & Strings, & later the same in high school, I had fun going to the Music store and finding the best pieces I could for each group. So that got me into more Classical styles & Concert Band pieces, in addition to Jazz Band pieces.Since teaching more Elementary Music now, along with Beginning Band & Strings I’ve again widened my scope for various styles. For beginning instrumental groups, we’ll have a method book with techniques for playing, plus a lot of short songs in Folk, American & World Musics, a Rock piece, a Jazz piece, Blues etc, to get them prepared for middle school Band or Strings. Then us teachers would pick interesting concert pieces for them.
For General Music, there’s songs from various Cultures, & I like to do some in Spanish, French, African & Asian languages, etc. There’s Dances & Movement of course, but I love teaching Drums & Percussion, Xylophones, & Recorders & Singing. And there’s a lot on the Internet now to supplement teaching, which helps a lot!
I first got into Music through Movie Music, like “Peter Pan,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Sound of Music,” along with musicals & old movies that I watched on TV at night with my Mom. This was in the late ’50’s, early ’60’s so I would see lots of Entertainment shows with singers like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, & many more. (Those shows were WAY better than most American TV today!)
Then I got into Herb Alpert, with his Mariachi Style Music, along with Sergio Mendes from Brazil & many others. Then I listened to all the great trumpeters — Al Hirt, Doc Severinsen, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Rafael Mendez. Those are just a few! Then it was the Beatles, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, etc. Then all the Horn Groups — Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, etc. And I’ve been in groups that got to play some of ALL those various styles of Music.
I was an only child, & my parents really supported my interest in Music, made sure I got lessons, & then I got a Music degree from the Univ. of Washington. I don’t claim to be a great musician, & I was never famous, but I’ve enjoyed playing & teaching a wide variety of Music all my life! So I’m lucky in that way, but I’ve still had to work hard. But I loved it, & passed it on to my students!
My parents were Ballroom Dance Teachers, so I was inspired by their love of dancing, teaching & music. Though they’re not around anymore, I still think of their Love & Influence every day!
WOW, sorry, I’m writing a lot again! I wouldn’t have gotten into Music playing & teaching without my parents, encouraging me to do what I wanted to do. With different parents, I have no idea where I would be today!
So, I relate a lot to Mona, Lisa & their parents, & how they all help & support each other! Plus, I like to sing Beatles, & other Pop/Rock stuff & play Rhythm Guitar! So the MLT’s–4 caught my attention, big time! I LOVE their singing & instrumental skills! Their covers, originals & videos are all so fun & entertaining to watch! Despite all the Music I listen to & play, I still love everything about the Mona Lisa Twins!
Luckily, there are many kinds of Music for people to enjoy, but I’d like to see more educated listeners out there. Then we’d have BETTER Music today overall, instead of a bunch of entertainers who want to see how much money they can make, rather than actually producing something that’s interesting and Artistic! Now, check out two short, but great examples of Classical Trumpet playing! Thanks for Listening! — Bud
J. N. Hummel – Trumpet Concerto in Eb, 3rd mvt. (youtube.com) Soloist — Tine Thing Helseth (born in 1987,) from Norway. She’s rated in the Top 10 of Classical Trumpeters today. (Pronounced Tina Ting Helset)
Rafael Mendez – Jota Number 2 (youtube.com) Rafael M., (1906–1981) a Mexican American, was one of THE greatest trumpeters of all time! I was lucky to have met him twice after his concerts! (He also composed Music & played Guitar, Marimba & Clarinet!)
ENJOY!
