Playing the saxophone The Cafe Trio grown to Octet down to Sextet

[Jeanette]

Have fun guys
Jx

 

[Tenor Viol]

Yesterday was the March meet (moot?) of the Café Ensemble. Yesterday we were a quartet due to various absences and we were nominally SATB, occasionally SSAB...

With fewer people, there was a lot more playing than usual and with me sometimes joining in on sop my lip died...

However, overall the team did well as we did some pretty adventurous sight-reading too with decent results

 

[MandyH]

Hey! Guys & Gals of the Cafe Ensemble!
When is your next planned get together.
And if I’m free, can I pop by?
I could pick @tenorviol up on the way by if it helps ... maybe ?

 

[Jeanette]

You are always welcome @MandyH
22nd September next one usual time and place 🙂

Jx

 

[Tenor Viol]

I’ve bought some new music for us this week

 

[MandyH]

Argh! No!

I’ll be meeting the future in-laws that weekend! Probably best if I go there

Please keep me in the loop! There will be another session I can manage sometime (hint ... NOT 27th October either!)

Thanks

 

[Vetinari]

I’ve bought some new music for us this week

Advance warning of what there is or surprise on the day?

 

[Tenor Viol]

Eek - has nothing been posted since August?

Just to say March meeting of the guys was today - we are now a full SSAATTBB octet - having a second soprano makes a big improvement to the balance. Today, we were in effect a sextet as we were missing an alto and a tenor. So we mostly played arrangements with two alto lines.

Thanks to Abi, we had some new arrangements to try which were good: Graham had a work out on bari as he led Stand By Me, we all had our work cut out on reading fistfuls of accidentals in the finale to Stravinsky's Firebird, and Alexander's Ragtime Band (and we were right - it's Irving Berlin not Gershwin...). The ARTB starts at just past 2mins into the video.

I'd like to thank the guys for putting up with me bossing them around.

View: https://youtu.be/6gbBkXHRM1o

 

[Tenor Viol]

PS here's the finale...

View: https://youtu.be/0-OBzD5Es4c?t=58

 

[Vetinari]

I'd like to thank the guys for putting up with me bossing them around

Thanks to you for the help and encouragment time and effort you put in to the group.

 

[trimmy]

Did you have a go at ‘Over The Rainbow’ ?

 

[Vetinari]

We did, it aint that easy.

 

[Tenor Viol]

Did you have a go at ‘Over The Rainbow’ ?

Sorry, yes, that was the first piece we tried. I'm familiar with arrangements of it as I've played versions in both wind bands and orchestras...

Big challenge with 'well-known' pieces is you play what you think it should do based on the recordings you know. Trouble is your part or the arrangement may be quite different...

We had a stab at it - it's a nice arrangement and worth some work.

 

[nickh]

Did you have a go at ‘Over The Rainbow’ ?

great arrangement.. loved it

 

[Vetinari]

We've got another sop in the family G.A.S. has struck again.

 

[Vetinari]

Oh it's so cute. Should have kept thr bari and alto apart.

It's a little Elkart 300 curvy.

 

[Tenor Viol]

hmmm... coming soon, The Three Sopranos.... boy is the audience in for a surprise....

 

[nigeld]

Which reminds me of the old joke:

Q: How do you get three soprano saxophones to play in tune with each other?

A: Shoot two of the players.

 

[Vetinari]

hmmm... coming soon, The Three Sopranos.... boy is the audience in for a surprise....

Does this mean I've got to buy a frock and learn to walk in high heels to blend in with the other two?

 

[Jeanette]

Does this mean I've got to buy a frock and learn to walk in high heels to blend in with the other two?

If you think a frock will do it you've no chance 🙂

Jx