The Complete NT Jazz Collection at The Sherman Jazz Museum
Hey, I told you I’d be back! It seems I am a spot-on NAILS prophet (as long as I predict only what I plan to do) …
The League of Heroic Raconteurs. So, how’s THAT for a sophisticated Shed title? Intriguing no? No? Well, dig further:
I wasn’t even familiar with the word raconteur until my good friend Cal Lewiston laid it on me at a marvelous event at The Sherman Jazz Museum. Oh sure, I had read the word before and even heard it bandied about amongst my fellow bon vivants in the midst of unbridled mirth-filled social exchanges (hey, that really does happen in jazz circles!) … but I was never really sure what it meant, until said champion of acuity (Cal Lewiston) told me: “Hey man, you are quite the raconteur!” Suddenly, I was empowered by a rare moment of social bravery, and found the courage to admit my ignorance and actually say: “Well, thanks…I think…just what is a raconteur?” Cal, ever the gracious savant answered: “It means a story teller, one who is very good at telling stories. You tell a great story man” WOW! Who knew? My family is a family of raconteurs! We live for the good story. At the holidays each year, we roll out stories that have been refined and retooled over the years like some folks pour over family albums. Wiest-folk love a good story. Indeed, perhaps in the far recesses of time amongst the mists of medieval England, one of my early ancestors may have passed on stories in the meticulous fashion of the troubadour or minstrel (my mother’s side DOES go straight back to Mary Boleyn … another blog for another time … ), or it could be that we just dig a story well-told. Who doesn’t?
Distant Relative of The Director of The One O'Clock Lab Band: Mary Boleyn (Rumor has it that she was also a good blues singer)
Which brings us to the title, just who is in the League of Heroic Raconteurs? I can name two right away who have been heroes indeed in getting the word out about The One O’Clock (ta da! You were perhaps wondering what all of this had to do with said Grammy-nominated ensemble no?)
Bret Primack (otherwise known as the Jazz Video Guy) is a writer and film maker who has made it his business to keep jazz from disappearing. Ya GOTTA love THAT! And he is doing a fine job in this area. His work documenting Sonny Rollins and Michael Brecker alone are worth enshrining him in the Jazz Hall of Saints (well there should be one). But he has also of late been a wonderful champion of jazz advocacy in the realm of jazz education. So, we pulled together some bread and invited him out to UNT. Dig what he came up with:
So how cool is THAT! MAN-OH-MAN! This is the kind of stuff that can change the world. For real! I have been sending these videos all over the cyberverse and they are really helping to get the word out about this amazing program. If you feel so inclined, please post them onto your favorite social (or arcane) media platform and help us spread said love. The more people hear this music, the more they will want to hear, and THAT my friends helps the body-jazz.
Bret filmed some 14 hours of interviews, rehearsals, life in the halls, and other goodies while he was here at NT, so there will be many more JVG Productions to come. Thank you Bret, you heroic raconteur YOU!
And then there is the mighty team of Bill and Susan Collins. Bill was a wonderful lead trumpet artist in the DFW area (One O’Clock class of Lab ’76 and ’77) who retired recently only to take up the herculean endeavor of putting together a jazz museum. Originally focused on jazz trumpet players, the Sherman Jazz Museum has now expanded and includes all kinds of amazing items. Bill simply wants to help preserve this wonderful history and, more importantly, get the word out to the next generation. He (along with Dan Cathy of Chick-Fil-A fame) purchased the entire Maynard Ferguson estate. Dan gave the complete MF library to UNT (where it is now safely filed away right next to Maynard’s mentor Stan Kenton’s library … history does come up with poetic niceties from time-to-time) and Bill put all of Maynard’s estate (horns, stage gear, awards, etc) on display as part of his wonderful museum.
A section of MF memorabilia at The Sherman Jazz Museum
A Dizzy Gillespie trumpet (silver) along with a copy (gold) made for Sammy Davis Jr.
In fact, the event where Cal Lewiston helped to expand my actual working vocabulary was a Maynard Ferguson tribute in Sherman Texas in partnership with Bill and Susan’s great museum. Wayne Bergeron, Denis DiBlasio, myself, and Lisa Ferguson gave a panel discussion on Maynard’s music, The One O’Clock, and all kinds of subjects as part of the festivities. What a great weekend! And most importantly: students from all over enjoyed it and got turned on to jazz! Mission accomplished.
So there it is. With the help of The League of Heroic Raconteurs, we can continue to get the word out. Let it not be forgot, that there is still a place called: Camelot!
One of the books that we used when I was with Maynard's band. You know you're getting older when the stuff you used to use is now in a museum. Just sayin'.
