NMA 2022 Reunion Wrapup

It has happened before. Things move so fast at an NMA reunion that I can't keep up with it all. And, suddenly, it comes to an end. Tonight will be our banquet and dance, and tomorrow morning we'll say goodbye. Over the next week, I'll have time to post much more about this reunion. So, now, with what little liberty time I have, I'll report this:

Nat "King" Cole sang a song about this reunion: "Unforgettable." It wasn't the biggest reunion we've ever had, nor the loudest. 

It was a week of challenges and solutions. Because of ongoing covid concerns, attendance was down. But we made it work. Trumpeter Don Keller picked up an f horn to fill out the horn section. Another trumpeter, Don Junker, volunteered his skills on the bass fiddle to fill in the bottom. Wherever you looked, MUs were pitching in to make the gig work. 

They succeeded. Last night's concert band performance--in my not-so-humble opinion--equaled the success and artistry of any NMA performance in memory. Ray Ascione, our new conductor, put the band to work, and the work paid off.

The Big Band worked hard, too. I'm looking forward to the dance tonight, in particular, to see the trombone section at work. We didn't have an excess of bone players, so they've all done a lot of playing. Bless their evil little hearts, I'm not cracking the usual trombone jokes this year.

Again, I'll soon have more to say about this reunion. Meanwhile, I offer thanks to all whose time, energies, and talents mad the 2022 reunion Unforgettable.

2022 NMA Reunion: Day 2 in Review

 

We rehearse behind closed doors, not because
we're keeping secrets, but because not all hotel
guests want to be listening to Liberty Bell March
while sipping cocktails at the bar.

Thom Weller and Randy Martell.

Carl Gerhard solos in Peter Graves's
Porgy and Bess medley.

Wednesday, our second day in Virginia Beach:

We're beginning to hit our stride, as our rehearsals exude a new sense of confidence. This was particularly true in the concert band. 

For one thing, a fuller band showed up for 1330 rehearsal. On Tuesday, our numbers had been low, but yesterday, more members had arrived. Also, a sufficient number of percussionists were in evidence. It is believed that after our first rehearsal, Jim Richards scoured the hotel, enlisting drummers with sketchy promises and vague threats.

In addition, someone had evidently sprayed the rehearsal room with WD40. The rustiness of our first rehearsal had been almost eliminated. 

We rehearsed and read through a wide selection of pieces. While we sometimes play old favorites, some of our pieces are new. Peter Graves brought a new arrangement of music from Porgy and Bess. Peter's work is professional and, as you might expect, challenging.  

Ben McHorney's The Fallen pays tribute to those fighting men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Timing is often critical in music that includes a narrator. It is also critical that the narrator, himself, not become overwhelmed by emotion.

New Suite for Old Salts provides its own challenges. I based this piece on Holst's Second Military Suite, turning it into something a bit more "nautical" than "military." It contains a few musical "punch lines" from the trombone section.  Entrusting trombone players with punch lines is always risky, but things improved, once they got the joke. 

MUs in their Native Habitat

Bob "Boomer" Grindle is seen here telling a sea story to Terry Chesson. Terry responds with the same, obvious enthusiasm you or I would show in a similar situation. They're so much like you and me, those MUs.

NMA Reunion--Tuesday, Day One in Review

Yesterday--Day One of the 2022 NMA reunion-- began with the usual mixture of well-planed precision and low-grade chaos. The chaos was minimal because our set-up crew did a fine job of preparing our rehearsal spaces. (The concert band rehearsal room featured real music stands, borrowed from the School of Music. We did not miss our usual Rube Goldberg folding contraptions.) 

Because many members had not yet arrived,  a number of shipmates filled vacant billets. Don Junker played bass in the dance band, trumpeter Don Keller helped fill out the concert band horn section, and I reprised my long-abandoned role of Lord High Bass Drummer Extraordinaire. Not since the 1984 Newport Police Parade had this talent been on display.  

And, yes, Mel Leketa joined the clarinet section. This is true shipmatery.

Day One finished with a jam session in the lounge. The Lord High Bass Drummer now became the Low-rent Bass Player of Minimal Chops. I lasted four tunes. 

 

Melanie Leketa joined the clarinet section. 
We are grateful, not only for her talent
and willingness, but because the alternative
clarinet draftee was Terry Chesson.

Change 12(b)3.4

In the navy, it was called the plan of the day. Here, we call it the rehearsal board. Or, the gig board. Or the schedule.

Whatever you call it, it is sure to change. But, that's not a problem; we are sailors, and we know how to pass the scuttlebutt around, so everybody knows what's going on. Definitely. Sort of. Absolutely. Usually.

Why, Oh, Why?

The Blu Bar. Again.

Ashely's Bistro  is our lounge, where we gather to jam and socialize. It's traditional, it's wonderful, and it's down a looong hall.

The Blu Bar sits in the lobby. You don't have to wander the hotel to see who's there; you just peek into the lobby.

It's convenient, so the question isn't why we hang out there. The question is:

Why do I keep taking this picture? Every year I take this picture of MUs hanging out in the Blu Bar. Why do I do this? I've got pix of MUs in the Blu Bar dating back to its installation in 2009. NMA members aren't patrons of the Blu Bar; they're plankowners. They shouldn't be buying drinks; they should be getting hashmarks for time in service.

I'm gonna find the first photo from 2009 and post it every year. Save some trouble, and, really, who's gonna know the difference?

 

Tell Us a Story

I'm not sure whether this is a sea story or a fishing story, but Jim Richards isn't having trouble keeping his audience's attention.

Enthralled by Jim's story, (L. to R.):
Carl Gerhard, Dwaine Whitham, Rick Jebavy

Your Name Goes Here

We're underway. Rehearsal has begun, check-in has started and only one thing is missing: you.

And there's still time. The hotel will maintain our special NMA group rate through the entire week. Come on down; Virginia Beach vis quite nice at this time of year.

Presidential Prerogative

It is a long-standing reunion tradition that the skipper gets the first cup of coffee. After that, it's every man for himself.

2022 NMA Reunion: Anchors Aweigh

Members are wandering the hotel. The rehearsal room is open. The volunteers in the registration room are ready for the parade of incoming MUs.

The 2022 NMA Reunion is preparing to get underway. It's a moment we've been anticipating for years since we bid each other farewell after the 2019 reuniong. 

Our time apart has brought us challenges and difficulties. It has brought us sadness--missed opportunities, lost shipmates. 

Time now brings us together. We're a few years older, and maybe wiser. This time apart has certainly brought us a keen appreciation for the reunions of the Navy Musicians Association. For the last few days, members have been filing into the hotel and greeting each other with the usual joy, the typical humor--and a new sense of sincerity. 

We are really and truly glad to see each other. 

 And we're rusty. Maybe not at our musicianship, but at the reunion routines we've developed over the years. We'll relearn some things and develop new habits. 

For those who can't be here this year: we're thinking about you. We will miss you and wish you were here. We'll tell stories about you, and you won't be here to defend yourselves. Yeah, maybe things will get back to normal.

Set the special sea and anchor detail. Single up all lines fore and aft. Let go all lines. Shift colors.

The 2022 NMA Reunion is underway! 

We're a little out of practice

After three years, it's not just musicians who are out of practice. Our registration staff is brushing up on procedures, to ensure a smooth check-in experience.

Here, Deb Holl rehearses the lines she'll need to know tomorrow:

• 

  
  

  "How may I be of assistance?" 
• "And, what is your name, kind sir?" 
• "If you'll just sign in here, I'll gladly provide you with all the information you'll need for a rewarding reunion."
  

 

New Stuff for Old Salts

The 2022 collection provides new, exciting
colors and fashions for the stylish MU.

 

New stuff! New sizes! New colors! Styles for men and women! Hats! Shirts! Et cetera!

Jo Knox concentrates on sorting, displaying,
and pricing our new acquisitions. The
work is exacting and she is not in the 
mood to listen to your playful banter.

Good News From the Holiday Inn

If you're still on the fence concerning your participation in the 2022 Navy Musicians Association Reunion, June 14-19 in Virginia Beach:

Carl Gerhard, our Reunion Coordinator, met this morning with the hotel's Events Staff. Most of the discussion was jibber-jabber that we don't care about. But, he did ask me to share this

One Important Thing: 

The hotel will continue to hold rooms for NMA members at our special NMA group rate of $139 per night through the entire reunion week. 

President Dwaine Whitham and Reunion
Coordinator Carl Gerhard contemplate their
successful meeting with the hotel Events
Staff. (Well, not really. Actually, theyr'e
listening to one of Jim Richards's stories).

So: 

• Yes, you can still change your mind and join us in Virginia Beach. 
• Yes, you can come for the weekend, if your job or other responsibilities keep you busy during the week. 
• Yes, our special rate will be honored through Sunday night, June 19 (checkout Monday morning, June 20.) 

The Countdown Begins

Okay, I got coffee. Task One is completed 

But there's a lot more to do today and a lotta people doing it.

Kim Holl and Rick Jebavy have moved the NMA gear into the hotel. They should get medals and special liberty just for accomplishing this task, but, no, they're still at work, organizing and redistributing computers, xylophones, cymbals, tee-shirts.

Kim isn't the only Holl at work. Deb Holl wants to get the registration room up and running. Stephanie Rowland and Jo Knox have joined her. The reunions starts tomorrow, so they need to be set up today, they know the task, and they will accomplish the task.

Carl Gerhard, our reunion coordinator, is all over the hotel, meeting with hotel staff, checking this, changing that, carrying messages back and forth. Bob Leketa, who did this for so many years, used to refer to the job or reunion coordinator as "putting out fires." I don't expect to see any open flames in the hotel this week, but I can't think of anyone better to handle this position than Carl.

Actually, all positions are well-filled. We're fortunate to have a group of members, directors and spouses who take on these responsibilities with plentiful energy and little complaint.

Especially me. Do you hear me complaining? No. I've got coffee, I've got a computer, and I know how to use them.

I Am Here

 Well, of course I'm here. Wherever I am is here. And today, here is Virginia Beach, site of the 2022 Navy Musicians Association reunion. 

I'm here, baby, and
ready to go!

Jo and I arrived at the Holiday Inn yesterday afternoon, after three days and two nights on the road from Illinois.

Right off the bat, I ran into Art Swanson, who had arrived earlier, after a drive from Arizona (I think he said Arizona--might have been some other foreign country). 

After I checked in, Jim Richards showed up. Jim is one of the NMA's top storytellers. He proved his mettle by cracking me up with medical sagas about his recent surgical adventures.

Jo and I, half-dead, dragged our corpses out for supper and came back for the night and ran into Ray Ascione and Don Keller in the lobby. Jo could see sea stories looming ahead and excused herself. It turned out to be the right decision.

The point of this all is that the cross-country travel is over, today will be a frenetic day of preparing for tomorrow's launch of the 2022 NMA Reunion, and good times are ahead.

The Hampton Inn dodges the eternal question.

Packing for the NMA Reunion

The plan.

The reality.

2022 Reunion Live-Blog

"Aye, 'twas in Olangapo in1979, that me
and Jim was on the beach, when the chief shows 
up and asks us what the hell we was doin', and Jim--
well, you know what a mouth that boy,xkdhkhgkslhfkdjfl"

Wow, it seems like years since I've posted one of these announcements. That's because it has been years; three of 'em, three long years since we've shared the joy of an NMA reunion.

So, I look forward to next week with excitement and a little sadness, knowing that some of you must stay home. But, as always, (fanfare, cut to the chase--finally!) you can still "be there" in spirit. During the reunion week I'll be live-blogging from the Virginia Beach Holiday Inn. This means you'll be able to keep abreast of the action here.

The reunion officially begins Tuesday morning, June 14, and finishes Saturday night, June 18, but the fun starts early, so I'll begin posting a few days early. Simply drop by any time of night and day for:

• highlights of each day's activities
• low-tech photos
• even lower-tech videos
• jam sessions
• bull sessions
• assorted reports, rumors and revelations, heavily censored in case your children or grandchildren use your computer

You can also access the Live Blog through Facebook's Navy Musicians Association group and Former Navy Musicians group.

Ahoy There, Navy Musician

Aye, matey, yer shipmates be waitin' fer ya in Virginia Beach.

Navy Musicians Association Reunion

June 14-19, 2022

http://www.navymusicians.org

 

What's it all About?

What makes NMA reunions so special? Why do we keep coming back?

Deb Holl, our volunteer coordinator, speaks of the countless times she's seen a first-timer nervously arrive in our Registration Room,  wondering if he'll know anybody in this big hotel. Within hours, Deb will tell you, that newcomer is joking around with old shipmates, meeting new friends, and having the time of his life. 

What's so special about our reunions? Well, the camaraderie is unique, a sense of belonging only Navy MUs can share. 

Sea stories told to MUs by MUs demonstrate a unique bond; the tale of Rocky Palumbo answering an admiral's complaint about the band's dance music at a Navy Ball by saying, "I've been watching you, sir, and the problem isn't the music; the problem is, you can't dance" isn't something a hull technician can appreciate.

And, the music unites us, of course. For a few days, we rehearse and jam, then finish the reunion with weekend performances. 

 

But the answer to those questions--What makes NMA reunions so special, and why do we keep coming back"--is simple:

We're just so damn glad to see each other.