I left my heart...

Driving to my first Navy Musicians Association reunion in 2006, I didn't think I'd meet anyone from my first band, Navy Band San Francisco. Well, I figured Doyle Church, my old LPO, would be there--he's the NMA secretary--but I imagined we'd be the only guys present from those distant days in the City by the Bay.

Oh, how wrong I was. After greeting Doyle in the hotel lobby, I was carrying suitcases into my room when a familiar voice called my name. I went to the door and there was John Hanson, my San Francisco Dixieland partner, looking no different than he did in the '70s.

That night I was jamming in the lounge when I looked up from the piano and saw, his hair still as red as it was when he led the Showband, Charlie Sweet. The next morning at dance band rehearsal, Frank Kemp was sitting in the trombone section. We took a break, I went to the coffee mess for a cup, and there was J.J. Connor, Navy Band San Francisco's Assistant Bandleader.
Every year, I run into someone else from that band. Bob Marquart and I have renewed our old friendship, and, this year, I've already heard from two more San Francisco alumni, drummer Dave Whitaker, and guitarist John Derby, who are planning to come to San Antonio.

I can't say that I left my heart in San Francisco, but I left a lot of friends. And, thanks to the NMA, I'm finding them again.

Blogging about practice makes perfect

I hadn't played for years before attending my first Navy Musicians Association reunion. I worried incessantly about my ability to play and eventually posted articles about my pre-reunion practice regimen.

John Derby has taken such public self-flagellation to a new level. He's created an entire blog about his musical preparations for his first NMA reunion in June. To relive the agony and insecurity that make preparation for your first reunion a period of nerve-wracking self-debasement, visit Who moved my chops?

Like me, John stopped playing sometime in the '90s, but it's clear he'll be ready for our get-together in San Antonio. He's already figured out the three most important things to bring to a reunion of the Navy Musicians Association: your suitcase, your axe and your excuses.

A Dramatic Fermata

I'm watching "Victory at Sea" on DVD. Robert Russell Bennett's orchestrations of Richard Rodgers's themes, so familiar to Navy musicians, are even more masterful in the context for which they were written.

I just finished watching Episode 23, "Target Suribachi." It begins with preparations for the invasion of Iwo Jima, the convergence of American ships offshore that crucial island, the range-finding, all scored with Bennett's typical expertise.

Finally, the bombardment starts. And when it does, the music, for the first time, stops.

For 22 1/2 episodes, music has underscored every action, every victorious parade, every humiliating defeat. But now, the only sounds are the roar of the big guns, the scream of airplane engines, the thunder of the explosions that tear apart the island in preparation for the landing.

No doubt, Rodgers and Bennett could have come up with musical accompiment for this. But they had the sense not to. Letting the sound of battle tell the story makes this scene the starkest of the series.

MUCM Larry Brown, USN (Ret.)

I heard of the death of Larry Brown, the assistant bandleader when I was stationed at the Newport band in the '70s.

Having grown up and served in the old-school, "cumshaw" Navy, Larry could get his fingers on things that eluded normal supply channels. Legendary was the battleship-sized desk in his office, the spoils of some nefarious deal he cooked up. It was the most majestic and imposing desk on the entire base, coveted by all senior and flag officers at NETC Newport.

After Larry's retirement, his desk remained onboard, a special perk for the MUs who followed him as Assistant Bandleader, Navy Band Newport.

Larry is gone, but, for all I know, his desk is still on active duty.

Funeral details for MUCM Larry Brown, USN (Ret.) will be posted at the Navy Musicians Association website when they become available.

2010 Navy Musicians Association Reunion Schedule

Regular attendees are used to the routine, which changes only slightly from year to year. Newcomers, however, wonder how it all works.

Here's the schedule as it appears in the NMA's newsletter, Leger Lines. A few things to note:

-- The Registration desk may be closed when you arrive. No biggie; join in the fun and sign in when you can.

-- "Combo" means free-wheeling jazz/Dixieland/bebop in the lounge. Rhythm section gear--drums, keyboard, amps--will be permanantly set up. Times given are estimates; whenever the mood strikes and the instrumentation allows, the jamming will happen.

-- Check the gig board for changes. Scheduling changes, updates and snafus can, and will, occur.

-- The Registration desk is open through Friday, to accomodate those who cannot attend the entire reunion. A loose Tuesday schedule is given for those early birds, like me, who like to get a head start on the fun.

NAVY MUSICIANS ASSOCIATION REUNION
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS JUNE 23-26, 2010

Early-bird Tuesday, 22JUN10

1300-1600   Early arrival, check in
1900-?      Combo in lounge (instrumentation 
            permitting)

Wednesday, 23JUN10

0900-1630   Registration desk open
0900-1130   Dance Band rehearsal
1300-1600   Concert Band rehearsal
1800-?      Dance Band rehearsal
            (Combo in lounge after 1300)

Thursday,24JUN10

0900-1630   Registration desk open
0900-1130   Dance Band rehearsal
1300-1600   Concert Band rehearsal
1800-?      Dance Band rehearsal
            (Combo in lounge after 1300)

Friday, 25JUN10

0900-1630   Registration desk open
0900-1130   Concert Band rehearsal
0900-1500   "Best of San Antonio Tour"
1300-?      Rock Band rehearsal
1400        Set up ballroom for Friday Beer Bash
1830        NMA Bands performance in ballroom
            (Combo in lounge after 1300)

Saturday, 26JUN10

0830-1000   Breakfast in ballroom
1000-1200   NMA General Membership Meeting
1200        Set up bands for Banquet
1300        Rock Band rehearsal
1800        Cocktails
1930-2330   NMA Banquet
            (Combo in lounge after Banquet)

Navigating your way to the NMA Reunion.

It happens at this time every year: I start hearing from former MUs who are thinking about joining the Navy Musicians Association and coming to the annual reunion.

I'm glad the word is getting around, and am happy to provide the basic information a newcomer will need.

The 2010 reunion of the Navy Musicians Association will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, near the airport in San Antonio, Texas, from Wed., June 23 to Sat., June 26.

Here are basics you'll need to get yourself to San Antonio:  

1. Register for the reunion / Join the NMA

• - Download a reunion registration form at http://www.navymusicians.org/Reunion%20reg%202010.pdf .
• - If you are not yet a member of the NMA, you may join using this form.
• - Send the form and payment to:
  

  Cecil Strange, Treasurer
  Navy Musicians Association
  P. O. Box 2294
  Plant City, FL 33564-2294

2. Reserve a room at the Doubletree.

• - Call  the Doubletree at (800) 535-1980.
• - The hotel has blocked off rooms for us at a special rate, so mention that you're coming to the NMA reunion.
• - The special $95-per-night rate is also good for the 3 days before and after the reunion.
• - Do this by June 1 to ensure the special rate.

It's that simple.