It’s been awhile since my last blog entry, but the start of a brand new River City Brass Band season makes it a good time to dust off the ol’ computer keyboard and pass along some backstage thoughts and information.

SHALL WE DANCE? is the title of our September 2008 series, and, as the name implies, is about the wonderful music written for dance. It’s at least the third time in RCBB history that we’ve used this theme (Shall We Dance? in April 1993; Trip the Light Fantastic in May 2004), and many other programs have included individual selections connected to dance.

We’ve also featured dancers on our programs, notably the CLO Mini-Stars (Salute to the CLO, May 1999), UMOJA Music and dance troupe (Musical Tall Tales, September 2001), students from the Creative and Performing Arts High School (Broadway Babies, October 2007), and the Laurel Youth Ballet (Trip the Light Fantastic, May 2004). And perhaps you remember our series in October 2004, Legends of Broadway featuring the great Lenora Nemetz (who is back on Broadway, by the way, in a revival of Gypsy).

But the upcoming edition of SHALL WE DANCE? is the first time we’ve featured a pure tap dancer, and we’re very excited to bring you a great one, Shelley Oliver. Shelley is a founding member of noted dance ensemble Manhattan Tap and has toured extensively throughout Europe, China, the Caribbean, Canada and the U.S., performing with such tap notables as Savion Glover, Jimmy Slide, Buster Brown, and Chuck Green.

Her television appearances include Tap Dance in America with Gregory Hines and Star Search, in which she was a finalist. Ms. Oliver has performed with many jazz greats including Slide Hampton, David “Fathead” Newman, and Kenny Washington. A noted dance educator, Ms. Oliver teaches jazz-tap at Muhlenberg College, choreographs for the theater, and is Director of the Muhlenberg Jazz Tap Ensemble. She is the featured tap soloist with the David Leonhardt Jazz Group and is the author of the CD “Tap Music For Tap Dance”.

If you’re interested in getting a sneak preview of what’s in store on SHALL WE DANCE? check out Shelley on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd2ILG6I5Yc.

Frequent RCBB concert-goers know that our programs have a high proportion of tunes that are familiar and beloved. It turns out that what’s familiar is a moving target, and it’s moving faster than I thought.

The March subscription series, ON A WORLD TOUR, includes a singalong, “Jerusalem”, that I felt certain would be familiar and joyfully sung by RCBB audiences. The song’s lyric is by William Blake from his epic “Milton: a Poem” (1804).

Blake’s poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by Joseph of Arimathea, traveled to Glastonbury, England.

The poem was included in a patriotic anthology of verse published in England in 1916 when England was suffering an appallingly high number of casualties in the First World War. Robert Bridges, England’s Poet Laureate, asked Hubert Parry to put this poem to music in an attempt to bolster civilian morale.

The tune itself is so well liked that it has been set to several texts including “O Love of God, how strong and true”, performed at Ronald Reagan’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral in 2004.

At the first concert of the RCBB March series I introduced the tune to the audience, got the house lights up, and started the singalong. Much to my consternation, the singalong had no singing. No more than a handful of people in the audience knew the song.

The interesting thing is that the RCBB performed “Jerusalem” as a singalong one other time, in March 1989, on a series entitled CASTLES, CAIRNS AND COLLIERIES (Bob Bernat, conducting). I was playing in the ensemble back then, and remember that the audience knew the tune very well indeed.

In less than 20 years “Jerusalem” has fallen from enjoying the status of ‘familiar’ off the cliff into oblivion. Fascinating. I will be thinking very carefully about what songs to offer as singalongs from now on, that’s for sure.

I believe that commissioning and performing new music is an important obligation for us at the River City Brass Band. Encouraging the creation of new music adds to our American musical legacy, which will then be enjoyed by generations to come (remember, even Gershwin was new once!). But it can be expensive to commission a composer to create a new work, and money is always in short supply in the performing arts.

So I’m thrilled to report that Community Connections, an initiative of Pittsburgh 250, has made it possible for the RCBB to commission seven new Pittsburgh-themed musical works to help celebrate the 250th birthday of the City of Pittsburgh. Each piece will receive its premiere on a RCBB concert in 2008, starting with the March series.

In the words of the good people at the Pittsburgh 250 organization, the RCBB commissioning project would “…affect large audiences, leave a lasting impact on communities, and contribute to the Pride & Progress of southwestern Pennsylvania” (the theme of Community Connections). Funding decisions were made by a 33-member panel of regional leaders that included representatives from 14 Southwestern Pennsylvania counties.

I can’t wait to get my hands and ears on these seven new works, and that they’ll be about our city makes it even better.

We’re past the halfway point in the November series, Songs of Freedom. If you attended the concerts so far (thank you!) you already know that we’re losing one of the RCBB’s most talented young players. Assistant Principal Solo Cornet Ryan Spacht won a highly competitive audition and is the newest member of “Pershing’s Own” U.S. Army Band based in Washington, DC. Congratulations, Ryan.

One of the premier musical organizations of The United States Army, “Pershing’s Own” was founded in 1922 by Army Chief of Staff General John J. Pershing and has a rich and wonderful performing history. Ryan will leave for basic training later this month. I’m really sorry to lose him, because in addition to being very, very talented Ryan is a really good guy. The Army Band is going to be pleased, I think.

My bet with Bob Karlovits is looking pretty good. You might recall from a previous post that he and I have an “over/under” wager with regard to this month’s mystery tune. I bet that we’d see fewer than 80 correct answers total, and Bob is looking for more than that.

So far (after 5 concerts with three more to go) we’ve gotten a total of 42 correct answers (2 at Gateway, 4 at Carson, 6 in Greensburg, 14 in Baldwin, 16 at Upper St. Clair). Bob is hanging his hat on this trend continuing upward. Does anybody else see something suspicious in this trend? Hmm.

A member of the audience at last Friday’s Carson Middle School concert pointed out that I was neglectful in not recognizing David Woten from the stage. The audience member is correct, and it’s a shame. You see, David L.Woten Jr., a music teacher at Carson, is Pennsylvania’s 2008 Teacher of the Year.

Prior to the concert I had congratulated Dave on the award and made a mental note to recognize him from the stage, but then plain forgot. My sincere apologies to Dave and the audience. Teacher of the Year is a very big deal, and the North Allegheny School District has every right to be very proud of Mr. Woten and his work.

Dave also takes really good care of the RCBB when we’re at Carson, and we are very, very grateful.

For more information on Dave Woten’s award, visit:

http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=467897

Backstage at Friday’s concert at Carson Middle School I ran into two lovely ladies who expressed an interest in seeing photographs of my daughter, Kathryn. (My lovely wife Melanie and I adopted Kathryn from China two years ago this month.)

I’m only too happy to oblige with the photographs you see here (the one on the motorcycle is from Kennywood, the other from Storybook Forest). And thank you for asking.

If you come to this month’s concert and you think CAPA music director/pianist David Pressau looks familiar, maybe you’ve seen his work with Brockett Productions, the CLO Mini-Stars, Point Park’s Pittsburgh Playhouse, CCAC South Summer Theater, Ken Gargaro’s Good Vibrations, or Seton LaSalle’s musicals. Or perhaps you know him from his position as Minister of Music at Grace Episcopal Church and director of the Christian vocal ensemble, One Voice.

Or maybe, just maybe, you remember the guy who played the organ at the US Steel building during the holiday season for many years. That was him.