[Dixielandjazz] First Clarinet Lesson at age 65

[Barrie Walter Marshall]

A Little history,

I was bought my first clarinet when I was 14 years old in 1954 by my future Brother In Law and my sister, the name of my future relative is Trevor Hodgson still playing in Toronto, I tooted on it until I heard Petite Fleur by Monty Sunshine and I fell in love with jazz, initially the Chris barber Band, then Bunk Johnson/George Lewis, onto king Oliver/Dodd's/Armstrong you know how it goes, anyway eventually I joined a band then Rock and Roll came along and killed traditional jazz in the UK, the clarinet was put aside I tooted on it from time to time for fun, I would not part with it.

In 1980 on THE SAME DAY, I had a knock on my door and a phone call asking me to join two bands, a jazz band and a carnival band, I joined both and life had been great ever since and I have been playing regularly ever since in several bands.


I never learned to read music...............tonight at eight o'clock I am having my first music lesson at age 65! what I want to know is it too late, the general consensus no, and all my tutor wants, she is a good friend of mine is a bottle of white wine.

Barrie
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I must tell you this one and can anybody match it.

When I was in the carnival band we did gigs for a company called Theatre Of Fire, a pyrotechnic company that did shows base around a bonfire build and a firework display, I had played a lot of music during the show(all they ever wanted me to do was improvise on the soprano sax) at the end of the show the bonfire was lit and after it had started blazing well the public heard music, the front of the bonfire opened up and a 15 piece band walked out of the middle of it all dressed on bizarre outfits, and we had over 15,000 people watching this in the park!..........WOW!