BACK IN THE USA

We arrived in New York yesterday after a 13 hour flight. Then we had a a very fast lunch and loaded our old bus up. Then we took a short 5 hour bus ride to the Red Roof Inn in I'm not sure where. LOL

Tonight we have a 3 hour dance in Virgina for a military function of some kind. We have 7 performances and it is done. Bitter Sweet!!!!!! I want to go home but I hate to leave this; LOL
Like my life long friend CE says, I have a new set of life time memories and friends from this year with the GMO.

I will make two more reports before I leave this blog behind. I will report on these last few days and then do a summary about the year and most of all about all the great musicians here.

5 Days to go

Wow!!!! It is still getting better. Our saxophone section has become an unbelievable musical unit. Balanced, in tune, tight, all 5 saxes vibrato even matches. Our technical passages are like one big instrument sound. It is so very cool.

The solos by everyone are really good these days. Funny thing, no one talks about that. The solos are really the least important part. I really like that. Its all about the team in this group not the individual How cool is that????

Larry, our leader, continues to sound like a recording every single concert. He is the man. I am finally going to write about all the members in the next 24 hours. Don't miss it.

We have 5 more concerts here in Japan and then back to the US. We have 7 concerts back home and then off for Christmas. My wife Debbie will meet me in Sussex Wi on Dec. 22 for my final concert. The 22 just happens to be our anniversary. I cant wait to see her.

See you shortly.

Still in Japan!!!!!

Japan continues to be very interesting. All of our concerts are pretty much sell outs. We have played at least 3 encores at every single performance. The people are very respectful to us all everyone here knows about the Glenn Miller Band. I went to Tower Records in Fukuoka today and there was a full section of Glenn Miller music. Unreal!!!!! I ended up buying way too many cds today, but they have all kinds of great jazz music that you can no longer get in the USA.

We have about 14 more days in Japan then we fly to New York for an eight day stretch of concerts. THEN HOME!!!!! I miss home.

Many have asked me what I am going to do with all the things I have learned this year. That's pretty easy.
1. Have a better appreciation of my home, family and friends everywhere.
2. Teach all of my students everything I have learned while in the Miller Band.
3. Continue to move forward musically. Too many of we teachers tend to not get better.
In music you either get better or you get worse. There is no in between.
4. I am going to turn the UAM jazz band into the best musical group I have ever stood in front
of. With the new tools I have learned this year I am positive that is going to happen and
my students will reap the benefits.

Tomorrow we will play in the Fukuoka Symphony Hall. You cant believe how many beautiful concert halls there are in Japan. I am just amazed.

On Wed. we will fly to Okinawa. I am very excited about that. One my best friends ever daughter. My old friend Steve Platt has a daughter, Ashly, living there with her US Marine husband. I can hardly wait to see them.

Keep those questions coming. Saxman91254@yahoo.com

Hey Kathyrine, Flat Stanley is doing great. He says hi to you and all your classmates in Roulette Texas.

Toyko

We are having a great visit in Toyko. We are in the New Otani Hotel for 8 straight days. Very nice. We just completed our 8th concert in 9 days. We are a little tired . Tomorrow night we play at the Yokahama Minatomiria Hall. All of the venues here are spectacular. Tonights concert hall had a ground floor and 5 levels of balconies. Is truley unbeleivable. In the USA we build football staudiums while in Japan they build massive concert halls for music events.

Ill keep you posted. If you have questions please send them to me.

Toyko

Great concert tonight. We woke up to a blizzard this morning. After traveling on the bullet train to Toyko at over 150 MPH, it was clear and much warmer when we arrived.

Tonights concert was the best so far. Great crowd and the band was on!!!!!!!!!

Day 6

Today we flew into a beautiful snowy Amori. It was a great flight right over and I mean right over the snow covered mountains. We arrived at our hotel and it was beginning to snow again. Luckily we don't have a concert tonight. We will be back at it again tomorrow.

We are very well received everywhere we go. The Japanese people everywhere are very kind to us and very understanding about our poorness in speaking the Japanese language. Lucky for us we have a Japanese guide and translator. His name is Lewis. He is a rock star in Japan. He plays the guitar. He has complete mastery of the English language and the Japanese language. Most of all he is just a great guy.

Our hotel is superb. They all have been.

Hey Kathiryne tell your classmates Flat Stanley is having a great time. H is learning the Japanese language and hopes to share some of it with you in Texas soon.

Ill see you guys tomorrow night after the concert.

Concerts in Japan

After spending the night in Toyko we flew to Obihiro. We stayed there one night and played our first concert. The concert went very well considering how tired we were and how our internal clocks are really messed up. The next day we travled by train through the snow covered mountains and trees to Sopporo. We traveled an hour out to a smaller town and played for another full house. The venues that we play in Japan are unbeleivable. The Japanese love the Glenn Miller Orchestra. As a matter of fact you can still hear the music live throughout the country.

Tonight we play in Sapporo. I understand it is the most beautiful venue so far. I will report on the concert sometimely to tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will f ly to Amori. No concert tomorrow. It is a travel day.