Day 112/126
Yesterday was our last rehearsal in NY. But wait, the convention is two weeks away!
Holy cow, our performance is TWO WEEKS from TODAY!
I digress….yesterday was the last day we could meet before everyone scatters on another round of summer travels. Several people are travelling and winding up at the convention. Plus two of our members are busy being new grandmothers and mother-of-the-grooms! And another two of our members are dealing with medical issues concerning aging parents. Being a musician means juggling a lot, just like any other profession. And yes, I know a lot more about my fellow NWF-members’ personal lives as we plan our events. But this furthers our bond and gives us a greater shared history on which to move forward.
We probably played the most at this rehearsal of any all summer, because we’re finally beginning to synthesize the sections, we’ve mastered the techniques Robert is asking for, and our comfort with the structure is strong. We were able to establish the “clouds” and “grooves” he is asking for, now we just need his solo on top of everything!
I will be interested to hear Robert’s comments on dynamics, because at times yesterday we heard that the “cloud” sounds were completely drowning out the trio of solos.
Another thing that is hard to practice is the cueing of people into new sections of the piece. When we’re in DC, Robert will do it, but how do you simulate that now? We decided to go down the page in chronological order, and we also tried passing the baton – so one person starts, they nod someone else in, then that person picks the next, and so on. We know it won’t happen like this in performance, but we were trying to get the staggered entrances Robert asked for to see the overall effect.
We also voted on what to wear during the performance: all black with a colorful necklace. This has become our signature outfit of late, and we thought it would serve a couple of purposes here: first, let Robert shine by being not dressed like us, and second, one of our members is also performing with another group on the same program. We figured this was least likely to clash with whatever they decided on wearing.