Violin, guitar, former band director, songwriter-geezer

[bill stokes]

Hey there, music freaks. I just found this site from a VI control link. Already seeing threads to reply to. So, to talk about myself:

I was handed a full-size violin at age 9. Kept with it through college and a journeyman's career as a professional violinist. Played in a decent orchestra (Sarasota, FL) tons of musical theater gigs, tons of small ensemble gigs. Played with pickup bands for touring shows. (Some day I'll tell you about the time Sammy Davis Jr. smacked a kiss on the top of my head.)
Picked up guitar along the way, learned some jazz grips, mostly for accompaniment.
Moved to far northern NY, by Lake Champlain. Worked a day job. Studied guitar for 5 years with a jazz whiz and notorious loose cannon. Learned a ton about music and improv from a guy who makes everything he plays sound cool.
Got a call one day from the local public school; could I please help out with the winter concert.
I stayed there for 8 years as band director. (I told people I'd gone back to school. It was the truth!) I learned so much about arranging and writing for odd groups of instruments. Learned Sibelius 3 (!)
Quit the teaching job, took some classes from Berklee online. Jazz composition, composing for film, world music.
I've written a lot of songs. Wrote a musical a couple of years ago; ten songs with lyrics.
I've gone to songwriting workshops - every one has been disappointing. They all focused on lyrics, and treated music as trivial.
But the music is what brings lyrics to life, for me. Things I live and breathe: melody, countermelody, harmony, groove, rhythm and polyrhythms.

Uh-oh. A forum intro shouldn't have chapters, right?
Happy to be here, hope the site prospers. Peace and virtual harmony.

 

[proggermusic]

Very cool career! So many of us have had strange, unpredictable, winding roads to end up where we are... especially when we stubbornly stick with a career in the arts.

Lake Champlain is beautiful. I love that area very much. I'm curious who the loose cannon jazz guitarist is, there's a far-from-zero chance that I'm familiar with this person.

 

[bill stokes]

Well, you know, I didn't want to call out his name. But his initials are Jimmy Bruno.

 

[proggermusic]

Well, you know, I didn't want to call out his name. But his initials are Jimmy Bruno.

Aaaaaaaah yes. This makes perfect sense. Well hey, that's a hell of a great player!

 

[Double Helix]

Grew up in SRQ -- chances are we had lots of acquaintances in common
Wonder if Jimmy is any relation to Joe Bruno, fine musician/bass & double bass player who still gigs in the Sarasota & Venice area (I think he was in the Navy Band)

Great to have you on the forum, Bill

 

[bill stokes]

I played a pit gig with Joe Bruno on bass. I think the show was Pippin. That was in the 1990s sometime. Never occurred to me to wonder if he was related to Jimmy, who I met in 2007.