Day 1167: For the Fourth Time

To a musician, one of the best parts of life is meeting other musicians, especially when they're your favorite musicians! Of course, meeting your favorite saxophone player four years in a row isn't a chance everyone has, but it's definitely become a highlight of my spring semester these past few years! 

You can find the FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD times I met Mr. Eric Marienthal by clicking the links, but this year we headed back to the Shawano Jazz Festival, or Shazz for short, with a whole bunch of jazz musicians ready to see Marienthal and this year's other guest artist, Chuck Loeb. 

For those of you that don't know these musicians, Eric Marienthal is a professional saxophone player and produces some of his own music as well as with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. He's won one Grammy award and has performed with artists such as Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton-John, and many many others. Chuck Loeb is a Grammy nominated guitarist, composer, and producer, as well as a #1 jazz recording artist. He has been a producer of over thirty world-renowned recording artists and produced 18 solo CDs. So I guess you could say that these guys are pretty important in the music world. 

This year at Shazz, Eric performed my favorite song of his, "Baby Cakes," and they also did some tracks from their new album Bridges. If you're looking for some new jazz to listen to on this fine day, definitely check both of them out! After all, I know for sure that Eric has plenty of connections to Disney, and I'm sure Chuck does as well! 

Have a magical day! 

Day 437: Gordon Goodwin

We have some theme music for today's blog post, so go ahead and hit play on this YouTube video!

Now, I'm sure that just about all of us have seen the National Treasure movies, along with stuff such as The Sorcerer's Apprentice, right? Of course we have! But do you know who did the music? Well I obviously do, and here's a hint: it's in the title today. 

That's right, Gordon Goodwin, most well known for his Big Phat Band featuring some of the world's best musicians, at least if you ask me. For the second year in a row, I had the privilege of going to the Shawano Jazz Festival. If you remember correctly, a year ago I went with the Jazz Band and had a chance to perform with my favorite saxophone player, Eric Marienthal. It was the experience of a lifetime! And this year, he brought Gordon Goodwin himself along for the ride!

While I'm not a member of the jazz band anymore, Megan and I tagged along to see their clinic, as well as others throughout the day, and then stay for the afternoon workshop and concert, featuring, you guessed it, Gordon Goodwin and Eric Marienthal. 

But that wasn't even the best part. After the concert, Megan and I set out on our mission to find the two of them for an autograph. We didn't know there was a table already set up for signing, and we ended up heading down the hallway they were coming down on their way to said table. In other words, we ended up being the first people to get their autographs, and the two of them actually ended up having an argument on my program where they signed. It was hilarious. 

In other words, I got to meet my favorite sax player yet again, as well as Gordon Goodwin, the person who arranged music for many Disney films. They actually both have been involved with Disney for years, so it fits perfectly for me! Plus the concert was AMAZING. Absolutely AMAZING. Like I have no words, ever, for how awesome it was. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 25 due to Midterms and Travel).