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Little Norman
Skip’s Blog 10/27/08
Hello all of you out there in saxophone cyberspace! This
latest installment comes to you as the trees in the Northeast
are showing their brightest colors of the season. It is
truly a beautiful time of year here in New Jersey and especially
in New England where I grew up.
A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to be with my
family in Massachusetts following the passing of my father.
Do not be sad for us. It was a blessing as he had suffered
with Alzheimer’s Disease and he is now at peace.
It was special being home with my mother, sisters and extended
family. It was also special sampling the New England foliage
in early October – something I haven’t seen
in about 20 years!
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to talk
about my dad. He was a great father and husband, as well
as a demanding business leader with high expectations for
those around him. Norman (which makes me Little Norman)
was a proud father, hard worker, volunteer in the community
and an adept handyman around the house as well. His interest
in woodworking and home maintenance was something I could
not have had less interest in as a young man. Now I have
a true appreciation, understanding and interest in these
same things – just like my dad. The apple doesn’t
fall far from the tree.
When I was in elementary and middle school I tried and
quit just about every instrument available until settling
in with saxophone at age 13. I had played and quit, drums,
clarinet, bugle, piano and piano again. My father had enough
already but my mother encouraged him to give me one more
try at the sax. Thanks Mom…and Dad…for listening
to her!
In high school I was switched from alto to tenor by the
high school band director. Private study and theory classes
helped fuel my interest in saxophone and music. When I
was in 11th grade my parents agreed to purchase a used
Mark VI. We bought it for $450 and I was very happy to
have my own. One year later when we realized it was not
a very good Mark VI, my father agreed to purchase me a
second, better Mark VI for high school graduation. I went
on to use this sax at Berklee College of Music in Boston
and I still play on that same tenor today.
The fact that my parents supported me is not unique. What
IS unique is that Norman N. Spratt was MY dad. Thanks for
everything Dad. God bless. Norman
N. Spratt
Now on to what’s new on SaxShed.com and elsewhere… There
is much new saxophone info to read about here. There are
new transcription samples to view, a few new tools in the
shed and several highlighted recordings under reviews.
I am particularly pleased to offer a review of another
project I had the pleasure of working on – Billy
Ruth’s Here’s to Life. It was a rare
opportunity for me to play baritone in a big band setting
along with some great Philadelphians. The project features
some of my favorite players to work with playing beautifully
as they often do. My former teacher Ron Kerber and I got
to work together again and that was a pleasure as always.
Many of us contributed to the project at different times
but in the end the blended ensembles behind Billy support
his vocal efforts well.
Ernie Watts continues to fuel his own Flying Dolphin Records
with the new release To The Point – Live at The
Jazz Bakery. Watts and his quartet demonstrate their
dedication to the tradition of recorded live jazz.
In addition to Watt’s newest recording, several
other recordings have been submitted for review this time
around. You can read about all of them in the reviews section
here on SaxShed.com.
Lastly, I’m happy to announce that my first published
saxophone quartets will be available soon by Dorn Publications.
This month’s Saxophone Journal (Nov/Dec)
features my Rock n’ Roll Masterclass CD with a play
along for tenor sax. The complete SATB quartets, scores
and optional rhythm section parts will be available separately
from the magazine through Dorn Publications.
That’s all the news to tell for now.
Stay well and play well.
Skip Spratt
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