UNO to OSU to Springfield, MO

1/16 Drive from Des Moines to Omaha, and the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Roads are clear but it was about 12 degrees. Beautiful snow covered stubbled fields edged with milkweed pods sporting a mouthful of snow each. Scott had a workshop with the brass students (including a few curious woodwind players…), and Ginger listened to the new jazz vocal ensemble and worked with the singers.






We shared a great dinner with the vocal jazz ensemble director, Kim Weiser, Pete Madsen, professor of trombone and director of jazz studies, and the marvelous faculty group that played with us later that evening. Andy Hall, bassist, Carlos Figueroa, drummer, pianist Mark Misfeldt, and Darren Pettit, saxes gave us marvelous support during the concert. It was especially fun to see workshop students again in another context, and answer further questions about the music and performing.





1/17 Oklahoma State University, Stillwater for a clinic with trombonist Paul Compton’s jazz students. Drove all day through Missouri, and a pretty desolate Kansas. Roads started getting a little slushy/gooey in Oklahoma. Seems municipalities down south don’t have the snow moving equipment for occasional storms like this. It had warmed up to about freezing when we arrived. We sang a few tunes with pianist Todd Malicoate, bassist Charles Peterson, and drummer Pat Bubert, and then went into a freewheeling Q&A about the life of musicians and our choices as jazz artists. The trombone ensemble of students brought out a fun little arrangement of an original tune in honor of Scott’s visit by bass trombonist Noel Seals. Cool tune! Scott is still moaning about sight reading without glasses… We really liked it…called “A Lil’ Payne County Funk”. Noel Seals is the bass trombonist in the gold shirt.








1/18 Free day on our way to St. Louis! Eve in Joplin. Every bit of vegetation is encased in ice. Fairyland.

1/19 Springfield, MO is clearly about ground zero for this ice storm. Hills and dales of whitened forests become more and more dense with heavily frosted bowed boughs. The entire tops of some tree groupings are snapped. My friend Jeanne Rowe (of Springfield) said that the sound of cracking branches was pretty loud and terrifying (she lives out in the woods near a river). Apparently the entire county is without electricity. Moving eastward to Rolla, much of the hoarfrost had melted.