Glenn’s Trumpet Notes

Era Living has 8 retirement communities in the Greater Seattle area, and on five consecutive days around Veterans Day (11 November) I performed my trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag,” at five of them (please see http://www.eraliving.com). I hope to perform at the other three in 2022.

If there were such a thing as a contest among these five for Best Veterans Day Decorations, then First Prize would have to be awarded to The Gardens at Town Square in Bellevue, where is Stephanie Butler is Life Enrichment Director. See photos below.

Interesting people come to talk with me after a show. For example, a lady at Ida Culver House, Ravenna in Seattle said her husband (deceased) was a direct descendant of Gen. Daniel A. Butterfield. With the help of his brigade bugler, Oliver Wilcox Norton in July 1862 during the Civil War, Butterfield composed the bugle call, “Taps,” at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia after the Seven Days Battle. Please see my blog article about this, dated 19 November 2012.

After my show at University House, Wallingford (UHW) in Seattle, a man and his wife told me that her ancestry tree includes a relationship with Frances Scott Key. Key, of course, is the author of the poem which became the lyrics of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

I wear my VFW Honor Guard uniform when I perform this show, which consists of patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. And I use four horns: my Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, Getzen field trumpet (bugle), and Jupiter pocket trumpet. Next spring, I’ll be able to add my new Austin Custom Brass Doubler flugelhorn, which is now on order as a Christmas gift from my wife.

My six one-hour trumpet shows include sing-alongs and jokes. They are:

• “I Stand for the Flag” – Patriotic marches, songs and bugle calls
• “Things Remembered” – A mix of Christmas songs and popular songs loved by residents
• “Showtune Favorites” – Hit songs from musicals and movies
• “In Retrospect” – More of residents’ favorite songs
• “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration” – Irish ballads, jigs and reels
• “Where Were You, Back Then?” – Popular songs from selected years during residents’ era

Normally, “I Stand for the Flag” consists of 25 pieces of music. However, this time, the Executive Director of UHW, Deborah Montelaro, asked me to combine the music with a talk about Veterans affairs. That reduced the pieces to 16, and I performed that version of the show at four of the five venues.

I have now performed at least one of these shows at 24 different retirement communities in the Greater Seattle area, and I look forward to many more appearances in 2022, Covid and God willing.

9 Nov – Aljoya, Mercer Island (Photos courtesy of Aljoya and me)

10 Nov – University House, Issaquah (photos by Tina Kaiser of UHI and me)

11 Nov – Ida Culver House, Ravenna (photos courtesy of ICHR and me)

12 Nov – The Gardens at Town Square, Bellevue (Photos courtesy of TGTS by me)

13 Nov – University House, Wallingford, Seattle (Photos courtesy of UHW and me)