On 13 June, the day before Flag Day, I made my fifth performance at Skyline Towers, a retirement community in downtown Seattle. The first four were to sound “Taps” at various ceremonies, but this one was my first full-length, one-hour trumpet show for these residents. “I Stand for the Flag” is comprised of 25 patriotic songs and marches. About 40 attended and sang along and laughed at my jokes, riddles, and a limerick.
I used two trumpets (Getzen and Jupiter), a Super Olds cornet, and a Getzen bugle. Some favorites included the Sousa marches: “Semper Fidelis” (1888), “The Washington Post March” (1889), and “The Liberty Bell” (1893). Among others were “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (c. 1863), “We’re in the Army Now,” (1917), “Over There ” (1917) and the official songs of each of the five branches of the U.S. military. We also went abroad to play some tunes from our allies in Great Britain: “Colonel Bogey March” (1914), “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” (1912), and the oldest one that I played, “British Grenadiers” (1716)—more than 300 years old! And many more…
Olympic Tower at Skyline in downtown Seattle will be ready for occupancy in Fall 2021
It was an unusual venue. I was outside in the sunlight on the patio facing about 15-20 residents in chairs and wheelchairs. Behind them were two wide open, double doors, and another 20-25 residents were sitting there, inside a large meeting room. They furnished me with a microphone, but all the speakers were inside the room. That was fine, but could the outside residents hear me speak? They said they could, so away we went with the show—and it worked fine!
For articles about my past performances at Skyline Towers, please see my posts of 7 November 2018, 6 June 2018, 19 November 2017, and 10 November 2016, using the Archives in the left column of this blog. There you will find lots of information and photos about the two existing Skyline Towers at 725 9th Ave, Seattle.
Skyline Towers Expansion
The big news about Skyline now is its pending, nearby expansion. The new Olympic Tower at Skyline is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in Fall 2021. It’s located at 8th and Columbia and is already taking reservations for apartments (for ages 62+). At 21 stories high, Olympic Tower offers luxury, cosmopolitan, condo-style living with multiple restaurants, a pool/spa, and 360-degree views of the city, Puget Sound, and Mt. Rainier.
According to Skyline’s website, Olympic Tower is Seattle’s only true Life Care retirement community, with completely predictable living costs, just in case increased care ever becomes needed. The website indicates that already, the units are over 50% reserved.
There are a total of 77 apartments, and there are 23 different floor plans. The 1 bedroom, 1.5 or 2 bathroom units are sized at 1034-to-1415 s.f. All others are 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom units, and they range from 1309-to-1899 s.f.; those on the penthouse floor range from 1309-to-1487 s.f.
For more detailed information, please see https://www.skylineseattle.org/expansion-skyline-retirement-community-seattle/. Photos and renderings are courtesy of Skyline Towers. Please click on any image to enlarge it.
“The Pals”—this polka was the piece which he played in eighth grade in Indiana in a state trumpet solo contest that he won. He’s still using his original Olds Ambassador cornet, c. 1961 (please see my blog post of 2 February 2019). “Roll and Tumble Blues”—he wants to focus on playing more blues pieces in the future, and there’s a chance he and a friend might form a combo to do it.
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The show consists of 24 songs, half from musicals and movies and half about Christmas. All are favorites of the age group living today in retirement communities. They sing along as I play. And as they listen to me play and talk, they recall where they were and what was happening when they first heard and learned those songs—“Things Remembered.”
For variety and fun, as appropriate for each song, I play three instruments (two trumpets and one cornet) and use four mouthpieces and one mute. One mouthpiece makes my Super Olds cornet sound like a flugelhorn, so in effect, it’s like playing four different instruments for them.
started having our reunions every two years. This year, we decided to cut that in half. From here on, we’ll be getting together every year—it’s our SMO schedule—“See Me Out!”
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Glenn's Trumpet Notes 