Glenn’s Trumpet Notes

News & Tips for Trumpet & Cornet Students

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Posts Tagged ‘trumpet’

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First Performance at Mirabella, Seattle–“Showtune Favorites”

Posted by glennled on April 22, 2025

Mirabella, Seattle

For awhile now, I’ve been wanting to perform one of my six trumpet shows at Mirabella, Seattle. My chance came this spring, thanks to Diana Rawls, Activities Director. On 11 April, I performed “Showtune Favorites”–about two dozen songs from popular musicals and movies familiar to the residents.

Why did I especially want to play there? Because it’s operated by a non-profit organization, occupies a whole city block in downtown Seattle, and is still quite new, opening for business only 15 years ago. I’m impressed!

I used four of my five horns–Getzen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, ACB flugelhorn, and Jupiter pocket trumpet (but not my Getzen bugle). I’ve owned the flugelhorn for only two and a half years, but the cornet for 71 years—Holy Cow! My parents gave it to me when I was a freshman in high school, and it took me to the Texas All-State Band when I was a senior. Love that horn! (Thanks again, Mother and Daddy, may they rest in peace.)

Besides At-Home Care, Mirabella, Seattle offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. Residents from all levels came to my performance. One couple among the audience has lived there since it originally opened!

Photos are courtesy of Mirabella, Seattle. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Second Performance at Cogir of Kirkland–“Where Were You, Back Then?

Posted by glennled on March 14, 2025

Forever Fit, courtesy of Cogir of Kirkland

It’s always nice to be invited back, especially when you get to perform a different show (I have six). Seven months ago, I played “I Stand for the Flag,” a patriotic show, here at Cogir of Kirkland Senior Living (https://glennstrumpetnotes.com/?s=cogir). This time, on 13 March, it was a personal history show, “Where Were You, Back Then?” Here’s how it goes.

I’ve chosen 18 years between 1947 and 2008. Then I tell some significant events and situations that happened in each of those years. They remember those things, and I ask them to remember also what was going on in their own lives during that year. Sometimes, I sprinkle in some tales of my own, like when in 1967, I was single and an officer in the Navy, stationed near San Francisco, and I bought my yellow Camaro convertible–oh, boy! I hope these things trigger memories in their minds, too.

Next, I’ve chosen a song that was popular that year—perhaps from a musical or a movie or a hit that won a Grammy Award or Academy Award Oscar. I invite them to sing or hum along with me, as I play one of four horns: Getzen trumpet, Super Olds Cornet, ACB (Austin Custom Brass) flugelhorn, and Jupiter pocket trumpet. Sometimes, I use one of my mutes. For example, I especially enjoyed playing “That’s Amore” (1953) on my trumpet, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (1968) on my cornet, “Some Days Are Diamonds” (1981) on my flugelhorn, and “Money, Money, Money” (2008) on my pocket trumpet.

As often happens, we started out with a crowd of size “X,” and as I played, more people came, and we ended up with all the chairs filled, including one up in the balcony! I recognized several people from my first performance there last August. And now I’m ready anytime to return for a third show!

Posted in Shows at Retirement Homes | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Second Performance at Quail Park of Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on December 15, 2024

Quail Park of Lynnwood

I’ve performed at 32 different retirement communities in the Greater Seattle area, and Quail Park is unique in a good way. Of course, every community is unique, but I’m thinking of Quail Park’s private, hilltop location and its eight different floor plans:

  • 2 bedroom/2 bath cottage with garage (1,616 s.f.)
  • 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment (787-1,072 s.f.)
  • 1 bedroom/1 bath apartment (592-794 s.f.)
  • Studio bed/1 bath apartment (411-603 s.f.)
  • Private Studio Suite – Studio bed/1 bath (377-399 s.f.)
  • Tribute Studio Suite – Studio bed/1 bath (374-469 s.f.)
  • Tribute Adjoining Studios – Studio bed /1bath (374 s.f.)
  • Adjoining Studios-Lynnwood – Studio bed/1 bath (352-420 s.f.)

For diagrams of the different layouts and to match each floor plan with the four lifestyles (assisted living, enhanced assisted living, independent living, and memory care), please see the website, http://www.livingcarelifestyles.com/quail-park-lynnwood.

So, it was a privilege to perform for the residents in their beautiful auditorium on 12 November, one day after Veterans Day. In my VFW uniform, I performed my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag.” As usual, I used my five horns to play about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. I love to match each instrument—trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, bugle, and pocket trumpet—to the character and mood of each different piece.

This is my second performance at Quail Park. The first was on 22 December 2019, before the Covid pandemic. I presented my Christmas show, entitled “Things Remembered.” In addition to these two, I have four other different shows. I look forward to returning in 2025, God willing. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Third Performance at The Gardens at Town Square, Bellevue

Posted by glennled on December 13, 2024

Courtesy of The Gardens at Town Square, Bellevue

Veterans Day, 11 November 2024, found me in Bellevue for my third performance at The Gardens at Town Square retirement community. That afternoon, I presented my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag” to a large, generous audience.

Actually, I have two versions of this show. In 2021, after the Covid Pandemic peaked, I performed the “talk version.” In this show, I not only play patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls, but also, I talk about veterans’ current well-being, concerns, and activities. But this year, I performed the “standard version”–about two dozen pieces of music with a bit of talk to introduce each piece. The audience sings along as I play my five horns: Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, Austin Custom Brass (ACB) flugelhorn, Getzen bugle, and Jupiter pocket trumpet.

We had such a great time that I look forward to returning sometime in 2025, God willing. I have six different trumpet shows, so there’s plenty to choose from. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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“Echo Taps” in the Morning of Veterans Day at Veterans Park, Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on December 11, 2024

Photo by Julia Wiese, Lynnwood Today

The national tradition is to conduct the Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. local time, worldwide, on the 11th day of the 11th month—formerly known as Armistice Day, WWI. Never forget, as succeeding generations were charged by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae in his elegant poem, “In Flanders Field.” And so this is done annually at Veterans Park in downtown Lynnwood.

This is the second time that I’ve sat in my walker at this location for sounding the two bugle calls, ‘”Assembly” and “Echo Taps.” My lower back hurts, and when I stand to play, I’m a bit shaky. Also, I am challenged by the aligners that are in my mouth to straighten my teeth. (They should be removed by next Memorial Day.) Old age does its thing. So, when I sit, it sounds better. Judah Deuman sounded the “echo” part. He graduated from Lynnwood High School last spring. I used my Getzen field trumpet, and he used his trumpet.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Photos by Julia Wiese, Lynnwood Today:

Boy Scouts Troop 49
Glenn Ledbetter, VFW 1040 Bugler
VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard (L) and Legion of Honor, Nile Shrine Center (R)

Other photos:

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Sixth Trumpet Show Performance at Fairwinds, Brighton Court, Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on December 10, 2024

Lobby, courtesy of Fairwinds, Brighton Court, Lynnwood

Veterans Day generated three gigs for me, and the first one was at Fairwinds, Brighton Court in Lynnwood on Saturday, 9 November 2024—two days before the actual Veterans Day (11 November). The other two performances will be covered in forthcoming blog posts.

I’ve now performed at 32 retirement communities, including many repeat appearances, throughout the Greater Seattle area. Fairwinds, Brighton Court is now the leader with six performances. My first trumpet show there was in 2018.

On this occasion, I appeared in my VFW uniform and presented my one-hour show, “I Stand for the Flag.” The audience was large and quite responsive. I used five horns: trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, bugle, and pocket trumpet. The show consists of about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. The audience sings along.

I look forward to returning for a seventh time in 2025, God willing. I offer six different shows, so next time could be entirely a different experience for the residents. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Nobody Plays the Horn Like Bria Skonberg!

Posted by glennled on September 4, 2024

On Wednesday, 24 July, I heard Bria Skonberg and her band at Jazz Alley in Seattle. Nobody plays trumpet like Bria. And she also composes, arranges, and sings.

For about three years, I’ve watched her videos and followed her on Facebook, and as she posted about playing everywhere else but here, mostly on the East Coast and New Orleans, I would comment, “When are you coming to Jazz Alley in Seattle?”

She always replied, “We’re working on it,” until one time she said, “Check the July 2024 schedule.”

Sure enough, she was booked for 23-24 July! So, on the last night, I went and sat in the balcony at table 430. Had a nice side view. After the show, I spoke with her briefly. She wants to come back.

Later, I also spoke to the general manager. “I’ve come here to see Pancho Sanchez, Arturo Sandoval, and Chris Botti. I like her best of all.”

“She belongs with them,” he said.

“She’s so versatile and expressive!” I said. “She talks through the horn. She may not have the range and power of some other trumpeters, but she beats them all in expression. I hope you’ll bring her back.”

“We will!” he said, and we shook hands.

The New York Times wrote, “Ms. Skonberg has become the shining hope of hot jazz, on the strength of a clarion trumpet style indebted to Louis Armstrong, a smooth purr of a singing voice inspired by Anita O’Day.” Coming from British Columbia and now living in New York, she was described in The Wall Street Journal as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.” Her signature composition is “So Is the Day,” with which she closed the show.

Jazz Alley wrote, “Bria has recorded on over 25 albums, has garnered over 13 million streams online and over 85,000 social media followers…She tours constantly, bringing her own signature sounds of fiery trumpet playing, smoky vocals and storytelling together with adventurous concoctions of classic and new.” She’s a Juno Award winner (2017), among other awards. Her 2024 release, What It Means, “tells stories of life lessons that range from upbeat to down-to-earth to emotionally deep, all the while exhibiting both her mastery of the trumpet and her soulful and undeniably connective voice.”

Her parents were in the crowd on that last night. They know—nobody plays the horn like Bria.

Please se https://www.briaskonberg.com/bio and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bria_Skonberg

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Returning to Island House, Mercer Island on Independence Day

Posted by glennled on August 27, 2024

It was Independence Day, and I was returning to Mercer Island, where I lived for 30 years (1973-2003), to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag,” at Island House MBK Senior Living, a retirement community. Moreover, I was returning to Island House itself, where I had sounded “Taps” six years ago in a ceremony on Memorial Day, 28 May 2018. It was good to be back!

It was a bright, warm day, so the staff, led by Jacqueline Lilly, Director of Wellness Programming, set things up in the courtyard, where I and many of the audience sat under large, dark green umbrellas. I wore my VFW Honor Guard uniform, and as usual, played five horns–Getzen trumpet and field trumpet (bugle), Olds Super Cornet, ACB flugelhorn, and Jupiter pocket trumpet. The show consists of two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls.

For more information about Island House, please see https://www.mbkseniorliving.com/senior-living/wa/mercer-island/island-house/. It is located downtown and offers assisted living and short-term stays in studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. Photos courtesy of Island House, Mercer Island.

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“In Retrospect” at Edmonds Landing

Posted by glennled on August 25, 2024

If it’s your birthday, where do you go? You go perform a one-hour trumpet show, “In Retrospect,” at Edmonds Landing in Edmonds, WA, because they invited you to do so! And that’s exactly what I did at 2 p.m. on 24 June. It was my third performance for the residents there, courtesy of Lifestyle Director, Sonia Pace.

For this show, I use four horns: Getzen trumpet, Olds Super cornet, ACB flugelhorn, and Jupiter pocket trumpet. I play about two dozen popular songs from the residents’ era. They were composed during the 84-year period from 1892 to 1976. As I play each song, I comment on it and relate it to something that we all experience at some time in our lives, including courtship, marriage, family, death, and national pride and loyalty. It’s a favorite of mine among my six different trumpet shows.

Edmonds Landing offers Independent Living and Assisted Living in 83 apartments on two floors in the “Edmonds Bowl.” It is part of the family of retirement communities operated by Frontier Senior Living (please see https:/www.frontiermgmt.com).

Photos courtesy of Edmonds Landing (except for poster).

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On Flag Day, “I Stand for the Flag” at Cogir of Kirkland

Posted by glennled on August 21, 2024

Almost every Flag Day (14 June), I get to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag.” This year, I did so at a brand-new community, Cogir of Kirkland, located near Carillon Point. It opened last February, offering assisted living services.

Among the residents who attended was a couple celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. He used to play trumpet, and she used to play the French horn.

My show consists of about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. I use four horns: Getzen trumpet, Olds Super cornet, Getzen field trumpet (bugle), and Jupiter pocket trumpet. Residents sing-a-long with me on certain songs.

Cogir Senior Living operates nearly 70 facilities in 11 states. In Washington, it has 18, ranging from Spokane to Walla Walla to Vancouver to Everett to Bellevue. Collectively, Cogir’s services include independent living, assisted living, connections care, memory care, and respite care, but most facilities offer one or two of these five levels of care. Together, these communities are staffed with more than 3,700 skilled, compassionate team members (please see https//:cogirusa.com).

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