[Trombone-l] Pit Stories

[Ray Horton]

Earlier this fall, we played a ballet production of _The Great Gatsby_, 
which is arranged by Gunther Schuller and includes a lot of old jazz 
pieces, etc.  Because of the heavy brass and saxes, we were placed up on 
the top level of the three-tiered pit, where the celli usually sit.  I 
guess the strings are used to years of sitting next to a 25-foot drop, 
above the abyss of a storage room, but I wasn't.  At the dress rehearsal 
I pulled my slide out of my bag to clean it, but I had already put my 
mouthpiece in it (big mistake).  When I laid my slide across my lap, my 
Laskey 93 fell out and bounced around the concrete floor below.  Stage 
hand had to retrieve it.  Made quite a scene with the orchestra.


Nice little nick on the face (of the mouthpiece, that is), but no 
problem playing it, fortunately.

Raymond Horton
 Louisville Orchestra


Daryl Burch wrote:
> Did a production of Hair some years back where the band was on risers  
> all across the stage. Pretty cool setup fit with the built-in danger  
> of the horns nearly falling off every night. This was due to the  
> dancers changing costumes on stage ...behind us. They were shielded  
> from the audience. But not from the lecherous horn section.
>
> -D-
>
>
>
> On Dec 5, 2008, at 2:04 PM, Clay McCarter wrote:
>
> I've really enjoyed reading about players experiences with Wicked.   
> Anyone
> else out there playing in a pit for a show?  I'd love to hear stories  
> about
> your past and present gigs.
>
> Clay
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