Remembering Bill Bailey

There’ve been a few times over the past ten years or so when I’ve found myself reflecting on my jazz band days and recalling key experiences from that time.

Near the end of my saxophone playing days there was an arrangement of the jazz standard “Bill Bailey” that I remember as being quite challenging. I’m not sure why it kept coming to mind periodically but I’ve wished I could revisit it in order to remember what made it so hard.

I tried to find it a few years ago with no luck, but for some reason it came to my mind again tonight and this time I found a video, performed by a jazz band of young musicians from Barcelona, Spain (of all places)!

Listening to it validated my memory of it being challenging, but let me tell you, these young folk nailed it!

And to top it all off, I even stumbled across the actual sheet music. Totally fun.

Reminded of long-forgotten memories

Of course I remember that I used to play saxophone (baritone and then alto), but it was a vague, abstract kind of remembering.

I had completely forgotten about competing at this jazz band festival, but seeing these photos brought it all back in a visceral sort of way.

It’s also interesting to remember the full context. This was my senior year but I had spent five weeks of the previous summer traveling throughout Europe with the Blue Saints Honor Jazz Band.

I’m pretty sure I was in a bit of an existential crisis being back at my small high school after having had such bigger and broader experiences.