Jazz Road Trip!! Wednesday, January 16, 2013
2 guys, 1 van, and about 50 boxes of jazz!
Stanton’s Sheet Music exhibited at the 4th Annual Jazz Education Network Conference at the Hyatt Regency Peachtree in Atlanta, GA on January 2-5, 2013. Ben (The Jazz Guy) and Ken from our instrumental department filled a van with big band charts, Real Books, and jazz play-alongs and headed south the day after New Year’s for the annual jazz hang.
Thursday morning was load-in and booth set-up, with an Exhibitors’ Welcome from 5:30-7:30 p.m., followed by two solid days of exhibition. Students, educators and jazz luminaries alike perused and purchased jazz books and charts from the Stanton’s booth.
We saw many friends from Columbus and around Ohio, – you know, all the Ohio jazz people head to Atlanta to see each other! – as well as publisher friends from Hal Leonard, Alfred, Kendor, and Mike Carubia of Smart Chart Music.
Musically we got to check out Kris Berg and the Metroplexity Big Band on Thursday night, hear bits of the ChiArts Jazz Sextet (these 16-17 year olds can not only play, but play with maturity!), and caught part of the rehearsal/sound check with Bob Mintzer and Jeff Coffin with the University of Kentucky saxophone ensemble. We also each got to take in a session – Ben went to Dave Liebman’s session on chromaticism in jazz playing, and Ken attended Jeff Coffin’s session on listening to classic saxophone recordings from Coleman Hawkins to Ornette Coleman.
Jeff Coffin
Other highlights included meeting Wycliffe Gordon and Victor Goines (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra/Wynton Marsalis Septet), pianist Lynne Arriale shopping our booth, legendary bassist Bob Cranshaw (Sonny Rollins/Sesame Street) looking for a recommendation for a piano voicing book – yes, we found one for him!, talking with Gordon Goodwin about digital downloading of jazz charts and the challenges of international shipping, and Ken finally meeting saxophonist Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band/Bela Fleck & the Flecktones/the Mu’tet).
As always, the music and conference were great, exhibit traffic was solid, and if you find yourself in Atlanta, we have some tasty restaurant recommendations – check out Pittypat’s Porch and Max Lager’s!