a friend's milestone
Last night right before curtain on opening night of Baylor's All-University Sing, Jason caught my eye and said, "Twenty years."
Yep, he's been arranging music for the show for twenty years now. Like many of us, he saw the show and had an I-should-be-doing-this moment. Then he went out and conquered. His first few years went in a normal way: he was one of the handful of arrangers for the show (each year there are usually between fifteen and twenty acts). Then one year he took on eleven acts, more than any arranger had ever done. Each act is a massive amount of work; the director at first wanted to limit him; Jason said, "just let me try it and you'll see." Anyone who knows Jason knows what happened next. The eleven arrangements turned out just great, and the show went on.
A Sing arranger doesn't just do music. You advise, cheerlead, rehearse, audition singers; sometimes you help pick themes and do other big-picture stuff. Jason, a gifted carpenter, now helps a number of acts build their props. On top of doing Sing, he also does mastering for Word Music: hundreds of recorded songs a year. On top of that he does audio for films. (His latest, "Paradise Recovered," is getting national attention, not least because of his exacting standards and artistic touch.) And then there's all the other stuff: he's a dedicated outdoorsman and mountaineer who has conquered over half the nations fourteeners; he's a superb craftsman, not just in music but in carpentry, having made everything from lovely tables and cabinets to lathed Cocobolo pens to a giant duck; he even combined his passions to build his own music studio — every wire and window and drop of paint and bit of fine cabinetry. He's a skilled pilot, a slightly mad maker of things that blow up, an ardent astronomer, a voracious reader, a terrific and inventive cook (and foodie), a wine enthusiast, and, I'm proud to say, a friend. He also seems to be a perfect husband, and he and his wife Erin are treasured friends to Catherine and me.
It's only fitting that in his twentieth year he also celebrates another milestone. This year, in Sing, Jason is the only arranger. All seventeen acts, every note. All up to his usual high standard, with lush orchestral sequences and (his specialty) beautiful choral writing. That's around 120 songs, roughly 5000 measures, probably 15,000 active frames. The rock rocks, the swing swings, the electronica pumps, the orchestra soars, the funk grooves. The audience is moved.
Congratulations, friend.
Yep, he's been arranging music for the show for twenty years now. Like many of us, he saw the show and had an I-should-be-doing-this moment. Then he went out and conquered. His first few years went in a normal way: he was one of the handful of arrangers for the show (each year there are usually between fifteen and twenty acts). Then one year he took on eleven acts, more than any arranger had ever done. Each act is a massive amount of work; the director at first wanted to limit him; Jason said, "just let me try it and you'll see." Anyone who knows Jason knows what happened next. The eleven arrangements turned out just great, and the show went on.
A Sing arranger doesn't just do music. You advise, cheerlead, rehearse, audition singers; sometimes you help pick themes and do other big-picture stuff. Jason, a gifted carpenter, now helps a number of acts build their props. On top of doing Sing, he also does mastering for Word Music: hundreds of recorded songs a year. On top of that he does audio for films. (His latest, "Paradise Recovered," is getting national attention, not least because of his exacting standards and artistic touch.) And then there's all the other stuff: he's a dedicated outdoorsman and mountaineer who has conquered over half the nations fourteeners; he's a superb craftsman, not just in music but in carpentry, having made everything from lovely tables and cabinets to lathed Cocobolo pens to a giant duck; he even combined his passions to build his own music studio — every wire and window and drop of paint and bit of fine cabinetry. He's a skilled pilot, a slightly mad maker of things that blow up, an ardent astronomer, a voracious reader, a terrific and inventive cook (and foodie), a wine enthusiast, and, I'm proud to say, a friend. He also seems to be a perfect husband, and he and his wife Erin are treasured friends to Catherine and me.
It's only fitting that in his twentieth year he also celebrates another milestone. This year, in Sing, Jason is the only arranger. All seventeen acts, every note. All up to his usual high standard, with lush orchestral sequences and (his specialty) beautiful choral writing. That's around 120 songs, roughly 5000 measures, probably 15,000 active frames. The rock rocks, the swing swings, the electronica pumps, the orchestra soars, the funk grooves. The audience is moved.
Congratulations, friend.
Comments
What a great example of success you are. Well done.