When I met Suzy in high school, a couple of years ago ;o) she was the lead clarinet player in the band and I in the sax section. I remember like it was yesterday first seeing Suzy walking across the band floor and being introduced by Mr. Lake, the band director, as the girl hosting the first band party of the season. I had a flash of something, I didn’t know what it was at the time. But I think now it was an attraction or a kind of wow, who is that!
This picture is of Suzy in the Edina High School marching band uniform. Since we lived in Minneapolis at the time, the use of gloves was our attempt to keep warm on the football field. Flash forward many years into the future or now…
About five years ago I started playing the sax again. Two years later Suzy started playing the clarinet again. Actually I enticed her with an upgrade to her Selmer Signet clarinet. She didn’t think she needed a new instrument until I demonstrated the superior intonation and sound of the Leblanc Paris pro clarinet with a tuner.
Then about a year ago I talked Suzy into playing the saxophone. Not only did I want her to play sax I wanted her to learn a new genre of music in her experience, jazz. She never looked back and now plays with a number of groups including the Woodinville Jazz Ensemble and the Dissonance. I started the clarinet in the same time frame and now play the bass clarinet in the Woodinville Community Band.
Well, that is the long way of getting to this. Last night, as we often do, I asked Suzy to come and perform some duets with me on our soprano saxes. We both prefer the Yanigisawa, I an older bronze Yani Elmona 992 and her on a Yani 902. We started with some classical duets and then worked our way to some jazz duets. This is such a pleasant time for us and Suzy’s saxophone sound is fast becoming sweet with some very nice vocabulary.
This will become very important as we are working with a professional group that I call Inspektor Gadget (misspelling intended). It will consist of saxes and rhythm and be a very exciting and unique array of instruments and arrangements. Blending with different sax types ranging from soprillo to bass can be very challenging. Getting the voicing right will be based on some musicians with very good intonation and ears.
The Bis Key Chronicles 
How exciting! I think that it’s great that you can share this with your wife. What are the chances of you being able to put up some of your music?
Check the WJE link above and then find the music link in the left nav window. We have some killer examples on that site. :o)
I am one of the lucky few who get to hear both Jim and Suzy’s practices. Even when they practice you can tell how good they are and how much they enjoy the music. Because of their love of music and all instruments, my children have taken a liking to music that they may not other wise be exposed to. My daughter at 3 years of age hs such a deep feel for music that even a year ago, sad ballads will make her cry, upbeat jazz will make her dance and anything melodic she will sing.
This is a great post Jim, loved reading about you and Suzy. Can see why you fell for looking at her HS picture, she was quite the cutie 😉
I loved Susie’s HS picture. There’s something about those band uniforms….. PS…You look like a great couple.
how wonderful! i knew you were both talented musicians, but it’s great you can make beautiful music together too!! :)