Author Archives: Gandalfe

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About Gandalfe

Just an itinerant saxophonist trying to find life between the changes. I have retired from the Corps of Engineers and Microsoft. I am an admin on the Woodwind Forum, run the Pacifica Big Band (formerly the Microsoft Jumpin' Jive Orchestra) and participate in other ensembles. Mostly enjoy time with family and friends.

Letter from Aunt Norma to Dad

One of Jim’s first jobs outside of working at the greenhouse was as a paper boy for the Fredonia Daily Herald.  His customers loved him.  Jean and I helped him fold the papers in a pinwheel shape so they’d be … Continue reading

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Stories of my Dad and the Glass Family

The Glass family is a two-part family:  Jim, Jean and Norma, all born a year apart.  After a 8 year span later Max and Meg appeared.  We three older ones always did things together as our parents battled the stock market crash of … Continue reading

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So Many Concerts, So Little Time …

As 2025 winds down, I find that I have only two concerts in Dec. That’s by design as we tend to want to take the month off for family, rest and relaxation, and enjoying the festive season. This year has … Continue reading

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Goodnight Mom, 2025

Mom passed in her sleep one night this year. She was 93! So all of Suzy’s and my parents are gone. So much goodness in these folk, they took good care of us, insuring we were fed, educated and developing … Continue reading

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Security for Home and Identity in the 21st Century

A friend of mine had his phone hacked and most of his contacts got emergency request for money. He ended up going into the service provider’s brick and mortar as online and phone wasn’t working for him. Here are my … Continue reading

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And then that happened…

So last night we were on our way to band practice, carpooling don’t cha know, and the car in front of us got slammed in the side by a very bad driver. I mean, I was just thinking that guy … Continue reading

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Do Musicians Playing for Free Take Money from Pro Musicians?

Some of us perform for little to no money, often driven by passion rather than financial gain. We play music purely for enjoyment, without the expectation of monetary compensation. We play 3 to 4 times a week but make no … Continue reading

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Should my Hobby Band be an LLC?

This was the best answer (from a smart friend) to another friend’s question about LLC and UBI concerns with his hobby band. You have no requirement to collect sales tax in WA as this is a pure service, so it’s … Continue reading

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Big Band Fronts, take six

So yes, we have gone through a lot of styles of fronts. We started out with homemade fronts using picture frames, felts, and wood crates. Eventually I opted to go with purchased stands as they were much lighter and easier … Continue reading

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Where or When

Our first performance of the year is fast approaching. If you are in Seattle on 25 Jan, peek into Third Place Commons at 7 pm for some Las Vegas style big band!

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