House Purchase Wants/Needs List

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Gandalfe

My son and his family have moved into their forever house. Before he did I gave him the list of criteria we have used over the years to pick our forever home, although three times we ended up moving. The number behind each item is how many times we succeeded in finding that item with our last home having all of them.

1. Quiet street, cul de sac if you can get it (4 of 4)

2. Contiguous to a Natural Growth Protection Area (2 of 4)

3. Three car garage (2 of 4)

4. Music room with high ceiling (3 of 4)

5. High ceiling master bedroom (2 of 4)

6. Open floor plan for kitchen, dining, and family room (4 of 4)

Fav things we added to our homes:

1. Trash compactor (4 of 4)

2. Air conditioner (2 of 4)

3. Instant hot water in kitchen (2 of 4)

4. Shop in garage for Suzy (2 of 4)

5. Whole house generator (3 of 4)

6. Backyard fence (4 of 4)

7. Security system (4 of 4)

8. Security signage (4 of 4)

9. Spring closed fence gates (3 of 4)

10. Ceiling fan in master (3 of 4)

Recommended maintenance items.

1. Paint house with forever paint.

2. Plant trees that take advantage of passive solar.

3. Upgrade water heater, stove, dishwasher, and fridge.

Thus ends our exercise in data compilation.

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Project Inspiration: Start a Sax Quartet

Posted on March 4, 2023 by Gandalfe

When I started to play saxophone again after a 25+ year hiatus I started looking for ensembles to perform with. I started with a community band to find connections into the local music scene. I really love big bands but found that most played the same old music, and it became rather boring. So I created my own, 20 years later called the Seattle Solid Gold Big Band. I also started a sax quartet called the Dissonance, now called the Seattle Solid Gold Sax Quartet. Check out their many ensembles here: https://seattlesolidgold.com/

The nice thing about starting a sax quartet is that I get to pick the music. I can select pieces that take advantage of our strongest players. I can pick music that I adore. Also, it is so much easier and fun to pick the performers who will stay with the ensemble for more than one season. During the 20 years of my sax quartet there have been a *lot* of musicians sit in.

Developing a book of favorite charts as taken some time but my tenor player Gary has helped me tweak our listings with charts he has arranged and/or penned. I now have a rather nice list of charts to select from for almost any performance and venue.

The best part about playing in a quartet is that every musician is soloing the whole time, there is no place to hide like there is in a community band or big band. So you get to work on your fluidity and sound in an almost perfect solo-like setting.

I now recommend this method of finding groups to play with to my musician friends with some management skillz. YMMV.

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That One Crazy Gig – Take 50

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Gandalfe

Our first gig of the year turned out to be both lucrative and interesting. It was billed as a birthday party for one of the couples who love and support our band. It was to take place the week after the new year which is good for me as I prefer not to be driving the band mobile New Year’s night.

We were fresh off of a two month hiatus and had one practice for the performance. There were some specific songs requested that we don’t usually play:

Set 1

1. Let’s Dance (C) 2:17

2. Sway (MV) 2:40

3. Feeling Good (FV) 4:02

4. In The Mood 3:35

5. It’s Oh So Nice 4:09

6. It Had Better Be Tonight (MV) 3:06

7. Oh Look at Me Now (FV/C) 2:51

8. Mister Meadowlark (FV/C) 3:09

9. You Light Up My Life

10. Ain’t That a Kick (MV) 2:31

11. Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (C) 4:45

Set 2

1. Too Darn Hot (FV) 3:50

2. String of Pearls 3:16

3. Beyond the Sea (MV) 2:09

4. Don’t Be That Way (C) 3:06

5. Pennsylvania 6-5000 3:13

6. October Moon (C) 2:15

7. In the Still of the Night (MV) 4:11

8. I’ll Be Seeing You (FV/C) 3:20

9. Why Don’t You Do Right (FV/C) 2:15

10. Montego Bay 3:00

11. Mack the Knife (MV) 3:07

Set 3

1. When You’re Smiling (MV) 2:00

2. Moonlight Serenade (C) 3:24

3. The Continental 2:36

4. On a Slow Boat to China (FV)

5. Stardust (C) 3:30

6. The Girl From Ipanema (MV) 3:15

7. Besame Mucho 3:00

8. Whatever Lola Wants (FV) 2:52

9. Begin the Beguine (C) 3:15

10. Sing Sing Sing (C) 5:23

11. Maybe This Time (FV) 3:53

Encore: In The Mood 3:35

The room was kind of small for a big band, but we made it work for our bandies. How could we not? So during the birthday speech, the guest of honor got down on his knees and proposed to his long-time girlfriend! I kid you not. So a ULC minister (I was one too) stepped out of the crowd and performed a short and funny marriage. So much fun and called upon us to play the wedding march.

And our band photographer got some pictures and did this video for us. Ah the life of a musician, such a life is good. Play on my dear readers.

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Wood or Metal Clarinet Prediction – 1920

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Gandalfe

Although the prediction that metal clarinets would become de rigueur proved to be false, this is an interesting read. Note, it was written in The Melody Maker in the late 1920’s by a well-known clarinet player, Ralph Dunbar.

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Last GOLD Big Band concert of the Year

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Gandalfe

As is my custom for this band, this was the last concert for 2022. I like to take November and December off to enjoy the holiday season. The rest of October we will be sightreading some charts to pick new ones to add to the mix next year and that will close out the practices for the year.

Greg was in great form with his sweet vocals and wonderful patter. He even got out on the dance floor and danced with our solo clarinetist.

Robin and Lauren doing that thang they do so well. Both have fab stage appearance value and are fan favorites.

My fav sax section with my wife Suzy sitting next me. I’m on the bari sax. We had a guest lead alto, Aaron, who actually used to be in the band back in the day. Did I mention how much I love this music ensemble?

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Ring Security

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Gandalfe

We have installed two (of three) cameras from Ring. We are impressed with the simplicity of the installation, the crisp and clear videos and pictures, and the immediate ability to share the streams with the neighborhood and police. I have a more manual setup which takes hours to scan for the pertinent videos and isn’t half as clear as the Ring system is. AND, we get alerts on our phones when someone comes to the front door.

We are very happy with the Ring experience and have already recommended it for family and friends. YMMV.

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The Royal Room ~ Seattle

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Gandalfe

My big band, the Seattle Solid Gold, performed at the Royal Room in Seattle this week. No, really! It was in South Seattle which can be a sketchy part of town. Parking was … well, let’s just say challenging. But the venue was nice, albeit small. Had one fellow in the band show up without his music. Sigh … but I always have a spare tablet so we were okay. Had a sub show up without a stand. But the staff had extra stands which was rather nice. And for a three hour gig, they had *very* nice padded chairs.

Brian Fioca, a professional photographer showed up. It was a dark room, but before he worked on the photos he took, he sent me a couple of fresh proofs. The shots were very nice, we really like his work. I showed the proofs around during the first break and each person talked about how they looked in the photo.

This is a new vocalist for us, David Francis. He set up this performance for the band. He wanted to sing with a big band. What a fab experience and working with a pro like David, it took only two practices to add all the new charts he wanted in the mix. I had tried to get on their docket but David made it a done deal.

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The Summer of Music 2022

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Gandalfe

As we exit the pandemic constraints and start performing again, there is a collective sigh of relief from the band and the audience. We happened upon a pro photographer, Brian Fioca who took some pictures this year. Life is good.

Lauren has been our solo clarinetist and sax player for over five years. She has a great stage presence and sweet clarinet sound.

One of my all-time fav sax sections there is a huge depth of experience here. The fraternity is amazing, the sound delightful, and work ethic high.

Pro tip, if you want to pick the music that your band plays, start your own band. That’s what I did with the Seattle Solid GOLD Big Band about 17 years ago. Suzy made the fronts for us. Cam is the amazing director. And I have so many besties in this ensemble.

We have a number of amazing vocalists who have graced this band with their amazing voicings over the years. Here is Robin doing that thang she does so well.

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Garage Door Replacement Upgrade

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Gandalfe

Our 15-year old garage door openers (two) finally gave out. Well, that is to say, mine did–it gets used the most. So we went for a quiet, belt driven model that could be accessed by our phone. If you do it yourself and for two doors, it’s around $500 in parts. But we paid a very experienced fellow $1000.

He also replaced one of the heavy-duty (and very dangerous by the way) springs used to control the heavy door load. The other spring was replaced when we moved in ten years ago. And he tightened down all the rails. His time, 5 hours. Bonus the new unit has two lights and with the advent of LED lights, we no longer are limited to 60 watt bulbs.

Pictures and instructions for do it yourselfer are here: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Chamberlain-CHA-1-2HP-BELT-DRIVE-GDO-WITH-WIFI/5002862169

The belt should last a long time, I think I was told 20 years but we’ll see. It is a steel reinforced belt that should allay any concerns about the rubber wearing out.

Bonus: If our door opens we get an alert on my phone. If I can’t remember if I closed the garage door, I can check the door status. And if it is open and I’m at a gig, I can close the garage door from that location.

I was putzing around the garage, getting lawn tools out and thought that in some ways I miss the loud garage door opener. I always knew when Suzy came home and could hear it when I was in my car closing it at night after coming home from band practice. But then, I’m just being silly I guess.

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Tips on Making your House Safe from Burglaries

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Gandalfe

I thought I’d share this post I wrote some years ago. I really need to write a post about creating a community where neighbors watch out for each other. If your neighbors have contact info they can let you know, for example, when you’ve left your garage door open at night.

Gandalfe's avatarThe Bis Key Chronicles

DSCF1052Making your house safe from burglaries is something that I have preached to my family and friends. The trick is to make your house the hardest one to break into on your street. Because so many people are lazy about this, either because they don’t want to think about something so horrible or because they are ‘too busy’, it should be easy to rise above the norm.

Why should a thief work so hard to break into your house if the neighbor’s house is easier, usually way easier?

I have 20 years military experience, in the Corps of Engineers, three years as a security guard and then security guard manager in college and have done a lot of reading and research on the matter. But I am always trying to get the list of things so do down to a manageable few. Here is my prioritized list today:

1. Own…

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