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BILL
SPILKA Last
month I moved up to Valencia, CA (a northern suburb of L.A.) after
5 musically stimulating years playing split-lead & the jazz
chair with the Government-sponsored Orquesta Primavera, a 32-piece
big-band-with-strings plus boy & girl singers that played a
couple of free concerts or dances a week in town & within a
300 mile radius for the indigenous folks. We played mostly music
by Mexican composers, but our audiences also loved charts by Sammy
Nestico and the Glenn Miller sound.
This was a visually as well as a musically sharp group. We had 7 uniforms, mostly custom charts & our own lighting & sound crew, but only two guys in the band spoke any English & I was too lazy to learn another language, so we didn't communicate too well, but I still managed to break up at least the brass team from time to time! As you probably know, I've been interviewing Survivors of the Big Band Era since the mid-60's & got to know a lot of the studio players out here over the years. Dave Pell (of his own Octet renown + a dozen years with Les Brown & a zillion records to his credit) has encouraged me to write a book based on the 500+ interviews I've done - from Wayne Andre through Si Zentner, so I'll have no problem keeping busy. I also want to play, but I've jumped into a Big Pond of incredibly talented 'bone players out here, so I've decided that I'll have to let everybody know that a unique personality has arrived in town & the best way to do that is to give out a lot of business cards. The front will list my name & numbers: land, cell & fax lines, etc. but on the back I will list my very special attributes & qualities that will set me apart from the mob of merely 'cream-of-the-crop' musicians that are so readily available out here - especially Andy Martin, who is probably first-call for just about every classy musical event, record date or soundtrack gathering in town! I thought that I'd share them with you and the other fine players who research your amazing web site in the hope that perhaps they might utilize a few of my original concepts & perhaps beat out some of the competition because they can offer leaders & bookers something a bit different from what the others present. I hope you like them. BILL SPILKA - MY QUALIFICATIONS: (OR WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE ME INSTEAD OF ANDY MARTIN) APPEARANCE: I'm taller & wider than Andy Martin...so I'll make your trombone section look bigger! BACKGROUND: I got my first horn before slide locks were invented, so I have an exceptionally strong left pinkie grip. I also finished the complete Tune-A-Day book well before Andy Martin was even born! TECHNIQUE: Can play one 64th note at any tempo. RANGE: Strong Double High F (2nd ledger line above staff). ENDURANCE: Will stand for solos upon request. SIGHT-READING: Excellent! Read almost anything after the fifth run-through (& play pppp the 1st time!) VERSATILITY: Can play in keys with as many as 3 flats or even 1 sharp! TRANSPOSITION: Can read from Eb Alto or Baritone sax parts if needs be. ADAPTABILITY: Know Alto, Tenor & Treble clefs when I see them. I don't play them, but I recognize them. REPERTOIRE: Memorized: 2348 Standard melodies, 114 bridges & 6 verses, but not where I parked my car. COOPERATIVE: Will wear funny hats, play "The Saints" & march in parades as far as two blocks. FEARLESS: Will mark parts in ink! AUTHENTIC JAZZ PLAYER: Never play a solo the same way twice! WARDROBE: Soon-to-be-back-in-style Powder Blue Shawl-collar Bell-Bottom After Six Tuxedo; matt-finish Patent Leather dress slippers, freshly-vulcanized elastic-top black knee-high sox; French Cuff, ruffled-front shirts in pink, green & yellow, plaid cummerbund & bow tie, large "gold" nugget cuff links. Snazzy! For Pit Work I have an All-Black outfit: Shirt, Sox, Shoes & Pants. For a long run will also blacken my hands & head. EQUIPMENT: .500 bore tenor trombones by Cleveland, Bundy & Buescher; Olds Ambassador with trigger; French Bisson valve trombone for playing Caravan & 3-valve almost-in-tune Edsel Concert Baritone Horn plus a full range of professional mutes: straight, cup; Harmon; solotone; pixie; rubber plunger & pierced felt hat crown. Knew Harry Berg of Humes & Berg personally. Have own trombone stand, music stand & stand light! TRANSPORTATION: Have own car & am licensed to drive anywhere...during daylight hours. EXPERIENCE: Know several alternate positions...including some with the horn. |
