then, everyone knowing his part,
there would be an actual rehears-
al. Later on, we could download
from Napster and hope we didn’t
get arrested and fined.
When chord charts were need-
ed, someone in the band would
write them by hand, and in the
days before copy centers, every
“copy” for each band member
was written by hand. Photo-
copy machines came along
and put “copyists” who would
handwrite arrangements for big
bands and symphony orches-
tras out of business.
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 46
For me, driving to a gig was of-
ten a mini-tour of NJ highways. It
took persistence to call a venue
and speak to someone ranking
high on the staff who could give
dependable directions. I think of
all the times I – with no sense of
direction – became lost. No cell
phones yet. And no GPS. Some
leaders would make a dry run to
the venue to make certain the
best route for the players so there
was no chance of being late.
My most memorable “lost”
story was the night I ended up
in a wooded area, far from main
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