Archive for the ‘Scrapbook Memorabilia’ Category
June 1st, 2011
Chats with two Chicago Symphony percussionists reveal interesting tidbits of information about Fritz Reiner, a man rarely caught smiling and a conductor many musicians disliked — if not hated.
Tags: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, Jim Gordon, Sam Denov
Posted in Barb's Notes, LP Recordings, Scrapbook Memorabilia, Symphony/Classical | No Comments »
May 4th, 2011
In one of his scrapbooks, Harry had saved this amusing letter from a friend named Larry Stoll, who had a real flair for colorful and amusing writing. His letter paints a colorful picture of what life was like for some musicians of his and Harry’s era.
Tags: Humor
Posted in Humor, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
February 14th, 2011
The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides includes an Appendix of original Harry Brabec quotations as well as a few quotations that I know really spoke to his heart. Here are a several more that couldn’t be included in the book, some thought-provoking, others humorous. As you read them, ask yourself how others would see you if the only things they knew about you were reflected in the quotations you had clipped and saved.
Tags: Harry Brabec
Posted in Barb's Notes, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
January 14th, 2011
In this “Tale of Two Chicago Drum Shops,” Barbara talks about Harry’s relationship with Bill Crowden, owner of Drums Unlimited, and links to “An Historical Document of Interest to Percussionists,” a unique download that features a 1969 issue of Crowden’s Drums Unlimited newsletter, which in turn features mini articles by leading percussionists of the day. This PDF document may be shared with others by email, or offered as a free download on music-related websites.
Tags: custom percussion instruments, Franks Drum Shop, Maurie Lishon, percussionists
Posted in Music Biz History, Percussion Instruments, Scrapbook Memorabilia | 2 Comments »
November 26th, 2010
Barbara, who studied marimba with James Dutton in the late fifties, remembers her lessons with this virtuoso marimbist and outstanding teacher. “He was not only a great help to me when I was struggling to play professionally in Chicago,” she says, “but by introducing me to other percussionists, I eventually met the musician who would introduce me to the man I was destined to marry three weeks after we met.”
Tags: Edward Metzenger, marimba, marimbists, Tom Siwe
Posted in Barb's Notes, Instrumentalists, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
October 24th, 2010
Do men do the courting or do they only think they do? That was the “Question of the Day” in 1946 when Chicago Daily Tribune columnist Maryon Zylstra interviewed Chuck Foster and five of his orchestra members, including Harry, who was just 19 at the time. This old newspaper column gave Barbara quite a chuckle in light of her whirlwind romance with Harry in 1961.
Tags: Chuck Foster Orchestra
Posted in Barb's Notes, Big Bands, Scrapbook Memorabilia | 1 Comment »
August 17th, 2010
Harry was Assistant Stage Librarian for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that summer in 1966 when he arranged for Barbara to meet Ella Fitzgerald backstage during a rehearsal break at Ravinia Festival. In this post, Barbara remembers her sweet encounter with this unforgettable entertainer.
Tags: Ravinia Festival
Posted in Barb's Notes, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
July 12th, 2010
Have you ever considered how some of the decisions you made in your youth dramatically affected your adult life? I’ve always been fascinated by how the threads of my life and Harry’s seemed to be tied together so many years before we met. In fact, we never would have met if I hadn’t fallen in love with the marimba when I was in the sixth grade.
Tags: James Dutton, marimbists
Posted in Barb's Notes, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
July 10th, 2010
To be a successful freelance musician, one must have certain entrepreneurial qualities or they won’t be able to survive in this business. But it wasn’t until Harry’s options as a full-time performing musician ran out that he discovered entrepreneurial skills and talents he didn’t know he had. His production of the International Crafts Exposition for Busch Gardens in the seventies proved to be one of his greatest life achievements.
Tags: European art and crafts
Posted in Barb's Notes, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
July 8th, 2010
Harry had some dogs in his young life, but the one that really stole his heart was Ginger, an abandoned dog we rescued literally from the jaws of death shortly after we moved to Missouri in 1973.
Posted in Barb's Notes, Scrapbook Memorabilia | No Comments »
