tony sweet
03/24/2014 01:23:35
It's not uncommon to take people for granted, especially when always in that person’s presence. Also, it’s not uncommon to wish that I knew then what I know now. I just managed to get a digital copy of our Towson ’76 album and as I played it back, memories came rushing back in an almost uncontrollable fashion. I wish that I had the mental and musical where-with-all (38 years ago!) to better understand and comprehend the greatness of Hank Levy and the true innovative nature of his music. I kinda knew it then, but with the passage of time and distance, things become clearer. When playing the album back, each tune had a distinct set of memories from the session, and more importantly, of the great social scene we had in the Commons Room and in Room 138. With the recent loss of band members, Rich Collier (piano) and Rich Rice (alto sax), memories of my good friends are refreshed and further cherished. The 1976 band were almost all older players and several, like me, were on the GI bill after military service and some were working professionals returning the college, aspiring to teaching and following in the steps of Hank, most notably Bill Warfield (NY,NY writer/ arranger and educator at Lehigh). It was a time when music was fresh and we were all working on getting better as instrumentalists, writers, arrangers, and becoming selfless in a band environment, which was a little tricky given our youth and wanting to stand out, thinking that was how to get ahead. Of course, again with the passage of time and maturation, I have come to realize that we aggrandize ourselves by aggrandizing others first and foremost. A period of great music, great friends, and life lessons carried through to this day. As I am playing the album now, I realize how incredibly lucky I was to be surrounded by some of the best musicians in the business at that time and to have shared 4 years of my life and to have shared the planet with a true musical innovative giant, Hank Levy.
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