bloke wrote:bort wrote:
I've said it before and will say it again -- cancer sucks.
Considering your coincidental terminology, did you know about this...??
http://www.cancerblows.com/
Yep, Joe...I know that you know Ryan Anthony [Dallas Symphony principal trumpet, formerly Canadian Brass] and his family and are familiar with the background on the Cancer Blows project. For those that don't know, Ryan has multiple myeloma, a terminal cancer of the bone marrow. He has undergone extensive treatment but is currently doing well and still playing in Dallas daily. I am fortunate to be able to work with him on a daily basis and was involved in production of the Cancer Blows concert in Dallas and the recording project that went along with it in March of 2015 (in fact, we did the entire project in the middle of a snow storm in Dallas - go figure!).
It was quite a concert: Dallas Symphony + mass trumpet ensemble & trumpet soloists on the first half of the program, UNT 1 o'clock lab band (jazz band for those that don't know) + trumpet soloists on the second half of the program. Additionally, there was an another concert a couple days before that was a "meet the principals" event in which principals from many orchestras combined forces into a trumpet ensemble (plus some solo material) and did a concert that was part recital, part jam session, and part recording session.
Anyone interested in this that wishes to know more or support the cause can visit the website Joe linked above, cancerblows.com. There you can find the story on Ryan and his cancer battle, ways to donate, and stuff to buy if you're so inclined. The CD/DVD set really turned out well, if I do say so myself

Ryan's most recent solo album, Bold, Blue, and Bright is also great if you're looking for more of a traditional solo album. Those that know my face (probably only a handful of people on here, actually) will spot me in several photos in the photo gallery, too, along with a whole bunch of other great people that were involved in the project. As I recall a couple of folk on the board here were at the 'big' concert...Mark F. and ???