http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html Bruce Jackson: News Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:02:07 -0800 http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#27 http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#27 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#24
Here's what I've learned about large bus groups. It's like eating dinner with a large family. In the words of Bernie Mac, "I got mine. You better get yours". My miscue came when I decided to not only get on the back of the line of folks going in, but to put my bag in the compartment under the bus. That put me further off line and totally out of luck with getting seats. So I managed to compress myself into a seat in the back of the bus. The one dead center at the end of the isle. The one that, if the bus stops short, it's gonna look like my auditon tape for the Flying Wilendas.

11:00 and we're rolling. One of the folks leads the group in prayer. Makes sense. We pray for a safe trip. We pray that the Lord watches over our families and our homes while we are away. We pray that everything mechanical to get us there is sound. But in the few minutes that take us to the Gardern State Parkway, I find that we somehow make a turn, head back the other way, make a turn head back in our original direction.

And now I'm praying that this guy can find Route 95 south.

Praise the Lord, and pass the... navigation device.]]> http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#24 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#23
So it's 2:30 in the morning, and this woman wakes me up trying to get into the bathroom. Not by the act itself, but by waking me up because the door won't open. The sweatshirt I'm wearing says "Harvard School of Public Health" not "Department of Public Works". I'm not the washroom attendant. One of the costume changes for the show is not a white jacket and a whisk broom. Now, I do feel for you, really I do. Wrote a poem about it at that very moment:

I know that gentle
Pitter patter
Is not new love
It's just your bladder


The second bus driver managed to get the door open for her. He, after all was awake. We could have avoided this whole write up with, "sorry to wake you, but..."]]> http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#23 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#22
Anyway.

It's really hot back here and folks are headed towards the front. I figure we should be in Jacksonville soon, so I push the seat back and take yet another nap. What wakes me up is the quiet. There's no sound, but the bus is still rolling. Ever so slowly. As we pull onto the shoulder of Route 95, it's like the rumble strip on the side of the road is pulling the remaining energy out of the bus.

This can't be good, boys and girls.

So now there's no air on the bus, and folks begin to get out. I remark to one of my fellow passengers, "Now it's a church bus trip". Go ahead ask me. Ask me how one of the women in the choir got the bus started.

Seems that her regular job is driving for a big time bus company out of New York. So she actually made a phone call, opened up the back of the bus and got busy. Next thing we know, the bus is running and we are gingerly making our way into Florida.

That Gloria. Like the song says, G L O R I A.]]> http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#22 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#21 http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#21 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#20 http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#20 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#19
http://www.pgbbq.com


Coda

I've been on worse road gigs by bus. Ask Lee Sandrson or Peter Giron. But on a serious note, some thankful shout outs are in order.

Thank you to Ron Lucas and A. Curtis Farrow of Irving Srteet Rep for inviting me to share this adventure. It was a pleasure as always. Thanks to Hassan Wilkerson, stage manager extraordinaire. Somehow, it always looks effortless.

Last but not least, thank you to Carol Alexander and the staff of the Ritz Theatre for another wonderful visit. I hope to see you again soon. I wish I could have seen the look on John's face when he got the picture from Carolyn!]]> http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#19 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#18
Anyway, I'm looking forward to doing the show. It's the first time I've worked with a full gospel choir. It's really beautiful to hear. But wait, there's more...

This was described to me by one of the company members as "an old fashoned church group bus trip". As Archie Bell and the Drells advised, tighten up. We're going to be doing some riding. Ready?

The bus leaves New Jersey at 10 pm. We ride all night and get to Jacksonville around 2 pm. I keep doing the math on this, so let's hope they're right.

Now.


After a brief rest, there is a sound check at 4 pm. There will be some 25 people in the show, so with all the mikes to be tested, it won't be as my friend Frank Pagano would say, "hit it and quit it". There are hotel rooms and showers in the plan, shoe horned between rehersal, rest, eat, and hit the drum seat. The performance is at 7:30. We're scheduled to be back on the bus and back out of town at 10 pm. Just like we did the night before. Home Sunday afternoon. Where after a libation, the tv will watch me.

I know that most people I know (actually ALL of them) would not take on something as non-stop, jam-packed, shouldn't have had that third cup of coffee as this. But I have had some absolutely great times with this theatre group. And while this is the exception to what I usually do with them, it sparks of adventure. The kind of stuff we would do when we were younger. And maybe, just maybe, I need to get some of that back.

Above all else, it is a leap of faith. In them, in me, in God.

It's gonna be a hoot. I'll make sure of it. I'll keep you posted.]]> http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#18 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#17 http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#17 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#16 http://brucejacksondrumming.com/news.html#16 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Drumming - Bruce Jackson - News