[TPIN] The Best of Leon's Legacy - Please Read

[Steve Roiland]

Thanks man!  I think the Leon Merain ITG Scholarship is a good idea.  
Monette's "Elias" horn focuses attention on issues that are larger than the 
man.  I believe that Leon's best legacy is that of a man that reached out 
beyond his race and Armenian culture to learn to express himself in the 
music he loved.

Steve Roiland


>From: <jim6355 at bellsouth.net>
>To: "Steve Roiland" <sjrtrumpet1 at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [TPIN] The Best of Leon's Legacy - Please Read
>Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 11:50:44 -0400
>
>Steve I think making Leon's book available to TPIN members is a great idea 
>to serve Leon's legacy. You have my approval and support.  Keep me posted.
>
>Jim
> >
> > From: "Steve Roiland" <sjrtrumpet1 at hotmail.com>
> > Date: 2007/09/01 Sat PM 06:11:38 EDT
> > To: tpin at tpin.okcu.edu
> > Subject: [TPIN] The Best of Leon's Legacy - Please Read
> >
> > Sorry if this is a repeat for anyone.  I posted this just before I 
>realized
> > TPIN was having difficulty posting to some domains including hotmail 
>that I
> > am on.
> >
> > From: , "Steve Roiland" <sjrtrumpet1 at hotmail.com>
> > To: tpin at tpin.okcu.edu
> > Subject: The Best of Leon's Legacy - Please Read
> > Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2007 07:50:38 -0500
> >
> > With the recent passing of Leon Merian I find myself looking for
> > inspiration, for answers.  Where it is clear that we celebrate birth 
>with
> > hope and joy it is much more challenging to cope with the
> > permanent realities of death.  I believe that with such a loss we are
> > charged with the task of understanding and sharing the very best of 
>Leon’s
> > legacy.
> >
> > Leon Merian was an extraordinary trumpeter and an even more 
>extraordinarily
> > complex man.  A tribute to one of the “last of his kind” as so many
> > interviewers would call him is certainly deserved.
> > The ITG Scholarship idea is good.  Leon’s best wishes were for promotion 
>of
> > a movement away from what he called “Virtual Orchestras” and toward NEW
> > GENERATIONS of expression through music and improvisation.  Leon 
>wondered
> > why he was chosen to survive so many of his peers, and he wanted to 
>thank
> > them for the rich education and life experience they gave.  People like
> > Lucky
> > Millinder who overcame racial issues and gave Leon his start as a 
>prominent
> > “ofay” (white performer working with black bands).  I started a 
>biography
> > that was to be called “Pass the Torch Man” which
> > as many of you know, a more experienced author, our own Bill Bridges
> > completed brilliantly.  I started a not-for-profit corporation named 
>after
> > the biography called Pass the Torch Music Mentoring Program.  Leon, 
>often
> > accompanied by the Big Band participated in numerous Pass the Torch
> > programs.  Starting eight years ago, the AMS (a system I developed that 
>some
> > of you have been reviewing) began grabbing the attention and 
>facilitating
> > successful solos from young musicians spanning four counties.  Leon’s
> > concerns about artistic experience helped influence our focus on working
> > with seasoned mentors like Leon.
> >
> > Our own Dan Ostler was one of the musicians who purchased a copy of Leon
> > Merian’s Big Band Library.  The entire library was copied to a 
>collection of
> > CD’s after a portion of the library was nearly lost.  Dan contacted me 
>with
> > an idea that I had already been considering.
> >
> > MAKE A COPY OF THE LIBRARY AVAILABLE TO TPIN TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE LEON
> > MERIAN FOUNDATION.
> >
> > My immediate concern is that there are a few people who own copies of 
>some
> > or all of the library who may feel slighted if we make the library
> > available.  The solution is to publish my intentions and
> > invite any of the owners to contact me personally 
>sjrtrumpet1 at hotmail.com
> > over the next two weeks with their concerns.
> >
> > I AM INSPIRED TO CREATE A WEBSITE WHERE I WILL PURSUE THE CREATION OF 
>NEW
> > GENERATIONS OF EXPRESSION THROUGH MUSIC AND IMPROVISATION.
> >
> > This site may add access to some commercial recordings, as well as a CD
> > collection of live performances of LEON AT THE “ALLEY CAT”.  There is a
> > VIDEO BIOGRAPHY on Leon as well as a TAPED BROADCAST of Leon performing
> > several of his favorites.
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Kick back and relax with hot games and cool activities at the Messenger
> > Café. http://www.cafemessenger.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_SeptHMtagline1
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TPIN mailing list
> > TPIN at tpin.okcu.edu
> > http://tpin.okcu.edu/mailman/listinfo/tpin
> >
>

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