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"WHAT'S NEW"
 NEW ARRANGEMENTS, BIOGRAPHIES, 
MUSIC ANECDOTES, HELPFUL HINTS,  ETC.

LAST UPDATED--07/23/10

(Also on this page you will find our return policy.  It is near the bottom of the page where it belongs)

What's New
AMP is now able to take the Discover Card.  
We are in the process of adding that info to our Secure Order Page. 
Until that is finished, if you are ready to order 
just write Discover and then the credit card number on the number line.

We are happy to send our arrangements to you as PDF files, 
so that there will be no shipping or handling charges.  
Please remember...That some of our charts are handwritten manuscripts, 
and some were written on music programs that are no longer available, or usable,
 and after scanning they will not be quite as crisp when sent as PDF files.

Our Holiday Arrangements can be found
on the T-Z page.  Just scroll to near the bottom and 
you will find our list of outstanding and unique holiday charts.

WE NOW HAVE AVAILABLE- -Jazz standards for--Concert bands, Big Bands with strings, string quartets, 
string quartets with rhythm,  string quartets with flute lead, Sax quartets/quintets, 
trombone quartets/quintets, small orchestras, percussion ensembles, etc.  
See our "Helpful Hints" suggestion at the top of every "Arrangements Lists" page for a quick way to find these special charts.


If you want to check out a really unique and interesting bunch of musicians, try this site. They're great! www.jumbocircuspeanuts.com 

NEW!  A book/CD bundle of 6  jazz piano pieces for the intermediate student.  Listen to the recording as you play along!  Also, we now have Jazz Standard arrangements available for Big Band with strings, small orchestras, string and brass quartets, etc. These are all from Joe Cea, nationally known pianist/arranger/composer. You can read his Bio below. These arrangements  and the jazz piano book are in the "J" category on the ARRANGEMENT LISTS pages.

New!!
Listen Before You Buy

MP3s of all of Dick Brodfuehrer's "D" and "BB" arrangements are available on a single CD. That's more than 100 charts!
They sound much more realistic than the MIDI versions and are the full arrangements, not just short samples.
The price is only $10.00 to cover the costs of materials, production, postage, and handling.
Use the ORDER NOW! page to place your order.

 If you would like just one or two MP3 samples of Dick's music, we will be pleased to email them to you at no charge,
 but be forewarned that they are large files running from 1,000 to 2,500 KB for each title.  
Check out the available MP3s on the SAMPLE page. 
Make your requests to; ampxyz@futureone.com (remove the XYZ before using) include your name, email address, mailing address, 
your usual instrumentation, phone number, and we will send them as expeditiously as possible.

Our newest arrangements !!

#939-D  12th Street Rag (saxophone quintet)
Comment:  Saxophone quintet (SATTB) with rhythm section, but can be used without the rhythm section. 
It is a 1920's style chart---shades of Russ Morgan or Paul Whiteman? 
There are as-written solos for the soprano lead and the 1st tenor. A fun chart!  SAMPLE  

#935-D  The Best Is Yet To Come  (saxophone quintet)
Comment: Sax Quintet (AATTB) with vocalist (low alto or baritone) and rhythm section SAMPLE  

#938-D  Flight of the Foo Birds  (saxophone quintet)
Comment:  Sax Quintet (SATTB) with rhythm section. 
This one has as-written solos for the soprano lead and ad-lib solos for both of the tenors. SAMPLE  

#936-D  It Had Better Be Tonight (saxophone quintet)
Comment:  Also known as "Meglio Stasera," this is a samba written for sax quintet (AATTB) and rhythm section.
 Features an ad-lib piano solo. Pink Panther fans will recognize it as the tune sung in Italian
 and featured during the ski lodge scene. SAMPLE  

#944-R  Jamaican Farewell
Comment:  Written for alto, tenor, trumpet, and rhythm. 
All 3 horns have the lead at one time or another and there is also a lead for guitar 
(the guitar can be dropped and the lead go to the tenor). 
Rhythm is very much a part of this arrangement. A great song done in the Belafonte-Jamaican rhythm and style.

#942-R Jambalaya
Comment:  Hank Williams never did it like this! But he would if he could. Jazzy interpretation of a great country classic. 
The 3 horns all have the melody at one time or another along with some ensemble work and interesting changes for the rhythm section.
And it has a really cool ending!
A great complement to your gig portfolio.

#940-R Make the World Go Away
Comment:  Eddy Arnold made this one famous as a pop/country classic. 
We have done it as a instrumental with the tenor comping the alto lead, comping the trump lead, 
and then the tenor takes the lead while the alto comps. 
Nicely done arrangement for alto, tenor, trumpet and rhythm.

#937-D  Red Wing  (saxophone quintet)
Comment: An upbeat swing chart for sax quintet (AATTB) and rhythm section. 
Ad-lib solos for several of the players.  SAMPLE

#943-R  Smile
Comment:  A well done version of the ballad "Smile". 
Alto has the lead first, and then the trumpet with the bari comping (can be a tenor instead) through the whole tune. 
Laid back and rather charming arrangement if I do say so myself. 
As with most of the "R" charts there is quite a lot of thought that goes into the rhythm as well. 
The "R" arranger definitely believes that rhythm is the bedrock upon which an arrangement is built. 
Whew! A lot of musical philosophy went into this tune!

#941-R  Yesterday When I Was Young
Comment:  One of the nicer arrangements of a super melody from the country/pop area. 
Lush chords (nothing fancy because this tune would be ruined by complicated chords) that don't get in the way. 
This chart works best if there is a guitar involved, though the guitar part can be covered by the horns. 
Even though the trumpet and alto also have the leads, this really is an arrangement for a tenor and guitar
 carrying the leads and some solo and counter-melody work. 
There are very nice rhythm parts for the bass and piano that are integral to the whole chart. 
Written for alto, tenor, trump, and rhythm.


THE FOLLOWING IS A PAID MUSICAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
There are a lot of websites that offer free sheet music to download. 
Remember, when you get it, most of the instruments are going to be in the wrong key and in the wrong range. 
If you have the right software (and know how to use it) you will spend hours making it work. 
All you will have then is some programmer's/sequencer's idea of what a Jazz tune should sound like. 
Ours are what long-time working Jazz musicians/arrangers think the tunes should sound like, and they are very very good.

Our order page is secure (by http://www.page-secure.com ), 
and we never share your info with anyone else, 
under any circumstances, any time.


If you have any questions, e-mail us at ampxyz@futureone.com (remove the XYZ before using)
or give us a call: 1-928-541-0797 or 1-888-468-7700 Toll Free (in the USA only).  
We are Mountain Standard (no daylight savings) time.

If you would like to communicate directly with the arrangers, 
here is how to do so.

“D” category-Dick Brodfuehrer, arranger06xyz@satx.rr.com 
(remove the XYZ before using) 
Because of the perils of the internet we have to use this security device to keep
 our email links from being hijacked and used for nefarious purposes..
"V" category-Robert Varnado, rvarnadoxyz@aviall.com
(remove the XYZ before using)
"S" category-Douglas Smink, DISminkxyz@aol.com
(remove the XYZ before using)
"J" category-Joe Cea, joecea2004xyz@yahoo.com
(remove the XYZ before using)
"M" category-Terry Martin, tmartinfsaxyz@yahoo.com
xyz@yahoo.com
(remove the XYZ before using) 
"F" category-Arthur Funk,  awfunkxyz@fuse.netxyz@fuse.net  
(remove the XYZ before using)       
"L" category-Stephen Mangold, samngoldxyz@williams-net.com
(remove the XYZ before using)  
“R”, "T", "W" category...writer of the "Comments" section, and driver of the Winnebago: 
(Sorry...Just couldn't help the "Blues Bros." joke.)
 Rick Rhodes, ampxyz@futureone.com
(remove the XYZ before using)  We have to do this to protect ourselves from scammers (or is that spammers?)

MUSIC ANECDOTES

This from Rick Rhodes:

I play fundraisers for school music programs twice a year in a group called "The Together Again Band".

Here is a little history on how we got our name.

Eight years ago I ran into John Putnam (the "O" arranger, and the music teacher for my wife and I in the 60's) at a friend's house here in Prescott, Az.  He was visiting from Columbus, Nebraska where he now lives and teaches at a university. We were talking about music and I told him I had a group that played locally and that I did a little arranging for them.  He asked if I would be interested in some of his arrangements, and of course I jumped at the chance. These are amazing charts!

John called me shortly after the charts arrived and proceeded to go through them with me explaining tempos, dynamics, style, etc.  As we were talking he mentioned that he would be coming out to my area in a month or two and would I be interested in getting some guys together, and we would run through some of his music and just jam. 

John's charts used a different instrumentation than I used in my group so I randomly chose some people I had been familiar with, or had heard about, from Prescott, Phoenix, and Scottsdale Arizona. I just told them that I had a friend coming in from Nebraska and we were going to just have fun and play some of his arrangements. They were: Will Stuart-trumpet, Harry Woolard-bass, Dale Dombey-alto/tenor, Ed Cassling-trumpet, Ed Holmgren-alto/tenor, myself-tenor/bari, Kirk Higgins-drums, and my son Mike Rhodes playing guitar.  John did not know who I had picked, just that I had found some guys.  Again let me remind you that this was just a random choice that I made. When John walked into my house and looked at the people I had invited to jam with us, he got kind of a strange look on his face. He looked at Will and Will looked at him and said "John I haven't seen you since we graduated from Phoenix Tech together in the 50's.  Will looks at Harry and says: "And Harry I haven't seen you since we played "Shakeys' Pizza, Kohl's Ranch, and the Prescott Pine Cone Inn together in the 70's".  Dale had played with Will for years and was familiar with some of John's teachers and friends from the early days. I of course was John's student and had played off and on with some of these guys for a few years never knowing that they were all acquainted.  My son, Mike, is now the son-in-law of Kirk the drummer. And now, out of the blue, I was approached by a member of John's early group, named Wes Ridley, about playing with us on our fundraisers.  (And he will play when next we get together.)  Hence the name, "The Together Again Band".  Isn't this great!


Also from Rick Rhodes:

A story about John Putnam-the "O" arranger. 

John took mostly music classes in a special school in Phoenix called appropriately enough "Phoenix Tech". One of his classes was on arranging, and the class was given an assignment of doing a jazz chart. They were to pick the instrumentation and style. John (who was 15 at the time) chose to do a big band chart in a style that he thought would be like "Stan Kenton", who was very big in the 50's.

Shortly after John had finished his chart (and got a pretty good grade on it) he discovered that Stan Kenton and his band were coming to the Phoenix area and would be playing at the "Riverside Ballroom". He says that being the arrogant/naive 15 year old that he was, he thought he would just take his arrangement to the Kenton concert and see if Kenton would look at it.

During one of the band's breaks he found Kenton in the bar and just walked up to him, introduced himself, and asked Stan to look at his arrangement. Kenton did agree to look at his arrangement later if John would leave it with him.

John then decided to stay and watch the rest of the concert. When the band came back from their break, Kenton announced that he had received an interesting arrangement from a young man earlier in the evening and the Kenton band was going to play it! John was floored. But never so much so as when Kenton announced that the young arranger was also going to direct the Kenton band in the playing of the chart. Somehow, John was able to get up on the stage and run the Kenton group through his arrangement. I am told it went pretty well.

This was the start of a friendship and working relationship between John and Stan that lasted until Kenton died. John did many fine arrangements for the Kenton Orchestras over the years, including "ghosting" one whole side of "The Ballad Style of Kenton" album. This album is available at www.Amazon.com . Some of the arrangements from that album are available from us. They are in the "-O" section and are marked accordingly.

 If you would like to send us some of your amusing experiences or some helpful music hints  e-mail us at 
ampxyz@futureone.com  (remove the XYZ before using) Tell us if you want your name and/or e-mail published.

BIOGRAPHIES

John Putnam-Arranger of the "O" category and some of the Big Band charts

John is a music educator, composer, arranger, pianist, and a published poet. He has toured with many "big name" bands and "ghost arranged" for Stan Kenton for more than thirty years. He recently retired after serving as a Music Educator for 41 years. During that time he also served, and will continue to serve, throughout the country as an adjudicator, clinician, and mentor in music.

John's career began in 1959 as the Band and Choral Director at Agua Fria Union High School in Avondale Az. In 1965 he went to McClintock High School in Tempe, Az. and in 1971, he inaugurated the music program at Central Community College-Platte Campus in Columbus, NE. He has toured with his musical groups all over the USA and the world. But even better than that, his musical groups have performed at Disneyland/Disney World more than 30 times.

Although John says he was never a child prodigy, he was already playing professionally at dances at the age of 13. He was only 15 when he met the famous bandleader Stan Kenton and became his friend. It was that year that Kenton-at a concert in Phoenix-tried out one of John's arrangements for the first time. For several years, John arranged music professionally for Stan and toured with his regional bands in the Southwest. He had his own jazz band for six years and composed and arranged for a variety of choirs, jazz and concert bands. His charts have been played and recorded by many very well known artists.

John holds a bachelor's degree in instrumental music and a Master of Art's degree in choral music and humanities.
He is a cousin of Dick Brodfuehrer (the "D" arranger) and twice a year plays fundraisers in Arizona for school music departments with Rick Rhodes ( a former student and the "R" arranger) and his group. This band is called the "Together Again Band" because it is made up of a group of guys-from all over-that have been associated with John through the years.


Richard Brodfuehrer-Arranger of the "D" category and some of the Big Band charts

Dick organized his first group, a five-piece combo, and played his first professional gig when he was 16 years old. They almost immediately booked a six month engagement at the Eagles Hall in Columbus, Nebraska.
During his freshman year at the University of Nebraska, majoring in music education, he organized the "Rick Burgess Nu-Tones" that played dances and had a weekly program on the university radio station.

After his freshman year he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and attended the Navy School of Music. He spent most of his time there not as a student, but on temporary assignment to the arranging staff as a copyist. He then did tours with the Sixth Fleet and Atlantic Fleet Bands.

He organized the "Dick Burgess quintet in 1956 to work as the house band at "The Casino Ballroom" in Virginia Beach. When the season ended he returned to Nebraska where he worked with, and arranged for local dance bands and jazz groups. He played show band gigs with groups such as "The Lettermen", "Paula Kelly and the Modernaires", "The Four Freshmen", and "The Ice Capades". He also spent eight years with an Army National Guard Band where he led the stage and dance band section.

He abandoned his musical career in 1964 to take a job as a traveling auditor. He retired as Director of Auditing for a large oil company in 1997 and found a renewed interest in music arranging and composition.

Dick is also the author of the book "Horns And Stuff" which is a compilation of informal notes that he has referred to again and again over the years. It is a useful tool, especially for musicians new to arranging. It contains notes on ranges, registers, and characteristics of instruments most often associated with stage and dance bands. It also contains a fairly comprehensive section on Latin instrument rhythm patterns and a basic chord chart. There is more info on this book on the "Order Pages".



Douglas Smink - Arranger of the "S" category and some of the Big Band charts

Douglas is originally from the Baltimore, MD, area.  He wrote his first arrangements while in high school.  In college, he studied harmony and counterpoint with composer Robert Stewart, played in university musical groups, and led his own dance band.  As a student at Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA), he studied arranging with John LaPorta and saxophone with Joe Viola.  While teaching at the high school level, he composed, arranged, and conducted for various musical ensembles.  He was also co-director of the Worcester (MA) community Youth Band.

Currently living in the Washington, DC, area, Douglas has written arrangements for, or played saxophone, clarinet, and flute for several big bands, including Big Band Tradition, Band for All Seasons, HOTS Jazz Orchestra, Richard Bray, Frankie Condon, Doc Dikeman, and James Bazen.  For over 20 years, he has performed on clarinet and saxophone with the Village Jazz Band, a traditional jazz band for whom he has written some 50 arrangements.  From audiotapes, he has also transcribed big band and small band arrangements and constructed lead sheets for a published fake book.

Now retired, Douglas devotes much of his leisure time to arranging and playing music. His arrangements have been commissioned by and sold to groups throughout the country.

e-mail: DISminkxyz@aol.com (remove the XYZ before using)
URL: www.john-mcvey.com/DISmink

Rick Rhodes- Arranger of the “R” category and some of the Big Band charts-says that being on this Bio page after the others, reminds him of what George Gobel said after having to come onstage on the Tonight Show and sit between Bob Hope and Dean Martin. George said: “ Have you ever felt like the whole world is a tuxedo, and you're a pair of brown shoes!"   Well here goes.

Rick was born and raised in Phoenix, Az. and now resides in the mountain town of Prescott, Az. He has played reeds since he was nine years old.  Rick is still primarily a reed player though he does play piano once in a while, and stand back if he picks up an Ocarina. His first professional gig was at the age of 11.

He continued to play on through high school where his music teacher was John Putnam, the arranger of the “O” charts, and an arranger for Stan Kenton for many years. In high school Rick toured with the Concert Choir and the Concert Band and was chosen to go to M.E.N.C. as one of only 10 members picked for the whole state. 

Though he never gave up playing music completely, he received his commercial pilot’s license on his 18^th birthday and flew air ambulance, crop dusters, flew freight into Mexico, taught advanced aerobatics, and was a corporate pilot.

 Having moved to Prescott in the 70’s with his wife and 4 sons, Rick joined the Prescott Community Band with his sons and got back into structured music.  He was a featured soloist with the Prescott Symphony Summer Pops, the Yavapai College Big Band, and others. He has played in many bands in his local area-- including pit bands, big bands, combos, and has had his own small group for fifteen years. Rick says he has been very fortunate to play with many well-known musicians, such as:  Mel Zelnick (Benny Goodman drummer), Joel DeBartelo (The Tonight Show Bassist for 20 years), Dick McCord (Spike Jones and Igor's Jazz Cowboys), and Nigel Burn (a great UK clarinetist/saxophonist that played his first gig at the “Samson and Delilah Ballroom” in 1936 in London), among others. Rick and his primary combo-"The Easy Street Jazz Band"-are well known in the Northern Arizona music community.

One of his proudest moments was being featured with his wife and two of his sons on the ABC network show “Arizona’s Families “ for their music!  Even though he is a business owner, he devotes quite a bit of time to doing arranging for his groups, and-with John Putnam- playing benefits/fund raisers for school music programs, assisted living centers, etc.

Terence Martin-Arranger of the "M" category-says that if Rick Rhodes feels like a pair of brown shoes, then I'm a pair of flip-flops.

Terry’s musical training started informally with his grandmother who played in the Schenectady Symphony (not famous and now non-existent) and had an all-girls dance band in the 1920’s and 30’s (good, but not famous).  He took 5 years of piano lessons from Ken Kelly (good, but not famous).  At Scotia-Glenville High School, he sang in the “Choralaires,” the good but not famous select chorus, and took his one and only music theory class from “Doc.” Sullivan, the excellent, but not famous, director of the school’s music department.  Between his sophomore and junior years, he taught himself how to play the saxophone so that he could play in the good but not famous high school stage band.

In college, he played tenor sax in the EXCELLENT and FAMOUS University of Michigan Marching Band (http://mmb.music.umich.edu).  After graduation, the saxophones spent many years in their cases, untouched.

For the last 16 years, he has sung in the excellent but not famous choir at the First Church of Christ, (www.firstchurch.org) Wethersfield, Connecticut.     

When his son started to take sax lessons, he started to arrange simple duets to play together.  Soon thereafter, he tried a few ragtime saxophone quartet arrangements just for the fun and challenge of it.  On a whim, he sent a note to the Royal City Saxophone Quartet (their CDs are awesome! www.studiospace.com/rcsq/), and they were interested in trying some of his arrangements.  On October 3, 2003, they played “Frog Legs Rag” at the Ragtime Festival in Erin, Ontario, which was the world premier performance of any Martin Sax Quartet Arrangement. 

Terry makes his living as an actuary ( www.soa.org and www.actuary.org ). He arranges music purely for the love of it.

Pianist and Arranger Joe Cea is one of the most versatile musicians and entrepreneurs working in America today.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Joe has not only worked at the premiere performance venues of his native, NYC, Including Lincoln Center, The Rainbow Room, and Tavern on the Green, but has also traveled extensively throughout the world, accompanying such artists as Steve Allen, Jim Nabors, Dizzy Gillespie, Robert Merrill, Joan Rivers, Donald O’Connor, Rodger Williams, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Vinton, Pat Cooper, Pepper Adams, Charo, Kenny Burrell, Enzo Stuarti, Eddie Daniels and Mike Andrew.

Joe’s traditional style of solo jazz playing has been compared to that of Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Dave McKenna. Dick Hyman, who was “pleased to hear” Joe perform, has called him, “a good, swinging player,” and Clark Terry has described his playing as “beautiful.”

His arranging projects have included “Rhapsody” for Stereophile records.  His TV appearances include “Live With Regis and Kathy Lee.”

Besides performing in concert, outdoor festivals, and for private functions throughout the US, Joe is also president of Cea Productions.  Joe Cea, on piano or keyboard will lift your spirits to another place and another time.  

Robert Varnado-Arranger of the "V" category

Robert is a native Texan raised and currently living in Mesquite (just east of Dallas).  He has been married to his lovely bride, Rebecca, for thirty years and they have one son, Matthew.  Robert earned a bachelor of Music Education from East Texas State University (now Texas A & M University at Commerce) in 1976 and has taught strings in the Mesquite ISD for a couple of years.  He then went into a family owned construction business for the next 20 years.  Robert earned an MCSE ( Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) certification in 1998 and is currently working as a Desktop Support Specialist and Crystal Reports/Enterprise Administrator for Aviall Inc. in Dallas.

In 1986, he was a Charter member of the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra.  For seven years Robert was Viola section leader, player representative on the Board of Directors, as well as equipment and stage manager for the Symphony.  In other words, he was the "work horse" who made sure that all the chairs, stands, and percussion equipment for from the rehearsal facility to the concert hall and set up, and back again.  Robert would still be doing these duties except that politics got in the way of the music...as usual.  He also played with several community groups around the Dallas area for various functions and activities.

In 1990, Robert joined a local church and became very involved in the music programs there.  He was a member of the chancel choir and various ensembles as well as the Bell Ensemble where he was responsible for up to thirteen bass bells at any given time.  Robert was also the youth Choir director for a short time, a Deacon, and member and officer in the Men's Council.

In 1991, Robert joined the First Desk Quartet.  The FDQ was formed in the early 80's by James Gaskin who was a classmate of his and fellow 1972 Graduate of North Mesquite High School.  Their quartet is technically a "Flute" quartet with the first part being played by Lisa Cordova who is a music educator in the Dallas ISD.  this is the reason that most of Robert's arrangements are written for flute, violin, viola, and cello rather than the traditional violin I & II, viola, and cello.  However, he is sure that most-if not all-of the flute parts can be played by violin without any difficulty at all.  He started doing these arrangements a few years ago because they needed more "pop" type of music as opposed to the strictly classical selections.  The hope was that this would make their group more marketable and, so far, it seems to be working.


Arthur Funk-Arranger of the "F" category and the "CB" (concert band ) charts

Arthur Funk is a working musician, composer, arranger, and bandleader with over 20 years of experience.  He has written for everything from polka bands to symphony orchestras, and has his music used in pit orchestras.

Stephen Mangold-Arranger of the "L" category

  Stephen is a music educator, arranger and performer.  Originally from Central Indiana, he learned to play a variety of instruments at an early age including bassoon and tuba.  The school band Stephen participated in as a child didn’t have players for these instruments and he was willing to learn them.  As time has progressed and his love of music grew, there aren’t too many instruments he hasn’t learned to play.  This includes all woodwinds and brass, several strings, guitar, and bass. In addition, he has played in a wide variety of settings including band, orchestra, pits, and small ensembles. Professionally, Stephen has taught Instrumental, Vocal, and General Music as well as Music Theory for twenty-four years in South Dakota and Ohio. 

  Stephen has a Bachelor’s degree in Instrumental/ Vocal music and a Master’s Degree in Conducting. 

  Stephen’s arrangements grew from a variety of situations.  He wrote the small combos because there was a need to have small ensembles performing for community events.  It was difficult to find arrangements to suit his specific needs.  So, he began to write his own and discovered he had a passion for it. He usually played a part in the ensembles simply because he enjoyed playing. Stephen wrote the tuba duets as something fun to play at Christmas with his son Aaron, a tuba performance major.  The graduation arrangements came about because of a space issue.  There just wasn’t enough room for the full band in the gym during commencement, but a smaller ensemble was workable.  All of the arrangements are straightforward and most were written to fulfill a need.  However, some of the arrangements are simply songs that Stephen likes and wants to play.   He particularly enjoys late 60’s pop music as a medium to work with.  They were such great songs.  Stephen prefers to write for small ensembles because he finds them more intimate than larger groups.  You have get to know how the people in the ensemble play, think, and react and this in turn, affects how you play.  Stephen loves the challenge of writing for an unusual ensemble and is willing to do request arrangements.

  Much of Stephen’s free time is spent with his wife, Andrea, but he also continues learning to play instruments he hasn’t mastered yet.  In addition, he enjoys reading about music or religion.  Stephen’s favorite composer is Hector Berlioz and he has many CDs and books about Berlioz’s life and music.  The summer months are filled with gardening and yard work.

Dick Brodfuehrer shares his Ten Rules for Ensemble Playing. He says he heard a couple of these years ago and has added a few of his own.   
  Please e-mail us  and add your own. ampxyz@futureone.com (remove the XYZ before using)