Get Jazzed!

No, not the Utah Jazz - the USU Jazz Ensembles' performances on April 8th, 2009! First, the USU student Jazz ensemble - with special guest trumpet virtuoso,
Byron Stripling! His resume includes performing with numerous famous orchestras all over the US, as well as voice and acting on Broadway, television and motion pictures. He has played and recorded with such bands as Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonic among many others. http://www.byronstripling.com/

His incredible talent, along with his witty sense of humor and ability to improvise with all three of the bands this evening was captivating. Next, the All Northern Jazz Ensemble - including, none other than...

Josh! (nice pic. Annie)

The All Northern Jazz ensemble is the best of high school bands from all over Northern Utah. They meet once a week to practice, and this was their chance to show their stuff! They played four toe-tappin' numbers, which I was not allowed to photo/videograph, but I did get audio of them. So, if you missed it and want to just hear them,

here are 3 of their numbers on Vimeo! (You can click to start it and just let it play in the background while you open a new window and do other stuff on your computer.) Or you can allow it to fully load, and then click a drag to sample different parts! The audio is not that great - you really just had to be there in person - but at least it gives you a sample of what it was like!

The last set of the evening was the USU Jazz Orchestra, also featuring special guest Byron Stripling! Here is more (audio only) Vimeo to check out:

This set includes the familiar "Old Devil Moon", the New Orleans flavor of "St. James Infirmary", and scat-sounds of Dizzy Gillespie's "Ooo Pa Pa Da"! Even if you don't listen to the whole clip, Byron's scat solo at the beginning and end of the last number are well worth it! It was a family evening to remember - including Amy!

Space Exploration Rocket Launching!

Troop 413 had a successful rocket launching session Tuesday evening to culminate their work on the Space Exploration Merit Badge.

First task was assembly of the launching pad.

Then, careful placement of the rocket,

...with a little help from the dads, of course!

Then careful connection of the electronic launch controller clips to the igniter wire ends.

Then activation of the safety pin, final countdown, launch button...

...and, Lift-Off!!

Some rockets went about a thousand feet up, while a few climbed what appeared to be over 2,000', until they were just a speck in the sky, and then floated back down to earth under canopy or streamer. A gusty SouthEast breeze made trajectory calculation a bit tricky, but there were only two roof landings - one on the nearby church and one on the elementary school. (Both were successfully recovered, but that's another story!)

Here's a mini-movie of a few launches!