We didn't See It Coming

OK, I will now openly admit that I was witness, and party to, one blatant act (OK, more than one, but I will limit my accounts to only this one here) of enlisted military members intentionally defrauding the DoD and even falsifying government documents.

You see, Diane Schuur was to perform with The Airmen Of Note and a contingent of The Strolling Strings in Washington, DC, sometime in the 1980s. When those two groups got together, therefore forming a formidable Studio Orchestra type ensemble, they went by the name of Serenade In Blue.

Our Chief, at a band I will not identify but was stationed at for about ten years somewhere in Middle Georgia, really wanted to go see/hear that gig. He could have done so without raising any eyebrows. But, instead he concocted a boondoggle for himself, our First Sergeant, our Chief of Operations and the two arrangers that were stationed there. It was billed as a "training mission," though it was really just five guys who really wanted to see Deedles live with The Note, even though she would not be able to see us seeing her, or so we thought. So, yes all five of us signed the papers and picked up our official TDY paperwork and headed to Washington, DC, on a lark with Uncle Sam picking up the tab. Your tax dollars at work, my civilian friends!

We not only got to be at the gig, which was amazing, we also got to be among the very few people who got to attend the full rehearsal for the gig the day before. I think it was at The Daughters of the American Revolution Hall (I could well be wrong about that – Larry T.? – I think you may have been on that gig…). As Serenade In Blue, the normal leader of The Note would often yield the baton, or finger snapping as the case may be, to the Commander/Conductor of the USAF Band. This was the case on that occasion.

It was about half way through the rehearsal and Diane had already made a couple wise cracks about the band not sight reading as well as she was but we, at least our little group of criminals, were not prepared for the next sight gag.

On one lovely ballade, Diane doesn't just wail the blues and scream big band tunes, the conductor brought the strings down perfectly and cut them off as Pete B. held a beautiful low note on his alto flute. The conductor then cut Pete off, turned to Diane and pointed.

Of course she did not enter.

DUH!

Instead, only a split second later, she looked right at the conductor and asked (in a disbelieving voice); "Did you just give me a sight cue?"

I for one could have been courts-martialed for the uproarious laughter that erupted spontaneously from my mouth at that point. Fortunately for me I was saved when very quickly everybody in the hall, with the exception of Diane and the Conductor, were also in stitches.

I had to excuse myself and go outside to grab a smoke. I continued to chuckled about that comment for minutes, hours, days, OK… As you can see, decades.

I don't remember anything else about that day. In fact I only remember a few things about the show the following night.

At the spot where the cueing incident had occurred in rehearsal, Diane turned and quietly snapped her fingers at the bass player who did a nice V (5), I (1) and everybody was back in time and happy as clams, with no clams nor laughter, only polite and well deserved applause.

How that woman could have had that kind of insight, attitude, sense of humor and chops all rolled into one, I don't know.

I was glad that we broke the rules, because Diane did her best to break us up.

CODA: Here is the one other thing I remember about that gig. As her final encore, I think she did about three, Diane chose; "I'm Beginning To See The Light."