Page 33 - Memories of the Maestro 9.11.21

. . .Exacting

Hey Ray,

I hope I have mentioned this before, but I wanted
you to know you were a profound in�uence on me and
on what I was able to accomplish in music. Your
encouragement and con�dence in me stretched the
boundaries I had set for myself, so that I was really
playing over my head!

You gave me two chords and told me to write a stage band chart based on
them, so I did! Surprisingly, I received an award for it at the Evergreen Jazz
Festival. You asked me to write the rhythm parts for several charts in the
‘Nightclub’ show, so I did! I only came to stage band practice unprepared
once, and never again!

Because of you, I had the courage (and the audacity) to write an

arrangement for my audition with Doc Severinsen and offered to pass it out
to the band. Thankfully they declined, but Doc remembered the incident and
months later, asked me to transcribe some head tunes we came up with on
the bandstand for use in Vegas. (One of them was a ‘bumper’ used for many
years on The Tonight Show). Doc also had me teach new charts to the
singers and rehearse them, and I also played supplemental keyboards in the
band which earned me the nickname ‘Elton Don’ or just “Hey, Elton!” The
sarcasm was not lost on me, but still…

When I came back to Vancouver, I wrote arrangements for the pit bands in
the Miss Washington and Clark County pageants because Dale Beacock

knew I could arrange for singers. It was also my privilege to engage you to
play trumpet for one of the musicals at ClarK. Later on, I was able to plot
the arrangements with Norman Leyden for my vocal solos with the Oregon
Symphony Pops, which was a truly amazing experience, and I was asked to
be co-musical director for Norman’s tribute concert after he retired from
the Symphony, which was an honor.

So many wonderful experiences, because you
gave me two chords

Thank you Ray

Don Meuler
Class of ‘74