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<\/a><\/p>\nEveryone in the band is responsible for themselves, Carl Fischer said in a phone interview a few weeks before the show. He said his mentors threw him into the deep end early on.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrumpets, watch your background volumes,\u201d Fischer called.<\/p>\n
The day-of rehearsal wasalmost over, and after a dinner break, the band wouldbe back onstage. Fischer studied sheet music while deliveringcritiques and directions. He explained when to come in louder and when to start a little later. He nodded and smiled when the players gotit right. When a song was outstanding, he flashed a double thumbs-up.<\/p>\n
When a song fell flat, Fischer held up his hand and shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the pizza\u2019s here, and everyone\u2019s tired, but this is sloppy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone in the band is responsible for themselves, Fischer said in a phone interview a few weeks before the show. His mentors threw him into the deep end early, he said, and he wants to pass on that approach.<\/p>\n
Fischer has toured with Joel for over two decades and previouslyplayed with legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson for 12 years. He was a soloist for Ross and served as the music director and lead trumpet player for the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s not a St. Pete guy by choice. He grew up in New York and firstmoved with his parents when they retired. He later came back because he lost his house in New York to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. When Fischer is not catching flights out of Tampa International Airport to play shows back in New York and across the country, he teaches at the University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a natural place for him to work, he said. Fischer performed for colleges and high schools all the time while on tour with Ferguson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith so much funding cut in collegiate and high school music programs (today), the music is really suffering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
George Vernazza Aguilar, a bass player and senior at UCF, and Preston Rupert, a trumpet player and junior at The Julliard School, joined Fischer\u2019s band at its August show. They both want to build a professional career. The other musicians\u2019 eyes shine when the students improvise solos.<\/p>\n
Vernazza Aguilar saidhis background is rock \u2014 he grew up listening to bands like Queen, Toto and AC\/DC.<\/p>\n
George Vernazza Aguilar, 20, said performing with Carl Fischer and his band is everything he’s been working towards.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is everything to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is what I\u2019ve been practicing for.\u201d<\/p>\n Young folks coming up through professional big bands is nothing new, Rupert said. He and Vernazza Aguilar are part of a lineage of thousands.<\/p>\n Play soft, Fischer reminded the players as they rehearsed the last song again. With two and a half hours left in the night, they need to preserve their stamina.<\/p>\n Midway through, Fischer turned to face them and stepped back. He listened and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201dGood job,\u201d he mouthed.<\/p>\n Double thumbs-up.<\/p>\n Jazz, boats and improvisation The Conway Marine is a boat supply and repair shop by the Harborage Marina. It turns into a small concert hall occasionally.<\/p>\n \u201cMan, you guys are quiet,\u201d Fischer said to the audience before the first song of the night.<\/p>\n Only about 20 people had come to watch \u2014 a pair of older women, a few families and friends of the band members. Fischer had expected more, maybe 60 or so. Past concerts have drawn close to 100, he said.<\/p>\n He worea black T-shirt, dark jeans and one silver hoop earring before adding a blue suit jacket for the start of the show. Two chains hungaround his neck. One held an anchor charm, the other a trumpet.<\/p>\n In St. Pete, many musicians are also boaters, he said. Fischer is a 100-ton captain\u2019s license and used to work as a broker at Bertham Yachts in Tampa.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a fisherman, and when you\u2019re on the water, it\u2019s freedom. You\u2019re charting your course,\u201d he said. Same thing in jazz music and improvisation.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, when Conway invited Fischer to come look at the new boat supply warehouse he bought, they walked around and clapped to hear what the reverb sounded like. They had talked about buying a venue or sponsoring concerts for years.<\/p>\n Fischer looked around.<\/p>\n \u201cMan, that would be kind of a cool place for a stage,\u201d he recalled thinking.<\/p>\n He grabbed his pocket trumpet from his car and played a few notes. The warehouse sounded better than any place he\u2019d played in Tampa Bay, he said, except for maybe Ruth Eckerd Hall.<\/p>\n The next day, they started building the bandstand. They hung up drum heads showcasing bands that Conway played with: The Bellamy Brothers, Jake Castro, The Drifters. They put up posters of yachts. Fischer\u2019s longtime friends said yes when he asked them to play, even though they wouldn\u2019t make much money.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n