Analog MAFIA Ragtime Band Update

by Stanley Schmidt

I'd say the Analog MAFIA Ragtime Band is coming along well. We have the instrumentation nailed down: clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, and sometimes theremin (respectively Kathy Oltion, Michael F. Flynn, me, Julia Ecklar, Stephen L. Gillett, and Jerry Oltion, who will also MC). I have music in hand for everything we're sure we want to do, which may be all or we may add a piece or two.

I've completed the most difficult arrangement and distributed parts to some of the players. In that process, I tamed the software well enough that the remaining arrangements (for which I only need to do non-piano parts) should go relatively fast. (Once I've cleared out the post-Worldcon backlog!)

Once the arrangements are done, I'll also try to make tapes of everything (though not, of course, with our unique instrumentation!) so that everybody can hear how his or her part fits in, so we won't be starting completely cold when we get together for our meager rehearsal. So I'm pretty pleased with the way it's going, and hope you will be too.