Saxophonist trades school for real-life education
By Rick Peterson
Lawrence Today magazine, Summer 2006
Ben Doherty, ’07, did not rejoin his classmates when
the 2005-06 academic year began last September.
The saxophone performance major from Alpharetta, Georgia, was not really putting
his music studies on hold, however; thanks to an unexpected offer, he temporarily
traded practice and class room instruction for a dose of real-world education
as a touring member of the world-renowned Glenn
Miller Orchestra. (Pictured, from left: Scott VanDomelen, ’94,
Allen Cordingley, ’02, and Ben Doherty, ’07)
In late August, with the start of school less than a month off, Doherty received
a serendipitous e-mail late one night from his former high school jazz teacher,
Craig Stevens, a one-time trumpet player with the GMO. The band was in
search of a tenor sax player and tapped Stevens for suggestions. He
remembered his former student and forwarded a note to Doherty. Four days
later, after
working things out with his summer-job boss; receiving the blessing of his
Lawrence advisor, Professor of Music Steven
Jordheim; and completing the necessary
paperwork to take a leave of absence from school, he signed on with the band.
Learning by doing
Doherty made his GMO debut a scant six days later in a Labor Day weekend
performance in Akron, Ohio, but not before learning his first lesson about
life on the
road.
“I got stuck in the individual search line going through security at
the airport, and the lady in front of me took forever,” Doherty says. “By
the time I made it to the gate, I had missed my flight by no more than five
minutes. I took the next flight and got into Akron at 12:30 p.m., which
left plenty of time to get to the gig, but the whole time, I felt like I
was going to be sick.
“I was nervous enough as it was, but to throw in a missed flight on top
of everything was just horrible. The concert went very well, though.
I thought I was going to be extremely nervous, but once I got on stage, everything
was fine. I
even took a few solos.”
Originally founded by legendary trombonist Glenn
Miller in the late 1930s,
the orchestra established itself as one of the greatest bands of all time
with its unique jazz sound. From 1939 to 1942, the GMO, whose name became
synonymous
with the “swing era,” produced an astonishing 70 Top 10 records,
including the classics “In the Mood,” “Tuxedo Junction,” and “Moonlight
Serenade.”
The present Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and
has toured regularly for the past 50 years, performing as many as 300 shows
a year around the world.
Doherty stayed with the band through the middle of December before returning
to Lawrence for Winter Term classes in January, a tour of duty that saw him
play 72 concerts in 21 states, including a stop at the Grand Opera House
in Oshkosh on October 15. A highlight of his time with the band was a month-long
visit to Japan in November and December, where 23 shows were performed throughout
the country.
“This was such an incredible opportunity, because it was a taste of what
the life of a road musician is really like,” says Doherty. “I
was playing with an incredible band, and I got to spend a month in Japan!
There is no way I could have let this pass me by.”
The band plays venues ranging from school auditoriums to performing arts
centers, outdoor amphitheatres, and civic-park tents. Wherever the schedule
takes them,
though, Doherty says he found a “very receptive and appreciative” audience.
“I’ve heard many audience members comment that they are surprised
that all of us ‘youngins’ could play this music and hold true
to the Glenn Miller tradition.”
That tradition, along with the sheer frequency of performances, called for
his biggest adjustments.
“At Lawrence, I play a wide variety of musical styles, whereas the music
I played with the GMO was all in the 1930s and ’40’s big-band
tradition. We averaged around six to seven shows a week, and I sight-read
about 75 percent
of each show. With the Lawrence
University Jazz Ensemble, we spend the better
part of a term preparing for a show and then perform maybe two or three concerts.
In less than two weeks with the GMO, I had played at least as many shows
as I have my entire time at Lawrence, if not more.”
The Lawrence contingent
Helping ease Doherty’s transition from student member of LUJE to second
chair in the tenor sax section of one of the world’s best-known bands
have been two fellow Lawrentians — Allen
Cordingley and Scott VanDomelen, 2002 and 1994 Lawrence graduates, respectively.
Cordingley, who plays alto sax, joined the band nearly a year and a half ago,
while VanDomelen, lead tenor sax, has played with the GMO on and off since
1998. In
all, the Lawrentians accounted for three of the band’s five saxophonists.
“I first met Allen and Scott after they played a concert in Sheboygan
that Professor Jordheim and several members of the sax
studio attended,” Doherty
says.
“
We all went to a McDonald’s after the show and hung out together. I jokingly
said, ‘If either of you guys ever wants to take a break, I’ll sub
for you.’ I wasn’t being serious at all, because I never thought
the opportunity would arise.
Although I didn’t really know them that well when I joined, it made
transitioning into the band a lot smoother, especially since I am pretty
shy.”
When the offer to join the GMO was first broached, Doherty’s initial
reaction focused on what impact his decision might have on his Lawrence education
and whether taking time off from college was really the right move, but those
concerns were quickly assuaged in a conversation with an enthusiastic and
encouraging Jordheim.
“I was genuinely excited for him and told him so,” Jordheim says. “This
was such a great opportunity for Ben, to be able to play with fine professional
musicians, travel extensively, and experience
the life of a touring musician. Undergraduate students are rarely presented
with such opportunities. Ben’s
time with the Glenn Miller Orchestra will be of great benefit to him as he
makes plans for his future study and career.
“And, of course,” Jordheim adds, “to play in a section with
two alumni of Lawrence’s saxophone
studio meant that he had two ‘big
brothers’ to serve as his mentors.”