A Conductor’s and Performer’s Guide to Steven Bryant’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone - Chester Jenkins

87 which I’m proud to tell you it’s now 20 years since. I weigh a little bit less now than I did then when I came back to the band. So I’ve kept it off all these years. JENKINS: Wow…good for you. GOURWITZ: Thank you. So I said, ‘I run three miles a day, I can keep up with them.’ He said, ‘You realize you have to pass a playing audition to be allowed to try out for the band? What do you play?’ ‘Tenor Sax.’ ‘Do you know you have to pass?’ I said, ‘No.’ ‘Are you playing your horn now?’ ‘No, I come once a year for homecoming. I said, ‘But if you give me permission to try out, every day, starting nine months in advance, I will practice. I will pass the playing audition.’ I had no idea if I would pass the playing audition. But I wanted the challenge. That was the whole point. JENKINS: Yeah GOURWITZ: I passed. And he sent to my house, during the summer, the assistant drum major came once a week to teach me how to march again and to do all those things that one hadn’t done in a long time. You know, I was in the band first in 1966 and now it’s 1998. It’s 32 years later. JENKINS: Yeah GOURWITZ: Well, at any rate. I tried out for the band. I made the band. I had the best fall of my life. I went every day. I’ve written letters for graduate school for students in the band. I still am very passionate and maintain a strong relationship with the Michigan Marching Band, the Symphony band, et cetera, et cetera. So fast forward now. Kevin leaves to go to the University of Texas, his alma mater, as Jerry Junkin’s associate director. And then goes to Baylor University as the Director of Bands. And he replaced Michael Haithcock, who I am good friends with, because Michael came to Michigan. JENKINS: Right. GOURWITZ: Michael’s also a saxophonist. So at any rate. I followed Kevin to Texas. I went there. I went to Midwest to see my buddy for dinner, and all the other friends in music and all that. So now Kevin comes to Michigan State. He gets the job. And I said, ‘Hey, I’m the happiest man in the world now that you’re coming back to the state of Michigan.’ So my Michigan buddies all go, ‘Oh, now what’s he going to do?’ Meaning me, because I’m supportive of music at Michigan. JENKINS: Yeah