More About My Time With Bill Moyer..

This is a companion post to the video that was uploaded to YouTube called: "Not Again Norman" Remembering William "Bill" Moyer.

One of the things I said on the video was "he played me a recording of the Mozart Requiem" in regards to meplaying for Bill set up by my Uncle Sherman Walt. I want to be clear that Sherman played me that recording when we went to Boston on that same trip. On the video it almost sounds like Bill played me the recording.

There are some other stories that were not mentioned in the video that were really pretty funny. On one of the Japanese trips, I think it was the 1986 BSO Japan tour, one night I asked Bill about his day. He told me that he went to a unique Japanese restaurant where they specialize in turtles as a delicacy. Right away it did not sound very appetizing to me.. But Bill went on to say everything they had on the menu had to do with turtles. So I interjected and said "so they started you off with turtle soup I take?" He responded "Well Norman, that wasn't the first thing. We started off with a cocktail. It was a Bloody Mary." (Oh, oh I thought). Bill continued "and yes, it was a turtle blood Mary. I winced! And he said "I felt a bit guilty because I liked it." At that point I totally lost my own need for food. Especially since I was a strict vegetarian! But hearing him say it with "classic" Bill Moyer pitch and phrasing, I started laughing my head off and so did he!

Before I was in the orchestra and living in a first floor apartment on Strathmore Ave in Brighton, Bill and I were on the phone talking about some extra work. I mentioned I was taking an audition and he said he was in the basic area and he would come over to my apartment and listen to me if that would help. I couldn't believe he was offering that,so after a split second I said "great!"

In about 15 minutes the doorbell rang. I had just enough time to make things look a little better, and welcomed Bill inside. I took him to the end of my long basement apartment's hallway into my practice room. It was a pretty big room where there was a music stand, music, my trombone and blank walls except for one. This wall had penciled on it in very big letters, WIND AND SONG. This was a quote from Arnold Jacods, world known tubist and brass teacher from the Chicago Symphony.

Not before long, I was playing 1st trombone orchestral excerpts for him and the last excerpt he wanted to hear was from Robert Schumann's 3rd Symphony "The Renish." The 4th movement has a very high part for the first trombone and is a very well known trombone excerpt. I played it a couple of times because for some reason I cracked the high Eb. After I played better, Bill said in a very complimentary positive full tone, "Ah Norman, you have such a beautiful tone on the high Eb" and then under his breath I heard "when you get them." Subtle Bill!

In 1994, Bill and Betsy, his lovely wife, were renting their Japanese style home on their quiet, really nice property off Interlaken Road in Stockbridge MA. Very intimate location close to the back gate of Tanglewood (Lion's gate). The house to the right, which was hidden by the lush trees, was where Gunther Schuller lived.

My wife Carol and I loved the area and the traditional Japanese house so we rented it for two summers. I was really getting into composing that summer at that time and I'm sure Gunther's nearby presence was influencing me! While we were first looking at the property, Bill was showing us the yard. He had a place where he said he kept a pony. I said "Wow Bill! I didn't know you were interested in horses." Bill responded by saying that his children really wanted a pony so he "gave in" and made the space for one. There certainly was enough room on the land I thought. I commentated by saying that was an amazing thing you did and it must have been quite costly and took a ton of work. Bill responded by saying after one of his long sighs, "Oh, we did everything we could for our children" with a wistfulness and gentle smile on his face. I certainly got the feeling of his commitment to family, pony and all!

Here are a few photographs of Bill. Doug Yeo who took the first two of these photos, kindly gave me permission to use them in this blog post. They all capture aspects of Bill. The first one was on a tour, probably the 1986 Japanese tour in his very organized mode writing on top of orchestra trunks.

This picture, also from the 1986 Japan tour, carries a lot of the essence of my relationship with Bill:

This last picture was taken at a gathering of retired BSO members set up by percussionist Tom Gauger, in about 2010 or so. It captures three generations of BSO 2nd trombone players; Bill, Ron Barron and myself. This last picture is one that all those who knew Bill would certainly recognize this facial expression of his right away! I loved my time with Bill. And, feel very fortunate to have had this warm and endearing relationship with him. I take comfort knowing he is in the best of hands and always will be.