You Know - That Trumpet Guy on Johnny Carson! (Part One)

The past month has been eventful for me in many ways. I guess the highlight would be when I got to talk with, you know, that trumpet guy on Johnny Carson.

Yes, if your first guess was Doc Severinsen, you would be correct!

Prior to his keynote address at a recent conference I strategically positioned myself in a seat where I could hear and see him without distraction.

On the 2nd row of the auditorium.

Little did I know that the couple who came and sat next to me were Doc's friends.

[Turns out Doc's friends were Allen Vizzutti and his wife. Don't know Allen Vizzutti (http://www.vizzutti.com/index.html)??? Don't worry neither did I!  I've learned he is just one of the top jazz trumpeters in the world. And no, I didn't get his picture. :( ]

This first pic is when I first sighted Doc on stage as he was familiarizing himself with the stage area.

 

He came off the stage to talk to someone right in front of me. (Pic #2)

 

 

THEN he came down and sat on the arm of the seat in the first row (as you see in Pic #3) to talk to his friends who were sitting next to me. He was about 3 feet away from me.



He and his friends started talking about Doc's dogs. They noticed my listening in (OK, eavesdropping) and began including me in their discussion. I smiled and laughed along with them as they told stories of their pets. When Doc asked me if I had any pets I went on and on about how my brother and his family had just gotten a toy/teacup (?) Australian shepherd puppy to join their other dog.

Now, those who know me know that I do not have nor have I ever owned a pet besides the occasional carnival goldfish which usually met a watery demise down the toilet, so to be included in a discussion about pets, pet care, etc. was foreign territory for me.

But hey! If Doc Severinsen wants to talk to me about dogs, who am I stop him?

You might notice that I do not have a picture of myself with Doc.

For me, the experience I had is far more thrilling than a 10-second photo opp.

I did not want to appear the fan. (Even though I am!) It was not a photo opportunity.  He was relaxing before a presentation and talking with friends.

I wasn't going to mess with that. If I had I might not have gotten to talk with him for 15 minutes like I did.

Did he know I was taking his picture? Probably not.  Especially not the one of him on the stage. I tried very hard to be discreet - it would have just looked like I was checking for a message on my phone.

~*~*~*~

Did Doc really even notice me?

After all we didn't talk music or his career or my admiring him.

Well...

After he spoke (topic for Part Two of this series) there was a jazz concert.

I moved to another seat on the aisle back farther in the auditorium. I noticed that Doc and his companion (I'm not sure who she was though she did play in the concert that night) took my vacated seat next to his friends.

Midway through the concert Doc and his companion left the concert.

As they passed by where I was sitting Doc glanced up (I was on an elevated section right next to the aisle) and our eyes met. He smiled and gave me that jazz point with his hand - I waved with a goofy grin on my face.

Then they left the auditorium.

I sat in the darkened auditorium listening to some phenomenal jazz music and just smiled into the dark at the experience.

More later....