I have Covid.

 I've been testing every morning since Friday because my daughter tested positive on that day.

Today was to be a very important day for me. Rodger Fox died just over a week ago and today I was going to attend his funeral in Palmerston North. I was pretty sure that, like Shelley, I'd get a negative result this morning.

NOT TO BE!

There's nothing you can do when you test positive. You certainly can't go to public events.

Sorry Rodger. I felt devastated when I saw the result. Now I'll be living (and sleeping) down in the storeroom (a converted garage) for a while. If I'm not feeling too sick, I guess I can get some practice done. I'll have time to do some extra posts too.

"Yes!"

1974.

I was halfway through completing my honours degree in music. Later that year I'd take time off to drive a delivery truck because I'd been told to sod off by a woman who I thought was going to be the love of my life. I finished my honours degree in the following year.

At this time the main thing I had to judge the quality of music was what the experts said at university. I thought that I might be a pretty good musician if I nearly had an honours degree, though no one at the university seemed to agree with that sentiment. I remember two lecturers, David Farquar and Margaret Neilsen very fondly but, with others, there seemed to be a bit of a hierarchy thing going on. I certainly didn't feel like a success and, in reality, I shouldn't have because I spent too much time thinking about girls. I was not successful with that. 

One day there was a concert in the student union building featuring a band called The Golden Horn Big Band.  It was run by a young guy (a few months younger than me) named Rodger Fox. I did wonder how good these guys would be because, to my knowledge, none of them had studied music at university.

My mind was about to get blown!

These guys could really play!

I remember Rodger and another trombonist sort of having this 'trombone war' where they were both playing pretty insane stuff. They just seemed to be blowing the shit out of their instruments! Everyone in the band was grooving along. This was something else.

As I'm sure you know, the Golden Horn Big Band later became the Rodger Fox Big Band. The Golden Horn was a music shop where Rodger worked in his younger days. I'd met him in that shop. A little later on he started a shop called R & R Music with a guy named Roger Watkins. Hence the 'R & R'. I met Roger's brother Chris in this shop and he invited me to play in a big band he was putting together called The New Horizons Big Band. I started on trumpet (I was 4th. trumpet and not very good) but, when the bass player had to move on, I took over playing bass guitar. I also played flugel horn in the Porirua Brass Band, which was run by Roger's dad Louis Fox. 

I also played in the Roger Fox Big Band a few times, filling in for the regular bassist. My highlight of playing with Rodger was when he rang and asked me to play double bass for a small band backing Gordon Brisker (an American sax player). The original bass player had to pull out after a family tragedy. I, in turn, had to leave the tour when my father died. However, that is an experience I'll never forget.

There are many stories to be told, by many different people, about Rodger and mine is really a very minor one. However, I can honestly say that Rodger (and Chris) changed my musical life. 

Thanks guys.

Wish I could have been with you today.