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corporation which sells a range of soft drinks that aren’t exactlyhealth-giving.Which reminds me of the disappointed Coca Cola salesmanreturning from his first Middle East assignment.A friend asked, “Why weren’t you successful?”The salesman explained, “When I got posted to the Middle East, Iwas very confident that I would do well as Cola is virtually unknownthere and it would be a new and huge market. But, I had a problem; Ididn’t know how to speak Arabic. So, I planned to convey the messagethrough three posters , side by side ...First poster, a man crawling through the hot desert sand totallyexhausted and panting.Second poster, the man drinking our Cola.Third poster, our man now totally refreshed.I had these posters pasted all over the place.”“That should have worked,” said the friend.The salesman replied, “Well, not only did I not speak Arabic, I alsodidn’t realize that with Arabic you read from right to left ...”I will add one Olympic footnote:The chief executive, ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), received abasic salary of $578,564.44 CAD plus bonuses paid from the publicpurse. And the Games’ top executives make substantially morethan that. So it was with interest that I read in Britain’s Telegraphnewspaper an article saying that the Musicians’ Union had receivedcomplaints from members that they had been asked to donateservices at the Games “because it’s such great exposure.”Does that sound familiar to any of you musicians out there?No comment.In the meantime, happy listening and try to put some live music inyour life.Jim Galloway is a saxophonist, band leader and formerartistic director of Toronto Downtown Jazz.He can be contacted at jazznotes@thewholenote.com.Beat by Beat | BandstandTransition TimeJACK MACQUARRIEIt’s transition time. Our one month break from publication isover, and it’s time both to reflect on the past few weeks and seewhat’s ahead for the month of September. It has been an interestingfew weeks since I last put “pen to paper.” On the personal side therehave been many performances, mostly outdoors, and a few cancellations.I have also had a few more visits to the Baycrest Centre where Iam participating in their studies on the influences of musical activityon cognitive function. More about that in another issue.Concert band reflections: One of the most noteworthydevelopments on the community band scene has been the evolutionof the Sunday evening concert series organized by the MarkhamCommunity Band and an organization called Unionville Presents.Initiated last year using the MCB’s inflatable bandshell in a parking lotin Markham, this year the series was expanded in scope and movedto the excellent Unionville Millenium Bandstand. With the exceptionof one concert, the rain held off; when I arrived to hear the NorthYork Concert Band, the audience out front was limited to one solitarylistener under a large yellow umbrella, but on stage there were twodozen or so listeners comfortably seated on each side of the bandunder the extended wings of the roof. As the concert progressed therain departed, and by the end of the concert a good-sized audiencewas seated in front of the band. The crowd the following week wasalmost the same for the Richmond Hill Concert Band, with a dozenor so listeners also standing on a porch of a house across the road. Forall the following weeks, with superb weather, the bands played to afull house of adults, children, dogs and even a trained cockatoo whoAndrew Chung,Music DirectorRoaring 20s to Millennium Madnessfeaturing Artist in ResidenceCamille Watts, FluteSunday, October 14, 2012 at 2 pmRichmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts10268 Yonge Street, Richmond HillThis spectacular concert features Silverthorn SymphonicWinds and a massed band of Canadian Band Associationmusicians from across Southern Ontario. Highlights includea performance of Mike Mower’s jazzy Concerto for Flute andWind Orchestra by SSW’s Artist in Residence Camille Watts.Tickets: $20 Student/Senior;$25 AdultCall 905-787-8811 or order online atwww.rhcentre.cawww.silverthornsymphonicwinds.caSeptember 1 – October 7, 2012 thewholenote.com 39