(triumphal orchestra music) (song ends) (applause) - [Announcer] Please welcome Doc Severinsen.

(applause) (cheers and continued applause) - Thank you very much for that kind welcome.

It's really nice to be here again in Mississippi and to be associated with this absolutely wonderful Night of a Thousand Trumpets, or thereabouts.

(laughter) This whole occasion has been something very special to me and old trumpet player friends of mine, and the young ones that I didn't even know about.

And to be again with this wonderful orchestra that represents your University so beautifully, and to be with my friend Dr. Jay Dean.

What a great guy he is.

(applause) We'd like to do a lovely aria from the opera, "“Madame Butterfly"”.

Music by Puccini.

His gorgeous "“Un Bel Di"”, "“One Fine Day"”.

(song begins) (song ends) (applause) - We have people from 32 different states here.

We have people from three foreign countries who came here to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, just to be part of this event.

(applause) I talked to a number of people about arranging things for this and finally decided on one person and he did this wonderful arrangement of "“Send in the Clowns"”.

(song begins) (song ends) (applause) Please welcome Doc back.

(applause) When I talked to Doc about coming here to play, we decided to have a special piece written for this occasion, in addition to the arrangements that we had.

So we had our Composer-in-Residence, Luigi Zaninelli, write a piece for us, and this piece is called "“Aria Festiva"”.

And Doc likes it so much he says he's going to play it elsewhere, only probably not with this many trumpet players.

Anyway, so this is "“Aria Festiva"” written for Doc Severinsen and our trumpets tonight.

(bombastic song begins) (song ends) (applause) - Now, one of my inspirations, believe it or not, was Harry James, because I had loved Harry James playing as a boy and then knowing Doc's playing, I always sort of felt that he was a continuation of Harry James.

So when I wrote this one, I remembered the trumpet section in the Harry James Band, and I knew I wouldn't have players like that, but I tried to, in my own way, to get that kind of excitement of hearing trumpets playing what I call "“high, wide and handsome"”.

And it actually happened.

It was really thrilling.

But, you know what was really scary?

I never heard any of this live till the day of performance.

I still find it to be a very exciting piece, and that's really the test for me, because you can very soon become jaded with your own work.

But the big picture is what really works, and that's what the audience hears the first time.

So I think, as a theater piece, because that's what I meant for it to be, as in as an event, as a spectacular sound experience.

I think it works.

That's the excitement of being a composer, because the kind of music I write, none of it is guaranteed.

This was a big adventure.

Was it going to work or was I going to look like a fool?

I love that excitement, because the risks are great and so are the rewards.

- I had had the opportunity to work with Doc once before, back in 1996 and enjoyed it and the audience enjoyed it.

And so this idea just came to me that, you know, why not make this a really unique event?

Severinsen having come to Mississippi was not a unique event.

Severinsen having played with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony was not a unique event.

So what can we do to make this a unique event?

Well, no one had ever put this number of trumpet players together anywhere.

And I decided that I wanted to do an event called "“Night of a Thousand Trumpets with Doc Severinsen"”, who is clearly the most recognized trumpet name in the world.

It doesn't matter whether you're talking about classical music or jazz or what have you.

And so we went about the business starting last April of communicating with trumpet players at every conceivable level.

Professional players, college players, college teachers, amateur players who play in community bands, military players, high school band directors who were trumpet players, high school trumpet players, junior high trumpet players.

We communicated with everyone and they turned out.

We didn't know whether we would have 1000 or 100 or 15.

But I had confidence in his ability to draw this kind of group together.

- And I've followed Doc Severinsen his career since I was in high school.

I used to hitchhike to the Oregon State Fair to see him in concert.

I have met him on numerous occasions.

He's been kind enough to give me some of his music from some of his performances, and it would be a crime if I didn't participate.

- [Dean] They had a rehearsal.

Some went outside.

- [Director] Again.

One, two, three.

- [Band] Buh da dup.

- Horns up.

Play exactly that.

One, two, three.

Yeah!

- [Dean] There were several groups over at a church across the street.

There were some groups here in the Coliseum.

And then we put them all back together and we rehearsed together.

Trumpet players that participated in this event came from as many different work backgrounds or age backgrounds as they did places.

And some of those trumpet players were perhaps as young as ten or 12 years old.

They had never heard of Doc Severinsen before.

And I think it was a great opportunity for them, when they're in their 40s and 50s, to be able to look back on this.

That's really going to be an extraordinary experience for them to be able to say that they had the opportunity to play with this man.

The master class that he did today.

It was a master class that is unusual.

Most of the time in master classes, one expects people to get up and play and then be critiqued or told something technical.

And that's not what he chose to do.

And I think people were intrigued about this class because most have never seen him give a class.

And it's more a class about life than it is a class about trumpet playing.

- I think it's important about how we approach the whole idea of playing and practicing.

And I think being as thoughtful as possible in the early stages.

You know, you open up that case.

You look at the trumpet, think about it.

You know, this is a joyous occasion.

It's a privilege to play the trumpet.

It's a wonderful thing.

And don't pass up the chance to enjoy every little aspect of it.

Just the smell of the case when you open it up.

Yeah.

This is a good thing I'm about to do.

And energize your breathing.

Make sure you're breathing properly.

Little things like that.

But above all, engage your brain before you start to play so that you have some thought process to make everything more productive.

- You know, our life is made up of experiences and the quality of our life is directly related to the quality experiences we have in our life.

And if you measure it that way, and you say that this is a high-quality experience that these people will take with them for the rest of their life, then it's a success on a life level.

- I would rather be with a bunch of people who are sincere about what they're doing and really giving it everything they'’ve got.

To me, that's everything.

Don't give 100%.

Give 110% or 150% every day, every minute you'’re playing, or else do something else.

Life is so short.

Why do something you don't really enjoy?

(song ends) (applause) (applause) - The name of this next tune is "“Ode to Doc"”.

Please welcome back, Doc Severinsen.

(applause) - This piece that we're going to do was a birthday gift to me from my dear friend Eric Kunzel, the conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

And he invited me there to celebrate a birthday and gave me a birthday present of an arrangement on Beethoven's "“Ode to Joy"”.

But he jazzed it up a little bit about halfway through and decided to call it "“Ode to Doc"”.

His idea, not mine.

(triumphal music begins) (song ends) (applause) - The next piece on the program is "“Gypsy Prophet"”, featuring our large trumpet ensemble again.

And this tune is by Bill Murphy.

(regimental music begins) (song ends) (applause) - Are you ready for a little bit of the Blues?

How about "“The Saint Louis Blues"”?

(bright blues music begins) (song ends) (applause) "“The St Louis Blues"”!

I'm changing the signals up here.

It's good experience.

We were going to do a Gershwin medley at this point, but we're going to do it in a minute.

But first, I wanted to do a number with the orchestra that supports, and in a way, it demonstrates what I've told so many people since I was here the last time about what a fantastic music department you have here in this school.

(applause) And I'’ve sung the praises of this orchestra far and wide.

(continued applause) They really are just a wonderful group of young people.

Not just great musicians, but they're lovely people.

And I thought it would be nice to program a piece this evening that's a real symphonic chestnut.

It's the final movement of the Tchaikovsky Fourth Symphony.

And it'll show you what these kids-—Kids?

Well, y'’all are kids to me.

They're like my own kids.

But what these ladies and gentlemen can accomplish with their musical instruments.

The Tchaikovsky Fourth Finale.

(inaudible) (fast-tempo classical music begins) (song ends) (thunderous applause) Nobody appreciates it more or is more excited than I am about that fantastic performance.

It's amazing what young people can do.

(applause) I'll tell you what.

I'd like to hear some old cats come in and try that.

Beautifully done.

Now we're ready for the music of George Gershwin.

Are you ready for some Gershwin?

Say yes, sir.

- [audience] Yeah!

- I don't hear you.

Say yes, sir!

- [audience] Yeah!

- I said, say yes, sir!

- [audience] Yeah!

(laughing) - I hear you.

In fact, I'm gonna come out there and take up a collection.

(laughing) Music of George Gershwin.

(bright music begins) (song ends) (applause) (song ends) (light applause after solo) (light applause after solo) Yeah!

(applause) (song ends) (thunderous applause) Rick Bannon on the keyboard.

John Lightem on the bass.

Kevin Bernard on drums, and our orchestra!

(continued applause) Our trumpets back there.

(continued applause) Okay.

We're cutting out all of that show biz stuff.

We'’re just headed right to the encore.

(laughter) Featuring Kevin, the kid, Bernard on the drums, a classic from a great gentleman from New Orleans by the name of Louis Prima.

He wrote a tune called "“Sing Sing Sing"”, which Benny Goodman really made famous.

And we're going to work this sucker over right now.

A little bit of "“Sing, Sing, Sing"”.

Are you ready?

(cheers) All right!

(song begins) (song ends) (thunderous applause) (clapping & stomping in unison) (continued thunderous applause) Thank you very much.

We don't have any more music to play.

What do you think of that?

But I have to tell you, I couldn't be more proud of the people in this orchestra if they were my very own family, and they're beginning to feel like it, so I better get out of town.

But aren't they just something else?

And our trumpets back there came from 20 different states!

(applause) What would it hurt-- what would it hurt for me to play a little Louis Armstrong tune?

(cheers and applause) (plays a solo tune) (bass and piano join in lightly) (singing) When it's sleepy time down south.

(song ends) (applause) Sleepy time down south, yeah baby!

(continued applause) ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪