Hey, GfS...there is a well-known music teacher and band conductor in Orillia, Ted Duff, who also works with a 4-person jazz vocal group called "Jazzamatazz". It happened one year that Jazzmatazz had lost their tenor, and they were taking auditions. I wanted to see if I could try out something really different for a change, so I auditioned...and I passed! So I got to sing the tenor part in Jazzmatazz for about a year.

After I passed the audition, Ted said to me, "I thought that none of you folksingers could actually sing! I'm pleasantly surprised to find out that there is one who can."

That made me feel pretty good, but I have to say that I think Ted is unreasonably prejudiced against folk and rock music in a general sense... ;-) There are lots of folksingers who can really sing.

I did shows with Jazzmatazz for about a year, then I decided to move on, because although it was darned good music, I could never really get that interested in it. I respect it, mind you...it just isn't the kind of music I have much of a yen for normally, so after a year my curiosity about it was fully satisfied, and I quit the group (on good terms, I might add).

Ted Duff was great to work with. He is one hell of a fine musician, and he loves the music...if it's jazz or show tunes, that is. He has brought a lot of fine music to Orillia.