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A week of WOW

The Grammy Jazz Ensembles features a whirlwind trip of gazing at stars - and being one.

By BILLY NORRIS
Published March 7, 2005

	[Photos courtesy of the Norris family]
	Being a Florida boy helped on the jazz cruise in Long Beach Harbor as Billy Norris played with noted saxophonist Eric Marienthal.
	The trio of bass Billy Norris, left, pianist Andrew Carroll and drummer Corey Fonville prepare to leave for the Grammys, still in formal dress. The tuxes had quite a workout, too, as the boys wore them from about 8:30 a.m. until after midnight.
	The trio, Billy Norris, Andrew Carroll and Corey Fonville (seated), listen to the rhythm track they just recorded at Capitol Records. They were with musical directors Leila Heil and Ron McCurdy.

Editor's note: Last month Billy Norris traveled to Los Angeles to perform at events surrounding the Grammy Awards as part of the 2005 Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensembles. Norris, 17, was one of 29 high school musicians and vocalists chosen from more than 400 students nationwide to perform in the ensembles. There were three groups, the three-piece jazz combo, which he played in, a big band and a jazz choir. Norris shares his memories in this diary of his trip.

FEB. 5: Does the clock really say 3:30 a.m.? That's the time I had to wake up for my flight out of Tampa. You should have seen the strange looks I got as I hauled my upright bass through the airport. That bass won me a first-class seat on the first leg of my journey to L.A. since there was no room for it in coach. Once in Houston, I met the other bassist from the band, Earl Travis, 17. The airline tried to keep us and our basses off the plane, but we convinced them of the importance of our trip. We finally arrived and met the other 27 students. Much to the chagrin of the chaperones, some impromptu late-night jams broke out in many of the hotel rooms. I was so eager to play.

FEB. 6: The three-hour time zone difference is really throwing me off. Today was extremely long, but it was absolutely great. We rehearsed from dawn to dusk, stopping now and then to catch bits of the Super Bowl. The three groups sound incredible. We're working with Justin DiCioccio from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and Dr. Ron McCurdy from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. I can't wait until the first performance.

FEB. 7: Our noses were to the grindstone again today but the practice is helping us jell as a group. Legendary jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks visited us to rehearse the songs we'll be performing with him tomorrow night at the Grammy Salute to Jazz.

FEB. 8: Since the first of our many performances is tonight, we slept a little bit later this morning - a much-needed break. Lunch was quite exciting as we all met with representatives from the top music conservatories around the country - New School University and Manhattan School of Music, both in New York; USC Thornton School of Music; and the New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, both in Boston. An enormous amount of scholarship money is going to be thrown our way after this is all over. Manhattan School of Music, here I come! Tonight was the first big gig at the Grammy Salute to Jazz honoring Horace Silver, Benny Golson and Jon Hendricks. Jazz combo pianist Andrew Carroll and I had the privilege of opening the show with an hourlong set. Later this event ended in a monstrous scat-singing battle between Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling and Hendricks.

FEB. 9: This morning the combo (piano, bass and drums) headed out to USC early to entertain at a reception for the talent at the Grammy Career Day. We were all quite surprised when a slew of stars came over to enjoy our music and compliment our talent - Kanye West, Randy Jackson, Anthony Hamilton and members of Maroon 5 were raving. We filmed interviews for Access Hollywood and for E! and headed off to perform for 1,500 high school students. After the show, we piled onto the bus and drove to The Vic, an intimate jazz club on the water in Santa Monica. This was by far the most amazing gig I've ever played! All three groups were on fire, but the combo had that magical element that brought the music to a higher level.

FEB. 10: Today was my first encounter with a West Coast beach. We trekked out to a popular seafood restaurant in Malibu for lunch before our gig at the world famous Knitting Factory Hollywood. You'll never see a 200-foot cliff butting up against the water in Florida. What a sight! Tonight's concert was another great one: the guest artist was smooth-jazz saxophonist Dave Koz. Playing in Hollywood definitely made me feel like I've hit the big time.

FEB. 11: Many musicians dream of one day recording in one of the world's best studios. I never thought my day would come so soon at Capitol Recording Studios in downtown Hollywood. The engineer on the session was industry heavyweight Manny Marroquin, who produced Alicia Keys' latest album and Usher's most recent outing. Gospel artist Smokie Norful dropped by the studio to check out what we were doing and to offer some words of encouragement. Before we knew it, it was 5 p.m. and time for the combo to jet off to another gig. This time, we performed at the MusiCares Person of the Year event honoring Beach Boy Brian Wilson. We played in the middle of the huge silent auction. It was such a lavish event - I've never seen an $80,000 Cadillac auctioned off.

FEB. 12: Today was the longest day of the trip thus far. The hectic schedule is beginning to catch up with everyone. This is only a taste of what life in the music business is like, and I'm loving it. This morning we played on a yacht as it cruised around Long Beach Harbor. Saxophonist Eric Marienthal joined us for this show. Since I'm a Florida boy, being on the water didn't bother me at all, but a few of the band members had trouble getting their sea legs and focusing on the music! Tonight was the official Grammy nominee reception at California Science Center. We played nonstop for 3 hours. It was difficult to pay attention to the music with so many celebrities scooting by us. Tonight I met Nancy Wilson, Quentin Tarantino, Elijah Wood and Alicia Keys, to name a few.

FEB. 13: It's GRAMMY DAY! Everybody looked amazing, although we were in our formal dress from 8:30 in the morning until after midnight. The combo entertained at the reception before the Pre-Telecast Awards Show (where the vast majority of the Grammys are given out). Many celebrities are now familiar faces, as we've crossed paths so many times - it's so surreal. After the "pre-tel" we walked over to the Staples Center for the big show. On my way to the elevator up to our nosebleed seats, I looked over and noticed Beyonce right next to me! I stopped to timidly shake her hand. That's when it hit me. This is the real deal - this is the Grammy Awards. My highlight was definitely seeing Stevie Wonder perform. He is my ultimate musical idol, and it was so inspiring to hear him making music. We left the telecast an hour early to head back over to the convention center for the post party. Talk about lavish! This was by far the most decadent party I've ever come across. What a day.

FEB. 14: Today was so sad I hated saying goodbye to my 28 new friends. This was the most awe-inspiring whirlwind trip I could ever imagine. Hopefully, I'll get to do it again next year!

- Billy Norris, 17, is in the 11th grade at Seminole High School and is a former member of the Times' X-Team.

[Last modified March 4, 2005, 11:29:03]