Paul Read News

Looking forward to the PRO gig at the REX this month. I’ll be sending out a newsletter. For those who have been asking I include an update on my health. I’m of two minds about posting this stuff. It seems personal and boring. On the other hand I have had people tell me that like to be kept in the picture. I sent Andrew Jones an email today with the following update:

I am still on long term disability and the wretched disease, despite months (now three years) of therapy, medication of various names and descriptions, months of hospital stays and a new life regime (which I try to hold fast to), leaves me feeling only sporadically improved. But having said that, the picture isn’t all glum. I think that certain symptoms (tremors, speech difficulties) have really improved and I am really working hard to try to accomplish what I can. One of the nagging symptoms is an inability to stay focused on a task. This plays havoc with writing music. Yesterday, I managed to knock off (15 minutes) a submission to the Hockey Theme contest, so short projects are okay. Also it was a who cares kind of deal.

Thanks for visiting the site. Hope to have a new audio file posted later this week.

I remain

Paul

Hi. Decided to post this here as rumour mills grind quickly and inaccurately many times. Due to health issues I am back in Toronto early from the IAJE conference in NYC but more as a precaution than anything. I have had to suddenly and completey discontinue a drug that should be stopped over time and the results have been a real trip down the rabbit hole. Nevertheless, Trish and I are confident in all that is going on and I will be returning to full duties at the University of Toronto next week.

Thanks for stopping by the site. No new downloads today although I am working on a few projects off and on and hope to get some new stuff up soon.

Paul

This is a copy of an email sent out today to many friends and family who have expressed concern or support over the past 3 months:

I hope everyone will forgive an email to the masses, as they say, but there are so many people I want to share my news with, I think that it makes sense to do things this way this time. I am basically emailing everyone who has either called, emailed, talked to Trish or in any way directtly or indirectly expressed concern for my well being over the past 3 months.

To save you having to wade through my verbosities (a word that only a friend of Phil Nimmons would use), let me come to the point right away. I have been finally cleared to return to work! Starting Monday, I am officially back on the treadmill and couldn’t be more grateful for the chance to resume my ‘normal’ routines. I have experienced a rather dramatic change in my physical and emotional states in the past two weeks. I attribute this to a significant change in medication levels, the passage of time, and the incredible love and support of friends and family.

This has been an ordeal I will never forget. My treatment isn’t over, but the symptoms have quieted to the point that I feel strong enough and healthy enough (and enough like myself) to get back at it. I will continue to see the doctors (there are now 4 on the team) and do what I am told, and try to make something of the lessons I think I’ve learned over the past many weeks.

Many people who reached out over the past months shared their own experiences, or the experiences of a loved one who had gone through this thing, and I can’t begin to tell you how comforting and reassuring that was. I felt less isolated and more hopeful about recovery as a result.

The best news came Thursday afternnon when concerns about Parkinsons were erased. According to the neurologist, I have something called Essential Tremors which are far less serious and can be managed quite effectively. They are aggravated by emotional and other psychological problems, so the pieces of the puzzle fit very well. The acute depression was certainly one of the contributing causes to this part of my ordeal, and one certainly didn’t help the other.

That’s basically it. Just wanted to express my deepest and most intense sense of gratitude to all of you for reaching out in one form or another. I feel lucky to be back and blessed to return to the company of such compassionate and caring people.

With deepest thanks

Paul

Hi Folks
Especially all of those who have written, emailed, called and asked through others about my illness and expressed concern. I have been cleared to return to work at the university effective Monday. I can’t tell you what a relief this is, but I’m sure you can imagine. Treatments and medication will continue, but, the progess in the past week or so has been dramatic and SUCH a relief. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Today I am uploading a BRAND NEW version of an older piece called, “Ballad for Mr. G”. This is another flugel feature with big band wrtten as a commission for the Campbell Collegiate Secondary School jazz band (Regina SK) some years ago. The Mr. G. in question is Brent Ghiglione. Brent was the FORCE behind one of Canada’s most outstanding music programs and has just this year left to join the faculty at the University of Regina. U of R’s gain is definitely Campbell’s loss. Anyway, Brent commissioned this piece a number of years ago, but I was never totally happy with it. I was going for a playable high school level chart, but I wanted overtones of a pro chart and incorporated a few Thad Jones ideas (you may hear them, you may not). Anywway, I finally fixed the chart and plan to send him a copy. Again, using JABB, I was really able to work the revisions and spot one of the chief weaknesses of the original: I had been so concerned about playablility, I neglected the creation of a peak and of a more successful formal plan. Lesson learned. It still is a tad conservative, but there is a beauty in this I am proud of and I hope you will enjoy it. It’s in the downloads.

A great day!!!
Paul

First, some good news. I finally finished the final revisions on a new piece called Awakening. It is the second part of a 4 part suite I call “The Climb” (for a multitude of reasons). I drafted this last fall while at work in Florida on a commission for the Jazz Mechanics (Jim Lewis’ band) and what was supposed to be one piece became 4. Anyway, this one was 95% finished, but I never got around to making the final revisions until a couple of days ago and it is finally done. I recorded it using JABB and Digital Performer 4.6 (my DAW of choice). Many of the pieces on the site have been recorded this way, and I hope you will enjoy this one. As usual it is in the downloads section. I’ll add it to the site playlist in a day or so. I may remix it tomorrow, but I’ve posted the results today so that I could feel as though it is finished. An important feeling for all composers!

On the personal front (the less positve news), I had a wonderful few days last week and my hopes were high that my illness was finally coming to an end. The last three days have been a terrible disappointment. Lots of psychological and physical symptoms that I thought were behind me. Still, Trish and I see this as part of the recovery process. There is no smooth straight line recovery with depression. You bob up and down along the general upward path, and I guess I bobbed again.

That’s all the news that’s fit to print today. I hope you like the new piece. Send me an email sometime. The CONTACT page on the site has a link. Let me know what you think of the site and the jazz and classical buffet.

Peace

Paul