THE DRY CLEANER FROM DES MOINES

LISTEN TO THE DRY CLEANER FROM DES MOINES

This is a great song written by Charles Mingus for Joni's album called Mingus. It's a fun little blues tune that I arranged for my good friend Gerry Pagano on bass trombone and four overdubbed alto trombones that I recorded.

The song was about a dry cleaner with a pocket full of coins who won every time he dropped a coin into a slot and couldn't lose.

Only Joni Mitchell could have thought of ending the song's lyrics with, But the cleaner from Des Moines could put a coin in the door of a john and get twenty for one. It's just luck!

Preview / Buy Book

I really like this interesting and well-disposed book. So many good thoughts, facts and tips on alto trombone. Good guidance for the searching alto souls out there. A must-have for the shelves.

– Håkan Björkman, Principal Trombone at Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

I highly recommend Alto Trombone Savvy for players around the world wanting advice on handling the alto trombone at the highest level. Classical and jazz players both share the same challenges, and it’s great to have this book in either bass or alto clef to help answer some of those challenges.

- Carsten Svanberg, International Trombone Soloist and Professor of Trombone at the University of Music and Arts Graz

For anyone interested in learning to play the alto trombone, whether for classical or jazz, this book is a must. Clearly written, with excellent exercises and links to audio examples, Michael Lake has provided the trombone world with a wonderful new resource.

– Ralph Sauer, Former Principal Trombone, Los Angeles Philharmonic