Anna Garcia, Early Next Year

~dedicated to Grandma Gerry~

(Oct.1, 1937 – Forever in our hearts)

Early Next Year is a piece I specifically wrote for Geraldine May Grieshaber Garcia, my grandma. A few years ago, my sisters and I comprised a band called the St. Louis Jazz Sisters, and of course, grandma was our biggest fan. She helped promote us and sold the majority of our CDs. Since our first and only album contained many original compositions, grandma had asked us to write her a song; but we never got around to it. I moved away from home to Michigan for my senior year of high school, and everyone’s schedules got busier. During my sophomore year of college, I decided to take advantage of a school combo project to write and record this piece grandma had always wanted. By this time, she had already been diagnosed with colon cancer. Ironically, I wrote the piece in March 2007 and she passed away August 25^th 2008, early the next school year. Looking back on what I wrote, this piece is a memory of her, and everything fits as if I wrote it after the fact. Despite everything, she inspired this composition. She was always someone who encouraged me to “play that trumpet” – she loved music. Even though she once got me a soprano saxophone card for my birthday, believing it was a trumpet, and left her yearly phone messages for everyone on their special day singing a completely out of tune version of “Happy Birthday,” it never ceased to make me smile. She was the source of much encouragement and confidence I needed. Not only was she such an encouragement, she was there for everything – for all of her children and grandchildren. Grandma was there for every recital, every concert, every award ceremony, every play, every Christmas and Easter, every birthday, my high school graduation in Michigan, and my 21^st birthday. I was told she was even the first person I learned to walk to. I’m glad I was able to be there for her last breath and I wrote this song before she died.

Early Next Year is unique in that it has two reminiscing, different, yet equally important melodies. It begins with a distressing melody depicting lonesome and difficult times. The song gradually builds through a vamp-like sequence into a “hey it’s ok” melody. The majority of the song stays in this lighter section because most of everyone’s memories of grandma are in high spirits. This melody gets lost in the memories of grandma’s contagious happiness, the secrets we all shared, the value of living her life to the fullest that she held and spread, and the happiness I felt being “grandma’s girl.” The solos in this section allow these joyful ideas to develop. There are so many wonderful memories and, like a musician improvising a solo, there will always be more. You can almost imagine each instrument stepping up to declare what impact grandma made in their life. However, these memories can’t change the fact that this amazing lady was taken away from us. The second melody smoothly blends into the first melody and the pain comes back, but, it is not as hurtful as before. The memories help me realize she is not gone forever; she is now forever present in my heart. I wanted this recital to be dedicated to her. I know she cannot be here in person anymore, but that does not mean she cannot be here. Now she can always be with me and I know she is listening and enjoying this recital, like always. The song concludes with a prayer section. Grandma was always religious and believed in angels. I promised her I would pray for her, so here it is. Rest in peace grandma, my guardian angel.