I remember my high school jazz band as having a lot of talent scattered throughout the ensemble. For some reason, however, our rehearsals of Christmas carols were often somewhat anemic. One rehearsal from November 1987 stands out. During our first run-through of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)," several brass players missed the coda designation in the music, causing about one-third of the band to play a different verse than the coda. Hearing two clashing verses at once made Mr. B., our director, bring things to a halt. "Here's the coda, for those of you who don't know what that is," he said. "Coda, please...Ready?"
The next attempt was still somewhat lackluster; on the second go-around, at least, everyone played the same verses at the same time. I remember thinking, "It's a good thing we still have several weeks before the concert."
