Hi father Valente. I first want to say that I enjoy your playing very very
much, and hope that you stay with Carla's band forever.  What is your
favorite CBBB recording that you're on, and how come? Personally, Fleur
Carnivore is one of my absolute favorite recordings ever, but I enjoy
everything I that I have of hers. Also, bravo on the singing in I Hate To
Sing!

Sincerely,
Bryan Wong

greetings mister wong. all of my recordings with the carla bley band are
favorites of mine, but if i would have to pick one in particular, carla
bley band goes to church would have to be near the top. being that i am a
man
of  the cloth, i have always felt that it has many  redeeming qualities and
spiritual ramifications. as u may or may not know, it was recorded live in
perugia, italy
 in a very old church at midnight with one of the walls missing. i think
the romans, many years ago, used to throw the Christians
to the lions there. so for me, being of italian descent, i felt it was a
way to give back to my people. i was able to play a one note solo on one of
the selections, for the
entire chorus, through all of the chord changes, without devastating
consequences. this, in itself, was proof of greater powers at work than the
usual
earthly boundaries that hold us in check.
in closing, please remember to only listen to good music.
                                            spiritually yours, father
valente

Dear Father,

The last consecrated wafer your disciple miss Bley released (4 x 4) is about two years ago. Do you know whether she will provide us a new host in the near future?

Best regards,
Ton Rooijers

Groningen,
The Netherlands

hello from father valente. 1st  of all  she is not my disciple. 2nd of all, that information is on a need to know basis only , and at this present time u do not need to know. until then my advice to u is keep listening only to good music. f.v.

Dear Mr. Rooijers,

It has come to our attention that you received an unauthorized email from Father Valente in February. We would like to apologize for the tone of his letter and sincerely hope that you were not offended.

Carla has a new big band recording called "Looking For America" and it will be released sometime this month.

Thank you for your interest.

Best Regards,

the mail room staff of WattXtraWatt

Dear Father Valente,

I have been using a trombone mouthpiece as an incense holder when I pray.

Do you think this is ok? I would not want to commit sacrilege.

I only did it because somebody gave it to me at a concert and although I love the trombone very much,

I do not know how to play it.

I would like to add that your playing has been an inspiration to me.

Yours Truly,

A Guilty Admirer

to whom it may concern,
in response to your email, "mouthpieces", here is my answer.
back long ago in my youth, i too used a mouthpiece for burning incense,
but NEVER to pray.
also, it was NEVER EVER a mouthpiece that i used to PLAY the trombone.
i am glad that my playing has been an inspiration to u. it is to me too.
i hope this has been helpful in your search for answers to life's little mysteries.
         spiritually speaking, father valente

Dear Father Valente,

What is your favorite color?

Rosanna Miller, Age 12

good morning rosanna. my favorite color used to be blue, but recently it has been yellow.
while on a tour of the united kingdom in november of last year, i purchased a pair of yellow converse sneakers in an attempt to brighten up my mood and that of my fellow travelers.
well, to my surprise, it worked. when i arrived home my wonderful wife presented me with a huge bright yellow scarf for the winter weather. then whilst walking on canal street here in the city i picked up a yellow New York Yankees baseball pullover hat.
but now i remember that it all started with when my son, who lives in miami, gave me his yellow New York Yankees baseball cap that i secretly adored.
well, that's it for now. i should also mention that while yellow has taken the place as my favorite color, lately i have been entertaining the notion of changing again, so i'll keep u posted.
             sincerely, father valente
             ps. and remember, only listen to GOOD MUSIC!

Dear Father Valente,

What's the deal with andy sheppard? He used to have his own big band and you were in it - I even have the video, it's great!!! The only recordings I've heard him on in years are with Carla and Steve. But his band has vanished...what else is he working on?

- Charles Hunt

hello my son.
the story of andy sheppard is tragic indeed. he was doing so well: a record deal, tours, tv shows, commissions. a new star and shining light on the uk scene. when low and behold, andy chose the wrong path. being the spiritual advisor here at the prison and prive to certain inside information, i was able to find out basically what transpired.

it seems that in the midst of his wonderful successes, andy was given a choice: compromise some of his music and cow tow to some horrible higher ups in the industry, or be FRAMED, imprisoned, and disgraced.

well, to this andy said "i'd rather eat nails than be subject to perpetrating this lie and therefore helping these people bring BAD music to the PEOPLE!"

so, as i understand it, the trial was swift and severe. sir andrew was stripped of his record deal and taken out of circulation.
now the rest of the story is not so bad. through diligence and hard work and FAITH, mr. sheppard has been able to turn his life around. he NEVER stopped practicing and composing while in solitary confinement and he fell into the good graces of the powers that be here at this fine institution.

he is periodically given work furloughs that allow him to tour and record. and there is also a team of legal eagles constantly working on clearing his name, and seeing that the parties responsible end up where they belong.

so, that my friend is where it stands. and rest assured that andy is still searching for the 13th note.
          sincerely, father valente

            ps. and remember, father valente says "only listen to good music"

Dear Father Valente,

I have heard rumors….just rumors, bear in mind, please….that you have been seen in public places consorting w/people of questionable character and even….WOMEN!!!

How do you square this sort of behavior w/your well known vows of abstinence makes the heart grow flounders and non-silence?

Sincerely,

Lewis Carroll

hello my son. Commitments in rome this past week have prevented me from responding to your mail. i was needed there for some spiritual and musical advice to the great one himself. it seems he was having a problem with a new piece that was written that actually had a flat 5 in the chord sequence. the piece was to accompany his holiness to his visit to croatia, and HE needed everything to be just so.

luckily, i reminded his eminence of the blues factor, and he was MOST relieved.

anyway, i have absolutely NO idea what u are talking about here. from time to time the prison allows me to go out into the field as it is were, and participate in earthly endeavors. i am allowed to do this only because of my dedication and willingness to be a positive example to those who are looking for a better more productive life. in this way i feel, and they feel, that i can give back a bit to the community.

i am deeply committed to the concept of better living thru chemistry, but moderation is in fact the key. i think a glass of wine or 2 is good for the soul.

women on the other hand are still a puzzler to me. there has in fact been a big tall blond that has been showing up at some of my engagements. i think she is either a model (there is a poster on Houston street that looks JUST like her) and she likes creative music, or she is a SPY for the prison and is trying to entrap me in some wrong doing. in which case i say “rots of ruck”. in any case don’t believe everything u hear, and that goes for music too.

well, alas, it is time for my daily practice session. i hope this little talk made a difference in your spiritual and personal life.

from the inner sanctums of spirituality,

FATHER VALENTE

p.s. and remember, only listen to good music (but i don’t have to tell U that).

Where is the solo GV album?

Ellrod

hello my son. thank u for the mail. i was very busy last week preparing a trombone lesson for HIS HOLINESS. it seems that he was having a bit of a problem with his attack. i reminded him of the wise words of the great john coffee, which are, “just tongue and blow, kid”, and of course it cooled him rite out.

ok, as far as the matter of this so called gv album. Who is gv? Granted i did have a life BEFORE my present awakening, and i think perhaps this is what u are referring to. a few of my colleagues here at the prison have reminded me of this, so i went into some old boxes that were in the storage facility and did in fact find MOUNTAIN SUITE. i had basically forgotten all about it.

of course it is music that i made BEFORE my commitment to a HIGHER purpose. i would even go so far to say that there are some people playing on it that are of questionable character (lucky lew soloff, for example). also, there is actually some BLUES playing on it, which at this point in my life i need permission from the prison board for.

in any case, the record is a fine example of the real deal musically, as it were, and is well worth hearing. if at some time in the future i am allowed to reissue it and i get a go ahead from HIS HOLINESS, i will seriously consider doing so.

in the meantime, thank u for your interest, and remember, ONLY LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC.

spiritually yours, father v.

Dear Father Valente,

Love that Looking for America. Unfortunately, I couldn't travel to either New York last June or Minnesota in July to see the Carla Bley Big Band live. What are the chances of another tour or a DVD?

Thanks again,

Mr. Hunt

my dear mr. hunt,

in response to your email, no, there is nothing at all planned for this band. i was fortunate enough to be granted furlough time (along with some other members of the band) for the projects that u mentioned, but i am sad to say that it will not happen again soon.

there was a leak in security and some very private information became public. this affected attendance at the venues and record sales have been slow.

being that i am spiritual leader here at this fine institution, i am expected to behave responsibly, but nobody's perfect. i admit that some of the information was about yours truly, and it was true. yes, i did elope with carla's daughter, and yes i did play outside of the chord changes on a couple of occasions, but i did it with HIS permission.

we will now have to see how the trial board here deals with these issues and hope that i am allowed to continue working for WattXtraWatt. in the meantime, my duties have been limited to cleaning and polishing old trombones, and  getting them in playing condition for underprivileged trombonists.

it is now the hour for midday practice, so i must stop there.

be strong my son, and remember: only listen to good music.
           divinely yours, father v.

most gracious Father Valente,

As a great believer in, and having received many times, the blessings of your musical
healings, I am most curious as to your date and place of ordination, and into which faith.

the Right Reverend Robert Routch, Order of Enantiodromia/Universal Life Church              

 my dear right reverend. thank u for your uplifting email.

in these times of such blasphemous musical outings, it is a comfort to be reminded of the real power of good music, which is how i live my life.

be that as it may, i am prevented in giving u the information that u request.

since my incarceration here at this fine institution, i was given a number and told not to tell ANYONE ANYTHING about my past, or there would be consequences.

suffice it is to say that i will be leaving shortly for my annual meeting with HIS HOLINESS in rome for discussion of a certain musical problem involving substitutions. i leave u then with that little hint into faith, and remind us all to only listen to good music.

with love in my heart on this valentine's day,

father v.

Dear Father Valente,

Who's that Father Valente look-alike playing trombone on the Conan O’Brian show? 

A Fan

hello my son. concerning your inquiry about the trombonist on conan, i happen to have a little insight on the matter.

many years ago, before i had had my spiritual awakening, the word was sent out about auditions for a band to play the conan o'brian show. i was still leading a life of debauchery and i was playing with a rhythm and blues band in boston. it came down to a couple of leaders, and one of them happened to like my playing so he called me. as u can see, he didn't get the gig. the rock and roll drummer guy that can't play did and his buddies, the jersey horn guys, got the call.

so after the show starts airing i get a call from my mother one day and she's all excited and says "oh gary, me and dad are so happy u finally got a tv show, we are so proud of u." and i say “ma, that ain't me, you're not listening - no way i sound like that.” so anyway, that is richie la bamba, and as far as i know he has gotten a number of gigs thru the years because people do think it's me.

that's all for now,
spiritually yours, father v.

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