OFF THE BEAT

The 76 Trombones "band" that performed in the Ambassadors of Harmony's gold medal-winning set.

Could it be? Could it happen? Golly gee! The Ambassadors of Harmony, as of Sunday Dec. 13, may have retired its gold medal-winning rendition of  ”76 Trombones.” The band members posed for one last photo after Sunday night’s performance of the contest set during the chorus’ annual holiday show. But you never know, that set could make a return when you’re least expecting it.

On the rooftop, they dance. In the lobby, Mike takes a few minutes to himself to reassess the situation.

DEC. 5, 2009: A view of Scottsdale from the rooftop of the Valley Ho hotel.

Helluva view. But it sure was chilly from the rooftop of the Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Ariz.

See that sorta lime-green screen there? Today, coworker Shane Anthony pulled that out of a computer case shoved beneath one of the many empty desks in our bureau.

You probably don’t recognize it, but that, my friends, is a laptop computer. A Tandy 1100FD. It goes back to the early 90s or so, though you’ll notice a 1989 load date in one of the photos above.

This little machine provided a good 15 minutes of solid, nostalgic entertainment during a short break at work today. The Tandy didn’t appear to have any functionality beyond word processing capabilities. It had a couple basic programs but required one insert a floppy disk for them to work. It also makes a horrible grinding noise whenever you tell it to do something.

Its computer case included a telephone cord that supposedly gave it access to……wait for it……wait for it……..the INTERNET! Apparently, the Tandy also could connect to a cellular line, though we weren’t what kind of cell phone. One of those big suckers you stored in your car?

Shane there took a photo of our new friend, Tandy, with his iPhone, which is hilarious if you think about it.

Hard to believe anyone actually used the Tandy to file stories from the field.

One of the Tandy’s great features, though, was its keyboard, which is incredibly responsive to the touch of your fingers.  No stickiness whatsoever. It’s probably the best keyboard I’ve ever used.

They sure don’t make them like they used to. And when it comes to the Tandy, they don’t make them at all.

Keith Parker, 22, of University City, Mo., rehearses a solo for the Ambassadors of Harmony's 2009 holiday show in St. Louis.

Every year, the Ambassadors of Harmony men’s barbershop chorus puts on a holiday show at Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. In July, the chorus won the gold medal in the Barbershop Harmony Society’s international competition in Anaheim, Calif.

I’ve sung with the chorus for four years. We’ve been practicing vigorously for the show this month. It has certainly sneaked up on me.  I don’t quite feel ready.

Since we won the gold, the pressure has never been greater to give the performance of our lives. We’ve learned a bunch of new songs for this show, and for the first time, we’re even doing a live webcast of the show. My folks and my aunt and uncle will be watching from their home computer in upstate New York. Perhaps I can even persuade my buddy, Raaj, to watch the webcast from India.

Thanks to my relatives, friends, neighbors and coworkers who are coming to see the show in person and online.

The December performance will feature many of our usual standards and wacky antics as elves in Santa’s workshop, but also will turn sacred in the second act by following the story of the birth of Christ. We won’t be wearing tuxedos in the second act as we’ve done for years; we’ll be singing and performing as townspeople of Bethlehem.

Some of us are actually growing (or trying to grow) beards to reflect the people of the era. I’m well into the seriously painful-and-annoying itchy stage of the growth process. I reach for my razor every morning and would love to get rid of this red foreign growth on my face. (More on this in future blogposts.)

Anyway, showtime in just over a week away. Keith Parker, pictured above, has a solo at the beginning of a Hanukah song called “El Yivneh Hagalil.” It’s a hauntingly beautiful song, and his voice is perfect for it.

Oh yeah…champion quartets Vocal Spectrum and Crossroads will be singing too. They’re worth the admission price alone.