It’s sax section time! This chart was a big step for everyone because there are lots of techniques for writing for a sax section - block voicing, open voicing, etc. Dick was a masterful teacher when it came to this stuff and we soaked it all in like sponges! Now we’re writing a mix of unison (prime or octave) and anywhere from 2 to five part harmony! Lots of choices to make and one really needed to understand the harmonic aspects of the music you’re arranging, its chord progression, vertical and horizontal ramifications, rhythmic nature, and other aspects. This is where Dick would begin to take no prisoners. Getting the concept “close” wasn’t good enough. I recall some painful playback sessions with other students and some of mine may have been painful too, although this one mostly seems pretty good. I marveled at Dick’s ability to find a rat among the roses - he could pluck out a strong beat minor nine voicing collision by the tail and have it fixed up in a jiffy.
At some point during the year, I saw Dick at a gas station, filling up his sports car. Damn he looked cool. And even cooler in my eyes when I saw his custom California license plate: “ii-V-I”