DESCRIPTION:
The Story of Desert Star
Trombone solo composed by Albert O. Davis
By Donald Tivens

(Solo trombonist with the Arizona State Sun Devil band from Sept 1947 -- May 1951)

Background of Dr. Felix McKernan and the Arizona State Band.
In 1946, Mc Kernan came to Tempe, Arizona after receiving his Master's degree from the University of Michigan.
As soon as he took over what was really an over-sized pep-band, he figured out that he would have to bring in talent from other places outside of the Arizona schools system, because in those years, Arizona did not have very good music programs in their schools.
McKernan knew that the best high school bands, (at that time) were located in the Midwest. So with the blessings of the college music department, and minimal financial resources, McKernan began writing to prominent high school band directors whose reputation was sufficient to see to it that those people who were recommended were capable of first chair competence.
One of those letters was sent to my high school band director Clifford P. Lillya of Marshall High School in Chicago. Mr. Lillya gave me a great send-off and I was offered a four year scholarship to attend ASU. Over the course of the next several years players came from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and other Midwest schools and in the next few years, the Sun Devil Band was among the top college bands in the country.
Albert O. Davis in 1947 was the band director at Glendale, Arizona high school and he began writing football shows for the ASU band.
In 1951, Davis began a long career as band director for Phoenix Community College and he also began writing music for the ASU Band and some of the better high school bands in the state.

In middle of May, 1951, Davis came into the Arizona State band room carrying a large envelope. McKernan and several of us graduating seniors were standing around talking about the graduation exercises that were taking place the following Saturday. We were expected to play in the band with our caps and gowns and then move into the class seating.
Davis came in on a Monday afternoon with that envelope and a very long face.
McKernan could see that he was upset and he asked Davis why he was so sad. Davis held up the envelope showed us all that he had sent this work to the music publisher and that they never even bothered to open the envelope. They just put a return address sticker on the envelope and added postage and returned it to him.
I said to Davis (who never had anything published) "these guys are businessmen. What should they do, tell Pete to sing the clarinet part, and you Joe whistle the saxophone part?"
Then I asked Davis what kind of piece is this. When he said that Desert Star was a trombone solo, I said, "Why don't you sit down at this piano and let me try the solo."
All the while McKernan just folded his arms and listened.
We all agreed that it was a wonderful piece and I offered to perform it with the band at the final two performances we would play that school year. (I graduated several days later and never played with the band again.)
McKernan had a policy of not allowing anyone to solo with the band unless they had the music memorized. So I took the music home that night and memorized it for the next day band rehearsal. Desert Star had its World Premiere at Avondale and Goodyear high schools.
This recording was done at one of those concerts, I don't remember which school this recorded was made, but with a recording in hand, Al Davis was able to give it to the music publisher to listen to and it eventually was published by Ludwig Publishing - the first of his many published works in his long and most successful writing career.

About this recording. Desert Star was recorded on an acetate disk at the speed of 78 rpm. Besides the disk not being of a good quality, this particular recording endured a flood in Chicago that added to its poor sound quality. But with some modern technology and the ability to digitally rerecord it, Desert Star is now preserved forever clicks, pops and all.

Photos: Black and White of Donald Tivens 1951 Color Photo of Donald Tivens 1994. Pictures of the Arizona State Sun Devil Band 1951.