The Storyteller comes from an article written about Bud – an article I recall reading while a teenager. It described how Bud didn’t just play the trumpet, he told a story with every note he played. I endeavored, through the course of this piece, to tell the story of Bud the best I could.There are subtle references to many of the famous orchestral trumpet excerpts that I listened to him play the most. Of course, the aforementioned tear-jerker is saved for the end, with a solo offstage trumpet hearkening – as if Bud himself – one last time. -Jim Stephenson