Gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving. This has been a crazy, and sometimes very rough, year. As we continue to deal with Joey's college search, applications, and decision; uncertainties about the economic future and the ramifications that may have for the arts, and Steph's own adventures in health the thing I keep coming back to is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for family. I use that word to cast a pretty wide net. To my gurus, mentors, and teachers: I am grateful for the knowledge that you have and continue lay on me and guidance you offer - both in music and in life. To my Navy Music family: I am grateful for your professionalism, fellowship, and unconditional support. To my brother and sister saxophonists: I am grateful for the path that our instrument and our goals place in front of us and that we walk it together. To my friends, old and new; close and distant: I am grateful that you are in my life - even if it is only through FB these days. Finally, to my Family: your love and presence keeps me going every day. 

As I sit down to my favorite meal of the year with a happy high school senior and a wife who has redefined the idea of positive outlook (and, she's a badass!) I wanted to take a moment to wish all of you Happy Thanksgiving.

The constancy and consistency of practice

The economic situation for musicians has been more difficult than usual. As I struggle to become part of the scene in New England, I hear stories and see evidence of the $50 jazz gig becoming the norm. Serious cats in NYC tell me of similar things in their world as well. In the light of this reality, it has been easy for me to become discouraged about the state of the “business” when it comes to playing creative, acoustic music. That is until I came across a great article by the saxophonist Tim Price. Tim’s thesis is that the daily work of a musician is not the performance as much as it is practicing. It’s become very easy to adopt an attitude of practicing for the next gig. This is a common model, especially for the busy musician with much on his or her plate. But, what happens when there is little on the plate. The voice may tell us that “I’ve got nothing coming up, what is the point of developing new material etc…?” As I reflect, I realize that I have been, and continue to be stuck in that mind set. I think that I have it backwards. Visual artists seem to have this figured out. They make art to make art, shows and sales almost seem to be bi-products of their work. It seems to me that it should be the same for me. If I wait to practice until I have “something to practice for” I fall into a slippery rabbit hole of artistic sloth. I’m not practicing because “nothing’s happening” and “nothing’s happening” because I’m not practicing. Tim writes: “I practice everyday, and I practice for at least 2 hours before I do anything. I don't do it because I think that Mike Stern or Sting is going to call. < I wish they would > I do it because it's the one thing in life that has been a constant for me. So few things in life ever remain the same, if any.” This really sums it up for me. The job of a saxophonist is to practice saxophone. If we let performance opportunities dictate our artistic path and choices, we are veering away from the path that the masters like Trane and Newk have left for us.

I acknowledge that I have an advantage and a blessing of having a gig that allows me not to “want” for much. I equally feel that because of that I have even a greater responsibility to be true to the artistic duties of practice and self-improvement. Who am I to sit on my skills when so many artists are struggling daily and so many masters have paid SERIOUS dues for this music. Being a musician is not a typical “service-oriented” job. I would presume that it is on par with what someone called to service in a religious order feels.

I think I need to re-focus my goals on becoming a better musician and less on being “part of the scene”. I feel like I’ve had them mixed up lately. Being part of the scene will not make me a better musician, but being a better musician almost always makes it easier to be part of a scene.

Shameless Self Promotion

These are a couple of videos I made on my iPhone during a rehearsal of my trio. The tunes are a couple of my originals. Here they are, warts and all!

RIP Clare FIscher

Sad news today. Clare Fischer was a wonderful composer with a very rich harmonic pallete. Here's some Freddie with Blakey as a tribute:

New Year, New Possibilities?

I am optimistic by nature.

I really love the end of the year. Looking back over past events and thinking about the future always makes me feel hopeful. This year, however, I feel more optimistic than usual.

This could be for several reasons, but my take is that this will be a year of milestones for me:

- I turn 40 in October

- I've completed my Master's coursework and will "walk" this Spring

- One of my best gurus, David Liebman, will be conducting his 25th Saxophone Masterclass (I attended his 10th). This will be a "reunion" class and I WILL attend this.

But, I am tempering my optimism with a sense of deficiency. Looking at others in my peer group, I still feel like I am "behind". My playing and my writing all seem like they are behind where they could be. In that spirit, I am using some of the milestones above to focus some of my artistic work and projects for the upcoming year.

Speaking first about Lieb's Masterclass. When I left his class, I was very focused on what I needed to work on. Over the last several years, that focus has really widened - I think prematurely - beyond the principles that he gave me. In preparation for going back to him this Summer, I am focusing my practicing back to the principles that I got from him. Mastery of sound and technique as well as the assimilation of primary sources through transcription. I'm putting everything else on hold and dealing with my instrument and transcribing for the next several months. Eventually, I'll work some writing back into my routine, but I need to really narrow my focus to prepare for the masterclass.

With regard to my MM being completed, I have some decisions to make academically. DMA? If so, do I start right away or take some time. I am inclined to take some time, both to focus on the work detailed above and because the balance of academic work with my responsibilities to Navy Music was an incredible challenge during my Master's work. I'm not sure I can split my brain into that many horcurxes again. Also, having had a look "behind the curtain" of academia as a teaching fellow I have some thinking to do about my future in that world.

As far as turning 40 goes, I do feel the need to mark this event somehow. I wonder if the time is right to make a serious recording towards the end of this year.

Looking back over the past year leaves me a little disappointed with my artistic growth. I am most optimistic about the potential for more growth this year.

Happy New Year to all!

Are we (musicians) our own worst enemy?

I want to get these thoughts down before I slip into a food coma...

I have been thinking a lot about the current scene here in Rhode Island/New England and I realize...I have seen the enemy, and I am he. I always notice when I am playing, a lack of fellow musicians in the audience. This makes me grumble a bit...at least it did until I took an objective look at myself. When I am not working (which, like most of us, is more often than not these days) my behind is most often fused to my sofa watching Rachel Maddow or 30 Rock, NOT out at a club supporting my colleagues. This is unacceptable. If there is to be a sustainable jazz scene in Providence then it is up to us to support each other and this is a commitment I am making tonight. I have come to love Providence and I can see myself settling here someday. There is such potential here for a healthy creative music scene, but we need to get out of the house and support it. The commitment I am making: if there is live jazz happening and I am not working, I will be there. I have left too many of my friends and fellow musicians hanging...if I'm not on my gig, I'll be at yours.

A scene is created by showing up. I want to show up.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

OCCUPY THE JAZZ CLUB!

Everything can be practice

I played a graduation today.

It was a concert band setting, light classical and the inevitable "Pomp and Circumstance"...a LOT of consecutive quarter notes, imagine the "motor" behind the melody and that's what I was playing. This would be a tempting place to go on auto-pilot and mentally visit the Azores as we repeated the melody over and over, but something about the way we were playing the quarter notes reminded me of something from my undergrad days. My teacher Stephen Duke has an exercise that he called "The Scale and Arpeggio Exercise", the specifics of which are to deep to go into here. Suffice to say, that a portion of it involves tapering notes to silence in time.

I decided to take this few minutes of playing quarter notes and be hyper aware of my note lengths, taper, and attack. Could I make each taper the same length? Could I control the taper in such a way that there was true silence between each note? Could I EXACTLY match the tapers of my colleagues?

In playing this passage while asking myself these questions, I was able to take a simple gig in terms of technique (in terms of "fast fingers") required and make it into a valuable practice session in instrumental control (every bit as much "technique", yes?).

It can be tempting to mentally check out from time to time on simple music. But, if we look deeply enough, there is a lesson every time we pick up our instruments.

Primary Sources and Modern Inspiration

I have been slow to warm "modern" musicians. I think I can trace this attitude back to when I was in high school and I really began to get serious about listening to jazz. My father had a record collection that included Miles, Trane, Herbie Hancock, among others. By the time I was 15, I was pretty clearly ensconced in the Trane-Wayne-Sonny-Joe universe. My first year of college, I was probably the only one there who hadn't been wearing out Brecker's "Don't Try This At Home." I say this all by way of realizing that my musical world view is seen (heard?) through a lens in which most of what I hear in my head as an example of an ideal is at least 50 years old.

I have, of course, come to love the entire spectrum of music, but jazz recorded between 1957 and 1972 will always hold a place in my heart as the TRUTH.

I love to listen to many musicians on the scene today, but for study and inspiration I always find myself going back to the primary sources. How about you?

John Coltrane

I have been listening to the master a lot these days.

Specifically, "Meditations". It has taken a long time for me to really be able to appreciate some of Trane's music from his later period. I've come to hear that the music on this recording, while being very abstract, contains some of the most intensely beautiful melodies anywhere on record.

Consider the following from the "Love" movement:

What really touches me is the relatively simple way that Trane treats the melody (starting around 2:20). The simple, almost child-like melody with increasingly dark and shifting colors never fails to grab at my heart as does the absolute conviction that Trane plays with.

Just beautiful....

Happy New Year!

Farewell 2010...hail and well met to 2011! I spent the last hour of 2010 listening to this. I'm rather embarrassed to say that, while I've know about the Bill Evans episode of Piano Jazz for quite a while, I hadn't heard it prior to this evening. What a great conversation. The playing is absolultly beautiful and hearing Bill talk about his processes is a treat. His thoughts on structure should be required listening for all musicians.

Here's an excerpt from The Universal Mind of Bill Evans where he discusses and demonstrates more of the same.

Music Other Than Jazz

I have A LOT of unread stuff in my RSS reader.

One of the subscriptions I try to read regularly is The Atlanic's culture feed, on which I found this this morning. I had not heard of John Vanderslice previous to today and I have full intentions of making Pixel Revolt my next iTunes purchase. It did get me to thinking, though...how much music do I miss by being SO focused on jazz all of the time. I understand the current trend of jazz musicians taking current material as their source material, but most of my listening remains focused on the perfecters of the art, i.e. Joe Henderson, Trane, Wayne, and Sonny. Additionally, most of the "modern" folks I listen to are steeped in that language as well. The modern guy I'm listening to most these days is Rich Perry.

But, the purpose of this post is not to debate the artistic merit of old vs. new or jazz vs. everything else. My discovery of John Vanderslice today was a joyful one to be sure. It reminded me of how much other music is out there that I love. For instance, REM and U2. I have some stuff from these folks on my workout playlists and every time they come up I remember how much I love that music. The Decemberists are another example.

How about it: what music other than your "favorite" inspires you?

I should read the stuff in my RSS reader more often...

Happy and Merry...

Jazz Advice

Jazz Advice is the kind of website that I think the internet was made for. A wealth of good information from folks who know and it is interactive. You can pose questions to the hosts and they will address them with an article. I've just begun to dig into some of the stuff on the site and it is just great information. A most helpful tool.

I came across this website through Eddie Rich's blog. Eddie is a great saxophone player and you should really seek out some of his stuff. Thanks Eddie, for turning us on to this great site!

Surface Structure vs. Deep Structure Part III

Back to the discussion of Surface vs. Deep Structure in improvisation...

In the last entry, I discussed distilling a transcribed line down to its essential construction. Shown below are the original line and one solution for its "Deep Structure".

Original:




Deep Structure:

Using this raw material one can quickly see that the Deep Structure for this line involves using an Eb Major triad over the Fmin7 chord and an E9 chord over the Bb7. Both of these are quite standard superimpositions, the Eb Major outlining the upper structure of the Fmin7 and the E7 being a tri-tone substitution for the Bb7. Using this schema as our roadmap, the next step is to compose our own lines based on Warne's Deep Structure.

Some solutions follow:

As we develop more material from Warne's Deep Structure, each of the lines developed should be taken through the transformative processes discussed in the previous post.

For a very comprehensive discussion of the pedagogical value and use of transcription as well as a recommended list of solos to transcribe, I recommend this article from Dave Liebman's website as well as his video: "An Improviser's Guide to Transcription" (available through Caris Music Services). Both of these references, as well as my experiences studying with Dave have helped to solidify my thoughts on transcription and informed many of the processes described here.

All praise Mulgrew!

Haven't been around much lately...school's back in session. I came across the video below and had to share it. Such sage advice. More deep structure coming...I promise!

Sunday Video

Here is a link to a great link to an interview with saxophonist Walt Weiskopf. Walt is a great modern player whose ideas about hexatonics/triad pairs are very well known in the Jazz Education world.

Here's a video of Walt's sextet:

Thoughts on book burnings

Please permit me a brief step away from discussions of Deep Structure and Improvisation. Many will have heard of Pastor Terry Jones' plan to stage a Quran burning in Florida on September 11th. I wonder how our Founding Fathers would feel about this. Below is a transcription of some correspondence between the Touro Synagogue in Newport RI. Among the oldest Synagogues in the United States.

We as a Nation would do well to reflect on these words:

The letter from Moses Seixas to President George Washington:

To the President of the United States of America.
Sir:
Permit the children of the stock of Abraham to approach you with the most cordial affection and esteem for your person and merits — and to join with our fellow citizens in welcoming you to NewPort. With pleasure we reflect on those days — those days of difficulty, and danger, when the God of Israel, who delivered David from the peril of the sword, — shielded Your head in the day of battle: — and we rejoice to think, that the same Spirit, who rested in the Bosom of the greatly beloved Daniel enabling him to preside over the Provinces of the Babylonish Empire, rests and ever will rest, upon you, enabling you to discharge the arduous duties of Chief Magistrate in these States. Deprived as we heretofore have been of the invaluable rights of free Citizens, we now with a deep sense of gratitude to the Almighty disposer of all events behold a Government, erected by the Majesty of the People — a Government, which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance — but generously affording to all Liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship: — deeming every one, of whatever Nation, tongue, or language equal parts of the great governmental Machine: — This so ample and extensive Federal Union whose basis is Philanthropy, Mutual confidence and Public Virtue, we cannot but acknowledge to be the work of the Great God, who ruleth in the Armies of Heaven, and among the Inhabitants of the Earth, doing whatever seemeth him good. For all these Blessings of civil and religious liberty which we enjoy under an equal benign administration, we desire to send up our thanks to the Ancient of Days, the great preserver of Men — beseeching him, that the Angel who conducted our forefathers through the wilderness into the promised Land, may graciously conduct you through all the difficulties and dangers of this mortal life: — And, when, like Joshua full of days and full of honour, you are gathered to your Fathers, may you be admitted into the Heavenly Paradise to partake of the water of life, and the tree of immortality.
Done and Signed by order of the Hebrew Congregation in NewPort, Rhode Island August 17th 1790.
Moses Seixas, Warden


The letter from George Washington in response to Moses Seixas:

To the Hebrew Congregation in Newport Rhode Island.
Gentlemen,
While I receive, with much satisfaction, your Address replete with expressions of affection and esteem; I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you, that I shall always retain a grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced in my visit to Newport, from all classes of Citizens. The reflection on the days of difficulty and danger which are past is rendered the more sweet, from a consciousness that they are succeeded by days of uncommon prosperity and security. If we have wisdom to make the best use of the advantages with which we are now favored, we cannot fail, under the just administration of a good Government, to become a great and happy people. The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent national gifts. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my Administration, and fervent wishes for my felicity. May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.
G. Washington

~ Emphasis mine...

Colossus!

Sonny Rollins turns 80 today! Happy Birthday, Newk!!!!!

See NPR's story here.

Sunday Video - Miles' 2nd Quintet

Some amazing playing from 1967...

Surface Structure vs. Deep Structure Part II

In my previous post, I spoke a bit about surface structure and deep structure, their linguistic implications, and how they may apply to improvisational pedagogy. In this post, I'll share some examples of how I use these techniques in my own playing and teaching.

Dave Liebman says "Learn from the fathers, not the sons" and this is a hallmark in my study. Transcription serves as the point of entry for all of my study and the transcription I do is of "Primary Sources" - more about that later. We'll start with a Warne Marsh ii7 V7 line I recently transcribed:

This line constitutes a "surface structure" statement. Many would use take this line through all keys and begin to use it over similar harmonic progressions, much the same way we would quote a line of Frost or Shakespeare. It would function very well, and give us very usable vocabulary. There is, however, much more that can be mined from this line. By using a series of transformations, in this case all based on traditional "theme and variations" technique, we can develop much more vocabulary that is original but shares the same "deep structure" as Warne's original line. Here are some examples:

We see that after some rather basic transformations, we have 5 new surface structure statements that all share the deep structure of the original line. Each of these lines can then be practiced through keys and used as vocabulary for improvisation.

Our next step is to return to the original line and really isolate the deep structure. What is the essential construction of this line? What makes it work? One solution follows:

This deep structure now becomes the basis for development of more original material through the process of transformation as discussed above. The next post will go through that process.

It is clear that approaching vocabulary development this way can result in a much deeper well of material than we would have by simply learning and using Warne's line. The beautiful thing is that all newly developed material has Warne's material as its deep structure. Because of this, most transformations will retain the strength and logic of the original line.