Wachet Auf!

A bit late on this as I've been recovering from a small surgical procedure, but the 2010 Newport Jazz Festival's program has been announced.

Highlights include both Darcy James Argue's Secret Society AND Maria Schneider's Orchestra.

A composer and arranger's dream...

Here's the entire line-up...contact me if you want to get coffee over that weekend...

Thinking of Michael...

My thoughts and listening have been dwelling on Michael Brecker of late. I was doing some study of Kenny Wheeler's composition recently and I pulled out Double Double You and ended up with tears in my eyes as I listened to Michael play. That led me through so much of his music that I haven't listened to for a while. 80/81, Three Quartets, Don't Try This At Home and many others. I still have a tough time with Pilgrimage. It's really tough for me to listen to that one...so many emotions are tied to it for me. The fact that I am so connected to Michael's music is a little funny in a way, I came to Brecker late (relatively speaking). I really never heard Brecker until I was in college, specifically the early 90s with Three Quartets. I grew up listening mainly to the "Big 4" of Trane, Wayne, Joe, and Sonny. About the only modern players I listened to were Branford and Lieb. I had heard of and about Michael, but I very naively "couldn't be bothered" to check him out in my high school days, ironic since learning of how close he and Lieb were and the esteem in which he still holds Michael. When I heard Three Quartets, it was one of those life changing moments. The sound, intensity, harmonic sophistication, everything just shattered my entire world. I never became a disciple the way some did, but I certainly checked him out whenever I could (I first heard him live with Paul Simon around that time). I remember doing my first Brecker Transcription (The Meaning of The Blues) in 1992 or 1993. It was during that exploration that I really started to see what all the fuss was about. He made everything sound so effortless that I was fooled into thinking the solo I was transcribing was much easier than it was.

Fast forward to 2007, I'm at IAJE when the word starts spreading around. The grief and sadness was palpable. I remember walking around and seeing all of my heroes absolutely stricken. An image that will stay with me forever was seeing Rick Margitza and Lieb sitting together with tears in their eyes the emptiest looks on their faces...so sad.

It goes without saying that Michael was a touchstone. He became an archetype of saxophone playing years ago and will continue to be one forever. I suppose that every sax player has a Brecker story. Here's mine: During the "Directions In Music" tour in 2002 or 2003, the group played at Ravinia in Chicago. My family and I went and had lawn seats. It was a typical outdoors summer concert, kids running around, people eating and drinking, a very pleasant, albeit slightly noisy evening. Michael did his solo version of Namia that night and over the course of the 10 minutes, the lawn got as quiet as I had EVER heard it. I like to tell people that even the crickets shut up!

That's what it was about his playing for me. Not the technique, sound or harmonic sophistication (although that is all great), but it was the way he could draw you in to what he was doing.

I miss him.

Sunday Video and some quick thoughts

There was a time that saying: "He's a West Coast player" or "He's a real Chicago Tenor" meant something very specific in terms of style, vocabulary, sound etc. Something that I hear today in my contemporaries and even in my own playing is no sense of regional identity. It is probably quite naive to think in this age of global information that there could be such drastic stylistic differences. An apprentice saxophonist today living in Nebraska has equal access to music from all geographic areas of the US as well as internationally at the click of a mouse. This is a wonderful thing for both the student and the professional, but, I do miss being able to hear a player' geographic linage in his or her playing. Today it sounds like we have all listened to the same 25 records, which of course, we have. As we move through the three stages of artistic development (Imitation, Style, Innovation) I think it would do us well as artists to undertake a study of a historic regional style of playing that appeals to us. We'll be more historically grounded in as well as discover new sources for our own vocabulary.

In that light, our Sunday Video today, features a true Chicago Tenor that I grew up listening to and that I have had the honor of performing with a couple of times...Von Freeman.

Von-Skis!!!!!

Sunday Video...

Some killin' Joe for your Sunday. The sound is a little fuzzy, but Joe's genius comes through. I may have to transcribe the initial statement of the melody! Enjoy...

I can almost see the floor...

Since the new year, I have slowly been clearing the weeds away from this blog. It had gotten so overgrown from neglect and non-use that I was afraid I'd never get it back.

The past 4 months have been a huge shock to my system. Going to grad school full time and working full time is no joke! I will say that it was a great decision. I'm working toward some interesting goals and there are some potential opportunities out there that look really encouraging.

My study this semester has left me with a bit of an identity crisis, though. I am having a difficult time finding a center as far as who and what I want/need to study. I spent last semester dealing with Warne Marsh and that was quite rewarding in the final analysis, although a bit frustrating while I was in the middle of it. I am thinking of dealing with Joe Henderson next semester, I have been on a big binge of his playing for the last month and I really would like to try to absorb elements of his harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary.

The semester was extremely productive in terms of my writing. I completed an original piece for Jazz Orchestra entitled "Pablo's Return" that had a very successful premiere. I have to say, I'm happier with it than I've been with anything else I've written in recent memory. Once I get the recording back, I'll post it at my MySpace.

The horizon has some projects that I'm looking forward to. I'll be doing an independent study project on the Lydian Chromatic Concept. This is very exciting, I have wanted to dig into the Concept for years, but it always kept slipping off my list. I also will be doing a Duo Recital with the wonderful pianist Pamela Hines (she's also on my Quartet hit at Acton Jazz Cafe on February 19th - more on that soon).

Ahh...that's better. I can see more of the floor now...

My inner geek...

sometimes comes out. Click here if you need help getting going this morning....

Quote of the day...

“This music, jazz music, has a discipline that comes from practice, that’s very good for life in itself.”

~ Muhal Richard Abrams at the 2010 NEA Jazz Masters Awards