tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36558719238872965132024-03-13T04:53:36.547-07:00.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-4296344728948268832015-08-24T06:29:00.000-07:002015-08-24T06:29:52.589-07:00lemonadethis past week was a wild one, yet has revealed itself in a musical way to boot. i went to the matinee movie, had an out-of-control pest problem, and survived an office crash. <br />
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my oldest son has been getting into hip hop music & culture over the past couple of years and, like any responsible middle-aged man, i can't let him think the sun rises and sets with drake. i dumped mp3 mixtapes onto his phone - tupac, biggie, nwa, sugar hill gang, grandmaster flash, public enemy, krs one, gangstarr, mos def, early eminem, outkast, missy, tribe, rakim, and others. he slowly embraced this stuff and, when i thought he was ready, we went to the cinema and checked out "straight outta compton". pretty cool movie, but even cooler hearing your 16-year old giant whispering along with ice cube's lyrics. that's one point for mike giles.<br />
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our house is situated on the outskirts of town, backing up to an alley of cottonwood trees and a quiet ravine. it is a gorgeous location, but comes with its share of wildlife. fox, groundhogs, deer, rabbits, chipmunks, and a veritable who's who out of the aviary textbook. we also have plenty of mosquitos, dragonflies, and wasps. we started noticing a few yellowjackets flying around our wall of windows, trying to escape. (no, not bob mintzer and jimmy haslip). in about ten days' time, we ran into a whole mess of them, coating the glass. we found their entrance and nest - <i>inside the house</i> - and went hellbent with the wasp spray. we eventually called an exterminator, sealed up the seven entry points, and wiped out the colony (fingers crossed). <br />
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throughout the whole time, i couldn't help but think of my early interest in the jazz fusion group sharing the same name. they seemed so harmless. there was something about will kennedy's drumming and marc russo's saxophone work that had me smitten with their sound. the harmonies moved around more than most smooth jazz acts, and their album production shined with that grp glitter. this insect fiasco had me listening to geraldine, feeling guilty with my ears in the clouds & the wife waging war on the wasps.<br />
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my friend chad, engineer and office neighbor, called me on friday, concerned that i had fallen (and couldn't get up) in my office. he had heard a loud thud and freaked out. my top bookshelf, loaded down with a bazillion magazines and assortment of lps, took a spill and miraculously missed my horns. i had a huge mess to clean up, but an opportunity to go through all of my old journals and records. what a blast - magazines with covers of lester bowie, george benson, ornette coleman, zorn/wynton, and the bad plus. albums by shalamar, anthony braxton, eddie jefferson, john coltrane, and the thompson twins. it took me a long time to embrace my eclectic tastes, to feel like it's okay to like what i like and to ignore the naysayers. i'm glad i have finally found that settling space and am always excited to build upon this myriad of influences. <br />
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as the rapper atmosphere so eloquently put it -<br />
when life gives you lemons, you paint that shit gold.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-37357558643494794052015-07-19T07:38:00.002-07:002015-07-19T07:38:30.033-07:00the power of the half note<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i hate playing fast. everyone who knows me musically is hip to that. i guess i can hang, but i get so frustrated when i allow the speed of things to dictate what i'm doing. i often play insincere and artificial shit instead of meaningful lines, merely because i'm wanting to ... actually, i'm not sure what i'm wanting to do with the fast tempos. am i making an artistic statement to which i want to be accountable? i'll confess that i don't really work on playing fast. i'm not sure i view it as a fault as much as something i just don't like doing. call me stubborn, hypocritical. i'd simply prefer to put my time into other musical outings that trip my trigger. <br />
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i love listening to the late charlie haden. his solos are simple, melodic, and full of depth. he smells the roses while waltzing through these chord changes. as i write this, i'm listening to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Missouri-Charlie-Haden-Metheny/dp/B000VROBQQ/ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">his duo effort with guitarist pat metheny</a>. it's rare to hear charlie tackle and burn on a fast tune. the way he digs into mid-tempo songs feels like he's playing in half time, swapping out the quarter note with a half note - simply (and cleverly) changing the 4/4 meter to a 4/2 pulse.<br />
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i turned over another year yesterday. bushwick bill's line "my mind is playing tricks on me" is a fitting caption for last year. success as a parent, spouse, educator and artist is all subjective. my manic, perfectionist perspective pollutes my self image while fueling my creative machine. quite the cruel twist, but a battle i'm up for on the daily. i'm working on gratitude, pumping the brakes on my self-induced tailspin so i can enjoy more of what i have and focus far less upon what i want (or better yet, what i think i'm supposed to want. THAT is the first taste to my demise.) my jazz professor from undergrad used to preach the adage "the race is not to the swift", and i think it has finally resonated within me. so for my 42nd spin, i'll be with charlie - digging on those half notes.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-80102798463657003032015-06-11T08:25:00.000-07:002015-06-11T08:34:26.269-07:00the sheriff i have decided to systematically vanish from the social media world. i have a difficult time managing myself and my thoughts while flashing through an assortment of posts and comments - staying positive, keeping perspective, living in the now. my wife assures me that there are plenty of good articles out there. i guess i'd rather have her be the mercenary who brings me that bounty.<br />
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but thank god for facebook. i was thumbing through it this morning and noted two things: a fellow class of '91 survivor has taken up a blog, and another good friend posted an nytimes obit. i'm glad to know that <a href="https://heartlandfreelancer.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/coffee-musings-on-a-monday-morning/" target="_blank">tina</a> is writing, as she has always been a multi-talented and intriguing young woman. and i usually check out what <a href="https://www.reverbnation.com/jamesbiehn" target="_blank">james</a> is up to, a fantastic guitarist and one of the most down-to-earth guys i know. sadly, he reported the news that my one of my heroes has passed.<br />
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i experienced ornette coleman in giant steps. an early college pal geoff, possessing a myriad of musical influences ranging from neneh cherry to primus, first hipped me to change of the century. the music deconstructed my ears, which were replete with syrupy vocal jazz harmonies. i loved the new direction of this sound took a copy of that album back to my apartment, which roosted in the top of an abandoned funeral home, and popped it in the cassette deck. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005WEXCVS/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk1" target="_blank">ramblin' </a>changed my life.<br />
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as an undergrad, i walked into the old real records in iowa city, at it's original location on washington. i had no real idea of what i was looking for, and was dressed with the house music - ornette playing with prime time on the album tone dialing. the sound, that of the saxophone and of the ensemble, was what i had been searching for through most of my life. a yearning, urban, poignant, feel-good vibe. <a href="http://www.npr.org/2010/03/01/101618034/act-like-you-know-ornette-coleman" target="_blank">street blues </a>changed my life.<br />
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i went to a festival of new music and film at the walker art center in minneapolis. i sat in the same seat for 9 hours, consumed with the aural and visual stimuli, which were no doubt fueled by an urge to go pee but doused by my fear of losing this choice location. i watched the bang on a can all-stars play a set of chamber music written by ornette, only to have him join them on stage for a handful of charts. i was punch drunk on creativity, exhausted from the core exercises i was doing to keep my bathroom needs at bay, and smitten with ornette's sound. he was dressed in all white, wore a snappy fedora, played a white saxophone, and spun harmolodic lines that soothed my soul. i literally felt like i was in heaven. this performance changed my life. at that very moment, i committed myself to chasing an artistry that is built upon my personalized belief system - not created by institutionalized jazz education or documentaries (i'm looking at you, ken burns). <br />
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my therapist says i need to spend more time thinking about, experimenting with, listening to, and creating alongside ideas that are nurtured by those who are most important to me and this pursuit. he calls them 'the authorities'. ornette coleman wore the shiniest badge in my town. rest in peace, ornette. and thanks...<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-30303948456009090262014-09-19T19:48:00.000-07:002014-09-19T19:48:20.257-07:00the ebb and flow of this life<div>
i believed an assortment of untruths when i was young (oh my god, is this me confessing in cyberpublic that i am old?), and they have now since been blown out of the water. examples? you got 'em: eating out for every meal is a great idea. coffee is for sissies. my metabolism will keep on boiling like this throughout my days. there will never be overturned calls in major league baseball. white socks with black dress pants is ballin'. cars are cheap. stargazing is boring. chicks dig guys who curse. music is about having super chops. my heroes will live forever.</div>
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i can't believe that the great kenny wheeler has passed. he is one of the first people i ever heard that helped me recognize that developing my own voice needed to be my top priority. his sound maintained a fragile confidence. i felt like he was willing to die on the sword for his ideas, for every last night. and the way he would puncture the stratosphere with squeezes that often seemed like they might not (but always did) make it. pure magic.</div>
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his voice wasn't only in his tonal concept, but also in the way he navigated harmonic structures and rhythmic puzzles. he was deceptive, calculating, always in control, mystical. i want to lean on notes like kenny, open notes like kenny, omit notes like kenny, shine on notes like kenny. </div>
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i had the opportunity to enjoy three views of the secret that is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VHQBZK/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk9?ie=UTF8&qid=1411180809&sr=1-6" target="_blank">gentle piece</a>. it was one of the first tunes i played with my college jazz band. i had the lee konitz solo in the band and fell head-over-heels for the changes. such a beautiful work, and it deserved me pouring my sweat & tears into it. much later, i had the absolute pleasure of seeing kenny when my friends <a href="http://www.uni.edu/jazzstudies/faculty.html" target="_blank">bob & chris</a> brought him to their school and recreated the entire collection from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Music-Large-Small-Ensembles-Wheeler/dp/B000VHPYZ8/ref=sr_1_6?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1411180809&sr=1-6&keywords=kenny+wheeler" target="_blank">music for large and small ensembles</a>, complete with norma winstone's gorgeous countermelodies and whisps of light from john abercrombie. kenny sat throughout the show and was unbelievable. un-be-LIEVABLE. i was so moved that i brought the tune again to my band and did it on a concert a couple years ago. my kids were smitten by the music, and most probably couldn't tell you a thing about kenny wheeler if you slapped twenty bucks on the table. </div>
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angel song came out at the right time for me, a time when i needed real stuff to light my path. frisell is perfect for this record, dave holland fits nicely with the tunes, and lee is god's foil for kenny. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VAKLH6/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk6?ie=UTF8&qid=1411180859&sr=1-11" target="_blank">onmo</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VAIP4M/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411180859&sr=1-11" target="_blank">nicolette</a> are perfection. this album singlehandedly directed the next ten years of my life, and still rides shotgun today.</div>
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may your soul rest peacefully, mr. wheeler. many thanks.<br /><div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-82847339813515946552014-06-16T09:05:00.001-07:002014-06-16T09:05:24.482-07:00number 19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i used to collect baseball cards all of the time. all of my allowance, paper route earnings, and money i had pledged to give to the church fed this teenage addiction. i didn't discriminate either; donruss, fleer, upper deck, and topps (with that awful gum). i even had a brief love affair with baseball stickers. i would rifle through them all day, reviewing the stats and ordering them by team (and alphabetically within that system). i would entertain the occasional trade, but felt so connected to every last card i released from its waxy imprisonment that i could rarely come to grips with releasing them.<br />
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my guy was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Gwynn" target="_blank">tony gwynn</a>, the lefty technician who spent his entire career manning right field for the san diego padres. i loved the way he swung the bat. i loved the way he led off from first. i loved his voice. <br />
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i watched countless interviews of him, intoxicated by what he was saying and how he was saying it. he spoke about his love for playing jazz drums, flipping the switch for me and enabling me to think that jazz was actually cool. he was one of the first guys to study his stroke with videotape. this brutally honest tactic is something that i try to do regularly with my sound - studying what's really happening instead of what i think is going on. <br />
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i have never had much of an affinity for one particular musician. i like a bunch of them, but haven't been drawn to anybody who stands out from the pack. tony gwynn - the 18 time all star, owner of 8 batting titles, member of the 3000 hit club, and recipient of 5 golden gloves - was my guy. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/17/sports/baseball/tony-gwynn-8-time-national-league-batting-champion-is-dead-at-54.html?_r=0" target="_blank">he lost his battle with salivary gland cancer today, at the age of 54</a>. i salute you, mr. gwynn.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-61201011007333202872014-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:002014-05-11T07:15:15.099-07:00rhonda sue fry giles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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i love my mom. she has done so many wonderful things for me. she has endured my angst-riddled teens (and twenties) (and thirties), teaching me countless life lessons as i go. my musical memories with her are limited yet exceptional. she threw a big family reception at our house, allowing me to sit at the head of the table after having fronted my 5th grade band with a saxophone rendition of "hello, dolly!" i also accompanied her on my casio keyboard while she sang the oak ridge boys classic "thank god for kids" during a children's time session during church. pretty sure that we are both glad that there is no video footage of that.<br />
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that's my mom on the cover of one of my records, holding a cake that she baked & decorated specifically for the photo shoot. she is always in the kitchen, creating culinary concoctions after having internalized recipes. i'm not quite there yet as an amateur chef, but my approach to musical improvisation is often similar in that regard. i find myself kinda eyeballing the forms and my contributions instead of sticking to what it says on the back of the box.<br />
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my mom roused me out of bed only twice in my life (not counting the numerous times she pounded a hole through my door with her fist, trying to get me to wake up in the morning). being a lifelong st. louis cardinals fan, we began to go to games every summer during my 9th spin around the sun. she wanted my sister and i to watch bruce sutter slam the door on the lowly brewers in the '82 world series. he hurled his untouchable splitter for the final strikeout, and the three of us jumped into each others' arms.<br />
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the other time she allowed me to stay up was to watch <a href="http://www.georgebenson.com/" target="_blank">george benson</a> perform on the johnny carson show. i don't remember what george played, but he killed. he did that sing-along scatting thing with his guitar. i was blown away, both at what he was doing and because my mom was letting me watch tv this late on a school night. i've always held a soft spot for george since then, despite his fruitful forays into smooth jazz and the pencil stache. the wife and i played his version of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A37OFU/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk5?ie=UTF8&qid=1399817117&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here, there and everywhere</a> off his 1989 album as one of our wedding songs. <br />
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you know that joyfully cautious feeling you get when you discover that two artists you dig have collaborated on a project, and that relieving happiness you revel in once you hear it and have your unfair expectations met? yeah, well that happened to me when i first heard <a href="http://kneebody.com/" target="_blank">kneebody</a> & <a href="http://theobleckmann.com/" target="_blank">theo bleckmann</a> join forces to reimagine tunes by charles ives for winter & winter. my favorite cut is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UK674Q/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk1" target="_blank">songs my mother taught me</a>. i'm not so sure that my mom taught me any per se, but she was a wonderful storyteller to us kids. she would take common vignettes and twist them around, personalizing them for me & my sister while gobbling up the entire block of time that the story often served to stopgap. ask her to give you the cliffsnotes version of "rapunzel". her creativity with childhood stories has had a long-lasting effect on me as an artist.<br />
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thanks mom, and happy mother's day<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-17531590916384225542014-01-25T03:55:00.000-08:002014-01-25T03:55:44.522-08:00yeah, what that pretty russian girl saidi have two terrible habits (well, two that i'll mention): <br />
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i get hooked on one particular song on an album. i can't let it go, and yeah - that's a good thing, right? i mean, i really like it or i'm perplexed by something about it or i want to soak it in more or i am curious as to how it will change in my head if i hear it a whole bunch of times in a row. that's all well and fine, but my unstable attention span (call it what you will) doesn't encourage me to give the rest of the album a shot. my dear friend joel hipped me to magic numbers by <a href="http://www.quinsin.com/" target="_blank">quinsin nachoff</a>, and i never got past <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QN1ZKK/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk3_B000QN1ZKK" target="_blank">the third track</a>. it took me over ten years to listen to the rest of kenny wheeler's angel song, because i was afraid that the rest of it wouldn't measure up to nicolette<br />
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i rarely understand song lyrics, something i've known for quite a while. i can understand them if i sit down and read the liner notes, but have zero success gathering their meaning midstream. i used to memorize books of rap lyrics from d-nice, slick rick the ruler, kool moe dee, rakim, mc lyte, third bass - and spit them back flawlessly with the street knowledge only a white kid growing up in a small farming community could grasp. i like songs that have lyrics just fine. i just can't seem to remember them, and any heavy meaning attached is often lost on me. <br />
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i've been crushed by the flu bug recently, missing a couple of days at school and logging 22 hours of pert-near straight shuteye. other family casualties included my youngest son and the wife, who is currently reeling from her battle with the winter foe. lots of horizontal time + lots of drugs + absence of routine + regular daily shit that i sometimes struggle to handle = swoons into the darkness, the depths from which neither steve harvey's big ol' lips nor new laughs my favorite rerun can snatch me. <br />
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i made the 15 minute cruise in my car tonight to go watch my oldest son ball with his freshman squad, and popped in the headphones en route. i dialed up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Far-Regina-Spektor/dp/B002COTI64/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_mus?ie=UTF8&qid=1390650217&sr=8-1&keywords=regina+spektor+far" target="_blank">regina spektor's far album</a>, scrolled to the only track i've checked out, hit repeat and play. one of my students, the type of girl i could only hope my kids will date in the future, hipped me to this record. this is her favorite tune too. i let it overflow into my ears, and kept it running as i meandered through crowded high school hallway maze to the gymnasium. and then it hit me ...<br />
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"you're using your headphones to drown out your mind"<br />
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i stopped dead in my tracks, in front of the tacky glass cases which house all of those trophies that seemed to mean the world at the time and now have cruelly met their fate as mere decor, and thought about that lyric. do i do this? how i often do i do this? i know its okay to find refuge in music, but am i clutching to it like linus to his blanket? and is that so bad? somebody tell me it's not.<br />
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i've read some interpretations of the vague prose, and have settled into a couple of possibilities. "eet" is the backspace on an old school typewriter, allowing you to type over a letter; not as a correction, but instead as a redo. this song is about sadness, depression, a lost faith and sense of self. suddenly the world has changed, but really you are the one that has changed - and you can't remember who you are, how it happened, or how to get back. <br />
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now, chalk it up to copious doses of nyquil or nearly a day's worth of dreaming, but the personal timing is eerie as hell. either way, it's a beautiful tune. <br />
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hey claire - thanks for turning me on to it.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-7914893169699510222014-01-04T05:34:00.000-08:002014-01-04T05:34:45.981-08:00last year in the rear view mirrorafter watching this video, i quickly realized that objects that loom in my future may be closer than they appear. <br />
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for this next trip around the globe, i pledge to be more careful with what i consume. flipping over the big four-o has made this essential. here's my plan of attack:<br />
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*my mouth* lots of friends i know are scraping together a career while eating smart and living clean. many of these same friends know what's up with organic groceries and clever prep concepts. i love cooking and experimenting with veggies, fruit smoothies, and healthy snacks for my two kids; one a budding athlete and the other an underweight gamer. baller kevin love, the best 4 in the association, has completely overhauled his diet by being accountable for everything that hits his digestive system. <br />
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*my muscles* i've always thought of my body being my vehicle with which i will cruise around our universe. i need to keep that engine humming by doing more yoga, working through p90x2, and getting into running. i hate doing it but am always so glad afterwards that i did. my metabolism has definitely downshifted, so i want to resume exercising and stretching and balancing, all in an effort to uncover shreds of physical self worth.<br />
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*my ears* one of the perils of my gig is working with students on music. they might not always be happening, but i gotta keep looking at their progress and replenish my mind with good music. i sometimes loose sight of what i like to hear, which could have a dangerously close correlation to my performance. i gotta be sure that i'm listening to good music from all pockets of the world and stay in front of it all. recent feel-good tastes include <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtAITPpMzWI&list=RD_UFc821aTQ4" target="_blank">the goat rodeo sessions</a> and some luda/usher collabs.<br />
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*my eyeballs* i've got books i want to read. i snagged<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Hoops-Spiritual-Lessons-Hardwood/dp/1401308813/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388839470&sr=1-3&keywords=phil+jackson" target="_blank"> one</a> by phil jackson, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/3-minute-Stephen-Hawking-Digesting-Influence/dp/184543479X" target="_blank">another</a> by stephen hawking, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Waits-Interviews-Encounters-Musicians/dp/1569763127/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388839562&sr=1-1&keywords=tom+waits" target="_blank">a reader</a> of sorts about tom waits, and have an infatuation with <a href="http://www.oliversacks.com/" target="_blank">oliver sacks</a>. i've got movies i want to watch, including the new joaquin phoenix spike jonze <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QRvTv_tpw0" target="_blank">masterpiece</a>. i just saw <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuIBvmxIN4w" target="_blank">nebraska</a> last night with simon, and it was great. and i've got our world that i want to take in, with walks in my neighborhood, looking at the trees, the birds, the clouds.<br />
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*my psyche* i want to be around people who are good for my head, not those that make me feel inferior or dump their burdens on me. i want to be around people who inspire me, not continually frustrate me by clutching to archaic and seemingly unproven dogmas. i plan to continue being a good listener and a supportive guide to my students, but need to heed my own advice - at the end of the day, you are the only person that you could expect is actually thinking about all of the shit going on in your world. grip it, own it, solve it, and then move it out of the way. <br />
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some of my friends are saying good riddance to 2013. it seems like yesterday that i was dancing and singing in my room to my cassette of prince's <a href="http://www.80svideos.tv/play.php?vid=162" target="_blank">1999</a> album, wondering what that mystical year would be like. and then i think, that's fifteen years ago, homeboy. hey 2014 - let's do this.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-695443090176808692013-12-23T21:41:00.003-08:002013-12-23T21:41:21.469-08:00the butcher, the bakercandlestick park, the legendary sports venue of northern california, hosted its final event tonight. i saw a baseball game there about twenty years ago. rocking my black cross colour jeans and matching tshirt, i felt like a million bucks but nearly froze to death that evening. barry bonds, pre-roids, went deep and helped the giants beat the expos. and this reminds me of two stories:<br />
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i played in a jazz trio back in college. saxophone, bass, drums - and i was totally outclassed. i was definitely the weak link in that group, and that was the first time i experienced becoming motivated by that inferiority. playing with <i>the mustafas</i> marked the first time that i ever really cared about learning tunes, thought much about improvising, and practiced my saxophone to actually get better. we played standard rep and a few originals. we were doing a casual somewhere and the bass player called out a blues. i couldn't remember how the melody went and was starting different tunes. he kept looking at me, shaking his head, barking out "wrong head, man", and turning around the opening to offer me another crack at it. i really wanted to punch that guy in the face, but learned two valuable lessons - you owe it to your bandmates to be prepared, and you can't bullshit your friends.<br />
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i played in an electro-acoustic quartet while i lived in minneapolis. <i>about ouch!</i> was a really fun band, doing all original music and plenty of free jazz. i ran my horn through a bunch of effects alongside a great guitarist, a talented drummer, and a remarkably creative electronics guy. we played a bunch around the twin cities and cut a record up in ann arbor. we toured the album a little bit, and played a hit at <a href="http://www.michaelzerang.com/TheCandlestickMaker/index.html" target="_blank">the candlestick maker</a> in chicago. we crashed at the drummer's grandma's house, and she hooked us up with cozy crocheted blankets and yummy polish food. only four people came out to our show, but it ended up being one of our best ever. the final tune was a free thing, and the other three guys were killing it. man, i wanted to play so badly, but i just couldn't find the right spot to jump in and not screw up what they were doing. i sat out.<br />
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i think about these two moments often. i have to remind myself to work work work, study study study, prepare prepare prepare, and then make sure that what i'm doing actually serves the music properly.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-90246757386351135502013-12-23T05:37:00.000-08:002013-12-23T05:37:43.391-08:00t-i-o-n shun shunshun shuni can't be the only person shuffling around the earth's surface who thinks about that schoolhouse rock bit every time i write out a word with that suffix. i hum it whenever i type or write out that four-letter cocktail. that's either some type of ocd tick or my own personal tradition. this holiday season brings traditional routines to life, often met with wide smiles and warm hearts. prince once sang that there is<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CAAOHU/ref=dm_ws_tlw_trk8_B002CAAOHU" target="_blank"> joy in repetition</a>, although i'm pretty sure he wasn't referring to christmas customs.<br />
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some family rituals are etched into my mind from childhood. my mom would teach me & my sister how to make christmas candy, something he has shared with my own children. we used to go to the 11:00 candlelight christmas eve service, and often help set up the homemade luminaries that lined the sidewalks of our church. i remember slipping under the covers of my parents' bed on christmas morning, giggling with my younger sister while my dad arranged flood lights and our super8 movie camera. every year we would alternate who opened the first package, wrapped in a big black garbage bag (which, cleverly, was used to gather up all of the trash before it piled high in the living room). the entire family would walk our dog "popcorn", go have lunch at the farm with my grandparents and extended family, and return home to mess around with our newfound loot. <br />
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my mom always played music while we opened presents. our dilapidated record player would keep spinning two albums in particular: kenny rogers & dolly parton <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Christmas-Kenny-Rogers/dp/B000002X2E" target="_blank">once upon a christmas</a><i> </i>and the oak ridge boys <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Oak-Ridge-Boys/dp/B008YYSDLM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1387756346&sr=1-1&keywords=oak+ridge+boys+christmas" target="_blank">christmas</a><i> </i>(pretty creative title, guys). these albums became iconic in our family. <br />
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i usually do musical things during the holidays. i have regularly played the ellington/strayhorn <a href="http://creativemusicstuff.blogspot.com/2010/12/duke-ellington-nutcracker-suite.html" target="_blank">nutcracker suite</a>, showed up at the elementary schools and played sing-a-longs for the kiddos while talking about life as a musician, and annually drug my saxophone studio out into the community to play jazzy quartets while wearing santa hats. i used to play piano for my church, including a service where i put all of the christmas hymns in <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/she_wants_the_d_trucker_hat-148815543515330247" target="_blank">the key of D</a>. last year i <a href="http://creativemusicstuff.blogspot.com/2012/12/these-are-halls.html" target="_blank">recorded a tune</a> for the isu president's e-card, and last week soloed with a handbell choir for their vespers show.<br />
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the wife and i have developed our own family traditions. we pin our family ornaments from the ceiling, pose for makeshift cmas photos, hang lights all over the place, write and edit and laugh at our family cmas letter, put up the nativity, and drive around the town in search of neighborhood light spectacles. we still wad up the wrapping paper and chuck it at each other, make christmas candy together, start with the stockings and keep the christmas tunes cranked throughout the days on either side of the 25th. our favorites include james brown <a href="http://www.amazon.com/James-Browns-Funky-Christmas-Brown/dp/B000VZR6RO/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0" target="_blank">funky christmas</a>, johnny barstow <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bowtie-Christmas-More-Johnny-Barstow/dp/B0014D29VK/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=johnny+barstow" target="_blank">a bowtie christmas</a>, and we always kick it off with this tune by mr. sinatra. <br />
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playing those old bird licks or treating melodies like miles tips your hat to their legacies. mixing up the hot fives with kurt rosenwinkel honors both time periods. understanding and acknowledging how the great ones did it is important, but creating your own practices and holding fast to them is truly seeking what the masters sought. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-59794476234426119782013-12-07T14:17:00.001-08:002013-12-07T14:17:21.564-08:00double d<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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being artistically landlocked in central iowa can be a tough road to travel for the creative few. not only does the gigging scene continue to shrink, but many musical acts still believe that iowa is simply a state between here and the next hit. we do have our share of cool annual events, but summer doesn't run year round. my good friend abe is working hard to singlehandedly change the scene. he curates his own jazz series, and somehow managed to finagle <a href="http://www.greenleafmusic.com/category/dave-douglas-news/" target="_blank">dave douglas</a> as his big finale for the calendar year.<br />
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i have been a fan of dave for about 15 years, ranging back to when i first saw him play with his string band at the sanctuary in iowa city. i shared the same stage with his quartet, flew 1800+ miles to hear him with masada, and sat front row for back-to-back sets at <a href="http://www.walkerart.org/" target="_blank">the walker</a>. i own a ton of his recordings too. i dig him as a sideman with steve berseford, fred hersch, & uri caine, and moreso as a leader on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stargazer-Dave-Douglas/dp/B000000T5P/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1386452229&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=dave+douglas+stargazer" target="_blank">stargazer</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Charms-Night-Sky-Dave-Douglas/dp/B002M9LM8G/ref=sr_1_14?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1386452146&sr=1-14&keywords=dave+douglas" target="_blank">charms of the night sky</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Wandering-Souls-Dave-Douglas/dp/B002QDMP98/ref=sr_1_22?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1386452146&sr=1-22&keywords=dave+douglas" target="_blank">songs for wandering souls</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Dave-Douglas/dp/B0000058W8/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1386452283&sr=1-1&keywords=dave+douglas+sanctuary" target="_blank">sanctuary</a>. he plays the trumpet the way i want to hear it, and makes me believe that chasing the ideas that are dancing inside my head is not only a worthy but realistic pursuit. his unique approach has had a sizable impact on my own concept of sound and ideas.<br />
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dave played from the heart, as always, but turning 50 seems to have made him more outwardly appreciative and self-aware. he spoke quite a bit, candidly sharing his gratitude for most everything that he is experiencing. writing, good musicians, the opportunity to tour, being able to make music, health. it felt like a good vibes session, and the music was great. he had matt mitchell on piano, whom i only know from <a href="http://pirecordings.com/album/pi50" target="_blank">his duets</a> with ches smith; saxophonist jon irabagon, whom i have heard with <a href="http://www.hotcuprecords.com/mopdtk_bio.html" target="_blank">mostly other people do the killing</a>; young drummer anwar marshall, whose shenanigans reminded me of <a href="http://jaypharoah.com/" target="_blank">that one snl guy</a>; and the gorgeous <a href="http://lindaohmusic.com/" target="_blank">linda oh</a> on bass, whose recent album is so great.<br />
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as expected, they played tunes from the new record. they snuck in one of linda's tunes, and did a peerless version of "east of the sun, west of the moon", a required request from abe for each band. lots of groups kinda mail that one in, but dave's quintet launched it to the moon. they also did a handful of old hymns, and pumped new life into that often stodgy music. i remember giving wild treatments to "what a friend we have in jesus" in my twin city days, playing with guys who now anchor arp of the covenant, pert near sandstone, sara bareilles, and trampled by turtles.<br />
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i rented an isu sled and hauled a handful of my students to the show. i believe in dave's thing so much, and wanted my kids to know that there are more jazz acts out in our world aside from what they see on campus. alex bought the last vinyl copy of dave's record, others snapped photos of the group, several talked to the performers afterwards, and all seemed excited to have gotten out of town with a concert road trip. hearing them talk about the music afterwards was very intriguing, and made me wonder what i actually thought of some stuff back in my early twenties. did i really get what joe henderson was up to? could i even appreciate sun ra's arkestra? what did i miss in joe williams's phrasing? ah, life's cruel irony... <br />
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in a whirlwind week of rubbing shoulders with people who are dealing with divorce, sexual assault, depression, alcoholism, cyber bullying, major vehicle accidents, heart problems, and the loss of a family pet - life has been put in perspective for me. every moment we are blessed to have is worth cherishing. i am fortunate to be able to do what i do, and am thankful for it from the souls of my shoes. i second dave's gracious sentiment, and appreciate him refilling my tank for the next stretch of this road.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-46803962159968807762013-12-02T06:42:00.001-08:002013-12-02T06:42:09.322-08:00too scared to sit downi never do those surveys on facebook. i can't tell if they are legit or shiny shells that house some kind of computer virus that blasts crass stuff all over my page. plus, does anyone really care about how i fit into these social rubrics? i'll break it down for you - my favorite color is blue, i've been to 47 states, i am a liberal, i like the abstract tree image, i am an introvert through and through, i haven't read enough books to register on the grid, and i stink at playing video games.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/chart/top" target="_blank">the movie list</a> i saw (one of many, i understand) had me perplexed. most of the blockbusters are too much for my peabrain to manage. i bet they're fun movies, but i can't get into them. i like quirky films, films shot with high quality images at odd angles, films without too much dialogue or music, films that include me in the thinking process. blues brothers, spinal tap, scarface, gone with the wind, pulp fiction, sound of music, it's a wonderful life - a big fat no to all of those. many of my friends are aghast upon learning that i have never seen some seminal film from their list of favorites.<br />
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wanna know the ones i actually have seen? <i>shawshank</i> (it's always on tv), <i>godfather</i> (thanks jacob & kathy), <i>the dark knight</i> (imax, baby),<i> the empire strikes back</i> (at the strand with my dad),<i> return of the jedi</i> (still have a leia keyring), both <i>lord of the rings</i> movies (way too long), <i>usual suspects</i> (benicio!), <i>raiders of the lost ark</i> (if that's the one with the melting faces), <i>forrest </i>(and that ping pong scene), <i>american history x</i> (biting the curb), <i>silence of the lambs</i> (too spooky for me), and <i>saving private ryan</i> (after visiting the normandy coast). <br />
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i decided that this week away from the school grind was primed for me to get back on the movie train. i curled up with some headphones, an ipad, and dialed up netflix. i actually went to the theatre. i watched some things from our free week of hbo. i threw back ten movies, which is most certainly a career high for me. i get nervous when i see how long a film is supposed to last, unexplainably scared to make a two hour commitment to anything. <br />
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i watched a good <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2062996/" target="_blank">documentary</a> on hip hop music with ice-t, featuring several of my old school heroes, and another one about <a href="http://www.punchbrothers.com/" target="_blank">the punch brothers</a>. i laughed with <a href="http://girlfriendsboyfriend.com/" target="_blank">mike birbiglia</a>, lost interest in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1704573/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">bernie</a>, and wasted my time on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024432/" target="_blank">identity thief</a> (but give it up for t.i.). i was fascinated with the director's cut of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">ferris bueller</a>, took the in-laws to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723121/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">we're the millers</a>, and couldn't get fred armisen out of my head while watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291580/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">behind the candelabra</a>. <br />
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i loved the original concept in the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1862079/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">safety not guaranteed</a>. the intoxicating april (from parks and rec) is the main character here, an intern out on a research assignment for a seattle magazine. she & her cronies follow up on a classified ad, in search of a companion for time travel. this offbeat puzzle is right up my alley. april is great, and the flow is digestible.<br />
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my favorite of the bunch, hands down, goes to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1769363/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">the giant mechanical man</a>. it is slow going from the beginning, but real peculiar and captivating. a street performer with hard opinions on our universe ultimately crosses paths with a lost soul. they both get gigs working at the zoo, and their personal lives (away from the animals) shape them into polar opposites. it's about believing in your art and finding a reason to live your life, which is an eternal struggle for me. tell me i'm not walking alone... <br />
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tim berne has said that he watches movies for inspiration. i know, i know - none of these films are on that list, but the last two really resonate within me. they have fed my soul, and will hopefully counter all of that pie i ate.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-73485470124603021442013-11-30T17:29:00.001-08:002013-11-30T17:29:16.355-08:00knife or banana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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people often ask me how long i've been playing saxophone. my usual answer, offered up in an effort to dodge the guilt i have about it, is that i should be way better than i actually am. truth be told - i've been playing since fifth grade. so, that makes it almost thirty years oh my god. the first half was spent trying to not practice at all, attempting to snow the professors with doctored-up time sheets while hiding behind a fear of actually working on something. the second half has been about trying to find an original sound, my personal voice on the alto. i have rifled through reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxlVzcAaLME" target="_blank">in an effort to unlock the path</a> to my holy grail.<br />
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but tenor? i have no clue what i want to do with that. there are lower notes. the sound booms from a different spot on my body. my arms hang differently. i'm not sure i really hear on tenor, and get nauseous at the thought of most tenor players on the scene. however - i've stumbled on to a chunk of change which, timed with this midlife crisis, means that i'm ready for a new musical mistress. this new set of gams will go well with my life partner (the alto saxophone) and my muse (the fender rhodes). <br />
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tenor players i love include ben webster, hank mobley, mark turner, rick margitza, rich perry, tony malaby, charles lloyd, and chris speed. other guys are good too, of course, but eight is all i can think of at the moment.<br />
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i made the trek to waterloo last friday with a brand new credit card and a stomach full of butterflies. i wasn't sure i actually knew what i wanted to sound like. i didn't really have a reeds ready because i hadn't played tenor in a while. i've been playing on a selmer usa, a school horn, and put all of my hope into a refaced link i picked up from doc tenney back <a href="http://youtu.be/Sg4Li8JOooA" target="_blank">in the year 2000</a>. i had heard that the guys over at <a href="http://www.tenormadness.com/" target="_blank">tenor madness</a> were really gonna work me out on some horns, and boy was that the truth. <br />
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randy jones is a wiz, pure and simple. he and his guys have designed a new line of saxophone that rivals the great Mark VI horns. he was so patient with me, kicking back on a folding chair with a small glass of either iced tea or scotch, listening to me play a whole bunch of musical nonsense on a variety of horns. he would ask me what i thought of the neck/body combo i was using, and could somehow decipher my abstract descriptions. i spent five hours playing soft, loud, palm keys, middle action, bottom end, altissimo, into the room, up against the glass door. randy stuck it out throughout the day, helping me choose my next horn. definitely must have been scotch.<br />
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i finally settled on something beautiful. for all of you sax nerds out there - i got an <a href="http://www.tenormadness.com/product_detail.php?product_id=1238" target="_blank">unlacquered tm custom </a>with rolled tone holes, high f# key, walnut thumb rest, tino schucht thumb hook, copper 550 neck, and am shoving all of that into an (unfortunately named) hiscox flight case. <br />
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mucho thanks to randy, jim, drew, and the rest of the clan over at the shop for being on top of your game and cutting me a sweet deal. and double thanks to the wife for not killing me after i come home with a new love interest.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-85113049033363338342013-11-15T09:59:00.000-08:002013-11-15T09:59:02.819-08:00i've got big calvesit seems that all of the cool designer jeans are slim fit, boot cut, skinny, or straight leg. i can't wear them, and believe me - i've tried. bigger waist, different brand, different shoes, belt/no belt, stuff in the pockets, nothing in the pockets. regardless of how badly i want them to fit or how cool i predict i'll feel by rocking them with a t-shirt and this beard, i can't get them wriggled up my legs. i strike out every time, but that momentary feeling of defeat goes away as i slip back into my nike thermafits and bust out of the dressing room. <br />
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i remember attending a kenny werner masterclass, where somebody in the crowd asked him about his influences on the piano. he mentioned an assortment of guys - bill evans, chick, tatum, monk. after hearing that answer, the same guy quipped "hey - you didn't say bud powell." kenny snapped back "you asked me for my influences, and i told you who they were." nearly everyone was astonished at that exchange, but i was relieved. <br />
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my life's path can be carved out however i want! i can like who i want to like! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QCXr79Rkcw" target="_blank">i can put it on a chain and wear it around my neck</a>. i can listen to whomever i wish. for me, i've got dolly parton > the beatles, mary halvorson > ellington, tribe > bach, bjork > bird, zorn > wynton. <br />
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i see, hear, and read about other people doing important things that will garner them academic notoriety or street cred. facebook is a fertile ground for those seeds of self-doubt. i often struggle to remember that i am doing good things, and measure my work against my own standards and desires. i trust that others do the same, and never the two shall meet. but i'll hand it to you - that grass sure does look a little greener than mine.<br />
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early in my time here at isu, i was asked to re-submit my bio. it was pretty bare bones initially, so this guy asked me to fluff it up a bit. color in the gaps with names of famous people with whom i've performed. i didn't want to include that crap, because really - who cares? he told me about how he once played with rosemary clooney as a last minute sub for the music director. they pulled off a great gig in front of a packed house, and he always puts that in his bio. i was happy for him, but began to feel insecure and sheepish about my own history. i gave my bio the once-over, and handed a new copy into him. the only adjustment i made was to include a sentence about his experience with ms. clooney. he left me alone after that. <br />
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i talk with my students about being their music guide; riding shotgun with them as they grow personally and artistically, exposing them to new and different ideas while helping them codify their own, encouraging their development and risk-taking, role modeling for them as best i can. i remind them of the famous quote from oscar wilde "be yourself. everyone else is already taken." <br />
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i want to play outside of the changes and stick in some old school ballad froof froof lines. i don't want to play "i'll remember april" ever again. i practice improvising with line design and intervalic bounces as my focus, but don't want to shackle myself with patterns and licks (plus, i can never remember them when it's time to blaze). <br />
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i taught one of my combos how they could mashup "fly me to the moon" with "come fly with me" and "i believe i can fly", flittering between the different chord changes on cue between solos. i taught another combo how to do my favorite things with the mccoy intro in 7/4 while sticking this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34-lvMf_sMY" target="_blank">andre 3000 groove</a> beneath it. i told one of my students to phrase the glazounov concerto with beauty and precision throughout, just like this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Hy6kp5kIs" target="_blank">allen stone tune</a>. we found check points throughout the solo where we could reference this idea. i have recently arranged tunes by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ99OMlI5cg" target="_blank">snarky puppy</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIDPdOyZN7c" target="_blank">adam sandler</a> for my jazz band, and have no interest in doing any of that gordon goodwin schlock. <br />
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do these things make me great? pathetic? nope ... they make me ME - the guy who is still playing on the horn he got in high school, is bringing back the diamond stud earring, puts pictures of casey kasem on his jazz combo posters, and sprays down his office with an aveda body mist. i'm not living for the instant gratification found in immediate acceptance or a pumped up curriculum vitae. i'm simply a soul in this universe, a soul who still has a terrible time finding jeans that fit. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-54370618256983717882013-10-31T15:53:00.001-07:002013-10-31T15:53:55.156-07:00the giddy vol. 12 - the halloween edition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9266DFHakcE/UnJek0w3xXI/AAAAAAAAB_A/wu0Zct7AlX0/s1600/wayne_shorter_c_robert_ascroft-636x310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9266DFHakcE/UnJek0w3xXI/AAAAAAAAB_A/wu0Zct7AlX0/s400/wayne_shorter_c_robert_ascroft-636x310.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wayne shorter <i>witch hunt</i> speak no evil</td></tr>
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it took me a long time to get into wayne. his sound was an acquired taste for me, one i couldn't get past in order to check out the music he was playing. i always liked the tunes, just not his voice. well, i've finally gotten over myself and now can dig back through the old stuff with the joy you find in trying on a vintage jacket that belonged to your dad. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Gelder-Edition-Digital-Remaster/dp/B000SZHO1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383227126&sr=8-1&keywords=wayne+shorter+witch+hunt" target="_blank">this tune</a> is often overlooked for other songs from this same period. my favorite moment starts at <b>1:42</b>, when elvin helps wayne kick open the front door, swinging quarters harder than you could fathom. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8okNhP1j1_Q/UnJfWbQkQ-I/AAAAAAAAB_I/7SFHTLSxyYI/s1600/displaymedia.aspx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8okNhP1j1_Q/UnJfWbQkQ-I/AAAAAAAAB_I/7SFHTLSxyYI/s320/displaymedia.aspx.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">maria schneider <i>dance you monster to my soft song </i>evanescence</td></tr>
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this album really shook me from the roots up. there are plenty of great tunes on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evanescence-Maria-Schneider-Jazz-Orchestra/dp/B000005CAK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383230367&sr=8-1&keywords=maria+schneider+evanescence" target="_blank">maria's debut record</a>, but this song is a sleeper for me. ben monder's guitar work throughout honestly re-calibrated my understanding and appreciation of jazz playing. the writing here is thoughtful, thorough, and exciting. my favorite spot hits throughout the tune - the insistent line that occupies the pianist's left hand and keeps the bari player busy. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QEvjSCzRW4Q/UnJrHTtSC_I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/Wi0R2PaquEo/s1600/philip-glass-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QEvjSCzRW4Q/UnJrHTtSC_I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/Wi0R2PaquEo/s320/philip-glass-L.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">philip glass & the kronos quartet <i>dracula</i></td></tr>
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i've seen kronos a couple of times, and had the opportunity to catch glass himself in concert. hey man - double thumbs up to guys who employ saxophonists for classical gigs! there are several variations of these themes, but <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Philip-Glass-Dracula-Kronos-Quartet/dp/B00000JZCI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383230319&sr=8-2&keywords=philip+glass+dracula" target="_blank">this cut</a> in particular captures the mystique of dracula - a steady and unsettling presence. the second section, first appearing at <b>0:14</b>, does it for me. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3n13Uu1FsI/UnLRcgmySXI/AAAAAAAAB_o/LPFHk8VB2fE/s1600/9A972CAF2EC33C19B326F597967B469E.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c3n13Uu1FsI/UnLRcgmySXI/AAAAAAAAB_o/LPFHk8VB2fE/s320/9A972CAF2EC33C19B326F597967B469E.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inxs <i>devil inside </i>kick</td></tr>
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i got hoodwinked into acquiring <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kick-INXS/dp/B000066RO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383259915&sr=8-1&keywords=inxs+kick" target="_blank">this album</a> by the sneaky folks over at columbia house. you know how they do - lure you in with some ridiculous "11 albums for<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"> 1</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">¢</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">" </span></span>deal, then expect you to remember to return that postcard that says you don't want the featured record mailed out to you with their astronomical price tag. this record actually has a bunch of good stuff on it. the music videos that <a href="http://inxs.com/" target="_blank">inxs</a> put out were very cool, sending me into a multiple-month tailspin of wanting to grow up and be michael hutchence. (i guess if you gotta die, that's one helluva way to go). my favorite thing about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Inside/dp/B004T6V8MK/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1383257320&sr=1-1&keywords=devil+inside" target="_blank">this track</a> happens at <b>0:55 </b>when michael croons "wonder, wonder". so great.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vF-nbJZLxYc/UnLeQpnKREI/AAAAAAAACAU/_PFwhNItgz8/s1600/ss2230176_-_photograph_of_johnny_cash_&_willie_nelson_available_in_4_sizes_framed_or_unframed_buy_now_at_starstills__79996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vF-nbJZLxYc/UnLeQpnKREI/AAAAAAAACAU/_PFwhNItgz8/s400/ss2230176_-_photograph_of_johnny_cash_&_willie_nelson_available_in_4_sizes_framed_or_unframed_buy_now_at_starstills__79996.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">johnny cash & willie nelson <i>ghost riders in the sky</i> vh1 storytellers</td></tr>
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this is absolutely one of my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/VH1-Storytellers-Johnny-Cash/dp/B0092MIL4E/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1383257932&sr=8-3" target="_blank">favorite albums</a> of all time. i grew up on old country western music, and these two guys lead the pack. seriously - all of the tracks on this record are incredible. the stories, the human element, the music. if i could ever amount to a shred of what these guys have done, i'll consider my life a humble success.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0092MILO4/ref=dm_dp_trk1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383257932&sr=8-3" target="_blank"> this track</a> is the first on the album. aside from their own salutations, i love it when johnny enters at <b>0:59 </b>and later at <b>2:54 </b>when he calls out "take it willie". <br />
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this is <a href="http://www.halloweenalaska.com/" target="_blank">the best band</a> out there, period. you should get all of their records, go see them in concert as often as you can, and tell your friends. the writing and playing and singing tug at my fan of 80s pop/ music aficionado/ lover of quirky lyrics heartstrings. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Halloween-Alaska/dp/B0008G2IGK/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1383258246&sr=1-1&keywords=halloween+alaska" target="_blank">this record</a> is their first, and it's lights out. i love everything about all of these songs, but the corner of my smile draws upward at <b>5:27 </b>on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B0W0UP2/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk5" target="_blank">this cut</a>. it's worth the wait, i promise.<br />
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when i was a kid, my folks would deck me out in a cowboy costume and cart me around to talent shows. i played pretty mediocre guitar and sang oak ridge boy tunes. i think i pulled in a $25 gift certificate with a 2nd place finish on my rendition of this classic. all of those grade school honeys went bananas when i hit 'em with the money making line, which first appears here at <b>1:00. </b>dig that crazy beard and those clever music note decorations. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-48355447473080603692013-10-04T13:13:00.000-07:002013-10-04T13:13:23.900-07:00over & out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
this post is dedicated to my father. happy 10-4, good buddy.</div>
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my dad is a retired truck driver. my grandpa had a trucking business. his sons (and my dad, on occasion) drove for him. my dad's brother was a trucker. a bunch of my uncles and cousins and what-have-you from my mom's side of the tree are truckers. most of my dad's friends are truckers, and he would often refer to them by their cb handle instead of their real names. one of the most vivid memories i have from my youth was of a time when i climbed in the sleeper of my grandpa's truck, found a bag of those bite size milky way bars, ate the entire bag, and got a crazy case of the hershey squirts. <br />
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the routine for our family table was to try everything put in front of you, thank mom for cooking, and shush when the weather comes on the tv news. my seat was situated so, when i looked over at the tube, i was leading with my right eye. (i've got this weird lazy eye thing, and the optometrist - <a href="http://www.johnjrrobinson.com/" target="_blank">jr robinson</a>'s dad - told my folks this would strengthen it.) i would frequently hop to my feet and theatrically reenact what went down at school that day. my sister & mom watched, not amused. my dad, decked out in his ups browns, would give me the wtf look while i got wrapped up in my own dramatics. <br />
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the logical career path for me would have been to go into trucking. nobody had earned an undergad degree in my family. the trucking business had provided a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, for all of our family members. i couldn't see myself doing that. i wanted to figure out what all of the notes and colors swimming inside of my head meant. i knew the performing arts was probably the way to go, but it was a sharp left turn away from what i had always known.<br />
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my folks were actually supportive of these pursuits. i'm not sure they ever fully understand/stood what the sacrifice is like or why & how i do what i do, but that's ok. that's for me to figure out, right? i think that, ultimately, they just wanted me to live a happy life (and not mooch off of them). <br />
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i share the same philosophy when it comes to my kids. we've never pounded the music thing into their heads. they go to a bunch of concerts, observe us practicing and studying, and listen to their own music. they have quit grumbling about listening to <a href="http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/faculty/piccinini/" target="_blank">marina piccinini</a> or <a href="http://custom.bandframe.com/snarkypuppy/" target="_blank">snarky puppy</a>, and have learned good concert etiquette (which is a life skill that will pay off in more ways than one). but their not into music as a passionate pursuit, and that's cool with me. i just want them to get fired up about something, find a partner in crime who can get with that, and make their way in the world. and don't mooch off of us. we're musicians ... remember?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-6539832283238783592013-10-01T17:33:00.001-07:002013-10-01T17:33:30.430-07:00get in where you fit in<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s2z_Qm8Si2E/UktZK2FPcAI/AAAAAAAAB9s/rtQCjA4Hzy8/s1600/mariano-rivera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s2z_Qm8Si2E/UktZK2FPcAI/AAAAAAAAB9s/rtQCjA4Hzy8/s320/mariano-rivera.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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grew up in a fishing community in panama city. graduated high school when he was 16. after having his soccer dreams dashed by recurring ankle injuries, aspired to become a mechanic on the boats. joined an amateur baseball team as their shortstop. threw a handful of solid relief innings after the starting pitcher got injured. did this in front of an mlb scout, and was offered a tryout with yankees two weeks later. despite not speaking english and having never left home, joined the yankees farm system as an underwhelming starting pitcher. moved to the setup role, and eventually came out of the pen as the closer. enter sandman. game over.<br />
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the career path of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/sports/baseball/mariano-rivera-a-singular-pitcher.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">mariano rivera</a> is not ripped from a storybook. there was no <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf7yUmr3GiU" target="_blank">silver spoon</a> in his mouth. becoming the single-most valuable player in the history of baseball wasn't originally in the cards. mo rivera found his niche in life, doing something that he loved and making himself indispensable. and he did this with essentially one pitch.<br />
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today, i taught a class on careers in music. i have shared several conversations recently with some of my college students, contemplating some eternal questions - what am i gonna do with myself? can i make it in music? should i keep going with this or should i switch out to something else?<br />
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the obvious gigs for musicians, to the pedestrian eye, are performers and teachers (and sadly, that is often the order of legitimacy). there are so many avenues to making a living in music. i know performers, arrangers, personnel managers, disc jockeys, concert curators, sound engineers, promoters, writers, studio musicians, teachers at all levels, researchers, producers. one friend mixed the audio for the breaking bad dvds. another is a bicoastal freelance performer. another is waiting for the minnesota orchestra battle to subside. several make the late night tv circuit. <br />
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life is a tricky thing. you can never tell if this is the break you were waiting for, or if it is right around the corner. you can never tell if you are really cut out for this kind of thing, or if that epiphany sits on tomorrow's horizon. you can never tell if you will fix fishing boats or become <a href="http://youtu.be/UPtDJuJMyhc" target="_blank">the most successful relief pitcher</a> in the world's biggest market.<br />
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patience. preparation. professionalism. positivity. and one thing in particular that separates you from the rest. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-19097038027910428682013-09-19T05:54:00.002-07:002013-09-19T05:54:25.660-07:00cooling out vol. 3the third installment of keeping calm is a scattershot snap of what ripples through my mind, in addition to trying to remember which kid i'm taking where while batting away the collection agencies until the next paycheck.<br />
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when i first started my gig at isu, i wanted to connect with the students. i found myself in a tricky spot - the guy who used to teach saxophone was really popular, lead the top sit-down band, and had actually just become department chair. (as it turns out, he still is our chair and is one of the best people i know.) a lot of the kids loved him, and would rather have him for their applied teacher instead of the newbie. i began taping a new vignette about <a href="http://www.chucknorris.com/" target="_blank">chuck norris</a> folklore to my front door every day. "chuck norris doesn't call the wrong number - you answer the wrong phone", "chuck norris can run you over with a parked car", "chuck norris doesn't wear a watch - HE decides what time it is". it was an odd way to make a first impression, but it helped break the ice.<br />
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i remember playing in a masterclass for <a href="http://www.ziporyn.com/" target="_blank">evan ziporyn</a>, clarinet powerhouse and co-founder of <a href="http://bangonacan.org/" target="_blank">bang on a can</a>. he genuinely suggested that each of us consider getting into a yoga routine. learning to hold balance postures would heighten our body awareness, and the breathing regimen that becomes the focal point in yoga would facilitate our growth as wind players. i thought he was off his rocker. i'm not gonna hold chataranga while i clear my mind. i'd rather swim through the testosterone and put up stacks at the gym. boy was i wrong. yoga is often the only thing that gets me through the day. whether i'm doing basic sun salutations in my office or an extended routine in my home gym, yoga helps me keep calm. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2gZDxc-_OFI/UjTFL64h9zI/AAAAAAAAB9A/OxIWIyTA8Ww/s1600/german+potato+soup.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2gZDxc-_OFI/UjTFL64h9zI/AAAAAAAAB9A/OxIWIyTA8Ww/s320/german+potato+soup.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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i really dig the <a href="http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do?code=SEMB_GOOGLE_P90X&gclid=CObhnJy317kCFckRMwodcHoAZw" target="_blank">p90x</a> dvd workout series. the good news - i have completed three rounds. the bad news - that was 18 months ago. i always knew i could get better at scales, finish writing an arrangement, book and play gigs, but never thought i could get into a high level of fitness. i'm not really the jock type, but do have some natural athletic inclinations, which i was more than happy to ride into the ground. tackling and completing and seeing results in the p90x program helped my confidence, which i carried over into my art. i really can do whatever i set my mind to. if you haven't already, i would recommend the p90x series to anyone looking to resuscitate their physical well being. but beware the pithy jokes and one-liners get old after a while...<br />
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it's true. i have three cats. what were we thinking? they are actually the best thing to happen to our family. sure, they poop all the time and jump on your chest when they want you to wake up. but these guys are always so comforting when i come home from a long day, or humbling when i come home with a big ego. their demeanor quickly evens out the wife and i, and our kids are lovey dovey pet junkies. our three cats are brothers. we named them kareem, abdul, and jabbar.<br />
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early snoop dogg tracks are off the chain. late cameos sound like nonsense. i think he ran out of motivation and began playing down to his collaborators. the tracks with dre and from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doggystyle-Explicit/dp/B001KQEA5E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379593636&sr=8-2&keywords=snoop+dogg" target="_blank">his debut album</a> stand as some of his best work, but you can keep all of the snoop lion garbage. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUVQei3nX4" target="_blank"> this cut</a> from 2009 pairs him up with hip hop genius<a href="http://pharrellwilliams.com/" target="_blank"> pharrell williams</a>, who broke snoop into his universe with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Hg51wGl_0" target="_blank">neptunes album</a> from a decade ago. the snap crackle pop beatbox, smoke sounds, and timely synth voicings helped put snoop back at the top of the heap. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DpLQhUOoMMU/UjTFMAELQxI/AAAAAAAAB9U/_bAxgocI78E/s1600/keep-calm-and-listen-to-tom-waits-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DpLQhUOoMMU/UjTFMAELQxI/AAAAAAAAB9U/_bAxgocI78E/s320/keep-calm-and-listen-to-tom-waits-3.png" width="274" /></a></div>
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it took me a long time to get into <a href="http://www.tomwaits.com/" target="_blank">tom waits</a>. i made the grave error of judging a book by its cover. this guy looked weird, sounded bizarre, and was a cult favorite of many interesting college people. i slowly dipped my toe into the waters of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Dogs/dp/B000W20NXU/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0" target="_blank">rain dogs</a>, and was stunned by its strength and beauty. he reminds me of jazz guitarist pat metheny. they are both leaders in their respective domains, record a bunch of albums, and cover the gamut (meaning, you won't like everything). one thing is for sure - you can't question his passion. he is the definition of iconoclast. some of my favorite albums are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Machine/dp/B000W2169A/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_8" target="_blank">bone machine</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Valentine/dp/B001EUMOP4/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_7" target="_blank">blue valentines</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mule-Variations/dp/B000YQSYBM/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_3" target="_blank">mule variations</a>, and dig his spot on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000THAY6E/ref=dm_dp_trk15?ie=UTF8&qid=1379594961&sr=301-3" target="_blank">helium</a> by the tin hat trio.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-68767204776924871312013-09-13T08:21:00.000-07:002013-09-13T08:21:02.463-07:00cooling out vol. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
i guess this post could be subtitled "the big peach", referencing the des moines register sunday sports section that only folks alive in the '80s would get. many mild spats with my dad arose over who gets to read it first, and me & my friends survived countless sunday school classes by swapping this rag amongst ourselves. long live the newspaper.</div>
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my brother-in-law was a compliance guy for the university of alabama sports program. we visited his digs over christmas break. i swear that their facilities were a direct rip from the jetsons. daniel needed a thumbprint identification (complete the "swoop" sound) in order to allow us access to their swanky recruiting area, national championship trophy displays, and the largest <a href="http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/022713aaf.html" target="_blank">weight room</a> i have ever seen. sports vs. the arts is a long-standing feud, in terms of financial backing. the exchange of philosophical ideals stops abruptly when you start talking about the generating of revenue. people will often pay whatever so they can attend the big rivalry sporting event, yet will double check the tv guide and the local weather before committing to attending a concert. the arts need a rabid fan base, with co-eds painting their torsos with letters that spell "fortissimo" who then go on to found fortune 500 companies. now - in the meantime - let's go put a hurting on that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRi7mi5I4uY" target="_blank">johnny football </a>kid.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImRFGnguf8Y/UiyCFkpLZSI/AAAAAAAAB8E/1nUHEfKigQM/s1600/watch+wwe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ImRFGnguf8Y/UiyCFkpLZSI/AAAAAAAAB8E/1nUHEfKigQM/s320/watch+wwe.png" width="274" /></a></div>
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people say that jazz is dying. people also say that all star wrestling is fake. what!?!?!? it is one of my guilty pleasures. i'm not necessarily nuts about huge dudes rubbed down in glistening baby oil, but the macho soap opera is intoxicating. there is a real focus on storyline that is woven into the underrated athleticism of these wrestlers. don't believe me? read <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9588366/an-interview-wwe-superstar-corporate-officer-triple-h" target="_blank">this candid interview</a> with<a href="https://twitter.com/TripleH" target="_blank"> the game</a> on grantland. triple h (and the rest of the crew) steer their entertainment juggernaut towards drama and creativity, attempting to keep their audience's collective eye on their prize. jazz music could take a cue from wwe. stay relevant, pay attention to what your fans want, lead them to what you want for them, and look good all the while.</div>
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i attended college at the university of iowa and currently work for iowa state university. people ask me who i cheer for, and i remind them that i pay my mortgage out of my isu paycheck. when i was in college, our jazz band would play a split concert with the top ensemble from neighboring jazz powerhouse <a href="http://www.uni.edu/jazzstudies/" target="_blank">uni</a>. we would alternate venues, host each other, and feed off of the split show concept. our band was much different than theirs, in terms of players and repertoire. it was great. i learned a lot from watching their stuff, and dug getting our act together for the annual show. one year, we fortuitously advertised the concert as a big band collision. our director, full of liquid courage, backed his car into the front end of their school van at the end of the gig. <br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhHONpmlxPc" target="_blank">money, it's gotta be the shoes</a>. no mars, it's a desire to stay relevant by perching yourself in the heart of the action. not only did mike get it DONE in the nba, he also managed to parlay his talents and charisma into an unstoppable marketing allegiance with nike and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aM8Am2ISh8" target="_blank">gatorade</a>. mike just turned fifty, and is still at the top of the heap in terms of notoriety and cash money. i like it when musicians perform, write, give guest lectures, produce other people's stuff, and collaborate. staying active in a variety of fronts provides obvious sustainability while improving viability amongst multiple generations. how many kids out there have ever seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAr6oAKieHk" target="_blank">mj play</a>? how many kids out there have actually heard <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW-0K58pwII" target="_blank">duke play</a>? manifesting what you do onto many platforms could be a hidden path to deleon's fountain, or at least a couple more gigs. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-zbrSHs3b0/UiyAj4GZz8I/AAAAAAAAB7Y/PLYuwFHl1KQ/s1600/pass+to+ronaldo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F-zbrSHs3b0/UiyAj4GZz8I/AAAAAAAAB7Y/PLYuwFHl1KQ/s320/pass+to+ronaldo.jpeg" width="273" /></a></div>
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sometimes i forget that there are other things going on in the world, and not everything is generated from within driving distance. as much as we hear about rg3, lebron, & a-rod, they pale in world-wide popularity to <a href="http://www.cristianoronaldo.com/" target="_blank">cristiano ronaldo</a>. the gist of it is that folks are getting it done beyond this particular continent. it's often argued that the audiences in europe are better educated in our art form and, therefor, enthusiastically appreciative and willing to financially back live improvised music. you know - they actually turn out for the live shows. some of my favorite european jazz acts include <a href="http://www.enricorava.com/" target="_blank">enrico rava,</a> <a href="http://www.paolofresu.it/" target="_blank">paolo fresu</a>, <a href="http://www.hanbennink.com/" target="_blank">han bennink</a>, and <a href="http://www.kornstad.com/" target="_blank">hakon kornstad</a> - but none of them can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di7G4nbpyDg" target="_blank">freestyle like CR7</a>.<br />
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my cardinals are in a tight playoff race, and it has the makings of being too close for comfort all the way to the end. when i first started teaching at isu, i found out that <a href="http://www.music.iastate.edu/faculty/bovinette.php" target="_blank">one of my colleagues</a> hails from east st. louis and is also a big redbirds fan. <a href="http://www.uni.edu/music/faculty/washut.html" target="_blank">another fella</a> up north, an outstanding pianist and composer, follows the cardinals. they both chuckled upon learning that my mother named me after her favorite baseball player. when i became immersed in pursuing a career in the arts, i myopically assumed that everyone in that field only cared about one thing - art. what a refreshing epiphany for me to know that people are people, complete with hobbies and secrets and childhood allegiances. some are chicago cub fans. may god have mercy on their souls.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9W22bjPnZVo/UiyHmLE6euI/AAAAAAAAB8U/SGrHZn7FwTw/s1600/Bartman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9W22bjPnZVo/UiyHmLE6euI/AAAAAAAAB8U/SGrHZn7FwTw/s400/Bartman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-40046563272373426772013-09-06T13:08:00.001-07:002013-09-06T13:08:23.014-07:00cooling out vol. 1i don't understand where this rage of "keep calm and carry on" posters originated, but i like the sentiment. as someone who struggles with high anxiety and panic attacks, keeping calm is easier said than done. check out the assortment of mock-ups floating around in society, decked out with the identical font and format yet with a different suffix. <br />
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when my students roll into the building, they can tell if i'm already at school. i spark up the smell-good sticks and try to get the ambience right in my office. some of my colleagues, with a wry smile, ask me how i'm doing today. one of my colleagues bursted into my office, fearful that the building was on fire. nope - i'm just getting ready to hear some students painfully reach for those altissimo notes.<br />
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i know it's a cardinal sin, especially if i have any hope of eating clean and getting this forty-year-old rig back in fighting shape, but kraft blue box is my comfort food. we always keep some in the pantry, especially for those nights when i come in late from a rehearsal and have forgotten to eat (which actually happens all of the time). i am a tuna guy, dumping in a whole can of the albacore. my wife and oldest kid like to add cheese, but my youngest and i would rather eat it with the only soupy milk & powder concoction. and i cook it in the same pot i used when i was a teenager. my mom kept it all of these years, and gave it to me several months ago. the water line is scorched into the inside of the pot. <br />
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i've learned to unplug in the evenings. i figured out how to unsubscribe. i have unfriended people whom i either don't know or just get on my nerves. using fb to network is fine, but i'm not into reading about everybody's gigs or looking at their meals or hearing about how they hate going to work. is fb a necessary evil? i don't know, but it's good for posting blogs and checking in on my kids' social life.<br />
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my youngest son is currently ranked 36th in the world on black ops II. i don't know if i should be proud or pull the remaining hair out of my head. praise the lord that he has found minecraft. he plays it all day and builds some pretty cool stuff. the music is certainly more soothing than the call of duty cacophony. this <a href="http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Daniel_Rosenfeld" target="_blank">young german guy</a> wrote the soundtracks. he calls them <a href="http://c418.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">ambient electronica</a>. <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
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'tis the season. all state music is out, and band directors are already whipping kids into shape so they can bring home the non-existant trophy to the band room. competitive atmospheres in the performing arts always become a sticky topic. you should play music so you learn how to express yourself in an abstract way. you should enter this annual contest against many of your peers and learn these two etudes and all 12 scales with this fixed articulation. no matter how you slice it, life as an artist is full of failures. but the beauty we experience along the way keeps our fire lit.<br />
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my oldest son is a huge kobe fan, and owns about 22 black mamba nike t-shirts. it's silly. i'm ok with kobe bean serving as a role model for my kid (minus the whole colorado incident). kobe works hard at his craft. he's in the shed every day, putting up shots and training. he watches film incessantly, either of his next opponent or himself or old-school ballers. heck - maybe kobe should be a role model for me? i want to get in the practice room more, get my face in shape. i need to listen to more music (as i write this, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Picture/dp/B000XVO7B4/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_0" target="_blank">trio m</a> is working through my speakers) and study myself, my peers, and old-school players. ok - kobe's my guy. now if i can just get this reverse double clutch dunk to go... <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rVgsXz2A3kE" width="500"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-82065760777561995842013-09-02T14:55:00.000-07:002013-09-02T14:55:29.082-07:00happyhappyzorn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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remember all of the details of the occasion when you heard or saw something for the first time? i can recall where, what i was doing, and with whom i was doing it when i first heard certain artists. i was downstairs in our rental on 'old western' (a name that my youngest kept using for our place on the corner of 13th and northwestern) when i heard first heard radiohead, blasting from the upstairs bedroom. i was sitting on the plastic-wrapped couch at safal's house when i first heard rakim, back in high school. i was in my parent's garage when the neighborhood troublemaker brought over a cassette tape of purple rain, introducing me to prince.<br />
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my three friends/bandmates all lived in the same house in college, a dumpy mustard stucco crib on the corner lot of a couple roads in iowa city. they called it the yellow ghetto. johnathan (drums) told me about this cd he had just picked up. anton (bass) chimed in on our conversation, telling us he just bought the latest masada album for $21. i told him that i thought that was a big chunk of change to spend on a cd, but he assured me that, for masada, it was totally worth it. he put on the music, and the three of us sat and listened to dave douglas, joey baron, greg cohen, and john zorn get down. zorn was insane. he has a pyrotechnic language on the saxophone, and i have been smitten ever since. </div>
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zorn is a leader, a composer, an improviser, a saxophonist, a pioneer, a genius (literally), <a href="http://www.tzadik.com/" target="_blank">an entrepreneur</a>, and a force of nature. his body of work is unparalleled, his sound immmediately identifiable, his energy seemingly boundless, his passion tireless, his mystique unfathomable. listen to him shred with electric masada, bounce with big john patton, combust with painkiller. watch him incite riots with naked city, call the shots in cobra, beam while chamber groups play his commissioned works. read about his tributes to ornette & hard bop heroes, his approach in the volumes of arcana, his life's mission in various biographies. go see him in person, like i did when i booked a flight from denver to mpls (and back) friday night -to- sunday morning, just so i could catch masada live in the u.s. good decision by me.</div>
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don't know where to start? some of my favorites are.. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">masada chamber ensemble - bar kokhba</td></tr>
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my friend <a href="http://www.johnritz.org/bio.htm" target="_blank">john ritz</a> turned me on to this side, and i stole it from this girl who was moving out of my girlfriend's apartment (sorry about that, mom). this mid-90s double disc features a large group of improvisers expounding upon contemporary classical compositions. it's gorgeous.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">john zorn & bobby previte - euclid's nightmare</td></tr>
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i picked up this record in the used bin at some shop in madison, while i was there visiting <a href="http://www.dansr.com/vandoren/artists/1/89/matthew-sintchak" target="_blank">my saxophone teacher</a>. this album has 25 clips of duets with zorn and percussionist previte. talk about textures & timbres! most tracks are under two minutes, fitting nicely into my attention span.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0Xs-q2LvTk/UiT_o_Jiy7I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/xI_tRugW954/s1600/masada-live-in-middelheim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0Xs-q2LvTk/UiT_o_Jiy7I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/xI_tRugW954/s320/masada-live-in-middelheim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">masada - live in middleheim</td></tr>
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i bought this album up at cheapo records in uptown. the interplay is outstanding, the recording quality superb for a live record, and the introduction of the guys is priceless. this band may hold the most influence on my playing. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">john zorn, ikue morie, mike patton - hemophiliac</td></tr>
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the free improvising that takes place on this record, in my opinion, ties that album by evan/paul/barre for the best i've ever. ikue is ridiculous with her laptop work, zorn peaks with ferocity, and somehow mike patton's vocals fill in the gaps. the creativity is reckless and absurdly aware. </div>
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take the plunge, folks. zorn is amazing. just ask colbert.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-83689882242004586012013-08-31T08:36:00.000-07:002013-08-31T08:36:44.553-07:00i will call him georgei've gotten into podcasts recently. it's like radio with dvr controls and without the guilt. i like sports just fine, but appreciate a comedic and quick-witted perspective. i ran across this guy named bill simmons who, unbeknownst to me, has been around for a while now. he is a bleeding heart boston fanatic, but also knows a truck load about basketball. he wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Basketball-According-Sports/dp/0345520106" target="_blank">a huge book</a> on the topic - 752 pages (way too many for me). he also occasionally opines on the latest developments in the wwe, hitting me right in the sweet spot. <br />
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his podcast from about a week ago hits on an article written by one of his/the <a href="http://www.grantland.com/" target="_blank">grantland</a> contributors. he interviewed zach lowe, the writer of a best & worst breakdown of nba team names. volume 1 <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9581428/the-definitive-guide-nba-team-names-part-1" target="_blank">is here</a>, volume 2 <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9581986/the-definitive-guide-nba-team-names-part-2" target="_blank">here</a>. points were given (and taken away) for alliteration, representative relevance, creativity, and mascot possibilities. two downward thumbs were flipped to organizations using collective nouns.<br />
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this got me thinking about the importance of band names. jazz groups are notoriously horrific when it comes to picking a name for their ensemble. come on - this is the best part about starting a band, right? brainstorming all of these ridiculous names, laughing until your cheeks hurt and tears stream down your face, trying your darndest to not just settle on something so you can move on with your life. <br />
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even classical groups (!!!), have figured out the name game. rarely do they refer to themselves by their actual god-given names. who would remember <a href="http://www.kronosquartet.org/" target="_blank">the david harrington quartet</a> or <a href="http://bangonacan.org/bang_on_a_can_all_stars" target="_blank">david lang and friends</a>? oodles and gobs of rock groups have come up with clever, memorable names that don't have the word "rock" in the title (see the flaming lips, foo fighters, weezer). my friend adam started a group that aimed to get a bunch of good paying wedding gigs. they were named "cover band", which somehow had never been registered to anyone else. <br />
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jazz is made up of singular artists, many with a real unique thing that they do way better than anyone else. part of the allure of jazz groups is discovering what the chemistry of a certain mixture of people results in. i get that, but do we need to blatantly refer to it as such? why can't brian blade's band just be called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc5JDlxN4r4" target="_blank">fellowship</a>? why can't jason moran's trio just be called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpHq_cRKGyw" target="_blank">bandwagon</a>? why can't chris lightcap's band just be called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1BDynsH6HE" target="_blank">bigmouth</a>? equally great bands like <a href="http://www.jimblack.com/JIMBLACK/ALASNOAXIS.html" target="_blank">alasnoaxis</a>, <a href="http://kneebody.com/" target="_blank">kneebody</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snouzsTbF7M" target="_blank">fieldwork</a> have made it happen. <br />
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i can certainly give a pass to pat metheny, wayne shorter, sonny rollins, george benson and other heavyweights. we are there to see them. and i can look the other way for dave douglas, who makes so many records that his bands are commonly known by their album titles (i'm looking at you, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opNFFsZ-5T4" target="_blank">charms of the night sky</a>). but for the rest of us - it's time to shed the pretentious suffixes to our school/hometown, the clever ways to work in the word "jazz", the smush of remnants from each guys' initials, the recording project you are peddling, and the complete sellout of listing everyone by name. <br />
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arts and crafts. big satan. human chain. snarky puppy. james farm. the mu'tet. groundtruther. fly. masada. pachora. s.w.v. let's go, jazz people. embrace the idea of coolness through marketing with quirky, catchy names. go grab some cheap lunch with friends, laugh yourself silly with ridiculous band names that fall to the cutting room floor, and you'll end up with a name that doesn't scream <i>cerebral music that you probably won't understand unless you're really into jazz.</i> nobody wants to hear that stuff anyway. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-53597232255987622312013-07-31T07:56:00.002-07:002013-07-31T07:56:29.362-07:00take it upstairsover the past couple of years, the wife has been brushing shoulders with some broadway folks. i think she is quasi-reliving the musical theater dreams of her youth, and we are the beneficiaries. her flutey talents have enhanced multiple broadway tours that swing through our area, and we have luckily snagged cheap/free tickets to these shows. <br />
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sonja, jennifer, the richard and i all attended our first viewing of <i><a href="http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/" target="_blank">jersey boys</a></i>. sonja knows <a href="http://www.nicolasdromard.com/Nicolas_Dromard/Home.html" target="_blank">nicholas</a>, the guy on the far right, from his dick van dyke reincarnation in <i>mary poppins</i>. they played flute duets everyday during that run in dsm. the jersey boys show was fun. i actually knew a bunch of the songs made famous by the four seasons, humming along while chuckling at the gratuitous vivaldi one-liners. <br />
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here's the jist of it: one guy is the even-tempered bass man, one guy is the songwriter, one guy (our friend nicholas) is the muscle and hustle, and the gem of the foursome has the dreamy falsetto. frankie valli swooned all of the girls, despite his height disadvantage. they all hail from new jersey, minus the hot tub hijinks and spray tans. they play their own instruments and handsomely lock into fancy moves and tight harmonies. but the money is in frankie's descant.<br />
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i love singing in my head voice. as a kid, it meant i could sing right along with michael jackson and whitney houston (but not quite able to squeeze off those mariah licks). my saxophone students are often drawn to the same flame, wanting to play in the altissimo. some times it's necessary, some times it's a parlor trick. i am slow to guide them through this because a) once they figure it out, it's all that they want to do, and b) the learning curve punishes my ears.<br />
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the best top tone saxophonists do it with ease, never hurling themselves at the upper register. miguel zenon, chris potter, and tim berne simply extend the range of their horns. dave binney, joe lovano, chris speed and john zorn rub some type of primal grunt/scream on stuff beyond the palm keys. for me, the champion of altissimo is tenor saxophonist <a href="http://flytrio.com/" target="_blank">mark turner</a>. his refined sound is hauntingly comfortable and, through the development of his altissimo range, has extended his saxophone vocabulary to further his musical language. phenomenal stuff.<br />
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some artists rarely played up there - desmond, getz, bird. for some reason, it has become unnecessarily vogue these days to flex your upper register. the old schoolers stuck with their defined limits, finding that freedom within structure. i say - play high notes because you need to, not to impress somebody. who cares how to finger a high E above the palm keys anyway? it sounds rough. some composers sit down with extended techniques bibles and try to include all sorts of stuff, seemingly in an effort to create a ridiculously challenging piece that is thirstily waiting for it's world premiere. i get <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_Rasch%C3%A8r" target="_blank">rascher</a> wanting to push the altissimo stuff, but that was 80+ years ago. move it along, folks.<br />
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as far as r&b guys soaring into the stratosphere, some of my favorites include songwriter extraordinaire babyface, shalamar's own howard hewitt, the incomparable prince, the debonaire <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Jdp9IS5JU" target="_blank">el debarge</a>, and balladeer al b. sure. the latter two are both on permanent falsetto, and join forces with tour-de-force james ingram and face-for-radio barry white on the quincy jones classic "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Garden-Sweet-Seduction-Suite/dp/B002XBZDGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375282151&s=dmusic&sr=1-2" target="_blank">secret garden</a>". sho ya right.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-72842445795103742872013-07-18T20:57:00.002-07:002013-07-18T20:57:57.526-07:00lordy lordy <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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today marks a landmark checkpoint in my life. i turned the big 4-0. when i hit thirty, i stayed up all night with our cat through a thunderstorm, watching the yankees beat the mets (and then the entire replay on espn). i struggled then with turning over a new decade, but today am a bit more subdued about it all. the back end of my thirties has revealed a noncooperative metabolism, a thinning scalp, a mind that is tempted to dvr my daily life as it slips through my memory banks, and ear hair that is running buckwild. <br />
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musically speaking, i feel a lot better about some things. i expanded my palette with collaborations, read some thought-provoking bios and methods, and tightened up my teaching approach. i am learning way more about what i don't know but, at the same time, am becoming better equipped with the tools to diagnose and remedy most of those issues. <br />
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i can't tell if my musical tastes are changing, but i can definitely sense that i'm way more stubborn to embrace stuff that is new to my ears. do i have an issue with this old dog learning new tricks? i guess that, philosophically speaking, i'm always cool with digging into "the latest" stuff. keeping an ear to the street has always been appealing. checking out reissues of older recordings, or just plum getting interested in music that is still stewing from 50+ years ago is far less appealing. i am filled with guilt about this, while trying to understand why i just don't give a rip about it. </div>
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i was at a jazz festival this past season, and two fellow adjudicators where having a lovefest about how great some art blakey record is. i seriously had zero interest in listening to it in any way whatsoever. maybe i equate it with being part of my job as a jazz teacher? maybe i feel pressure to like it and appreciate it? maybe i'm getting too stodgy in my advancing years? i tote around old recordings on my iPhone with the intent of blasting them through my headphones, but have never ever been inspired to fire them up. </div>
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on the road trip out to wyoming last sunday, i cranked out all of the <a href="http://www.halloweenalaska.com/" target="_blank">halloween alaska</a> albums. i bumped some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?client=safari&rls=en&q=sugar+hill+gang&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=w1" target="_blank">sugar hill gang</a>, old <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Wheeler" target="_blank">kenny wheeler</a> albums, some <a href="http://www.paolofresu.it/" target="_blank">paolo fresu</a> (who autocorrects to paolo fresh), the new <a href="http://christianscott.tv/" target="_blank">christian scott</a>, and <a href="http://flying-lotus.com/watch-tiny-tortures-video/" target="_blank">flying lotus</a>. these are both old & new: wheeler '84, sugar hill '79, paolo '08, lotus '10, christian '12, halloween '05. </div>
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these records are all great, and have meaning for me. wheeler from real records back in undergrad, sugar hill from a breakdancing lp i bought as a kid, paolo from my friend russ, lotus from my friend bart, christian from his appearance on jimmy fallon, and ha because of king. i wonder if my head needs to be at a certain spot when i hear music, and if some things from the past have simply missed their chronological window with me. maybe i'm programed to like sonny rollins back in '99 when i first learned about him, but not now. i try, man, and sometimes it works. i appreciate bird now more than ever, but don't find the allure of satchmo and the buddy rich band. i dig older operas and the bee gees, but still can't get into steely dan or mahavishnu. </div>
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i have a new mantra for the next forty years of my life, one that will help me grow and mature artistically by being aware and staying out of my own way. bo & luke duke used to tell uncle jesse to "keep your ears open and your eyes peeled". them duke boys were wise beyond their years...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3655871923887296513.post-48058423673778457132013-06-21T11:11:00.001-07:002013-06-21T19:09:32.080-07:00rtr: we the common<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thaoandthegetdownstaydown.com/" target="_blank">thao & the get down stay down</a></td></tr>
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this was one of those cheap album lures that amazon threw up
on their mp3 page, twisting enticingly in front of me while subliminally
whispering “sink your teeth into this and, while you’re here, one-click your
way to a hundred bucks-worth of stuff you think you need”. the samples sounded great. i like that there is a body of work
from which to draw, and her association with the creative fountain that is
radiolab. plus, the name of the
supporting group is out of sight, on par with ornette & prime time and bruce hornsby & the range.<br />
me and this paper abe lincoln took the
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thao is sitting around my right ear. i assume that ‘the get down stay down’
is hanging out moreso in my western aural hemisphere. is this a conscious decision to present them as two entities
through the panning, or do I mistakenly have the right channel goosed? i really dig her voice and i’m not afraid to admit that i am
probably missing the lyrical poignancy.
i usually do. this first
tune is in bite size pieces, which fits my attention capacity like a glove. </div>
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i like the funky intonation in the loose call & response
backs around the 1:50 mark of <i>age of ice. </i>it reminds me of how some treat the lyric on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU-R-ktyMFk" target="_blank">that gershwin tune</a> the same way – “the way you sing off key”. i’m in favor of the effects on the vocals, treating them same as the instrumentalists tweak & tweez their weapons. and i'm feeling thao's unison backing tracks, preserving that human element while letting you know this is not some studio project. close but no cigar. </div>
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<i>holy roller</i> sounds
great. what a hook!!! i appreciate not getting beat over the
head with repeated emphasis of the chorus. if you let me digest the music on my own, i can come
back up in due time and tell you if I like it or not. all of these tunes weigh in under four minutes. i like the compositional efficiency and
look forward to hearing this material live. this album reminds me of <a href="http://fieryfurnacesforum.com/site/" target="_blank">the fiery furnaces</a>. when I saw them in concert (thank you
joel), some of the tunes stuck to their brevity while others opened up for both
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this interchangeability should be used more liberally in the jazz world. just because the
form rolls over every 32 bars and you didn’t get it all out on six whacks doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to budge back in line for a
seventh. some blame <a href="http://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=JAJAZZ&Category_Code=AEBPLA" target="_blank">aebersold playalongs</a> for this. they
play a bunch of choruses of a standard, and folks practice ideas and
improvising strategies along with the rhythm section recording. fine - but playing live ought to
consider the flow of the set and the kickback of the listeners and the awareness
to what the music bubble surrounding the musician needs. pretty sure it’s not another selfish
chorus of retribution.</div>
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“you are good at what you do, you are bad at what you are”</div>
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i love the trumpet fallout in <i>move</i>, and now the bowed bass - supa dupa low vibe of <i>clouds for brains</i>. cheers to going for an effect
instead some brilliant orchestral execution. there are times and places for all wonderful things
in the world of art, and that balance gets out of whack without quirky and
technical and systematic and heartfelt abstracts firing on all cylinders. <a href="http://www.thaoandthegetdownstaydown.com/" target="_blank"> this is a great record</a> for my head.</div>
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