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Mon - June 23, 2008AAARRGGH!Yesterday was a troublesome day for
music.
It was Jazz Sunday at church. We were playing as a quartet: piano, bass, drums, and trumpet. The leader, the pianist, handed out the music at the 9:30 am performance. We ran through the tunes. The leader asked if we could play the closing tune, "Blue Skies," a step down from what was written on the chart, to accommodate the trumpet player.. No problem, we agreed. After the run-through, he looked back and handed me a chart for "Our Love Is Here To Stay," saying that we would play it as in interlude in the middle. No problem. However, when it came time to play "Our Love Is Here To Stay," what I was playing on the bass sounded horribly, horribly wrong against the melody from the piano. The pianist's head whipped around to look at me. It was clear to the audience that the bass player was doing something really wrong. What wasn't clear to the audience was that the pianist had given me a chart written in the key of C, while he had chosen to play from his chart written in the key of F. I dragged my bass over, to read over his shoulder from his chart for the rest of the tune. Fast forward to the closing tune, "Blue Skies," transposed down a step. The tune starts. Again, what I am playing sounds horribly, horribly wrong. Again, the pianist's head whips around to look at me. Again, it is clear to the congregation that the bass player is doing something really wrong. I am baffled, until the trumpet player walks back and tells me, "He's not transposing. He's playing it in the original key." At least the drummer and I managed to go along with the tune that was rehearsed in 4/4 but performed in 3/4. Now I've got to deal with the fact that I've been made to look like a total incompetent in front of a large group of people. AAARRGGH! Posted at 07:29 PM Tue - November 27, 2007Band Practice Bon MotsOne of my favorite scenes from last
weekend's band
practice.
Guitar player (fiddling with al his foot pedals): "I've finally figured out this volume pedal." Bass player: "It goes the other way, too." Posted at 02:54 PM Tue - December 5, 2006Concert Review - New Riders Of The Purple SageThis review is from Bill Wood, my host
for this
concert.
----------------- Perhaps they should be renamed “The Old New Riders With Some New New riders of the Purple Sage”. Only two of the originals, David Nelson, vocals and lead guitar and Buddy Cage, amazing pedal steel, are touring. The author of the bulk of NRPS songs, John Dawson, is not touring, but maybe later. First, or second I guess, let me say that the band put on an inspired show and trotted out the hits and got half the somewhat sparse audience of the Aladdin doing the Dead Dervish dance in front of the stage. All the old elements were there. So, I think my conclusion is one of those “It’s not you, it’s me” kind of explanation. I found it hard to be entertained. I could not seem to engage the old psychosexual type energy that used to come so easy. I think if I were in my 20s, I would have been up front dancing and felt full of life. One problem was that I wasn’t that big of a fan in the past, so I didn’t know many of the lyrics. The vocals were mostly unintelligible, coming from road worn vocal chords. I enjoyed the few hits that I knew, the opener Portland Women, Panama Red, Last Lonely Eagle and I enjoyed their cover of the great Townes Van Zant song, Dead Flowers. But most of the songs didn’t engage, despite decent musical effort by the band. I think it’s probably a case of diminished testosterone output (mine) or maybe, also, the fact that popular music has moved on since the days of NRPS and The Grateful Dead. I don’t respond to hard charging three-chord songs with standard blues licks the way I used to. I recently saw Red Hot Chili Peppers and did feel the earth move to RHCPs tsunami of energy. In comparison, NRPS was more like parboiled, skinned and deveined green peppers. But I apologize to the Riders for that, because, as usual, it’s not them, it’s me. Posted at 07:40 PM Thu - September 28, 2006Tonight's ListeningTonight is my 15th wedding
anniversary. Right now Ruth and Dan are out for a
walk.
However, my iPod is on shuffle. This is what the gamble of shuffle play is serving tonight: 1. When I Come Back Around, by Jamie Liddell. R&B has survived into the 21st Century. I can hear Quincy Jones and Marvin Gay influences. 2. Cry Me A River, Diana Krall. She would rather just play piano, but her vocal palette is masterful and compelling. 3. Just A Samba, Bossacucanova. I have not heard a better example of modern bossa nova. 4. Rock And Roll Woman, Buffalo Springfield. The bass track me feel so much better about some of my own recordings, as in many of the tracks, one player or another is rushing horribly. At first it was just the bass player, but the guitar and the drums took their turns as well. I wonder how they laid down the tracks for this one. 5. Peter Gunn, by Dick Dale & His Deltones. Not for guitarophobes. 6. Doctor My Eyes, Jackson Browne. I'd love to do this song. 7. Dreamsville, Henry Mancini. Right after Peter Gunn. 8. On The Border, Al Stewart. In the live version, the piano, then drums, then strings, then bass enter after the flamenco guitar solo. Very effective. 9. Comin' Home Baby, Don Latarski. I'd love to play this song. 10. Gimme Three Steps (Original Version), Lynrd Skynrd. A bit quicker than we play it. Time to start cooking. Shrimp and Artichoke Casserole, from Tea Time At The Masters. Posted at 07:08 PM Wed - May 31, 2006Bass Solo Of The DayPaul Chamber's solo on the tune "Blue Red",
from Red Garland's trio album, "Red Garland Trio."
This is another of the great recordings from Rudy Van Gelder's legendary living room
.
Posted at 12:49 PM Mon - February 27, 2006IPOD Playlist - 2/27/06I am on my third iPod in the last 5
days. My old one started to malfunction. It was still covered by the Apple
Protection Plan, so the guys at the Genius Bar at the Pioneer Place Apple Store
gave me a "new" one. When I fired it up at the gym, I found that the right
channel output from the headphone jack was intermittently silent. Back to the
Genius Bar, where I got another "new" one. So far so good with this one. I
quickly dumped about 900 songs in it, and took off
again.
Today's playlist, served up by the the shuffle play function: Day Tripper - The Beatles Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Too Blue - Victor Feldman Girl From Ipanema - Rickie Lee Jones #41 - Dave Matthews Band Fistful of Haggis - Charlie Hunter I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance - Diana Krall Mugzy's Move - Royal Crown Revue But Not For Me - Ahmad Jamal A Cottage For Sale - Peggy Lee Dust In TheWind - Kansas Star Eyes - Johnny Mathis If You Can't Smile And Say Yes - Nat King Cole Freedom - Richie Havens Thank You (Falettinme be mice elf again) - Sly and The Family Stone Chasing Shadows - Victor Feldman Star Eyes - Bill Evans Indian Summer - Bobby Caldwell I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong The One I Love - David Gray Hush - Deep Purple Bold Fenian Men - The Wolfe Tones But Not For Me - Red Garland War - Edwin Starr Posted at 06:48 PM Fri - January 20, 2006Paul MotianAnother in a series where Ben Ratliff
of the NYT sits down with an accomplished musician, to hear what they hear when
they listen to music. Today's piece is with drummer Paul
Motian.
I'll say it again: Ben Ratliff has a great job. Posted at 07:34 AM Fri - September 2, 2005What A Great JobBen Ratliff has a great
job.
His current project: "asking great musicians to select recordings of other people's music, then sit down and listen with me, explaining what they hear in the music and how the music works." Today's NYT prints his description of the session with Hank Jones. They listened to musicians including Art Tatum ("You see? He's changing chords with every beat of that run.") While listening to Jimmy Jones accompanying Sarah Vaughn, he noted, "Single-line fills. In my estimation, if you do that, you run the risk of interfering with the singer's train of thought. But I think Sarah liked the pianist to lead the train of thought and for her to follow. Ella's preference was for block-chord fills, to make her feel comfortable - never leading, always playing in response to her." I have had a similar privilege, getting to sit down and listen to music with my teacher, Glen Moore , and hearing him point out what he hears in the music, which leads to the stories of the people he has played with around the world: "Moore has worked with many great jazz artists including pianists Paul Bley, Larry Karush, Jan Hammer, Bill Evans and John Taylor; saxophonists, Zoot Sims, Benny Wallace, Lew Tabakin, Sonny Fortune, Nick Brignola, Rob Scheps, Charlie Mariano and Michael Brecker; flutist Jeremy Steig; violinists Stuff Smith, Zbigniew Seifert, Rob Thomas, Hollis Taylor and Jim Nolet; vibraphonists Gary Burton and Michael Mainieri; drummers Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Beaver Harris, Peter LaRoca and Jimmy Cobb, Barrie Altschul, Elliot Zigmund; bassists Anthony Cox, Charlie Haden, Gary Peacock, Dave Holland, Jamie Faunt, Steve Swallow, David Friesen, Mark Dresser and Barre Phillips; and tap dancer Peg Leg Bates." At my lesson today, I will have to remember to walk in and ask, "Peg Leg Bates??" Posted at 08:15 AM Sun - August 28, 2005The Wedding Gig Becomes A Battle RoyalFour or five times a year, my band is
hired to play a
wedding.
Some of the musicians I know will not play weddings, having had experiences like: "Dear Band Leader: We look forward to your group's performance at our daughter's wedding. If you don't mind, we have a few requests. During the reception, please play a Keith Jarrett composition from his solo series. Arrange it for full ensemble in the key of B, but nothing in 4/4 please. Then how about Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Dance of the Maya." It would great if your guitarist could play John Mclaughlin's solo from the Nov. 16, 1972 live performance at Chrysler Arena. My wife and I were at that show and dug his use of polyrhythms. And, for a closer, how about one of Coltrane's duets with Pharaoh Sanders? I know our guests will love high register tenor saxes! Then, right after the toast, a little Stravinsky would be nice. The Mrs. prefers "The Rite of Spring" at a tempo of a quarter-note = 94. And transpose it down a minor-third; the lower register will be much more appropriate for this occasion. For the candle-lighting ceremony, let's have Zappa's "The Grand Wazoo." The original key of B flat would be fine for the instrumentalists, but when my cousin Jeannie starts to sing the baritone sax solo, modulate to the key of D as her voice is rather high. When they do the garter removal ceremony, instead of "The Stripper," play Varese's "Ionization." It's much more appropriate. For the couple's first dance, slow things down a notch with Barber's "Adagio For Strings" instead of "We've Only Just Begun." And when my wife and I join in, segue to Monk's "Ruby, My Dear" in honor of my wife's mother, Ruby. It would mean a lot to her family. Thanks for your help. Depending on the outcome, we'll recommend your band to our friends. I'll have your check for the fee of $1,250 (minus our expenses in contacting you of $12.50) by the end of next month: we're a little short as the young lady doing the balloon arch wanted her $2,850 in advance and the DJ had to be paid his $2,500 up front too. Our daughter assures us your love of music is greater than your need for money and that you welcome the exposure you'll get from playing her wedding. Before you leave, feel free to ask the caterer for a snack sandwich and a soda (either return the bottles or pay the deposit to the butler). And use the back entrance to avoid disturbing our guests. John and Rose" Some of these events are truly sweet and wonderful. Some of them have the band starting a pool to bet on how long the marriage will last. Last night's wedding gig was a new first for us. We were playing outside, in a beautiful country setting. We were much of the way through the second set when people began running to a fist fight at some distance from our stage. The crowd left our area, and never came back. Turns out the father of the bride was beating up the groom. I don't doubt that this may be a fantasy for many bride's fathers, but I have never seen this one acted on before. It should make Thanksgiving dinner interesting this year. Posted at 08:43 AM Sun - July 10, 2005More Insane RequestsAt my band's gig
this weekend, the string of insane requests
continued.
A guy in the crowd asked us to play Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason ." Six middle aged white men standing on stage playing classic rock, and this is what he requests. Posted at 03:41 PM Tue - June 28, 2005Boston Red Sox - Personal MusicRan across an interesting
article in the Boston Globe about the music players have
selected for the PA system in Fenway, when they walk to the plate or the
mound:
Keith Foulke: ''Mother,'' Danzig Kevin Millar: ''Blurry,'' Puddle of Mudd ''I Stand Alone," Godsmack Manny Ramirez: ''Ready or Not,'' The Fugees Doug Mirabelli: ''Gone,'' Montgomery Gentry ''Live Like You Were Dying,'' Tim McGraw Trot Nixon: ''The Game,'' Motorhead David Wells: ''Bad Religion,'' Godsmack Jay Payton: ''Small Cut,'' Trillville Curt Schilling: ''Welcome to the Jungle,'' Guns N' Roses Jason Varitek: ''Kryptonite,'' 3 Doors Down Johnny Damon: ''Enemy,'' Sevendust Edgar Renteria: ''California,'' Tupac and Dr. Dre Mike Timlin: ''Black Betty,'' Ram Jam David Ortiz: ''Candy Shop,'' 50 Cent ''Stil DRE,'' Dr. Dre ''Drop It Like It's Hot,'' Snoop Dogg ''Big Poppa,'' Notorious B.I.G. ''Off the Books,'' The Beatnuts Ramon Vazquez: ''Dale Don Dale,'' Omar Bill Mueller: ''Tom Sawyer,'' Rush What music would you want them to play for you? Posted at 08:10 AM Mon - June 20, 2005Eels Concert - A Bill Wood ReviewReview of the EELS concert, June 16,
Alladin Theater, Portland, Oregon.
EEls go in. EEls go out. I invited several friends to an Eels concert. The uniform response was: “Who are the Eels?” I really don’t know, but it’s on the website. The band? The Eels, actually Dude, “EELS” is the preferred, are a rotating ensemble centered around the mysterious E, or Uncle E or Mr. E, who’s real name is the more mundane Mark Oliver Everett, originally from Virginia. E’s father was Dr. Hugh Everett III, a quantum physicist who wrote Star Trek episodes. The songs? EELS mainstream hits include “I Need Some Sleep” and “My Beloved Monster” from the Shreck movies, but there is so much more littered among 6 CDs. E attracts top musicians to play with: Tom Waits, John Sebastian, Peter Buck, Grant Lee Phillips. The music? E’s recent songs are typically slow tempo, simple melody ballads anchored by E’s trademark, crusty-sad vocals and trademark elliptical lyrics. He likes birds. “If you’re small and on a search, I’ve got a feeder for you to perch on.” The wait? The bus had mechanical problems. The line wrapped all the way around the Alladin in the rain. We ducked into the adjoining pub for a Jaegermiester and found that there was a secret door from the pub that opened into the theater. That was great. The concert? Phenomal is a good word. E had his trademark cigar going full time and trademark walking stick and shot glasses on top of the Wurlitzer. Big Al (Alan Hunter) played a big stand-up bass and Chet (Chet Lyster) alternated slide guitar, trashcan drums and an exquisitely tuned rip saw. The core band was beautifully backed, both musically and physically, by a Palmeresque string section of mini-skirted Giacondas. E? E is beautiful oblique sarcasm in a skinny package that looks like a refugee from a Klezmer band . His songs use a mocking tone as a way to soften anger and sadness. He told the audience before the last song, “Now is where we walk away and you clap for a while and then we come back.” It helps to pre-digest E’s lyrics before a live performance, otherwise you’ll be desperately hacking away at the the oblique messages and won’t be able to sit back and relax. The E-vening? It was a beautiful evening. The only flaw was that they didn’t play “Woman Driving, Man Sleeping” despite my repeated screaming requests. Doesn’t matter. Go see E. It’ll be something you can brag about to your grandchildren. Posted at 08:56 PM Sun - May 15, 2005RequestsRequests for particular songs are
curious. People listening to live music will have some type of nostalgia or
memory, and want to hear a song to transport them to that place. It's a little
scary to find out where some of these people want to
go.
Many of the requests sound as if they view the band as a human juke box. Last night, a guy walked up to the stage, handed us a piece of paper with a request written on it, and told us it was from his girlfriend. Written there: "Joan Jett, I Love Rock 'n Roll." I looked around at the other 5 guys on stage, all pushing 50, and said,"OK, I've forgotten. Who does the Joan Jett tunes? Ron, is that you?" On a couple of occasions, we have had women snatch the set lists off the monitors, repair to their table for a strategy session, then return to the stage reading out song titles from our set list to us. It is like we were djinnis, bound to do their bidding. And they hadn't even rubbed our lamps first. I guess I shouldn't complain. It has been a while since anyone has yelled out, "Freebird!" Posted at 10:47 AM Thu - May 12, 2005iPod Playlist - 5/12/2005Today's shuffle mode
offerings:
1) Can't Help Loving That Man, June Christy 2) Body And Soul, Billy Holiday and Charles Parker 3) You've Really Got A Hold On Me, Meshell Ndegeocello 4) So What, Miles Davis 5) Around The Town, Stan Kenton 6) Song From An American Movie, Everclear 7) My Country Used To Be, Dave Frishberg 8) A Quarter To Three, Sleater-Kinney 9) Touniquet, Evanescence 10) Rider In The Rain, Randy Newman Posted at 09:29 AM Tue - May 3, 2005iPod Playlist - 5/3/2005Here is what the iPod, set to shuffle
songs, is serving up
tonight:
1) All Along The Watchtower - Dave Matthews Band 2) Running To Stand Still - Jenna Mammina 3) Dear Ann - Paul Chambers 4) If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight - Stan Kenton & His Orchestra 5) But Not For Me - Red Garland 6) Candles - Chris Rea 7) Painted Rhythm - Stan Kenton & His Orchestra 8) Badge - Cream 9) Beyond The Sea - Royal Crown Revue 10) Sweet Baby James - James Taylor Posted at 10:36 PM |
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