nlike other modern bowed string players, bassists have to decide between two different bow types (or use both). I grew up hearing them referred to as French or German (also called Butler). I never learned the origin of these names but use them to describe the differences between the natural sounds of the two bows. The French bow...
I don't have a dog in this race but I watch with great interest:
As artists seek to bypass the RIAA/Mafia and turn to the web and self publishing/promoting, interesting things happen. Sites have sprung up to help fledgling artists get their work out to the masses but who benefits? One new site - Bebo - has just been sold to a subsidiary of Time Warner, generating some controversy. I like the reference to "sharecroppers". The ever-wise Burning Bird has this to say. The plot, as usual, thickens.
This Video has been around for a while but I just saw it for the first time. Cellist, composer, and all-around very interesting person Ethan Winer put together a one-man band to beat all. So who was here first - Ethan or Apocalyptica? Really - this cello video made me laugh and want to have some fun doing this myself (just for my own personal enjoyment). Ethan's website is full of useful information for cellists but his server was overloaded with so many people viewing the video so the video link goes to Youtube.
Community Choirs - you gotta love them. The people you see every day on the street, in the grocery, cutting your hair, cleaning your teeth, hauling your trash and fixing your car. They're your neighbors, friends, enemies, distant cousins and the good and bad drivers on the highway during your morning commute. Folks from all walks of life getting together to share their love for music. I love community choirs and I play for them regularly. Usually it's in a small orchestra performing some classical work for choir and orchestra. But last night it was in a trio - piano, bass, drums - performing gospel and jazz. Summer choir - tends to be more on the pop side. Lighter works.
Some video from a recent house concert - jazz. Mahalo Arts ensemble. Usually Doug Largent plays with this group but he was out of town so Alison asked me to join them. Thanks Alison!
It's late notice and, sadly, I can not make this myself but I highly recommend the Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle concert tonight at Duke. 7:30 PM at Reynolds Theater in the Bryan Center. A preview article here.
Earlier this year I recorded the Bach Motets with the Bach Sinfonia, a period instrument group based in the DC area. I played the continuo part on the violone along with the organist. Dorian Records is putting out the CD this month (I have my copy!) on the Sono Luminus label and they have recently released some video of the recording session with a very interesting interview with the conductor, Daniel Abraham. The video is on Youtube and I've embedded them here, also (it's in three parts).
It's been happening more and more and it's really getting on my nerves. You're at a concert in Duke Chapel listening to delicately written music from the 15th century being sung by women with heavenly voices. Just as they reach a delicious dissonance and the tones are suspended in air, the audience collectively holds it's breath waiting for the resolution and cli-ick! comes the loud shutter of the camera shattering the fragile, shimmering harmonics.
Why, with all our modern technology, we can't have cameras with silent shutter mechanisms is beyond me. And it seems to be the flashy digital SLR's with their enormous lenses that are the noisiest - even noisier than my old Nikkormat. They seem to be saying "look at me, I've got the latest and greatest!".
Until the idiots behind these cameras at least learn to hold their shots until the loudest part of the music, or better yet, use something quiet, they should be banned from any musical event. They're even a nuisance at outdoor folk music events and the like.
This particular instance (and he took many pictures during the most delicate parts of the performance) was at the Women's Voices concert in Duke Chapel last night.
Basso in Concert Barbara Blaker Krumdieck ~ Baroque Cello Robbie Link ~ Baroque Cello, Viola da Gamba, Violone John O’Brien ~ Harpsichord, Violin, Flute
Chamber music by Bach, Ortiz, Gabrieli, Vitali et al
Two Performances:
The Music House 408 West 5th St., Greenville, NC Admission Free but Reservation Required Reservations: (252) 328-4137 Saturday April 18, 2009 7:00 pm
Harmony Hall 109 E King St., Kinston, NC Sunday April 19, 2009 2:30 pm
My monthly jazz outing, playing with my favorite guitarist, Bernie Petteway, and the Triangle's most tasteful drummer, Ed Butler, down at the Pittsboro General Store Cafe 7:00 - 9:00.
We've also got a house concert coming up. See the notes in the listing for details. Hope to see you at one or both events!
The Trio will be in Pittsboro this Thursday (Nov. 6th) at the General Store Cafe. It will be our last show of the year so come on out. In case you've never seen or heard us we have some video on Youtube now you can check out.
Someone just gave me this recording of a project I organized at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro many years ago. Here's one of the tunes we did with 4 basses, percussion and flute. Probably more bass playing than a person would want to hear but it's fun.
The always amazing Bobby McFerrin was at Duke last week. This was the second time I'd seen/heard him in concert. The first time must have been at least 15 years ago and I was so stunned by what seemed to me at the time to be just plain too much talent that I don't think I saw him as a human being at all. Over the years, hearing him on the radio with Yo Yo Ma and Chick Corea and his solo work I've gotten more used to the idea that a being from this planet can do all that he does and even have a great sense of humor. It was brought even more down to earth at Duke when after some beautiful solo pieces he called up the newly formed Durham Children's Choir (directed by Scott Hill) for a couple of pieces of theirs (he joined in) and then he got up and directed them in a kind of call and response of "Bobby sounds". They so quickly, naturally, and enthusiastically performed this totally spontaneous piece he directed them in that I realized that his immense talent is natural and human and that any one of these kids could be the next Bobby McFerrin. The concert was fun, heartwarming, and full of surprises. Plus the music was great. His website is a lot of fun, too. Check it out.
It's a cello Friday and the music of the Scots. I'll be playing this evening with fiddler Mara Shea who is quickly becoming one of my favorite music partners. I'm not a big fan of Scottish fiddle music but it's one of Mara's specialties and we've played for a few dances together. It'll be fun and I'm learning to love the music. Mara's great at it and it's a treat just to be able to hear her. It's just a short program outdoors around the campfire (if it doesn't rain, otherwise indoors) so bring your bug repellent or have that big garlic dinner you've been wanting. 7:00 - 8:00 PM at the Durant Nature Park. Here's a Google Map link.
In addition to his solo performance at Duke on Thursday night next week, bassist Edgar Meyer will be giving a strings masterclass/performance in the Nelson Music Room Wednesday at 5:00 (that event is free!) and will also give a
Two events last weekend by organizations that I've been involved with for a very long time reminded me of the importance of dedicated teachers in the arts. The Duke University Pre-Collegiate String School (or DUSS), founded by Dorothy Kitchen, celebrated it's 40th anniversary Saturday. I've had the privilege of working with Dorothy for almost 25 years now and have witnessed her transform/mold/empower/encourage the lives of so many young people.
I'm not talking about "listening to your inner bark" here (although perhaps some of the same listening techniques could be employed). I'm talking about what I've previously referred to as "the notes that nobody else wanted" or "those messy inner parts". Think second violin or second soprano. Altos and violas. As an "outer voice" player (bass line and/or melody) I never really had to deal much with the stuff in the middle. It's sometimes nice to listen to, it occasionally adds spice or life to the music, but I've never really paid it much attention. This past weekend I had the challenge of playing tenor viol (an instrument I've performed on exactly once before), reading my least favorite clef (alto), and playing 2nd and 3rd parts (really inner voices) in works by 16th/17th century composers John Bennet, John Bull, Orlando Gibbons, and Anthony Holborne. The event was part of the Centenary United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia Classics music series conducted by Stan Baker.
After getting over the usual "what clef is this?" "what instrument is this?" confusion I settled into trying to wrap my mind around these cast off notes. That's really what they seemed like at first. The notes nobody else wanted. In music of this period there are not a lot of parallel harmonies. A part that follows the melody a third away I can hear. No - these parts seem to occupy their own little space in the universe - a place I've never been before. I kept trying to play the notes I THOUGHT should be there but my intuition was almost always wrong. Much of the time I was doubling singers but I found that I had trouble hearing the singer I was doubling because my ear kept going to the person singing the bass or lowest part - or the person singing the highest part. This gave me new appreciation of those people who play and sing the middle parts as part of their daily lives - second violinists and violists - what a different way to hear the music - from the inside out! It does truly take listening deeper to appreciate these parts.
By concert time I was finally able to hear my way around the music - I finally found my partners in the chorus and began to hear the odd but beautiful melodies that made up these middle parts. To hear only the outer voices is like a skeleton with a beautiful face - no substance, no body. I will make a point of listening for those juicy inner parts in the future.
I should add that I did get to play some "outer voices". The program ended with the Handel Jubilate for the Peace of Utrecht. I played violone - the Duff Dawg , built by John Pringle and on generous loan from Duff (thanks!!!). Mr. Handel really knew how to write a bass line and bassists of all types and inclinations would do well to study his lines many of which could stand alone as melodies.
Last year was a good year for continuo playing. This year promises to be even better. "Getting in the groove" is a concept that goes back to the beginning of musical time. Whether it's a bunch of guys in animal skins banging rocks together or a modern jazz trio or a guy scratching on a turntable or tuxedo clad musicians playing Bach it doesn't matter. We're all doing the same thing - keeping time. It doesn't have to be a march time beat. It can ebb and flow. The groove is round like a record or it's a line from here to infinity or it's the path of a snake in the sand. The main thing is - we're doing it together.
It used to be the continuo section would have Brent Wissick playing cello. The cellist and the bassist are almost always playing exactly the same thing an octave apart. The bassist shadows the cellist who is the leader and effectively the leader of the entire ensemble (even if the conductor thinks he/she is the leader). The melodies and harmonies ride on top of the continuo line the way a jazz soloist rides on top of the rhythm section. If the line falters, the whole ensemble falls. The bassist and cellist have to be of the same mind. Intonation, timing, articulation. There are so many shapes the line can take - some are dictated by the lyrics or the melody, but often it's just a matter of style and preference. Playing with Brent for many years we almost never had to talk about these things - it just happened. We were of the same mind. It made playing with other players feel tedious.
Those were the years of the Society for Performance on Original Instruments which later became Ensemble Courant which is now at best plays only one or two concerts a year. Brent and I rarely play but like old lovers meeting again we never have to speak of mundane details when we play together. Still of the same mind.
In more recent years I've been "holding the line" with Barbara Blaker Krumdieck, who can be heard this weekend with the baroque ensemble Pomodoro. When we met at our first rehearsal together a few years ago we were both eyeing each other suspiciously as the person who had the greatest potential for making the weekend a miserable one. Happily we clicked from the first note and the line snaked onward and we have been playing together in many ensembles since. Our next performance together is February 17th with the Aurora Baroque Ensemble although we'll be in a different configuration this time - taking turns playing continuo for each other and for the rest of the ensemble. Barbara on baroque cello and me on the new bass viol. Barbara has put together many wonderful ensembles and programs and I have been very fortunate to be a part of some of them. Watch for Wild Rose Ensemble, Ensemble Serendipity, Aurora Baroque with the great violinist David Wilson, and occasionally I even get to perform with Ensemble Vermillian.
Lastly, dear friend of 25 years Virginia Hudson and I have finally been getting to hold the line together. We've played in many ensembles over the years but only recently have been doing continuo together and I can say that a solid friendship really helps. The give and take and close listening required come much easier if you're accustomed to doing that in real life. Virginia took over principle cellist duties in the ensemble for the annual performance of the Messiah in Duke Chapel and we've been getting other opportunities to play as well.
My sister sent this recently. When my parents split up when we were younger many family memorabilia "disappeared". Lately things have been "reappearing". I thought this was forever lost. This was one of three nights playing at Carnegie with a stellar list of soloists.
It's not quite "put the music under your pillow and you'll learn it while you sleep" but an interesting study on passive learning. You don't actually have to be physically practicing your music to continue learning it. Article from Wired Magazine
Come to Panzanella Restaurant in Carrboro, NC on Monday, Sept. 26th from 6:00 - 9:30 PM. I'll be playing with the Bernie Petteway Jazz Trio, Charles Pettee and friends will be there and other great music, too. They have great food and all proceeds go to hurricane relief efforts.
Durham based Killer Sheep win the prize. Unfortunately they are not the first to use that name but it's a good one. Apparently no website yet but the link is to a Facebook event they posted.
Just finished recording my tracks for the new CD to benefit the Farm Labor Organizing Committee. Should be out by the end of September - hopefully in time for the Woody Guthrie Tribute at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA on October 5th.
It's dawning on me why this is so hard. I mean, I used to love to write - journals, poetry, long letters, music. It's the tools that get in the way. Writing with pen and paper makes it easy to express subtle meanings - the shape and size of the script, extra strokes that add meaning. Many of these things are unconscious and maybe even reveal too much. But I'm fascinated with the possiblities of writing on the web and love looking at all the creative ways people use to get beyond mere typed text. Links and pictures and even music make it easy to go beyond the words. I especially love the hyperlinks that become more like additional information included in a footnote or in parentheses. Some posts contain so much extra optional information it's easy to get lost in an endless series of links but it's fun, too, like following random trails through the woods. Oh, let's see where this one goes. But the tools aren't under my fingers and that's where things go wrong. I get bogged down in trying to do something simple like add a link or make something bold or italic and can't even think about even more expressive tools and then I lose that train of thought - the flow. Yes, I'm still waiting for the day when there will be a direct hook-up to my brain and the music I hear will appear on the screen for some final touchup editing and the words that I think will instantly appear without the filter of my fumbling fingers. Sigh - not in this lifetime. So in my 50's I continue to struggle to be able to just get a few things happening without too much thought and calculation and let the ideas flow. In my whole life I've only had two pieces of music come to me whole and complete enough to be able to hold onto them long enough to transcibe. Everything else is like vapor. I enjoy it while it's here but it's so quickly gone. Still beats listening to the radio, though. Speaking of the radio - well - I am listening to a sort of radio at the moment. One of the random plays at Magnatune brought me to this artist: Shira Kammen. Check out Music of Waters.
"An excess of talent on stage" were the words ringing in my head (or was that my ears ringing?) as I left the concert at Page Auditorium, Duke University last night. Made me want to put together a lecture for my students on the importance of not letting your talents get in the way of the music. Pat Metheny, standing inside a ring of amplifiers, is clearly a man in love with his sound. And he makes wonderful sounds and so many of them. His technique is awesome and even overwhelming. And his volume is - well - high. After being totally amazed by his sheer talent for the first few tunes I was ready to sit back and close my eyes and just enjoy some good music but it almost never got to that point. There were some golden moments but this concert was mostly about Pat, loud and clear. Bassist Christian McBride is a powerful and very musical player but most of what he played was drowned out by the guitar sound. His first solos of the evening were very lyrical but as the volume increased during the evening he appeared to adapt the classic bassist "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude and cranked out impressive "power" solos - overwhelming in their virtuosity but lacking subtlety. His look late in the evening pretty much said "I know I'm doing my job here and doing it well. Too bad no one can hear me." Drummer Antonio Sanchez is the perfect match for Metheny - a "wall of sound" drummer. He was a joy to watch and hear - a person who has just the right sound and complex rhythm for every occasion. I often wished for more space in his accompaniments though there was only one tune where that would have been appropriate - a ballad where he kept up constant cymbal rolls throughout. Just a little space would have been nice. But his were the finest solos of the evening - much drama, humor, dynamics, and incredible phrasing on top of highly virtuostic playing. The drum solos were also where some of the most interesting ensemble playing came in. Metheny and McBride punctuated the drum solos with subtle but complex lines and punches that really highlighted the group's tightness and made it more like chamber music. Tenor saxophonist David Sanchez joined the group late in the evening and his first piece - a duet with Metheny that sounded like a Jobim tune - was the most beautiful moment of the whole evening. This was the sparseness and beauty and soulfulness I had been wanting to hear all night. Metheny's playing was more like his playing with bassist Charlie Haden on Beyond The Missouri Sky and David Sanchez had that same simple, lyrical, and heart wrenching approach that Haden has. It was a bittersweet moment and got me through the rest of the evening which was basically "lets crank up the guitar!!!".
Three exciting performances this weekend. Friday night at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Durham come hear two of my favorite vocalists in recital. I'll be playing viola da gamba and baroque cello with Kristen Blackman and Erica Dunkle along with Scott Hill on harpsichord, John Orluk - lute, Sarah Griffin - violin, and Jane Lynch - organ.
Erica and Kristen are well known for their solo work with several of Rodney Wynkoop's fine choral groups and are presenting this recital of works by Bach, Purcell, Monteverdi, Schutz, Dowland, and a beautiful new work by a composer friend of theirs - Paul Leary. The acoustics at First Presby are perfect for this music - it's a wonderful room and we're so lucky that the church is supportive of having concerts there. The recital is free and open to the public. 8:00 pm Friday the 23rd.
Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon I'll be playing bass, cello, and bouzouki with Jim Crew and John Hanks accompanying the spectacular tap dancing of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble. If you've never seen these young people dance - well - you really need to come out and see and hear them. VERY fine group of young people that I have been working with for many years now. Carolina Theater in downtown Durham.
For more details click on the calendar listings on the right.
I've had the privilege of sharing the stage with many wonderful and famous musicians over the years - from Isaac Stern and Jean Pierre Rampal to Margaret Whiting and Patti Page to Tal Farlow and Charlie Byrd. But on October 5th I got to perform with one of America's greatest living legends - Pete Seeger. At 87 years old Pete is as powerful as ever and the sold out crowd at the Birchmere was all ears and appreciation for Pete and all the rest of the musicians performing the Woody Guthrie Tribute.
Pete told some wonderful stories about his times with Woody and though his voice was a bit wispy at the beginning of the show he was booming by the end. The man loves to talk about the state of things and is a convincing communicator. He's also wonderful to look at. He still looks great and is always photogenic. With his Clearwater cap and banjo slung over his shoulder, jeans and work shirt he looks much as did when I last saw him over 30 years ago. His singing is clear and, of course, the audience needs very little encouragement to sing along with him. His banjo playing is as sparse and elegant as ever.
There were many fine musicians on the program and we all played together and in various combinations. I was there with Baldemar Velasquez and Jesse Ponce representing FLOC. I'm playing on their new CD which should be out soon - all sales go to support FLOC's work. The show was MC'd by Cathy Fink who, with Marcy Marxer, introduced us to some of Woody's wonderful children's songs. Woody's grandaughter, Sarah Lee Guthrie and her partner Johnny Irion were the charming duo of the evening - beautiful singing and playing. The program was organized by Joe Uehlein and his band The U-Liners provided some kick-ass playing for the evening. Watch out for their young, hot guitarist Avril Smith - she'll be making waves soon.
The Birchmere is a wonderful place to play. They take good care of the musicians and it's smoke-free and people go to listen to the music instead of socialize (signs on the tables request that you not talk during the performance).
All in all it was one of the most uplifting concerts I've been involved with for a long time.
I have been thinking about this very idea for the last month or so. Not that it's an original idea. Classical musicians have taken to the bars (for music making!) all along. Cellist Matt Haimovitz made headlines for taking Bach into bars a few years ago. I heard him in Greensboro playing solo cello under a disco ball in a packed bar. I've been thinking lately about making the rounds (pun alert) with Baroque instruments. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, check out this Guardian article about the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's "Pub Crawl".
PS - Matt Haimovitz's website has a nice streaming music player - you can listen to his recordings non-stop!
The RIAA is having a field day. New "royalties" are going to be imposed on internet radio broadcasting that will pretty much wipe out most stations and greatly reduce the diversity of music you can hear on the web. It isn't enough that payola is alive and well (albeit in a more "legal" form) in commercial radio greatly limiting who and what you get to hear on the airwaves. Now the RIAA has lobbied for and won exorbitant fees to be charged to Internet radio broadcasts that are way above what traditional broadcasting has to pay.
The changes will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2006 so if they take effect they will bankrupt the many small internet radio stations that promote artists and serve listeners with diverse musical offerings. Please sign this petition NOW!
Check out my latest favorite Internet Radio which takes some of your musical preferences and generates a "station" that will introduce you to music you've never heard - much of which you will love (and some you will hate - but it's worth it!)
I'm intrigued by search engines and what people search for on the internet and, in particular, how people arrive at my sites. I recently moved this site to a new server and totally restructured the content and did not put up a lot of the content I had at the old site so in monitoring the error logs to make sure everything was running well I would see all the "file not found" errors that people were getting because the search engines still had old content listed that was not on the new site or was in a different location. A month ago I started getting a huge number of hits from people who had searched for "mom's videos". I used to have a very silly little video we made at my mother's birthday party up at the old site. It was called "Mom's Video" One week I had over 300 file-not-found errors for that file. They came from all over the world. Curious to see why that was such a popular search term I ran the search myself and - well - it turns out the "mom's videos" is a popular keyword for pron sites (you know what I mean). Sigh.
OK - well, I'm getting less hits for that though there are still a few but the next most popular one is "Wild Horses". I used to have up a live recording of our jazz group - the Bernie Petteway Trio - playing the popular Stones tune - "Wild Horses" and it seems like this one is legit. Folks from all over the world are searching for mp3's of that song (oh, probably not our specific version of it....). It seems to be especially popular in India. So, back by popular demand is the Bernie Petteway Trio (Bernie Petteway - guitar, Ed Butler - drums, Robbie Link - bass) playing Wild Horses. (oh, yeah, we'll be at the Pittsboro General Store Cafe Thurday Aug. 3rd)
This event is going to be really fine. I have not heard the rest of the program but the Ralph Vaughan Williams "Serenade to Music" is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. If tonight's rehearsal was any indication, it will also be one of the most beautiful performances of it. On a totally different note please come hear my favorite jazz guitarist - Bernie Petteway, and the always sensitive and tasteful, and at the same time powerful drummer - Ed Butler and myself perform at Duke Gardens. The location is behind the new Doris Duke Center off of Anderson St. We'll be on the terrace out back unless it rains in which case we'll be inside. This is part of the Summer Music Festival at Duke Starts at 7:30
Singing for Snorers was featured on NPR this morning. Oh, the muscles we never think about exercising and the unforseen consequences of a flabby soft palate. This makes sense and the exercises would probably be helpful for anyone who has to do a lot of speaking, too. I see more employment for voice teachers. So if your spouse suggests that your shower performance could use a little tweaking and buys you some voice lessons there may be an ulterior motive.
update:
Singing for Snorers says: August 8th, 2005 at 5:36 pm
Hi there, I’m Alise Ojay the person who created “Singing for Snorers”. I found this link because people have been coming to my website from here. I just want to correct the sound you’ve all been singing! What I sang on NPR was “uNg-gah” (not “umgah”)- that “Ung” sound gets the soft palate right down onto the back of the tongue before the “gah” sound lifts it up, maximising the movement of the soft palate up and down. Cheers.
Brother Yusuf was the person responsible for me coming to this area in the early 80's. He brought me into the jazz community here and saw that I got good work. I had the honor of playing with him for several years along with Bus Brown, Eve Cornelius, Al Neece, Ray Codrington, Steve Wing, and many others. His greatest contribution to the community was in his bringing together people of all races and religious beliefs through his spirited music. Everyone was his brother or sister - even those that started out hating him for his race or religion. He overcame all with love and grace. All hatred, all bigotry, all intolerance melted in his beaming, joyful presence. He was a damn good jazz pianist, too, and brought up more musicians than any univeristy professor could ever lay claim to. Patience, love, encouragement, joy. Peace and love to you, Brother Yu!
Someone emailed me this a couple of years ago - doing mailbox cleaning today since I'm officially "not here". Thought I'd post it. If you know the origin let me know. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you are new to Blues music, or like it but never really understood the why and wherefores, here are some very fundamental rules:
1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this morning..."
2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."
3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes - sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weigh 500 pound."
4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch...ain't no way out.
5. Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.
6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.
7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or anywhere in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle is probably just clinical depression. Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and Nawlins are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get rain.
8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the Blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chomping on it is.
9. You can't have no Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.
10. Good places for the Blues (a) highway (b) jailhouse (c) empty bed (d) bottom of a whiskey glass.
11. Bad places for the Blues (a) Nordstrom's (b) gallery openings (c) Ivy League institutions (d) golf courses.
12. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, 'less you happen to be an old person, and you slept in it.
13. Do you have the right to sing the Blues? Yes, if: (a) you're older than dirt (b) you're blind (c) you shot a man in Memphis (d) you can't be satisfied No, if: (a) you have all your teeth (b) you once were blind but now can see (c) the man in Memphis lived (d) you have a 401K or trust fund
14. Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the Blues. Sonny Liston could have. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the Blues.
15. If you ask for water and your darlin' gives you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are: (a) cheap wine (b) whiskey or bourbon (c) muddy water (d) black coffee The following are NOT Blues beverages: (a) Perrier (b) Chardonnay (c) Snapple (d) Slim Fast
16. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So are the electric chair, substance abuse and dying lonely on a broken-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.
17. Some Blues names for women: (a) Sadie (b) Big Mama (c) Bessie (d) Fat River Dumpling
18. Some Blues names for men: (a) Joe (b) Willie (c) Little Willie (d) Big Willie
19. Persons with names like Michelle, Amber, Jennifer, Debbie, and Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.
20. Blues Name Starter Kit: (a) name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, etc.) (b) first name (see above) plus name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Peach, etc.) (c) last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.) For example: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Pegleg Lime Johnson or Cripple Peach Fillmore, etc.
21. I don't care how tragic your life is: if you own a computer, you cannot sing the blues, period. Sorry.
As a bassist I spend most of my musical life as an accompanist. It's a special skill and one I quite enjoy - doing everything I can to make other musicians sound good. In a jazz setting I frequently get to "solo" - to improvise melodies while others accompany me - but most of the time it's laying down the harmonic foundation and playing with the right nuance and subtlety to allow the "real" soloists (vocalists, violinists, saxophonists, etc.) to shine through. It has been said that every bassist is a closet cellist - that instrument that imitates the sound and range of the human voice more than any other. And it is true, I have....
It's a running joke/sad truth amongst musicians about the shows where the band outnumbers the audience. I've been there. It doesn't matter if it's an eighty piece orchestra with fifty people in the audience or a quintet with an audience of three. It feels bad either way. But it can be good. I played in Dana Auditorium in Greensboro, NC, once. It's a large concert hall. There were four of us. Well - the audience did outnumber the band but not by much - I think there were 15 of them. We put chairs on stage so they would be right up next to us and it was great - like a living room concert. I think they even had a sofa up there that was a prop for some theater piece. The audience loved the intimacy and we got to play acoustically just like playing at home.
But it's never happened before to me that simply not one person showed up for the gig until last Tuesday in Rocky Mount, NC. The Imperial Centre is Rocky Mount's new arts and science complex. It was built with FEMA money (Rocky Mount was badly flooded during huricane Floyd) and private donations. It's a beautiful performance space - looks like it seats around 800. Nice facilities, good acoustics. I believe it opened early this year and they've had some theater productions in there. According to the tech guy ours was the first music performance in the new space. I was playing bass with the David D. Trio - David DiGiuseppe on accordion, and Beverly Botsford, percussion. Sound check went quickly and well - excellent staff there at the Imperial (that name really bothers me, though). It seemed that there had been no advance ticket sales and I jokingly suggested we round up some folding chairs to put on stage in case we only had 10 listeners. But by showtime it was clear that it was no joke - not one person had shown up. Our host assured us we would have "a small audience" and by 8:15 a group of 12 people walked in and we scoured the dressing rooms for folding chairs. Our audiece was a tap dance class that had been meeting in another part of the complex and been drafted to be our audience. They were augmented by a few staff members dragged out of their offices.
This story could have had a sad ending - us packing up and driving home without playing a note but I think I enjoyed it even more than if we'd had a crowd of hundreds. Our new friends were ecstatic with the music they had no idea they were going to be hearing. They got to ask questions during the performance, we were much more relaxed than we would have been playing across the void between stage and rows of plush seats, and a very good time was had by all.
And in the great tradition of bureaucratic organizations - the check is in the mail......
I love choirs. My earliest (enjoyable) musical memories are of singing in elementary school choir. Of course, I was a soprano then and got to sing the melody. Then there were years of no singing at all but in high school I happened to walk by the choir room as they were rehearsing "O Magnum Mysterium" (Victoria) and I was hooked. I gave up my lunch hour to sing second bass parts with buddy Steve Russell.
These days I mostly accompany choirs and we have such fine mixed choirs in the Triangle. But the sound that moves me the most is that of the unmixed choirs - all men, or all women - equally potent. This Saturday the Women's Voices Chorus performs. I'll be joining them on a few tunes playing bass as they celebrate dance. There will even be some dancers. John Hanks will play percussion.
Women's Voices Chorus has been around since the early 90's - founded by Mary Lycan. I've played with them many times over the years and they've had their ups and downs but tonight at rehearsal sitting in the middle of the ensemble I got goose bumps the singing was so beautiful. Rich, expressive, wonderfully in tune and oh, those altos! There is nothing like the sound of a women's chorus. Cheerfully and artfully directed by Allan Friedman - yeah, a guy - but I can tell they love him. Should be a very pleasing concert - please come.
Saturday, May 2, 2:00 pm - Chapel Hill Bible Church
I've been playing music with guitarist Bernie Petteway on and off for many years. We had a quartet, The Wasabi Brothers, for several years playing electric/eclectic jazz-sort-of. For the last few years we've been playing sporadically with drummer Ed Butler as the Bernie Petteway Trio.
I'm reluctant to call this a "jazz trio" though we do play jazz. It's more than that so let's just say we're an "improvising ensemble" using a wide array of material from the jazz, popular, and folk traditions as a spring board. This is a fun ensemble to play with and while we tend to draw out of the same pool of tunes from one performance to the next, everything that happens is pretty spontaneous. We play well together.
You can hear us almost every 1st Thursday of the month at the General Store Cafe in downtown Pittsboro, NC - just off the traffic circle. The food there is great and there are wonderful crafts scattered around the restaurant making it a very interesting place visually.
We'll be there this coming Thursday, February 1st, at 8:00 PM for 2 hours of good music for our friends. Hope you'll come!
UPDATE: Gig canceled due to bad weather. The General Store Cafe will be closed tonight.
UPDATE 2: - In March we'll be performing on the 15th, not the 1st.
So little time - so much to do. Just wanted to write about a things things from the weekend. Except that the weekend referred to here was several weekends ago - like maybe even over a month. I had wanted to write about the Trio Medieval concert at Duke Chapel while it was fresh in my mind and ears but so much has happened including 3 days at Merlefest (more about that later!) and I think all the bluegrass purged my mind of everything else. I do remember that hypnotic feeling of hearing these three beautiful voices in the chapel. There is not much music that works well in that room but the echoes made their three separate voices into something almost unhuman but totally soothing and beautiful. From where we sat fairly close to the front I could not tell which sound was coming from which body at any time they blended so well. I also remember the young woman sitting behind us who fidgeted with her very noisy jewelry the entire first half. At the intermission she exclaimed "I'm so bored!" and I realized she was probably a student there on class assignment. It always amazes me that many people don't know how to listen to music - that the stiller you sit and the deeper you listen the more you hear and it is all so interesting. My favorite moments where when the three voices clearly sounded like four - sometimes the fourth voice was higher than the others and sometimes it was almost a bass voice. Anyway - weeks later that's my brief music report....
This item is old - I believe from 1977. It's a spoof commercial originally made by Robert Conrad. More info on the original post can be found here. So take a listen - it's dated but funny.
Went to a wonderful - well, mostly wonderful - concert featuring Master Scottish Fiddler Alasdair Fraser and Juilliard cellist Natalie Haas. They were a perfect duo so clearly tuned in to each other. Great energy! And Natalie has got the Darol Anger "chops" thing down to a science. Who needs a percussionist? I'm still trying to figure out how to do it on cello but no luck yet. I say it was "mostly" a wonderful concert but there was way more Scottish dancing by some local groups than a person should have to sit through. I mean, it was all very nice but it seems that there are only 4 or 5 shapes a body can make in traditional Scottish dancing - kind of a limited repertoire. It all starts to look the same after a while. The only good thing I can say about it is that they spend at least 50 percent of the time up in the air which I find pretty amazing. The Cape Breton dancers, on the other hand, seem to improvise like jazz tappers or at least they've got a larger repertoire to pick from. Anyway - I highly recommend hearing Natalie and Alasdair. Here's their duo CD: Fire and Grace CD
The new Pringle bass viol will be making her debut at the Horace Williams house on Sunday at 3:00. She's pretty cute as you can see here, though a bit chubby-cheeked.
I'm always amazed by the violinists who break a string at a rehearsal or concert and they don't have an extra one in their case. What were they thinking? You never broke a string before? Just came across this article which is more geared toward folks playing electric instruments but it's a good starting place for thinking about what you should have handy. Essential Items for the Gigging Bassist: A Gig Survival Checklist.
and David Sanchez had that same simple, lyrical, and heart wrenching approach that Haden has. It was a bittersweet moment and got me through the rest of the evening which was basically "lets crank up the guitar!!!".
