As with all good things coming to an end so must this summer of 2008. I had many plans for my three months of respite from grad school studies, and happily none of them came to fruition! This is said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but also with the newly-gleaned sense that my plan may not necessarily be the right plan.

Instead of practicing and transcribing as much as I had hoped, several opportunities arose that actually create the reason and then the reward for practicing: performance. Below, I'll briefly describe some projects that I had a chance to work in this summer...

The R & B Free Jazz Gospel Supreme 80 recorded an album in July. The entire recording was done on tape and I do believe it's going to sound great. Gene V. Baker writes all of the band's material, and with almost 15 people in the band, this is no small task! Organized chaos which somehow produces provocative grooves, explosive solos and hummable melodies, could be one way to describe the music he writes. It is a very fun and creative group of people who make up this band and I know that this sometimes hidden element of a band's personality, will be "hearable" on the recording.

It was a beautiful thing to see 1 1/2 tape rolling through and around its reels; I am so glad that this so-called "old" technology is making a comeback. Engineers that know how to cut and splice are a rare breed, and while I have a great deal of respect for the folks that are wizards at manipulating and creating in digital environs, I am in awe of people who can work in both the analog and digital realms. I think being able to use both would be quite powerful and simply serve to enhance each technology.

In any event, I will be blogging more about this as-yet untitled album and will let folks know about its release date.

Big Bands, Big Bands and more Big Bands...

After leaving Colorado, I didn't think that any other place could have as many big bands as that state seemed to have. This summer I have learned that northern California is its equal if not superior in that department! I subbed in half a dozen big bands this summer and two really grabbed my attention. One, in Lafayette, is helmed by Frank Como, a wonderful guitarist who also happened to be Lionel Hampton's arranger for almost 25 years. The charts that Frank writes and arranges are simply beautiful gems for big band. All the players in his band are highly accomplished musicians who perform throughout the Bay Area. I very much wish that this band, while rehearsing once a week, had a public venue to perform in as it is a very special group. Such a group is truly a treasure to have in any community and it really should be heard by more people.

The other big band plays once a week in Alameda at the Harbor Bay Club. Known as Soundwave, this band is led by Stan Kenton arranger Bob Enos, and indeed the band lives up to its name. Bob has about 1600 charts in his book, all of which he has composed or arranged for this band. His book also includes some Kenton favorites such as "Artistry in Rhythm" and "Minor Booze." This group very much recalls the Kenton-era in terms of its style; the trumpet section is featured often and in their upper range and the trombone section sits two (2) bass bones. Bob has admitted that, despite having purchased his own mellophones, he can't seem to attract players to play them and also has some french horn parts that will remain silent until he finds a couple of brave hornists to come in. In my mind, the band sounds fantastic without the additional brass (is this a saxophonist's bias coming through?).

Bob's band is also unique in that one of the most famous jazz dj's on the planet plays second tenor, Mr. Bob Parlocha. And on lead alto we have the amazing altoist from NYC, Pete Yellin. It's really a treat to hear Pete solo and to hear Bob Parlocha play as well. The trumpet and trombone sections also feature wonderful soloists. I am very pleased to mention that I'll be taking on the 2nd alto chair and will happily get to hear both of these men, and all the other great players in this band, regularly now.

Lastly, on big bands, I want to mention that beginning in the Fall, I will be taking over lead alto duties in the Montclair Women's Big Band. They have just returned from a successful performance at Lincoln Center and the leader, Ellen Seeling, is gearing the band up for its new season. I'm very excited about playing with this band and about getting to hear players like Kasey Knudsen, Jean Fineberg, Allison Miller, Tami Hall, Mad Duran, Jan Martinelli and Vicki Randall play, to name a few of the wonderful musicians in that band. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I take playing lead very seriously and enjoy playing this chair tremendously. I very much look forward to working in the section, in the band and to swinging hard! I'll be sure to post where we are performing...

As I head back to my second year of grad school, all that I can say is, this summer sure went by quickly...