Listening
Did some practicing today but, mostly listened to music all day/evening. I'm listening to a lot of things that I studied in the past with Marc Copland. Started listening to a T. Monk tune called We See. Repeated listening and singing the melody. I'll "put it on the horn" tomorrow.
Sample of my listening today:
Tom Harrell - Look to The Sky Cd
Studied most of these solos before so I'm
just starting to sing them again. Love
Kenny BArron's playing on this album.
Tom Harrell/Bill Evans
We'll Be Together Again CD
(Again, reviewing a lot of solos)
Bartok for Children
Clark Terry
Havin' Fun CD
Tribute to Strayhorn CD
Singing melodies and bass lines
A number of these tunes I want to start doing on gigs.
Keith Jarrett
Poinciana
Just In Time
All of You
Miles Davis
Round Midnight CD
reviewing a lot of solos (singing)
Miles Davis
Someday My Prince Will Come CD
reviewing solos especially Hank Mobley's on
Old Folks (one of my very favorite solos ever!)
Gary Bartz
My Shining Hour
(Love his vocabulary)
Booker Ervin
The In Between
The first "jazz" lp I ever owned. I love Booker's playing as
much as ever.....reviewing/singing his solos. Also, Richard Williams is
playing great trumpet on this album. One of my favorite players. I remember hearing
him live with Clark Terry when I was in junior high school.
Chet Baker
Once Upon A Summertime CD
Maybe my favorite Chet recording. His solo on A Song Is You is a classic.
Also, I've been a huge fan of Greg Herbert (tenor sax) since first hearing this
recording. Sadly, Herbert died young. It was obvious that he listened to a lot of Trane and Dexter but unlike most of the young cats out of that school, he didn't over play. He really exercised some restraint. Beautiful player....
The Best Thing For You
Some great playing by Chet, Kenny Barron and Paul Desmond
Dexter Gordon
Doin Alright CD
Reviewed/Sang a lot of Dexter's solos and Freddie Hubbard's solos
1955 CD
Singing solos
Coltrane
Stardust Sessions
Love Trane and Wilbur Harden's solos on this album. I mention Wilbur Harden when people ask me my favorite players. Everybody says, "Who?"
Freddie Hubbard
Byrdlike
One of my favorite Freddie recordings.
Kenny Dorham
Quiet Kenny
reviewing/singing solos
Lee Morgan
Memorial Album
This album "rocked my world" around 1978-79
Was really a great day of listening. When I was studying with Copland, I was always learning new solos. Had to walk into the lessons and sing the solos with the recordings. It was a great way to absorb the jazz language. Since living in Japan, I've gotten away from doing some of those things. As a result of doing this blog everyday, I'm feeling the urge to get back to those things that I used to do daily to help creativity.
Showing posts with label dexter gordon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dexter gordon. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 7
Creativity/Projects
Reviewing this issue of Lenswork this morning, I was reminded in the Editor's Comments about the importance of project oriented creating. For example, in the world of photography, Brooks Jensen prefers to already have visualized a project and then go out and go after the photos to make the final project a reality. Of course it's fun to also have days when we doodle, improvise freely, take photos randomly and just kind of float through the day. Jensen's comments were part of a larger article dealing with procrastination in the creative world and offering suggestions how to overcome it.
My first introduction to project oriented music making was when I moved to Washington, D.C. in the early 1980's. I was teaching trumpet lessons at a music store in Fairfax, Va and was around a lot of rock musicians. They were always talking about their projects. Some of them were involved in bands that had never played in public but, had been getting together once a week for 2-3 years. I always thought that sounded like a great idea. In Tokyo, I'm surrounded by "force" in the "jazz world" that seems to push everyone to put together projects that might last 1 day/1 gig (afternoon rehearsal/evening gig).
Interview
Slide Hampton
One of my very favorite improvising musicians. I was at a jam session in Pittsburgh and was amazed at Slide's "storytelling" on the horn. I heard other cats just trying to successfully "make it" through the chord changes. But, Slide was operating on a completely different plane. He was so relaxed, no tension (apparent) in the body. His motivic development was beautiful.
I recommend listening to both parts of this interview. If you can't, definitely listen from 2:11 of part 2. You will be listening to a true "master" speak volumes in 2.5 minutes.
Part 1
Part 2
Charlie Haden/Pat Metheny
Lester Young on Reading Music
Dexter Gordon on Being an "Oddball Artist"
Quotes from Karl Marx
Practicing
Working on Carmine Caruso exercises today. Because of the physical nature of this work-out, I usually do these only 3 times a week. After reading Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery again (it's been a few years since I first went through it), I suddenly noticed a great similarity between some of Werner's "Steps to Change", Caruso's 6-note exercise, Marc Copeland's ear training exercises, tai chi and my chi kung work-out.
Ed Neumeister
Creative Practicing - Practice Creatively, Part I of V
John Grisham on Writing
Reviewing this issue of Lenswork this morning, I was reminded in the Editor's Comments about the importance of project oriented creating. For example, in the world of photography, Brooks Jensen prefers to already have visualized a project and then go out and go after the photos to make the final project a reality. Of course it's fun to also have days when we doodle, improvise freely, take photos randomly and just kind of float through the day. Jensen's comments were part of a larger article dealing with procrastination in the creative world and offering suggestions how to overcome it.
My first introduction to project oriented music making was when I moved to Washington, D.C. in the early 1980's. I was teaching trumpet lessons at a music store in Fairfax, Va and was around a lot of rock musicians. They were always talking about their projects. Some of them were involved in bands that had never played in public but, had been getting together once a week for 2-3 years. I always thought that sounded like a great idea. In Tokyo, I'm surrounded by "force" in the "jazz world" that seems to push everyone to put together projects that might last 1 day/1 gig (afternoon rehearsal/evening gig).
Interview
Slide Hampton
One of my very favorite improvising musicians. I was at a jam session in Pittsburgh and was amazed at Slide's "storytelling" on the horn. I heard other cats just trying to successfully "make it" through the chord changes. But, Slide was operating on a completely different plane. He was so relaxed, no tension (apparent) in the body. His motivic development was beautiful.
I recommend listening to both parts of this interview. If you can't, definitely listen from 2:11 of part 2. You will be listening to a true "master" speak volumes in 2.5 minutes.
Part 1
Part 2
Charlie Haden/Pat Metheny
Lester Young on Reading Music
Dexter Gordon on Being an "Oddball Artist"
Quotes from Karl Marx
Practicing
Working on Carmine Caruso exercises today. Because of the physical nature of this work-out, I usually do these only 3 times a week. After reading Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery again (it's been a few years since I first went through it), I suddenly noticed a great similarity between some of Werner's "Steps to Change", Caruso's 6-note exercise, Marc Copeland's ear training exercises, tai chi and my chi kung work-out.
Ed Neumeister
Creative Practicing - Practice Creatively, Part I of V
John Grisham on Writing
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)