(h/t Jazzfamoose)
Category: Personal
Getting some press
In the past couple of days, I have been extensively quoted, and not quoted all over the internet.
Thoughts on Fred Anderson
There have been many more eloquent tributes to Fred Anderson by people who knew him much better than I did.
I did not know Mr. Anderson very well, but I did have the pleasure (and honor) of performing at his club several times, and hearing him perform a number of times. The first time I heard Fred play, he was with Kidd Jordan, William Parker, and Hamid Drake at the Blue Nile in New Orleans. It was one of those life changing nights. Sometimes we hear a performance that reveals a new path, or lights our way, or simply inspires us deeply, and that was one of those nights for me.
I played at the Velvet Lounge a few times with the Lucky 7s as well as a Chicago version of the Jeff Albert Quartet. Every time I was there Fred spent some portion of the evening listening, and each time offered sincere encouragement for what we were doing. He was an inspiring man in every way.
We should all keep close our memories of his great music and the inspiration he gave so many of us, and pray for comfort for his family and many friends in this time of loss. Many people will dearly miss the man that my friend Hamid called Baba Fred.
Last September, I was in Chicago for the Jazz Fest. I was in the crowd listening to Nicole Mitchell at the Jackson St stage, and Kidd Jordan and Fred Anderson walked up. I said hello, and started a short conversation (asking Kidd why I had to come to Chicago to hear him). As Kidd and I talked, Fred took a couple of steps away from us and turned towards the stage. He wasn’t there to see or be seen, he was there to hear the music.
Questions we all must ask
Kyle Gann takes an honest look at his motivations: http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2010/06/almost_all_is_vanity.html
These are questions that all artists (and scholars) must be willing to ask and answer. It is refreshing to see it done so openly.
the process of creating, and learning
Helen Gillet (Photo by Elsa Hahne, and copped from this article in offBeat)
Cellist Helen Gillet is making a CD with wonderful saxophonist Tim Green, and drummer Doug Garrison, who is one of New Orleans most under-recognized great musicians. There are two ways you can be a part of the making of this CD.
The CD is being recorded as a live studio concert, with an audience. This will be Friday March 5th, at 9 PM at Piety Street Recording Studio in New Orleans. It is like a gig, except your applause will be part of the CD (and your cover/donation/whatever-you-pay-upon-entrance will help fund the thing).
Helen is also using Kickstarter to help raise money to fund the recording. It is a cool concept. Different donation levels get different goodies, including credit on the CD, and one of a kind handmade art from Helen. Check out all the details here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/helengillet/running-of-the-bells-improvised-cello-led-recordi-0
JAQ & the kids (Photo by Jacqui Sandor)
About a week ago, I had the pleasure of taking my quartet to do a clinic/performance at the Saturday Music School, at the University of New Orleans. Ray Moore, Jesse Morrow, Paul Thibodeaux, and I played a few tunes, and talked about improvisation. Then we got about 15 of the students to join us for some abstract improvisation games. We all had a great time, and the young musicians showed no inhibitions about getting up and making sounds. The UNO Saturday Music School has a good group of dedicated instructors, and a fabulous bunch of young people that seem to be very into learning music in an open-minded and diversified way. The future looks bright.
Help the kids swing
My step-son plays trumpet in the jazz band at Fontainblue High School. They have been invited to participate in the Swing Central High School Jazz Band Competition and Workshop that is part of the Savannah Music Festival. Swing Central allows them to work with artist/clinicians like Marcus Roberts, Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Printup and others. As part of their invitation, Wycliffe Gordon is coming to Mandeville to work with the band, and while he is here he will do a public master class and clinic, and a concert with the FHS Jazz band. As part of the concert, he will also play a set as a quartet with Fred Sanders (piano), Roland Guerin (bass), and Troy Davis (drums).
The concert is March 4 and is going to help raise the money the band needs to pay for transportation and lodging on their trip. Besides ticket sales, the band is also seeking individual patrons and corporate sponsors. The estimated cost of the transportation, food and lodging for the trip is $11,000, but the chance for 15-18 year old aspiring musicians to hang out with world class players is priceless.
All of the information is at the band’s website, and I’ll post direct links to the patron form and concert poster below.
If you feel moved to help out, or are in the area and can attend the concert, the students will greatly appreciate your support.
Well You Needn’t, Hamid Drake & Bindu – Reggaeology
Bindu Tour diary – installation 6
Today we arrived in Chiasso, Switzerland. We spent the last two days in Mira Italy, which is near Venice. Mira seems to be less internet friendly, so except for a couple of expensive iPhone email checks I was offline.
We played in a cool small theater in Mira for a concert that was put on by Veneto Jazz. They are very nice people, who treated us very well, and put on a good show.
Sound check in Mira
We arrived in Mira the night before our show, so some of us took some time Friday morning to go to Venice. It was rainy, and the off season, so it wasn’t too crowded. Venice is a trip. It is an odd little confusing city in so many ways. It is also quite fascinating. We stopped in a wine shop as part of Jeb’s continuing search for a very specific grappa, and the shop owner was playing Frank Rosolino on the sound system. We did find S. Marco without too much trouble, and got back in time to catch our train. It was a rainy but fun time in Venice.
Today we drove to Chiasso, and played the last show of the tour at the Chiasso Jazz Festival. It was a pretty electric show. We all had that end of tour energy happening, and it came out in a great way.
The view from our hotel sidewalk in Chiasso
This tour has been a real treat, both musically and personally. This band is a great bunch of people, and they are each top notch, world class musicians as well. The food has been excellent almost all the way around, and Ludmilla (our manager and agent) and Matteo (our driver and man who makes things happen) have been the best.
Tomorrow is a super long travel day to get home, but hopefully my arrival in New Orleans will be accompanied by jubilant cheering Saints fans.
linguine with frutti de mare
Bindu Tour diary – installation 5 – off stage adventures
We returned to Milan yesterday afternoon. Due to an odd confluence of circumstance, we have a couple of nights off, and our management is based in Milan, so it is easiest to stay here. So far that has worked out great.
When we got back to town, Jeb commented that we should see what was playing at La Scala, and maybe catch an opera on one of our two nights here. We soon found out that Ludmilla does some work with La Scala, and pretty soon we had in our hands 5 tickets to see that night’s performance of Don Giovanni. We hopped in a cab and headed to the theater.
The theater itself is an amazing spectacle, even before the performance starts. It was packed full. We were in the last row at the very top of the house. Most of the folks in the second gallery with us seemed to be very into the music. It wasn’t a social event, it was a musical event. The crowd was pretty diverse in terms of age. I would venture to say that half of the people near us were under 50, and I saw at least a dozen teenagers.
The production was quite minimal in terms of sets and costumes. The stage was gray with only three large black movable rectangular dividers as sets. The cast were all clad in either white or black, except for the statue, who was, of course, silver/gray. The musical performances were excellent. I think a good time was had by all.
Today we had a band photo shoot. It was in a photographer’s studio. First we did some shots of the six of us without instruments. That can be a bit awkward, but we survived. As soon as she told us to get out instruments, it turned into something of a jam, so that was great. After the shooting was done, some pizza was delivered to the studio and we ate quickly before heading off to see the Last Supper.
Our hotel is right across the street from the church where Leonardo painted the Last Supper. They only let a few people at a time in to see it, and there are all sorts odd holding containers you have to pass through to get to the room where it is. They take the preservation of the painting very seriously, which is good now, I guess, because one wall and the roof of the building was blown off in World War II. Seeing the painting in its setting is pretty impressive. Leonardo had this amazing way of making the image part of the room, or maybe the room became part of the image.
After the Last Supper, Jeb and I went shopping. He was looking for a specific brand of grappa, and I was looking for gift(s) for my wife. He still hasn’t found the mystery grappa (well, the grappa isn’t a mystery, where to buy that brand of grappa is the mystery). I did find a gift for Jennifer, and when we walked into the store, one of the ladies looked at us and told us she was at our concert on Sunday. Pretty cool.
Bindu Tour diary – installment 4
We had a great gig in Padova last night. The crowd was quite enthusiastic, and demanded 2 encores. They have quite a concert series here, as you can see by the two previous shows.
After the show was another great Italian meal.
The onion gnochi was great.
Today we travel back to Milan, with a night off tonight. Tomorrow is a photo shoot of some sort. I am curious about this.