Cage on tour

I haven’t written since “finishing” the 365 Days of Performance. Mostly I’ve been finishing the last semester, starting a new summer term, and this week, traveling with Alarm Will Sound. On this particular tour, Nigel Maister and others piece together John Cage’s “Song Books” from a series of smaller individual pieces. The resultant work is almost a mosaic of live performances including everyday objects, video, lighting, sound, and action.

Although it is meant as a piece of music, it feels more like a theater work, and even has aspects of audience participation brought social media. (you can follow us on twitter @cagesongbooks). Cage explores the idea that if music is a series of predetermined sounds, created by predetermined actions, then predetermined actions are inherently the source of the predetermined sounds. The sounds are often arbitrary and recognizable, but in the context of order, these same sounds can be considered “music,” and therefore artistic, purely because they were produced through specific instruction and can be reproduced faithfully. The most banal example is the direction to chop an onion, or take a nap (when I perform this, my snoring is considered music!)

This show has been one of AWS’s most complex to produce. Merely transporting and acquiring the right prop is tedious but essential. I give a lot of credit to Jason Varvaro and the other production staff foraging it possible. This has been a pure work of art in itself!

The tour has certainly been fun, for me at least. As I write this, though, our sound design/trumpet player Jason Price is suffering with food poisoning. He’s been overworked already, for sure, and this is not going to make his job easier. Good luck buddy!

Although Amsterdam is a truly beautiful city, I had the most fun in Cork, Ireland listening to all the local Irish traditional
music. I was so inspired, I brought back three books on the subject! I’d like trying try to play these on the bass, but I’m definitely going to pick up a violin and learn them on that instrument too. This is totally different music than jazz, but the way musicians gathered around a table reminded me of a jazz session. Also, when they get going, the music has a serious groove. I gravitated towards this stuff immediately!

Looking forward to being home soon. Here’s a pic of Cork from Auldley Place and a tall ship I toured at the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam:

Day 367 Epic Fail

Well, I’ve made it to 365 days, but with a huge fail in the end.  However, it’s only a fail in keeping track of the gigs I’ve done in the last month.  In actuality, I’ve been too busy performing to write!  This is a lame excuse, I know, but my goal of performing every day for a year sort of worked.  I am glad I tried to do it, and I will probably keep on the blog writing for its own sake, but I am breathing a sigh of relief that it is off my back.  Thanks to everyone this year that gave me gigs and made this happen!

326, 327- Mike Jellick Trio

326: Teaching day.  I’ve had a great time teaching Jazz Theory and Improvisation this semester.  Every time I teach this course, it gets a little better, and the students learn a little more.  Learning how to play this music, though, does require more outside practicing in addition to the two-hour-a-week class.  I’ve said this before, but I’ll belabor the point.  If you’re reading this, class, stop reading it and go play through a few ii-V-I licks!

327:  Awesome first night with the Mike Jellick Trio at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe in Grosse Pointe, MI.  Mike and Jesse sounded great, and I’m really excited for this week’s run, and next week’s with the same trio plus Alex Graham.  Thanks to Gretchen Valade, Tom Robinson, Mark J., Kira, and all the other folks for coming out.

Bonus!  Check out a clip of The Mike Jellick Trio playing “Poinciana.”  This is from a demo we recently recorded with Kira Frabotta.  Come see us play tonight at the Dirty Dog!

320-325

321:  Hanging with Jenine and my parents in Ithaca.  Then Jenine and I drove to Tim’s in Watertown and had a nice night out for Italian and cocktails.  Performances?  That’s a stretch.

322:  Driving home from Watertown in what we thought was going to be a terrible snow storm.  Glad that did not happen.  Also played at the London Chop House with Scotty, Scott K., and Paul King.  Man, that place is nice!

323:  Shave and a haircut…

324:  Teaching in the evening.  Looking forward to more work with this “grad” group.

325:  Practicing!  And meetings and business.

I’ve got forty more days of the blog to write.  It has not been entirely successful, but I’m glad I’ve kept track of these things in my life.  I wish I had put up more audio files and other things.  I’ll try to do this from now until the end.

313-319

313- Northern Lights.

314- Miles Brown Trio at Vinology.

315- Scott Gwinnell Trio at The London Chop House with Ramona Collins.

316- Warren Symphony Orchestra rehearsal.

317- WSO concert.

318- Practiced a little.  Not much doing today.

319- Recording with Mike Jellick, Kesse Kramer, and Kira Frabotta.  Some nice music on this short demo.

320- no “performing” today, just keeping up with clerical stuff.  Yawn.

 

Day 312

This semester has been the most fun I’ve had teaching Jazz Theory and Improvisation.  Although I may have not covered as much material as in the past, I feel like it’s more in depth, and that the students understand the concepts better, even though that understanding may not immediately translate into successful navigation though the changes quite yet.

To me, this is the epitome of higher-level thinking, and what makes improvisation, particularly improvisation in the context of the Bebop tradition one of the most challenging endeavors a musician can engage in.  Maybe I’m biased because I have a love of this music which undoubtedly began prior to my conception (thanks Dad!), but this manifests itself in my own personal struggle to be a better improviser EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE!  No degree will ever make me a better improviser.

Perhaps a degree will make me a better researcher.  In turn, that may make me better at examining the tradition, incorporating it (or not) into my own playing, and ultimately finding a voice for myself within the context of the established institution of “jazz.”  People have argued that the more knowledgeable you are about the history of jazz, the more you can draw upon to make good music.  To me, this has nothing the do with concept of improvisation.  That is not to say it is not extremely important.  It is as important to be able to play in the style of Charlie Parker as it is to play in the style of Beethoven, Schoenberg, Reich, or Lady Gaga.  This has nothing to do, however, with the spirit of improvisation, which I believe is an innate human trait.

More on this later.

305-311

Argh!  Gotta keep up!

305:  Teaching and OSO rehearsal.

306: Northern Lights.

307:  Teaching, and the OU Chamber Orchestra.

308:  My birthday!  With Walter White at Cliff Bell’s.

309:  Recovering from Walter’s gig.  OSO rehearsal, then gig with the Oakland Jazz Quartet at the Pontiac Creative Arts Center.

310:  Gig with Mark Lispon at Cadieux.  Croque monsieur!

311:  Teaching, and WSO rehearsal.