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BOTM March 2025: At Last

MikeMorrell said:
Hi @Ta

Hi @Taragot, many thanks for sharing your recording!

TBH (as a tenor sax player in an amateur Big Band) the bari sax player is an essential member of the 'sax section'. As a soloist? My personal opinion up until now has been 'yes, but with preferably short solos and not too often in our repertoire.

You've completely changed my perspective on 'bari solos'! I loved your range, your expression and especially your improv!
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Hi Mike,
thank you for your kind reply! I feel the same about the role of the bari sax in a Big Band. I love the versatility of one phrase doubling the lead alto, then playing earthshattering low notes with the bass trombone and many more things. But as a solo instrument it's better to use it as a sidekick now and then and not in too many songs.
 
@wuffysax - your recordings have always a great touch of glamour I really like!
@rhysonsax - very nice and bluesy! Sounds like a good old american soprano to me. Am I right?
@Francisco - I first read the comment from lostcircuits and thought he's propably right about starting more controlled. However, I really loved your recording with the consistent use of vibrato and growl. Very nice melodic playing, too!
@Colin the Bear - simply wonderful playing! I love how you play with motivs. And your singing is so great and expressive!
 
Taragot said:
.........
@rhysonsax - very nice and bluesy! Sounds like a good old american soprano to me. Am I right?
.........
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Wrong I'm afraid. It is my lovely Rampone & Cazzani semi-curved in gold plate - European and no more than 15 years old. It is maybe a bit picky about mouthpieces but I am now using a Lebayle on it that matches really well.

Rhys
 
rhysonsax said:
I found a nice piano backing track from StandardsTrax, sort of in the style of the Etta James recording but a tone lower. I recorded on my soprano and it sounds like this:

At Last - Rhys sop with Piano V1.mp3 | Powered by Box

Rhys
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Wow, Rhys, I truly loved listening to this recording and I'll listen to it many more times. You put (IMHO) your 'personal stamp' on this recording from beginning to end. Through timing, embellishments, etc. I also loved your 'storytelling': sticking to to the basic theme at the start,, developing your (IMHO) perfect improv and returning to the theme towards the end.

This is one of the very few recordings on the cafe which I intend to transcribe. Just to figure out which notes you're playing. I also really liked the backing track. In the style of Etta James but (on piano) much 'lighter'.

Thanks,

Mike
 
wuffysax said:
Thank you for the great song selection.
I am happy to be part of it:

View: https://youtu.be/IwBpp4qeHes


hope my recording is successful

best regards
Wuffysax
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Hi @wuffysax, I note that your posted recording is from nov 2019, but well worthwhile posting! Your (subtle) expression on the sax is something I can only dream of. This recording is superb and is an inspiration to us all!

Many thanks,

Mike
 
I was literally snowed in for a day so I took the same backing track and pulled out my Buescher sop - first time after oral surgery. I couldn't believe how terrible I sounded after a 2 month hiatus but At Last I hope I got something acceptable (just played it by memory so if there are a few "wrong notes", call it artistic freedom). Warning, it's the 3:00 am version in a smoky bar from the 70s

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com
 
Beautiful, @LostCircuits! Thoroughly enjoyed listened to it. I'm stunned and awed that you played this from memory! I've listened to it twice. Full of expression. Both times the term 'phrasing' sprang to mind. IMHO, you're perfectly (timing, tone, expression) in synch with the backing track. I should refer back to 'the dots' but I really liked how you played over the whole (?) range of the sax. Just as a last compliment, your 'ending improv' was IMHO sublime.

Many thanks for recording and sharing!

Mike
 
At the moment, I'm playing in 3 bands (one of which is a temporary 'workshop band'). So preparing and practicing for all 3 keeps me "musically occupied". Yesterday, at my Big Band rehearsal, we again rehearsed 'At Last' with our vocalist. At some point during our arrangement, I have an 8 bar (with pick-up) tenor sax solo. The 'written-out' solo is pretty much the basic melody. But as always, I can 'deviate' from the written-out solo as I please.

So I too want to make a recording of 'At Last' before the end of the month. My living arrangements (a 55+ apartment block with inflexible neighbours w.r.t. 'sax playing') mean that I have to practice/record elsewhere. Usually in the bike shed! But I'm sure that I'll be able to record something (in the bike shed).
 
MikeMorrell said:
Beautiful, @LostCircuits! Thoroughly enjoyed listened to it. I'm stunned and awed that you played this from memory! I've listened to it twice. Full of expression. Both times the term 'phrasing' sprang to mind. IMHO, you're perfectly (timing, tone, expression) in synch with the backing track. I should refer back to 'the dots' but I really liked how you played over the whole (?) range of the sax. Just as a last compliment, your 'ending improv' was IMHO sublime.

Many thanks for recording and sharing!

Mike
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Thanks Mike, much appreciated. Playing from memory, I don't read music so there are no other choices really. But after working on the vocal version for a dozen takes or so, and then listening to the recording another dozen times, it is not really an accomplishment. I still have a bit of an issue right now getting the very low notes not to "warble", it's not really bad but I notice it. And the "ending", I took 3-4 takes and the last one, turned out that my position to the mic had slightly changed, you can hear a bit of a change in timbre and it is really just the artifact of the sop vs. mic positioning.

Again, thanks for the feedback!
 
LostCircuits said:
Thanks Mike, much appreciated. Playing from memory, I don't read music so there are no other choices really. But after working on the vocal version for a dozen takes or so, and then listening to the recording another dozen times, it is not really an accomplishment. I still have a bit of an issue right now getting the very low notes not to "warble", it's not really bad but I notice it. And the "ending", I took 3-4 takes and the last one, turned out that my position to the mic had slightly changed, you can hear a bit of a change in timbre and it is really just the artifact of the sop vs. mic positioning.

Again, thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...
Haha, (as a complete amateur) your comment is IMHO common to all (amatuer) 'performers'. Especially for soloists. We acutely notice anything that didn't go completely according to (our) plan. Or sections in which we play less well than we'd intended.

Just 3 additional comments:
- most people (including me) just really enjoy listening to your recording. I - for one- didn't notice your 'warble' or your change of mic position for the ending
- I play sax in an (amateur) Big Band where, during performances, individual members occasionally make mistakes in timing; band members are acutely aware of these but play on regardless. My personal experience has been that our audiences have never noticed 'mistakes
- my conclusion (based on many years of performing and soloing) is that musicians (including me) are far more critical of their own performance than their audiences are

I really Ioved your recording, it's great that you've also shared your 'playing challenges' and recording experience.}

I would only argue with your 3rd sentence. In my book, your recording is most definitely 'an accomplishment'!
 
It's very revealing to listen to a recording a few weeks/months after making it.
The memory of what you were trying to do at the time has gone and you just hear what you did.
Sometimes you hear a very interesting variation when at the time you were finding your way out of a cul de sac.
Sometimes you can hear something that inspires and directs you in a direction you were looking for in the first place.

Listening back later, the technicalities of the recording aren't apparent and you just hear the music.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you impress yourself. I am always surprised by the number of plays a recording gets. Some hardly any. Some a surprising number. It's very informative to find what other people like.
Any way you look at it it's a useful tool to mark your progress.
Nothing to beat yourself up about. It is what it is. A moment frozen in time.
 
MikeMorrell said:
Haha, (as a complete amateur) your comment is IMHO common to all (amatuer) 'performers'. Especially for soloists. We acutely notice anything that didn't go completely according to (our) plan. Or sections in which we play less well than we'd intended.

Just 3 additional comments:
- most people (including me) just really enjoy listening to your recording. I - for one- didn't notice your 'warble' or your change of mic position for the ending
- I play sax in an (amateur) Big Band where, during performances, individual members occasionally make mistakes in timing; band members are acutely aware of these but play on regardless. My personal experience has been that our audiences have never noticed 'mistakes
- my conclusion (based on many years of performing and soloing) is that musicians (including me) are far more critical of their own performance than their audiences are

I really Ioved your recording, it's great that you've also shared your 'playing challenges' and recording experience.}

I would only argue with your 3rd sentence. In my book, your recording is most definitely 'an accomplishment'!
Click to expand...
Ok, you just made me feel really good!
 
Colin the Bear said:
It's very revealing to listen to a recording a few weeks/months after making it.
The memory of what you were trying to do at the time has gone and you just hear what you did.
Sometimes you hear a very interesting variation when at the time you were finding your way out of a cul de sac.
Sometimes you can hear something that inspires and directs you in a direction you were looking for in the first place.

Listening back later, the technicalities of the recording aren't apparent and you just hear the music.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you impress yourself. I am always surprised by the number of plays a recording gets. Some hardly any. Some a surprising number. It's very informative to find what other people like.
Any way you look at it it's a useful tool to mark your progress.
Nothing to beat yourself up about. It is what it is. A moment frozen in time.
Click to expand...
Yes, I've gone through that process myself. Most of the time I don't even post anything unless I let a day or two go by, which helps taking the focus off the technicalities and shift it to the music.

And yes, I have listened to some older recordings and sometimes I am glad to hear the progress but sometimes I am just thinking, OMG, that's actually really good.
 
As this month's "host", I just want to really thank all members who have contributed to this thread so far! And those who still may do so. TBH I've had some real 'missers' hosting a SOTM in the distant past: a favourite song but far too complicated/difficult. With little or no participation.

'At Last' as a BOTM seems to have hit the mark. I'm truly delighted with the level of participation and with the quality (and variation!) of all recordings posted so far. IMHO, posting a SOTM/BOTM recording is a great way of learning from each other. It's never a 'competition'.

'Behind the scenes' (in february), I chose 2 possible candidates for the BOTM. One was 'At last', the other was a ballad that (10 years ago) had been posted. I discussed both options with @Jeanette and @nigeld. @Jeanette suggested that I go with 'At Last' and I followed her advice. So, as a "host" I'm delighted with the response on this thread. But the credit goes mostly to @Jeanette for her advice and - as always - to @nigeld for his musical wizardry.

Mike
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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