IOTM January 2014: Moonlight after the storm

eunza · Jan 8, 2014

I had a couple of goes on this one and have edited a few takes together:

https://soundcloud.com/eunza/january-2014-moonlight-after

@timbo - nice one - I liked your tune and the tone your getting from it.

@aldevis - thanks for taking on the improv forum responsibiities - very nice start with this backing track!

aldevis · Jan 8, 2014

Timbo & Eunza, thanks for posting this.
Amazingly there are few similarities in your playing. I am pleased to hear that you are both playing on the sharp side: I am a big supporter of this "looking-for-troubles" technique. It is more difficult to control, but the sound improves a lot.

TimboSax · Jan 8, 2014

Eunza, you've got a really nice laid back feel going there, well done

Jamesmac · Jan 8, 2014

TimboSax said:
Okay, here goes nothing. Not sure if I'm doing this right, as I'm just really just having a noodle rather than knowing if I'm playing Doreen's scale or whatever, and my bloody intonation at the top is beginning to get on my nerves, but I enjoy playing along to stuff like this, so thanks to Aldevis.

(Not sure why it sounds like I'm playing through a wet straw in places either. Ah well, it's been a long day...)

https://soundcloud.com/timbo_music/cafe-sax-improv

Timbo, for that blowing through a wet straw feeling, I find if I work on the attack, ie. when playing long notes, interrupt the sound with your tongue, and try to minimise the frying fat effect. Fade the long notes as much as possible, keeping a clean sound and focus in the tone. Hope that helps
Jim

TimboSax · Jan 8, 2014

Thanks Jim, I'll give it a go.

Nick Wyver · Jan 8, 2014

Oh well. I said I'd contribute to one of these eventually, so here it is:
https://app.box.com/s/9q426sj5899jb3jmnmmedzgq58zxb1zq
If anyone's interested in these sort of things it's recorded with a Sennheiser e843s onto a Zoom R8. Sax is a Keilwerth Shadow with a Runyon Quantum 16 metal (without the spoiler) and a Marca Jazz 3. I don't do a lot of recording so I was mucking about with reeds and mouthpieces for a while before I hit on this combination. It's probably more than 5 years since I last played the Runyon. It was my standard noisy piece before I got into Guardalas.
Anyway, it makes a change from playing in a blues band.

aldevis · Jan 8, 2014

Thanks a lot Nick, the dynamic range is really impressive.
(But I cannot find the 843 in the Sennheiser range)

Nick Wyver · Jan 8, 2014

aldevis said:
the dynamic range is really impressive.

Thanks. Dynamic range is not something that troubles me at gigs, unfortunately. It's 99% full on.
Sorry. Rubbish proofreading - it's an 845.

aldevis · Jan 8, 2014

Nick Wyver said:
Thanks. Dynamic range is not something that troubles me at gigs, unfortunately. It's 99% full on.
Sorry. Rubbish proofreading - it's an 845.

Do you usually use the spoiler at gigs?
Sorry for my ignorance: how big is a 16 facing?

Nick Wyver · Jan 8, 2014

aldevis said:
Do you usually use the spoiler at gigs?
Sorry for my ignorance: how big is a 16 facing?

When I gigged with it (>5 years ago) I used the spoiler.
16? You can drive a train through it.
According to Runyon it's a 127.
Surprisingly easy to blow considering.

ProfJames · Jan 8, 2014

Never having blown a Runyon baffle mpc.....are they very loud? Difficult to get used to?

Nick Wyver · Jan 8, 2014

ProfJames said:
Never having blown a Runyon baffle mpc.....are they very loud? Difficult to get used to?

All the Runyons I've ever played have been pretty easy blowers. This particular Quantum can go quite loud.

aldevis · Jan 8, 2014

Nick Wyver said:
16? You can drive a train through it.
According to Runyon it's a 127.

That is almost a 10. It also explains the dynamic range you get.
I am not sure how experienced one needs to be to control it (I cruelly experimented with a 1-year-playing cafemember today).

Jeanette · Jan 8, 2014

aldevis said:
That is almost a 10. It also explains the dynamic range you get.
I am not sure how experienced one needs to be to control it (I cruelly experimented with a 1-year-playing cafemember today).

Rotter, did he like your sax?

aldevis · Jan 8, 2014

Jeanette said:
Rotter, did he like your sax?

He could play it better than his current one (much better overall tuning), but I think he has other priorities.

(I actually have a good take of him playing IOTM with it, but it formally belongs to him. I also have a BOTM by another cafeteer from yesterday)

TimboSax · Jan 9, 2014

Nick Wyver said:
Oh well. I said I'd contribute to one of these eventually, so here it is:
https://app.box.com/s/9q426sj5899jb3jmnmmedzgq58zxb1zq

Very cool Nick, thanks for posting

TimboSax · Jan 9, 2014

aldevis said:
(I cruelly experimented with a 1-year-playing cafemember today).

I still have the bruises...

aldevis said:
He could play it better than his current one (much better overall tuning), but I think he has other priorities.

(I actually have a good take of him playing IOTM with it, but it formally belongs to him. I also have a BOTM by another cafeteer from yesterday)

Feel free to post anything of mine, not sure it would be of interest to anyone though!

I'll post on another thread so as not to derail this one ('cos I know how much we all like keeping to the point), suffice to say it was a most enjoyable afternoon.

U CAN CALL ME AL · Jan 9, 2014

My first post on the impro thread.

Bari sax. Tried to maintain feel of original head.

http://soundcloud.com/alun-parker/iotm114

Enjoyed the time spent. Nice tune!