Me Without Feathers...

[Mike]

Okay, you people are a bad influence......lol


I'm just doing essentially what birds do, only I have no feathers. None that I know of....
It's just a different species doing essentially the same thing, only they're relying more on communication than I am. Also they have outstanding ears.
This is how I always practiced, even back in the day, so if I can possibly find inspiration in playing again I believe I should get back to the primitive nature of playing which is only me, and doing absolutely anything on a whim with no specific reason.


Music has always confined me, through my own neglect, with having to produce some sort of harmonic response. In other words I don't want to have to think to be musical.......For me personally, it defeats the purpose because I actually hate what a musician has to go through in order to reach specific levels.
I was using a reed I last used in July 2012 and my altissimo just wouldn't budge, however, in spite of that it created a nice percussive sound. It was like trying to blow through a pinched straw!


Two musician's here inspired me to go this route again . Colin, who he mentioned playing a duet with a bird, and Strobe for his solo performance.


Me Without Feathers...
https://soundcloud.com/mikemilillo

 

[Colin the Bear]

No feathers you say, and yet the graph on soundcloud looks suspiciously avian. Glad you're finding inspiration and getting back into it.

 

[kevgermany]

We can help with the feathers. Just need some tar to stick them on with...

 

[Chris]

Hardly missed a beat, plus you can hear what your fingers are used to playing. The short stacatto phrasing sounded interesting and created a good change of feel to the music..

Chris..

 

[Mike]

No feathers you say, and yet the graph on soundcloud looks suspiciously avian. Glad you're finding inspiration and getting back into it.

I like the ornithological nature of your post, Colin!

Well, we are both bipedal, but I don't lay eggs. Although who knows what we do when we're dreaming
so let's keep that open to debate.

 

[Mike]

We can help with the feathers. Just need some tar to stick them on with...

Now that's a truly lovely epigram, Using tar (inspiration)
as the element of something binding. Well, then I'm going to need a 55 gallon drum of the stuff
because the feathers keep falling off!


Or.............you really do desire to tar and feather me.....lol

 

[Mike]

Hardly missed a beat, plus you can hear what your fingers are used to playing. The short stacatto phrasing sounded interesting and created a good change of feel to the music..

Chris..

A friend of Charles McPherson and Barry Harris, who was my teacher back in the mid 80's, told me that after awhile you retain elements in your playing in spite of long layoffs. I always marveled at how great he could still play because he never practiced. I mean never! But he did as a young boy, which pertains to me as well. Not that I'm on his level because the guy played with Duke Jordan, but I understand exactly what he means.

What I did learn from him, Ira Jackson, was not especially how to play jazz via licks. He taught me something valuable which was 'how to phrase'. Meaning how to create that vernacular/jazz which is something I never forgot. When you understand it, it applies to any sequence of notes you choose to use.

 

[kevgermany]

Or.............you really do desire to tar and feather me.....lol

No, just couldn't resist an opportunity for a joke. ;}

 

[Wade Cornell]

Lovely Mike. So glad you are finding inspiration and playing again. Maybe you will change your tag-line to semi-retired?

 

[Mike]

Lovely Mike. So glad you are finding inspiration and playing again. Maybe you will change your tag-line to semi-retired?

Thanks Wade!

I guess it's fair to say, as a saxophone player, semi-retired is appropriate. You could never go wrong with semi-retired....lol

 

[Sue]

Glad you're now semi retired. I for one am enjoying listening to your playing. thank you

 

[Mike]

Glad you're now semi retired. I for one am enjoying listening to your playing. thank you

Why thank Sue! Most kind and thoughtful of you!

 

[daveysaxboy]

Very nice blow,nice ideas.Keep it going.

 

[Mike]

Very nice blow,nice ideas.Keep it going.

Thanks Dave.....I can't promise you anything.....It comes when it comes.....

 

[daveysaxboy]

Thanks Dave.....I can't promise you anything.....It comes when it comes.....

Your a owner of a sax,you play great and when you get the urge you will return.Its all good for us who listen.

 

[Mike]

Your a owner of a sax,you play great and when you get the urge you will return.Its all good for us who listen.

Urge is the operative word and urges are unpredictable. Thank you Dave and you're kind, but I'm not a great saxophone player.
Man, not even close. Just because I'm rattling off some bebop lines doesn't warrant greatness. It's just me throwing out some music that is a lot of fun to do. I'm sure there are players who come on this site who don't post and are on higher levels that see right through at what I do because it is rather transparent. And some of the up and coming promising players once they get their fingers around their horn, will ultimately see right through what I do as well.

Music isn't very hard once the effort is put in and the years overlap one at a time in culmination. I could teach anyone those lines in a weeks time and show them how to approach them from different angles.

Give me Donna Lee, or Giant Steps, to record, or what have you, and trust me, I wouldn't be called a great player, nor a good player. I just keep things in their proper perspective. I'm under no illusion of myself.