Yes, Grasshopper, another one of my philosophical posts to draw extra wisdom and experiences from the distinguished group.
My first mentor
We were looking for a drummer for the band I had with my brother on keyboards, me on guitar and a section: trumpet, sax and trombone. The guy taking care of the equipment thought of someone and set up a meeting. That meeting changed the musical lives of my brother and me.
It was obvious that Paul Lagos could play jazz, but we were a rock-ish band with horns. As we got to know each other, it becames obvious that Paul was a born teacher. He laso had been playing in L.A. for decades and knew people from Ray Brown, to Red Holloway and a lot of the Los Angeles scene. He was in the band Kaleidoscope. What happened was, that eventually, after the big band broke up due to lack of any future, Paul formed a band around blues violinist Sugarcane Harris. That band included me, and that's when the Lagos mentorship began. He was the musical equivalent of a life coach. His entire basement was covered in shelves in which there were nothing but jazz albums, plus a few soul, R&B and New Orleans things. He would drag us downstairs and pull out a few albums and put them on. One memorable moment, was when he put in Equinox. When the McCoy solo started, helooked up and said, "Church bells!" He was an inspiration at all times.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2HN2y0yV8
He could play tunes he'd never heard before, with a big band; he'd ask for the trumpet chart. Paul had a great ear, could play in any time signature. We bought a trinome and did a lot of playing in 7/4 time. One of our most requested songs was in 10/4 time, and people danced to it! Having lived with and around Paul, who was a very much larger than life character, we (Victor Conte and myself) learned more about harmony, form, rhythm and every aspect of music, as will as cooking, as Paul was a great chef as well. Victor went on to play with Herbie Hancock and Tower of Power, and I doubt for a minute that he was at that level thanks to Paul's mentoring. For my part, Paul is the reason I listened to saxophone, jazz and classical music for the past 47 years. Most of the understanding of music I have today came from that experience.
What about you? Who, if anyone has had a significant effect on your music, or are you in a oi-sition to help other by being a mentor?
My first mentor
We were looking for a drummer for the band I had with my brother on keyboards, me on guitar and a section: trumpet, sax and trombone. The guy taking care of the equipment thought of someone and set up a meeting. That meeting changed the musical lives of my brother and me.
It was obvious that Paul Lagos could play jazz, but we were a rock-ish band with horns. As we got to know each other, it becames obvious that Paul was a born teacher. He laso had been playing in L.A. for decades and knew people from Ray Brown, to Red Holloway and a lot of the Los Angeles scene. He was in the band Kaleidoscope. What happened was, that eventually, after the big band broke up due to lack of any future, Paul formed a band around blues violinist Sugarcane Harris. That band included me, and that's when the Lagos mentorship began. He was the musical equivalent of a life coach. His entire basement was covered in shelves in which there were nothing but jazz albums, plus a few soul, R&B and New Orleans things. He would drag us downstairs and pull out a few albums and put them on. One memorable moment, was when he put in Equinox. When the McCoy solo started, helooked up and said, "Church bells!" He was an inspiration at all times.
He could play tunes he'd never heard before, with a big band; he'd ask for the trumpet chart. Paul had a great ear, could play in any time signature. We bought a trinome and did a lot of playing in 7/4 time. One of our most requested songs was in 10/4 time, and people danced to it! Having lived with and around Paul, who was a very much larger than life character, we (Victor Conte and myself) learned more about harmony, form, rhythm and every aspect of music, as will as cooking, as Paul was a great chef as well. Victor went on to play with Herbie Hancock and Tower of Power, and I doubt for a minute that he was at that level thanks to Paul's mentoring. For my part, Paul is the reason I listened to saxophone, jazz and classical music for the past 47 years. Most of the understanding of music I have today came from that experience.
What about you? Who, if anyone has had a significant effect on your music, or are you in a oi-sition to help other by being a mentor?