twowheels
Member
- Messages
- 22
- Location
- Maryland US
Greetings fine people!
I just joined Cafe Saxophone and was reading about making the title more catchy, interesting and well...I'm not funny so it is hard to do. I thought of something about "mid-life crisis" but that just makes me sound old....although I don't think I did much better with the title I posted.
Anyway, I've been playing sax since a kid....first, alto in school, then gravitated toward tenor in jazz/stage band. Got away from playing for many years as I pursued technical college degrees and built a career. But I came back in the mid-90's and I've played little pop gigs and just joined a bi-monthly Masterclass of other amateur musicians who want to play jazz in a combo venue. My wife is a talented flautist (flutist? did I get that right?) and my two boys are budding musicians, too. My oldest is a great sax player, far beyond me at his age, but alas he is also a high-level basketball player and, since you can't do everything, he is chasing sports. (Which means I'm chasing sports to a degree as well.) My youngest has only been on cello for two years at the time I post this intro, and he is REALLY good. He jumped over some other cellists his age who had been taking lessons 3 years longer to make a chamber orchestra and an all-county orchestra. Music IS his passion. (And if you think saxophones are expensive, look at mid-level or pro cello's...you pay a year's college tuition for one of those....)
So music runs through my family's blood. I wish I had more time to pursue playing opportunities but both boys are active academically and in Boy Scouts so that plays into all of our schedule. My abilities....I can read and play music and stay on beat proficiently, and I can push out some decent pop and funk riffs if they are too long. But straight-ahead, bop-style where the elders play with amazing proficiency over chord changes....THAT's my current challenge. I'm looking forward to a bi-monthly masterclass I was recently accepted into, where we are playing for 2 hours at a cafe, working though the standards.
Final comment. I keep hearing jazz is passed its time but I don't think it is. No, we don't play the old standards any more on the radio, but I don't think that defines jazz. I recall Wynton Marsalis likens jazz to "a conversation" and that resonates with me. What I look forward to in the Masterclass, is putting all of these Major/Melodic Minor/Harmonic Minor (and I am APPRENTICE/NOVICE in my level of theory knowledge....) to work improvising with other musicians. IMO, for continuity sake, you have to take into account what the player before you "spoke" in musical language to add to the "conversation". Updating "jazz" to be more current? Trombone Shorty updates the language with some good urban/funk vibe. Jeff Coffin pushes the boundaries. And have you heard James Carter? More avante gard but he really pulls every sound possible out of a saxophone. And others, smooth jazz has some great players (who can also play amazing old-school bop, BTW) who are just updating the art to a modern vernacular.
Anyway, a long-winded introduction, thank you for reading and I look forward to exchanges in this forum.
-KC
I just joined Cafe Saxophone and was reading about making the title more catchy, interesting and well...I'm not funny so it is hard to do. I thought of something about "mid-life crisis" but that just makes me sound old....although I don't think I did much better with the title I posted.
Anyway, I've been playing sax since a kid....first, alto in school, then gravitated toward tenor in jazz/stage band. Got away from playing for many years as I pursued technical college degrees and built a career. But I came back in the mid-90's and I've played little pop gigs and just joined a bi-monthly Masterclass of other amateur musicians who want to play jazz in a combo venue. My wife is a talented flautist (flutist? did I get that right?) and my two boys are budding musicians, too. My oldest is a great sax player, far beyond me at his age, but alas he is also a high-level basketball player and, since you can't do everything, he is chasing sports. (Which means I'm chasing sports to a degree as well.) My youngest has only been on cello for two years at the time I post this intro, and he is REALLY good. He jumped over some other cellists his age who had been taking lessons 3 years longer to make a chamber orchestra and an all-county orchestra. Music IS his passion. (And if you think saxophones are expensive, look at mid-level or pro cello's...you pay a year's college tuition for one of those....)
So music runs through my family's blood. I wish I had more time to pursue playing opportunities but both boys are active academically and in Boy Scouts so that plays into all of our schedule. My abilities....I can read and play music and stay on beat proficiently, and I can push out some decent pop and funk riffs if they are too long. But straight-ahead, bop-style where the elders play with amazing proficiency over chord changes....THAT's my current challenge. I'm looking forward to a bi-monthly masterclass I was recently accepted into, where we are playing for 2 hours at a cafe, working though the standards.
Final comment. I keep hearing jazz is passed its time but I don't think it is. No, we don't play the old standards any more on the radio, but I don't think that defines jazz. I recall Wynton Marsalis likens jazz to "a conversation" and that resonates with me. What I look forward to in the Masterclass, is putting all of these Major/Melodic Minor/Harmonic Minor (and I am APPRENTICE/NOVICE in my level of theory knowledge....) to work improvising with other musicians. IMO, for continuity sake, you have to take into account what the player before you "spoke" in musical language to add to the "conversation". Updating "jazz" to be more current? Trombone Shorty updates the language with some good urban/funk vibe. Jeff Coffin pushes the boundaries. And have you heard James Carter? More avante gard but he really pulls every sound possible out of a saxophone. And others, smooth jazz has some great players (who can also play amazing old-school bop, BTW) who are just updating the art to a modern vernacular.
Anyway, a long-winded introduction, thank you for reading and I look forward to exchanges in this forum.
-KC
