Cosmo Music At NAMM 2015 - P. Mauriat Master 97 Saxophone

Change Is Upon Us

Pianist Jason Moran (AKA JAMO) made a statement in a recent All About Jazz Interview that resonated with me quite deeply. We used to have many extended discussions concerning interpretation and approaches to new music. What he offers here reflects a sentiment that I too, often feel when playing the music of other composers or when I am invited as a guest artist to perform with ensembles that have a bit of history amongst themselves. Quite very frequently, I am presented with music that I find myself struggling to play upon first attempt. Most of the more complicated matters lessen after ample rehearsal and explanations are made, but many issues are somewhat more extensive than simply developing of an understanding of the composer's or band's artistic intent. If only it were that simple.

As music progresses through the continuum, and artists produce works that are borne and reflective of various backgrounds, perspectives, stimuli and resources, it is sometimes a very daunting task to simply immerse oneself in their world and expect to function normally without floundering or sometimes even faltering miserably. These days, the makeup of most compositions reflects a series of sensibilities that must be lived and experienced extensively in order to accurately interpret the music at hand to satisfaction.

It's often not necessarily even a matter of being uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the methods or techniques used, it is actually a matter of responding favorably and readily to a set or series of options that are particular to a different generation, lifestyle or stylistic sector. In several instances, I have found myself caught up helplessly in a vortex of sound and means while the entire rest of the band (usually age 30 and under) proceed with exceptional comfort and confidence, as they know exactly where the beats lie as well as what the sources are of all of the reference points. At that point, I would have to stop frequently to request an explanation of the finer points of the music or that the tempo be slowed down so that I can "feel it."  In short, contemporary improvised music and all that it's made up of, has evolved by leaps and bounds and it's critical to every practitioner of the craft that they continue to make themselves aware of the developments as they occur, lest be left behind. Or worse, to allow themselves to get "caught up" in a situation that reveals their lack of awareness and ability to navigate unfamiliar (and sometimes unforgiving) musical terrain.

The full article is HERE:

http://bit.ly/1xIvNmI

AAJ: You articulated that very clearly in the listening session as well. How the music from that era had a very particular sound and can be used as this line of demarcation dividing jazz between pre and post civil rights music. But as you just said, a whole lot more comes after that. So I'm curious if you think we are in a new period now?

JM: Definitely we are in a new period. I was just talking with Ambrose Akinmusire and Walter Smith III after they'd sat in with Eric Harland's band at the Monterey Jazz Festival and they played this tune and I was like, [laughs] yeah, see my generation we weren't messin' with that. That's something that is just y'all. And all the cats in that generation know how to move into music like that. There's a lot of flexibility and flow within it and when I play a tune like that with y'all its like, whoo! I'm struggling to keep up. 
 
"Already the new generation—them dudes and ladies are already out there making some pretty great, provocative work. I'm happy and I can already hear the shift. So even like say a Robert Glasper record or Jamire Williams, those are marks of what music emerged from the influences of the '80s and '90s. It is just starting to emerge out of that. And it is definitely a defined sound if you listen to enough of it. And it is not in Wynton Marsalis' generation. And it is not David Murray's generation. It's a different language."

Frankly, I couldn't agree more. Things have changed. Many things. Awareness is key and I, for one, refuse to allow myself to miss out on the advances as they occur. As the environments change and new and inspiring ideas are implemented, they will present some challenges that must be faced.

I'm looking forward to each and every one. The next level will not be attained through avoidance.

Tineke Postma/Greg Osby: Sonic Halo

Tineke Postma/Greg Osby: Sonic Halo

Live The Life

I recently returned from a great tour with my band. It was equal parts challenging, revealing and triumphant on many levels. In a very short time, my new band quickly transformed from sounding like four unfamiliar islands into one tight and unified musical continent. Each show was a progressive step towards the realization of what I now consider a dream ensemble - one that answers to the call of risk and responds with inventive fury. I was both inspired and impressed every night. However, on what was supposed to be a relaxing and much needed day off, a longtime friend of mine read over the phone to me a review of one of our concerts. The writer commented that the band sounded somewhat uninspired and misdirected, or something to that effect. Without making any excuses by defending the band nor reacting in opposition to the writer’s impression of the show (he was partially correct, by the way) I always ask myself, “How are statements like this useful and to whom do they serve – especially AFTER the fact?” We drove almost 8 hours to arrive directly to the venue that evening without so much as a decent meal, shower, change of clothes or any worthwhile rest. Traveling in an SUV van through the curvaceous and treacherous northern California roads was no less than absolutely brutal, and we did it all on very little sleep from each previous night. (Correction: I did it (the driving) all on practically no sleep and I was the only driver for the entire tour.) There was rarely ever any room for recovery, as this was practically our daily pace for a couple of weeks. As most road musicians will quickly admit, it is quite common for traveling musicians to perform in a semi-delirious state resulting from lack of decent rest and nourishment. Deprivation of sleep and lack of quality food or any of the niceties and comforts that "normal" persons require and often take for granted is a fact of the lifestyle. Again, no apologies or excuses – these are simply the facts and unavoidable realities of the touring life for those of us who have chosen to dedicate ourselves to taking the music directly to the people.

With this in mind, I’ve always figured that wouldn’t it be great if, in order to be a "certified" music journalist or reviewer, a writer would have to earn his or her bones by actually traveling with a band on tour for several weeks or longer- just to experience firsthand what life on the road really entails? How else would anyone know what “the life” really demands of us? Most laypersons have absolutely no conception of the many and difficult steps taken to actually get the music to the bandstand. It’s not all fun and games by a long shot and for those of us who don’t have adequate representation, financing or a solid business and support mechanism, it’s a lot of work, is certainly no pleasure cruise, and there’s little to almost no time for leisure (or rest) during our daily hectic schedules. Every day off has to be paid for by the leader, so in order to reduce expenses, it is common for groups to travel and work every single day, which takes it’s toll both physically as well as musically.

Imagine, if you will, the tremendous demand on one’s personal energy reserves that it takes to command your body and mental focus in order to function properly during a tour without adequate sleep and nutrition for days or even weeks at a time. Traveling to exotic countries and experiencing foreign cultures may sound glamorous and exciting… well, it is normally, but most of the time when on the road we’re required to visit a different country or city every day or two in order to meet the tour overhead. Travel to most destinations usually requires a lengthy train or bus (van/auto) ride or a flight with another connecting flight. These flights must be taken very early in the morning, in the event that if there's a cancellation or other aviation issue, there will be the possibility or rerouting or finding an alternative means of travel. So after the concerts there is usually a (very) late dinner, a hang of some sort and then an attempt to grab a couple hours of sleep  - only to be required to depart the hotel for the airport, usually before daybreak. This is an everyday occurrence due to the demands of scheduling and routing of tours (especially in Europe.) Each day off drains the budget, so a touring band must keep moving. I’d love to have a journalist on board just so they could accurately chronicle the day-to-day schlep that we must endure in order to make it to each destination. It’s not always fun, but it’s very definitely a fact of the business.

Experiencing this kind of torturous pace, as we do regularly, would be the best indicator of what our daily trials demand, and how we must rise above them in order to deliver our best performances regardless of our physical or mental state. Musicians are always told that in order for their art to be considered authentic, they must deal with certain realities that the art form imposes on them (AKA, paying dues). If this is indeed the case, then the same set of standards and criteria should be engaged for anyone who considers themselves enough of an authority to comment intellectually on our craft. We’re not always perfect and are expected to occasionally deliver under extreme and extraordinary circumstances. It would be ideal if some of these factors would be considered before a reckless dismissal of our work occurs because unfortunately, once it’s been documented, it can’t be undone.

None of this is, by any means, a personal tirade against music writers. As I stated above, I somewhat agreed with some of the writer's less than supportive observations. The show was one of the first in the tour and the band was still finding their way and learning how to negotiate with one another, all the while experiencing the normal and expected ensemble growing pains. I can accept that. But for the life of me, I fail to understand how it is acceptable for people to write AUTHORITATIVELY about practices, disciplines and lifestyles that they have never participated in and only have a layperson's knowledge of. 

I can't recall ever having read very often that "the band sounded tired or exhausted" Remember, that on any given night, this may be a distinct possibility for any touring band.

Adding Comments to OzBlog

To anyone who reads the Ozblog postings and may have a word or two of commentary to offer, it's very simple:


1. All you have to do is to click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the current post

2. And save YOUR comment via your gmail, wordpress, etc account.

3. All comments are welcome. Even those that may oppose my viewpoints. I don't always have to be right, and I definitely don't purport to being an authority on much of anything. I generally write stuff that everyone "thinks" but is afraid to say publicly. I've always thought that there was nothing to lose by being honest, and I'm just putting issues on the table in an effort to (hopefully) encourage some spirited, but respectful, discussion - even with those who disagree. Nothing will change otherwise.

Sounding “Young”

Here’s a response that I gave to a young saxophonist who asked me to evaluate his playing after a competition where I was a guest on the judicial panel.

(He didn’t win, by the way.)

“Concerning your playing, I have very few recommendations. You pretty much got every judge’s attention and approval during the semi-finals and most of us had singled you out, hands down as the overall winner. Basically, you lost points during the finals because some of my co-judges felt that you weren’t assertive (demonstrative) enough during the straight-ahead/swinging part of your presentation. Perhaps they were looking for more fireworks and visually-projected dedication (showmanship). To be honest, I probably would have played it exactly as you did. I don’t believe in resorting to excessive body movements and facial expressions, squealing, circular breathing, growling, extended altissimo playing, multiphonics, slap-tongue techniques, unnecessarily long-held high notes or any other types of showboating. These are affectations and tricks that less skilled players (performers) resort to in order to get “house” (to overwhelmingly win the audience's approval).

Uninitiated listeners usually eat this stuff up, but it is trickery at it’s best and is shameful behavior for true artists, such as yourself, to resign themselves to. Research any video of the icons of this music and you will observe that many of the greatest played with Zen-like focus and actually stood quite still. All that moving around creates subtle changes in the position of your mouthpiece and will alter your intonation as well as your grip and hand position – thus affecting your accuracy and articulation.

Personally, I listen for how a player develops his story and how coherently they get their ideas across with detailed phrases and concise statements. I’m a fan of the super clean school of flawless execution (or as close to it as one can get!). Some players get by solely on slurring everything, entering into phrases with bad attacks and topping things off by playing at at really loud volume or with a series of crowd pleasing licks. I don’t support this approach. Fortunately, you are not plagued by these types of issues. Basically, I think one of the main things to be concerned with is for young players not to give away their age when they play.  This is a common subject of discussion with older players. It has been determined that during solos, younger players tend to crowd each bar with an enormous amount of content when simpler and more concise statements would be far more effective.

Young musicians also usually tend to play far too many choruses during their solos (saxophonists can be long winded and are often notorious offenders). Not only is doing so considered immature and disrespectful to both the audience as well as the band (especially the bassist), it is also a clear giveaway that they are either in a rush to “say it all” or possibly that they simply don't play enough live performances. If they did, there would be no need to "cram" or to extend a solo beyond the limits of tolerance and enjoyability. Either way, it makes them sound “young” and unrefined. I know about this firsthand because I used to be one of those players. It takes a while to develop the ability to know when to lay back and also how to edit one's content. 

So, take your time, stand still and don’t overplay (AKA sound “young”). Sorry that you didn't win."

Ladies First

Where are the Ladies?

I’ve been on a personal campaign for several months focusing on one subject in particular but not limited to that one subject exclusively. It’s a common topic of discussion that I have with my students and friends which concerns an issue that plagues the music, not necessarily from the perspective of the performers (but then, again, perhaps it does…) and sometimes influences the choices that the musicians make in performance and programming. However, unlike many issues that are of importance to the music community at large, this one has a simple and clear solution.

On a few occasions, I’ve openly vented from the bandstand at a few of my shows about how difficult it sometimes can be for me and my mostly male band to play for rooms that are exclusively populated by males. One of the most startling images that I’ve ever had while performing was one time when I was playing a ballad, attempting my best to be transparent, honest and expressive – only to finish my solo and open my eyes to witness a room full of beards, hairy legs, unclipped toenails and several pairs of old-ass Birkenstocks and sandals worn by a room full of dudes. With the exception of the wait staff, there wasn’t a single woman to be seen anywhere in the place. The images AND the moment were equal parts startling, horrifying and overwhelmingly discouraging. And, as this had happened so frequently in the past, I felt obligated to take action and address it right then.

I was so thrown off by the hairy visuals that I ended the tune early and picked up the microphone and half-jokingly asked, to no one in particular, “We sincerely appreciate your patronage and support, but does anyone in the house have any females in their lives who would also enjoy an evening of live, improvised music? Are there any women that you know whom you could POSSIBLY have asked to accompany yourselves here in an effort to bring some balance to this gender-disproportionate audience?  Perhaps a landlady, Mother, sister, female cousin, bag lady, roomate, friend – with or without benefits, maybe even an ex, ANYONE would suffice! We’re trying our best up here, but this boy’s club mentality has to end now! It’s a tall order for anyone to expect us to perform non-testosterone- infused music for a room full of scruffy guys all night”.

Silence……

In short, I’ve spoken to a number of friends, most of whom are all in accord that the one-sided gender imbalance (where patronage is concerned) is one condition that has helped to prevent the music from moving forward. Many male musicians are hopelessly preoccupied with “flexing and profiling for their boys” instead of engaging in artful storytelling or attempting to reveal the less testosterone-driven aspects of their character. During performances, some musicians proceed as if it is not considered masculine to be fragile, sensitive or to employ a broader palette of dynamics in their work. This type of thinking and performing, along with the lack of a strong female presence at concerts (or in most bands), has done a great deal of harm to the general perception of the music at large and is detrimental to it’s image and it’s ability to be more universally accepted.

Of course I'll graciously perform for anyone who is kind enough to support my work. This is not an orientation issue either, but instead one of perhaps better patron/audience stability which would yield a more honest artistic output. For what it's worth, I can say with complete certainty and conviction that I perform my best to an audience of couples and when the genders are mixed. 

So guys, please bring a date, friend or paid escort to accompany you during your live music outings. Go Dutch, if necessary. Just bring SOMEONE sometimes other than your “bud”. Of course we have no problem playing for whomever will support us, but our ability to express ourselves would be fully realized if we had the balanced support of both sexes.

Then again, I certainly wouldn't gripe about playing for an all-female audience at all either. So, on second thought, guys please just send your female associates instead to recommended live shows. You can all stand outside and greet them as they leave.  That'll work just fine.