We'll be firing up the Roaring Fork Jazz workshop again in late September or early October 2010. Until then, keep woodshedding those bebop scales!
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On Monday, September 15, we're going to fire up the Jazz Workshop again. We'll meet from 6:00 until 8:00, and make a plan for the fall.
Here's a little video that I'd like to share of me playing with a little trumpeter. Note her complete lack of inhibition, and how closely she listens and watches. She, without any prior knowledge of jazz practices, is hanging in there with trading fours. Okay, so the notes aren't quite there, but she plays with such reckless abandon, and has some serious phrasing going on. After the session, I wondered who learned more, ALG or me.
Thanks to Carol K. picture taken Summer 2008, at Steve's Guitars in Carbondale, CO.
I'm going to adjust the RF Jazz Workshop's schedule a little bit. I'd like to continue the 1st and 3rd Mondays at the new Roaring Fork High School band room, as usual, but change the format a bit.
First of all, I'd like to make clear that, at this point, the Workshop is just that. It's not a rehearsal for a band. It's more like a group lesson in jazz improvisation. If you all get inspired to make some connections, and start a group, that's awesome! I hope that the Workshop will help equip you with some foundational skills to make your group sensational.
OK. Now for the schedule. I'd like to have the High School students and adult beginner/intermediates meet from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Then from 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, have a group practice session, which I'll lead. I'm going to treat it as I would my own practice sessions, focusing on a creative approach toward working on scales, tunes, and improv. If you'd like to sit in, you're welcome. It'll be geared toward advanced stuff, so watch out!
See you on April 7th!
First of all, I'd like to make clear that, at this point, the Workshop is just that. It's not a rehearsal for a band. It's more like a group lesson in jazz improvisation. If you all get inspired to make some connections, and start a group, that's awesome! I hope that the Workshop will help equip you with some foundational skills to make your group sensational.
OK. Now for the schedule. I'd like to have the High School students and adult beginner/intermediates meet from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Then from 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM, have a group practice session, which I'll lead. I'm going to treat it as I would my own practice sessions, focusing on a creative approach toward working on scales, tunes, and improv. If you'd like to sit in, you're welcome. It'll be geared toward advanced stuff, so watch out!
See you on April 7th!
OK. OK. It's been a long time. Here's what's new.
We've been doing the workshop all Fall and Winter, and have been steadily working towards learning theory and ways to put it to practice. We've been doing a lot of ear training and practicing scales.
Tonight we had a parent bring pizza, so we sat around, and talked theory. We looked at chord symbol nomenclature, and the common substitutions and alterations for the Major, minor, and Dominant chord/scales. Then we put the dorian minor scales to use in a three chord 24 measure exercise. We had each player play entirely solo, with no accompaniment, and try to make clear melodic, and rhythmic statements in minor.
Tomorrow, Tuesday night, we're playing at Steve's Guitars, in Carbondale, from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM. Bob Levey will be on drums (and Bob's brother will sit in on drums, too), Mark Gray will play bass, Justin Pfeiffer will play piano, and I'll play trumpet. Should be fun. Hope to see you there.
We've been doing the workshop all Fall and Winter, and have been steadily working towards learning theory and ways to put it to practice. We've been doing a lot of ear training and practicing scales.
Tonight we had a parent bring pizza, so we sat around, and talked theory. We looked at chord symbol nomenclature, and the common substitutions and alterations for the Major, minor, and Dominant chord/scales. Then we put the dorian minor scales to use in a three chord 24 measure exercise. We had each player play entirely solo, with no accompaniment, and try to make clear melodic, and rhythmic statements in minor.
Tomorrow, Tuesday night, we're playing at Steve's Guitars, in Carbondale, from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM. Bob Levey will be on drums (and Bob's brother will sit in on drums, too), Mark Gray will play bass, Justin Pfeiffer will play piano, and I'll play trumpet. Should be fun. Hope to see you there.
I heard Pat Metheny, Brad Meldau, Larry Grenadier, and Jeff Ballard last night in Grand Junction, CO. The concert was the quartet's first since their recent formation. It was enlightening to see how well prepared these world class musicians were. They played with no intermission for over 2 hours. I was struck by what a good musical pair Pat and Brad make. Their penchant for building melodies from each tune's thematic material made for some high moments of collaboration, and exploration (even on the first gig!) As my friend Michelle put it after the concert, "Mmmm... that was yummy!"
Starting next week, March 5th, 2007, we'll be hosting a jam session at Dos Gringos, in Carbondale, from 6:00 until 8:30. The session will, hopefully be a bi-weekly event. At 6:00 the "house rhythm section" (Tim Fox, pn.; Mark Gray, bs; and Bob Levey, dr.) will play a short set. At 6:30, high school students will be invited to join the session for a set. After the students (7:15?), adults will be invited to join the session until 8:30, or so.
Here's a short list of tunes we may choose from (the following files are PDFs. Sorry, you'll have to supply the transposition):
Bernie's Tune - Theolonius Monk
The Jody Grind - Horace Silver
Just Friends - Klenner and Lewis
What Is This Thing Called Love - Cole Porter
We may be able to keep our "workshop atmosphere" at this venue... we'll see. Hope to see you all there!
If you haven't already, check out "shared bookmarks" on del.icio.us. Get an account (free) post and share your bookmarks. Then, your bookmarks are available from any computer that's on the internet! I don't save bookmarks locally, anymore.
Here are my bookmarks related to jazz:
http://del.icio.us/tdfoxdale/jazz/
This site's technology has become perhaps my most useful internet tool.
Check out Artist's Share:
'A place where fans fund the projects of their favorite artists in exchange for the privilege of "participating" in the creative process.'
One of the features that you "Jazz Workshopers" should be interested in is the "online lesson" component. The artists regularly submit these lessons in conjunction with the music they're most recently recording.
Some of the artist's featured are:
And more.
It's a pretty awesome concept, and free to join.
Yesterday, April 1, 2006, our friend and teacher, John Hemkes passed away. He'd been fighting the effects of several strokes, and more recently, lung cancer. They claimed, at Racine's Lincoln Luther Home, that Johnny was the most visited patient in the bulding. That he was so cared for came as no suprise to me. Johnny affected very many of us in myriad positive ways. Sure, he was a great brass teacher, but, more than that, he was a life mentor, friend, and solid golf partner.
I had the honor of playing golf with he and my dad many times in the past 25 years. Although his game was steadily going downhill, he remained good company.
Last year, we were playing at Ives Grove, and were kind of holding up the group behind us, all young, athletic, big burly guys. They "suggested" to us that we move it along, and Johnny got pretty steaming mad. He goaded them from the tee, and invited them to come on over and tangle, if necessary. I gingerly walked over to the group, and apologized for our slow play, and asked that they cut my two 80+ year old companions and me a little slack. After the round, while we were having a beer, the gentlemen came over and shook Johnny's hand, telling him that they admired his guts for standing up to them.
I will miss my friend.
Continue reading Johnny Hemkes.
