Things I learned From Shows in Los Angeles

Letter from the composer: [sends me chords to play on piano]

Me: Thanks, I'll check them out. 

Happy New Year. Kind of bummed out with a work situation at the moment. But the music is keeping me going. The last couple nights I've been going to shows at the bar and figuring out how the sound technician gets all the sounds. I figured it out. 

There are monitors, subwoofers inside the bar on the top of corners on the ceiling. 

The owner only wants the sound tech to only use the brand new [digital equipment]. But he doesn't want to because he likes a more traditional system. 

The owners says the traditional system is too loud. So he can't use it every night. So he's been loading different equipment [a more fancier analog system] all by himself for different nights in a large SUV style van. Not good because the guy is 64 years old. 

The answer to this dilemma is that he must use a smaller sound system for each and every night. But he doesn't want to because he wants to do what he wants, and is reluctant to do anything the owner says because they've been working together for a long time and they have some sort of dispute about it. 

However, the sound technician showed me the older more basic [analog log system that's very small] and I saw that everything that it had was acceptable and could work within the small confines of a small local Encino bar. 

So, you find that the sound systems used to record music are not important at all to the sound of the recording. 

Rather, it is the direction of sound that is placed or pointed at the audience that determines the sound more than anything else. 

In conclusion, theoretically speaking, you could record a classical music album on an iphone 12. 

Keep in mind, this guy used to run sound for Black Flag.

Happy New Year! 

Summer's [almost] gone

Summer's [almost] gone. We are in the midst of autumn. My favorite season of the four seasons, Vivaldi style. Obviously, I enjoy Fall because of my father and my own birthday, which just past on September 25th. But there are other reasons why I love Fall. 

Fall is the season of change. New beginnings. The same old humdrum routine feels different somehow even though I've already been here before, maybe even a thousand times, metaphorically speaking, of course. I'm working in a similar job that I've always worked at during Fall. The same old things remind me of old memories and experiences even though everything is slightly different. Variations on deja vu, if you will. 

I remember lots of things from Wisconsin and my last visit to Chicago two years ago. The leaves in the midwestern streets, thousands of them, littered all over, sometimes burnt in firepits, but most of the time just swept into the streets, for cars to pass them by, and shuffled into the air. The variations of colours on the leaves vary from bright, dark oranges, to reds, to browns, to dirty black. The crisp cold California air that comes in October and November. Skateboarding home from school in 70-degree temperatures to the Wisco house. 

The more I remember the more I think and ruminate on all of it. It's a work of beauty, majesterial. I'm older, different, but still slightly the same, the song remains the same. 

In terms of business its the beginning of the holiday season, which means sales, sales, sales. I've learned to control my spending habits and not waste money frivolously so I'm already much more prepared for the holidays than I was any other year of my life. The big difference here is that I'm not a consumer anymore. I just buy clothes and food. I don't need any more guitars or video games. I don't need much of anything. There comes a time when a man realizes that he should only buy what he needs. A 21st-century schizoid man has what he doesn't need.

Work reminds me of other past work experiences. Different people remind me of other people I've worked with. The young girls always remind me of other girls. The guys too. California retail is a blessing because I used to have a much harder time getting to and working at places in Wisconsin. But there's definitely an air of "I've been here a thousand times before," every time that I clock into work, every time I talk to a co-worker, every time I talk to a customer, the feeling that never goes away, during the Fall.

Perhaps this is just the worldhood of the world. Either way, summer's gone. C'est la vie. 

Unleashing Your Inner Zen

This is part of an ongoing series that I've been writing, which has been more part personal vlog-style and part inspirational thinking. Here I'd like to discuss how I've changed my mindset, and become a more jovial person, at least for now. 

The beginning starts with my attitude coming back from vacation and going back to my retail job, where I sometimes work over 40 hour weeks. My friends that work there are always stick-in-the-muds about working there, meaning that even though they have cushy top positions there (and low like myself), they still feel like the job is letting them down, and that perhaps they would be happy doing something else, etc. 

For a while I got trapped in that line of thinking. These people aren't happy so I should be unhappy too, right? Wrong. It all starts with my boss asking me to come in early on my late night shifts. At first I was saying no and using my time to just relax-game, read, guitar, my usual activities. But then I started saying yes, all the time. 

Wait a minute. You're probably thinking you'd rather relax and have fun than go in early to work retail. Or maybe you think you'd rather have free time over money? Once I started saying yes I realized that I actually didn't mind going in early, and that I'm getting paid more money, so that's a plus. The other upside is that management likes me and (hopefully) has my back in times of trouble. 

Now to the jovial part. Work can be stressful but once you 'get over it', you realize that your life is actually quite amazing, and good things even happen to you, even at work. I got over my job, which means that I'm willing to help out in any way I can, even if I don't need the extra cash. I'm happy to help, and be a team player. Its no skin off my back and I don't attach any negative energy to my occupation. Its a blissful realization, inner zen unleashed.  

I had about a month lead up into this from my vacation in October. I don't think I would've realized it if I didn't start dividing my time into organized sections-music, guitar, reading, hanging out with friends. I've been using my time more wisely. It even affects my eating habits. I realized in order to lose weight I have to stop eating late at night, so once I started doing that, I started losing weight again. 

The mindset problem is very difficult to overcome. Most people don't. A lot of people are whiners and complainers their whole lives even though they have everything handed to them on a silver plate. I'm a lucky guy, I have musical talent, a job, and intellectual curiosity that leads me to a lot of interesting books. Most guys would be lucky if they just had a job. So maybe your crappy attitude makes you think things suck when actually you just have to change your outlook to realize how great life really is. 

Perhaps I should become a zen monk?

Post Chicago Blues

I came back from Chicago a few days ago. I was only gone five days but it was the best five days I've had in a year, since I was there in 2017. Coming back home, being here a couple days, I'm really feeling that post Chicago blues. Let me explain. 

1) Food
The food in Chicago is way better than the food out here in LA, or in my case, the Valley. Chicago seems to have less chains, the food is cheaper, and the food just tastes way better. I'm actually pretty depressed about this because I've realized all the places I eat at here with my friends are either fast food, or way overpriced decent food. Its a lose-lose! 

2) Music venues
LA has its share of great music venues, that's true. However, they are all overpriced in comparison to the gigs I went to in Chicago. The jazz gig cost me $12. The blues gig only $7. Not only would a bar in LA charge that much (probably more actually) but they would also have a one or two drink minimum. At both clubs/bars I went to in Chicago none of them had drink minimums. Music events are better over there. Not only that but I think for the kind of music that I like and play, Chicago would be a much better city. Jazz, classical, modern classical, etc.

3) Weather 
The weather in Chicago is cold, that's for sure. However, sometimes the cold is good. The always summer weather of LA gets tiring, and you lose a certain movement of the Earth here in the Valley. Like every year is the same, every day is the same, every hour is the same, its a sort of labored continuity, driven by the fact that everyday is completely identical. This almost made me lose my grounding when I first moved here, when I didn't write or play music, instead I became absorbed into the 'bio-mass' of California culture-video games, technology, movies, rock and roll, night life, and a retail job.

4) People 
People in LA are fake. Like really, really, really fake. Not only that but they can be real stuck-up assholes, guys and gals, I've met them personally on musically levels or when I help out customers at work. The thing about Chicago is that its hard to be fake and a cunt. Everyone can spot you out a mile away and call you out on your bullshit. In LA everyone preens themselves as an artist, musician, businessman, manger, etc but when it comes to their actual jobs its often not what we expect (usually lame, boring, or they don't get enough respect, etc), or they turn out to have a shitty personality. Not saying everyone in LA is like this but a lot of them are. Hell, even my brother's academic roommates were nicer, more intelligent, and interesting than most of the college students I've come to meet in LA. There's something about the Midwest, the people are a lot more wholesome, and they'll take time out of their day to help you or speak with you. Midwestern hospitality! 

5) Cost of living
The cost of living in Chicago is much cheaper than LA. You can rent a room for as low as $500. Sure it won't be a palace and you might have to share with roommates but it beats the $1500 one room apartment price here in the Valley. At one point I was thinking about moving out of my dad's place but it ended up not working out because it was still too expensive between three people. I think my cost would've been something like $800, which is too much. 

6) Scenic Historical City
We spent two or three days downtown Chicago just checking places out. You can spend a lot of time just walking down the streets and enjoying the scenic historical city. Its one of the most well known cities in the world, and for good reason.

7) Trains and buses 
The trains and buses in Chicago are great. Sure, the buses might be extremely full at times, and the trains too in the morning commute, but they are reliable, so reliable in fact that you don't even need a car. This is perfect for me because I don't drive and don't own a car. The trains are fast, even the buses are fast. Its great. 

Jotting all this down is a little depressing because I see all that I'm missing now that I'm back in the Valley. However, the good news is that I'm planning on moving to Chicago in about a year or so, when I can go back to visit, and find a place. In the meantime I'm going to continue with creative pursuits and working, as well as further my education in the classics and philosophy. In the end it will be very sad because I'll be leaving behind my vast network that I've created here since 2013. I have a lot of very good friends and although my job is a lowly retail job, it has also helped me to make friends, musical associates, and afford to buy things. It will be sad when I leave but I will also be glad in a way, to start a new life in the windy city. 

Blues Concert

On Sunday, October 28th I went to the b.l.u.e.s bar in Lincoln Park, Chicago. We saw this cool blues band, the Billy Flynn band. Flynn is this older white gentlemen with glasses, who plays a mean blues guitar. He played this semi-hollow body Epiphone or Gibson that had a vibrato arm, whammy bar on it. He had another guitar playing primarily rhythm guitar but took a few solos, a bassist, and a drummer laying down the beat. 

The second guitar player was really good, although his solos weren't nearly as unique or characteristic as Flynns'. The drummer played the same beats for most songs. The bassist had a great tone, playing an Ernieball music man bass. They played a lot of what I would call Chicago blues, meaning that electric city blues with influences from BB King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker, that unique city blues sound. 

Flynn's voice sounds nearly identical to aging Eric Clapton's voice, but I think Flynn is much more nuanced and careful with his guitar licks than say Clapton, who probably plays a lot more than this guy, a Chicago native. A lot of the songs were blues standards but a lot of them were also originals or songs going back to the 50s or 60s that were done by the greats of the blues tradition. 

The b.l.u.e.s bar is this small hole in the wall. Its even smaller and crappier than the bar I perform at open jams here in California. The mens room didn't have a lock, so that was kind of unexpected. The place is quite great though. The cover charge for the show was only $7 and there's no drink minimums. I did buy a Stella Artois which tasted great. There was maybe about 10 people there, the smallest audience I've ever seen for a concert. Well, this was a Sunday night in a college area so that's not too surprising.

I went to a classical and jazz concert during my trip to Chicago. I had to do a blues concert just to see three different genres, plus Chicago is a blues city, it would've been wrong not do see some great live blues. Flynn's guitar playing was inspirational, it takes me back to the roots of my playing, rock and blues. Sometimes all you need is one note to make a difference. 

Chicago blues! 

Chris Madsen/Adam Larson Quintet

So tonight I ended up going to a great jazz concert for only 12 bucks! Beat that LA. Chicago is a great town for live music, there's always somebody playing somewhere. The Constellation is a great, intimate venue. Its basically a warehouse converted into a studio space, looking like a basement but with amazing acoustics and natural reverb. Last year I saw my former UW-Parkside jazz teacher perform with a quartet, a trumpet player by the name of Russ Johnson (look him up on YouTube). 

Tonight I saw a double tenor saxophone quintet perform, the Chris Madsen/Adam Larson Quintet. They play modern straight ahead jazz. These guys aim to please, they never hit a bad note nor an ugly note. They play pretty. At their best I would say that they're a modern evolution of the post-Coltrane, post-Brecker sound. That is, a deep, throaty, emotive, and expressive tone. 

Adam Larson is a young tenor player from Normal, Illinois. At the concert, the music was split 50/50 Larson and Madsen tunes. Of the two I would say that Larson's music was more exciting. His melodies are very angular, which is my way of saying that its modern, and has that Giant Steps 'sheets of sound' aesthetic. At the end of the concert they played one of Larson's tunes, and it was so memorable that I was able to recall the melody on the bus trip home. His playing was great, in fact I believe that he could become one of the front runners in his generation (same as mine) for really great tenor sax players. 

Chris Madsen's (from and based in Chicago) tunes were more spiritual and expressive. He writes better ballads (if I can say they were ballads, they probably weren't considered such by the composer) than Larson, which is understandable because I believe Madsen is older and more accomplished, being apart of acadamia. He teaches jazz music at University of Chicago Illinois and lives here, whereas Larson is a Manhattan School of Music New York jazz musician. Madsen's onstage persona was more expressive and solemn as well, just like his music. 

On piano was Rob Clearfield, on bass was an older gentlemen (oldest guy in the band, probably the unoffical leader) named Curt Bley (who said it was great that I came from California to hear that), and Greg Artry the drummer and only black guy in the band. 

Clearfield's piano playing was one of accompaniment. He had one solo that stood out as virtuosic but not as expressive as the tenor playing. The comping was quite good though. He was pretty much comping most of the time the whole concert, laying out occasionly for extended sax solos. 

Arty's drumming stood out for me. Not only was he a drum and cymbals virtuoso but he played with emotive style and grace. Sometimes he would go into double and even quadruple time on the kit, stunning artistry. I would say he plays the modern Brian Blade style of drumming. Brian Blade has been the drummer for Wayne Shorter's band for a long time now and he's been a big influence on modern jazz percussion, and for good reason, he's one of the younger leaders of the style. There were many moments when I had to tap my foot to the swinging beats, and I would move back and forth in my seat to the sound. It was infectious. Him being the only black guy in the band gave the band more jazz credentials, after all jazz is a black American art form. The guy had chops to burn and the tenor players, presumably the leaders here, let him play with wanton abandon. He owned the rythmn, alongside the bassist, Curt Bley. 

Bley was obviously the oldest member of the band, tall, balding, with plastic rimmed glasses. He played as any great bass player would play, he filled the space with low notes, and mostly stuck to the chordal structures of the tune. He only had one solo per say, which was just an introduction to a tune. It was very short and he spent most of the concert comping. His bass tone was so natural and loud, using only a very small amplifier, which probably broadened the natural acoustic tone of his instrument, a acoustic double-bass. 

It was an eventful day and night. I spent the entire day talking with my music mentor Frank Abbinanti, a new music composer based in Chicago. You can check out his album Labor Studies on YouTube, also check out a tune he wrote for me that I recorded back in March called Poachers, which you can find under my YouTube channel name Megafigueroa007. 

Anyways, it was a great concert, memorable for my Chicago trip. I plan on checking out more music from Madsen and Larson when I get back home. Apparently Larson has an album from 2017 that got four stars in Downbeat and favorable reviews in Jazziz, two magazines that I read often. Its good to see that jazz music is alive and well in the windy city.

Jazz in Chicago! 

Classical Music at DePaul

I've been in Chicago the last couple days and I've been checking out as much music as I can. Last night on the 25th I attended a free classical music concert at DePaul University, a Catholic institution in Lincoln Park. Amazingly it was free and all I had to do was rsvp online and pick up my "ticket" at their box office. Not bad! 

The actual performance was quite elegant. Here's the setlist:

Mozart 

String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 (1785) 

Beethoven 

Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3 (1795)

Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 "Ghost" (1809)

String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4 (1801)

Debussy 

String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 (1893)

Jean Cras (1879-1932)

Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1926)

Schubert 

String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956 (1828) 

As you can see it was quite a standard string quartet 'showcase I' as they called it on their program. The Mozart piece opened things up nicely with that characteristic 'classical' sound. The Beethoven pieces were the main showpieces. The Debussy piece was unusual, mainly because I think its the only string quartet piece that he wrote. 

I've never heard of Jean Cras, and when I asked my music mentor, a new music composer named Frank Abbinanti (find his work on YouTube), he said he had never heard of the guy either. However, his composition was quite good. There was definitely a middle eastern sound here. It was refreshing because it was the only modern piece, written in 1926. 

The Beethoven piano pieces were grand. The most virtuosity and musicianship was displayed when the pianists got onstage and woo'd the crowd with their dazzling gymnastic pyrotechnics. I tend to think that most pianists are virtuosos, due to the fact that its a solo instrument. Most guitarists aren't virutosos because its mostly an instrument of accompaniment. Anyways, these piano trio tunes were the real highlight for me. 

The other high light for me was watching the cellists bow and play emotive low notes. Cello is quite an expressive instrument and I've been interested in playing it, but I've been unable to because the instrument is too damn expensive. Maybe one day when I get a better job. Cello would be a great instrument for me to get into, and become a new music musician, one of my goals as a musician; to move from rock and jazz into the new music, modern music scene. 

Lastly, they ended the program with Schubert, classic quartet stuff. I've actually heard a lot of Franz Schubert's quartet music, thanks to YouTube, my main source for music of all kinds. It was a good note to end it on. 

Chicago is known as a blues town but I spent my first night here going to a classical concert. Its good to know that Universities put on free shows for the public, not just for those affiliated with Uni. In the words of Ice Cube, "Yeah today was a good day." 

Thoughts on jazz books

So I'm reading two books on jazz right now and I thought I'd jot down some of my thoughts about the books and some things I've learned from them. I'm almost done with both books, maybe even just a mere 60-80 pages away from finishing both. I've been doing a lot of reading...

Anyways, I'd like to talk about Stanley Crouch's biography on Charlie "Bird" Parker called Kansas City Lightning-The Life and Times of Charlie Parker. This book is so heavily detailed with history about jazz, the black musical tradition (including Jim Crow and minstrelsy) and American history you sometimes forget that its about Bird. What Crouch does best is cultural critique. You might not always agree with what he's saying but what he says comes with a sense of seriousness and care for jazz, and ultimately black people and their history. For that his work is incredible, even if I think his thoughts on free jazz are way wrong.

Kansas City Lightning goes into much detail about Parker. He was a pampered only child to a single mother, lived with his girl friend (and later wife) with his mother, and was laughed off the bandstand to such a degree that he went home and cried. He said never again and practiced and practiced until he nailed all the changes, all the melodies, and then some. He was already playing professionally in bands at the age of 16 even though he wasn't a good sight reader (good at reading music charts, notation) and only knew a few keys (most popular songs of the day were played in only a few keys). All that would change.

Once he got used to the nightlife and hanging out all night into the morning he found the world he wanted to belong to. That's when he starting using (code for heroin). I'm still reading the book but one can only assume that he would become super famous and then descend into ruin. That's the story of all so-called greats. They become great, fly too close to the sun, and then crash land to ruin or in some cases death. I'm interested to see how Crouch will end the book.

The other book is author (bassist, composer, music theory teacher) Paul Steinbeck's biography and music analysis on the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It's called Message to Our Folks, which was one of their early albums. This book is much more appealing to me because the Art Ensemble is one of my favorite music groups ever. I was awed by them when I saw their videos on Youtube some four or five years ago. When I heard them I found out that jazz can mean much more and be much different from the other free jazz stuff I had heard in the past (Ornette, late period Trane, Ayler, Sanders, Shepp). The AEOC's music has a lot more collective improvisation (much like Louis Armstrong's Hot Five) but they can also go into bebop, swing, blues, and even European harmonies-sometimes all within the same tune. There's nothing quite like them. You should listen to their music if you aren't familiar with their work.

Going forward, the book starts off as a biography about all the guys in the band. Its interesting to note that most of the guys were in the army, went to college (but most didn't stay) because of the GI bill, and most of them all came from musical and religious families. Pretty typical stuff. I was a little surprised to read that most of them were in the army. In today's world going to the army is seen as a much different thing as back then. It's good to know where all the guys came from.

After that history part there's musical analysis of the album A Jackson in Your House (Jackson was the name of saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell's cat). I listened to the entire album before I read it and although I don't think Steinbeck can completely explain the music in words I do think its cool that he added transcriptions (music notation) of certain parts to the music. That's something I've never seen before, its new, and totally exciting. Again, I think he does a good attempt at explaining the music in words but I don't think words do it justice. Its just too hard to explain the variety of sounds that this band can produce. However, its still great reading.

After that there's more talk about their next period, the 1970s. They were in a good spot by then. They had reached international acclaim in Europe (particularly Paris, where they stayed from 1969-1971 and when they came back home they were already the most famous band to come from Chicago's AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). However, work was still hard to come by so they played on and off about twelve times a year and in between they played side gigs where they could earn a living (mostly playing with other AACM groups). Eventually they began to become more popular in America (once they got signed to a major label-Atlantic) and they started to get regular gigs where they increased their price. They've had a big influence on me musically and culturally. I look forward to reading more.

When I'm done reading these books I'll probably write a final little excerpt about it. This is a great step forward in my jazz history.

It don't a thing if it ain't got that swing.

Dan Bruce Beta Collective live at the Constellation

Last night I saw a pretty cool jazz band with my bro. I looked up shows around Chicago and I noticed that my jazz instructor (from six years ago when I was at University of Parkside-Wisconsin) Russ Johnson was playing with this band at this modern jazz club called the Constellation. Russ is a great trumpet players that is involved with various groups probably all around the Midwest and New York. He's pretty well known in the jazz community. Anyways, the group is led by a guitarist composer named Dan Bruce and the band features Russ Johnson (trumpet), Chris Madsen (tenor saxophone), Rob Clearfield (keyboards), Clark Sommers (bass), Jon Dietemyer (drums).

We only stayed for the first set because we took two buses and the train and it took like an hour and a half to get there. In addition, my brother has work in the morning. However, that first set was pretty great! Dan Bruce took the majority of the solos but there was a great tenor sax solo that was just about reaching into free jazz territory. I heard some squeaks! It was great hearing that because this is more of a new jazz concert. By that I mean the music sounds very modal and its all original music. This was an album release concert after at. Very few people in attendance. Think Ole Coltrane if it had electric guitar, effects, and electronic keyboards. For the most part they were reading the music off manuscript paper but it was obvious when they went off the cuff and started to truly improvise.

Dan Bruce is a great guitar player with plenty of chops but it seemed like his improvisations were a little too perfect. Too rehearsed. I would've liked to hear some mistakes from him. I like to hear some struggle sometimes from jazz musicians. That's not to say he isn't a good improviser at all because what I heard was all great stuff, very musical and tasty as they say. I would say I was more impressed with his chord voicings and comping rather than say his composing ability or single note lines. I thought it was cool that he was using some electronic effects with his guitar too. I wish he would've used more of that, at least during the first set. After all whats the point of effects if you're only going to use them very sparingly?

Chris Madsen on tenor sax had a great solo that really stood out. There was a musical buildup slowly to a climax with squeaks thrown in there. It almost seemed like what he was playing was out of time, out of sync with the band but it still sounded great. He was even doing this blowing technique where you blow very lightly into the horn and get this sort of raspy tone. He also had a lot of bebop licks thrown in there too. That was a turning point at that part of the set.

Russ Johnson was mostly playing in harmony (melodies) with the guitar and sax but he did have a pretty great solo on the last tune. I was pretty impressed. He's the elder statemen of the band being the oldest so he probably has the most experience in playing jazz and he's probably been on more records and stuff than the other guys. His solo started off with a couple flubbed notes. My brother said "he needs practice" but my brother doesn't know enough about jazz to realize that what he was doing is actually a trumpet technique. I believe he was doing the same thing Madsen was doing, that technique where you blow into the horn but just barely enough to make some raspy tones.

Anyways, his solo was probably the best. He built it upon a theme, expanded upon it, and ended it with some virtuoso fast stuff. His high notes sounded superb. I used to be a trumpet player in high school so I know how difficult that is to do. His solo almost had a Spanish vibe as my brother said.

There was also a keyboards solo but I think it was more of "set the mood" sorta thing rather than a solo. And there was also a bass and drum solo but in a way they were kind of overshadowed by the compositions. It seemed like their solos were shorter than the others but I may be wrong.

After the show I talked to Dan Bruce and said,"great guitar playing man, that was like masterclass on chord voicings". I geeked out pretty hard seeing such great guitar playing. Then I asked if Russ was around and I talked to him. He remembered me from UW-Parkside, which I briefly attended about five years ago. It didn't work out at that college but the fact that I saw him at the show was probably a shock for him. Of course he asked,"what are you doing here?" Lol, it was kind of funny. We shook hands and I told him I've been practicing a lot of guitar, working on jazz standards, and that I've started a band. He said to keep shedding, a musicians catch phrase to keep practicing. Great moment of the Chicago trip so far. Who would've thought right?

It was a great set and I'm really glad my brother enjoyed it even though he isn't a fan of jazz guitar as he says. Maybe I'll get to see more great live music out here in Chicago, particularly jazz.

Jazz isn't dead. It just smells funny. -Frank Zappa

Chicago trip starts tommorrow

Hey everyone! Its been a long time since I've posted, since the Buckethead cover post. I thought I'd let you all know I'll be spending the next week in Chicago with my brother and step-dad. There's a lot of planning that was involved in the trip so I have to think carefully about everything I want to do and all the places I want to see. For me the highlight is of course all the great restaurants that we'll probably eat at. But also my step-father's composer friend is playing at a new music (avant-garde classical music) concert at this place called the Green Mill that looks promising.

My bro's apartment is in Hyde Park somewhat near the University of Chicago so I'm thinking about spending some time on campus checking out events and hopefully going to some jazz concerts at night as well at some local joints. I'm also interested in seeing downtown Chicago. My step-dad organized the trip and its mostly for him to see all his old school buddies. I'm interested in seeing my brother and my mother but unfortunately I might not be able to see mom because she lives in Wisconsin and she has to work.

I literally haven't had a vacation or a week off probably since last year. Its been a good minute. I really need some rest and relaxation. Work has been good in terms of getting off early but I haven't been getting good hours (averaging 25 at most lately), I struggle with cutting and wrapping cheese, and my manager can be a little harsh to say the least. I've been trying to not let it get to me. If I don't make it in that department at work I'll probably ask to go back to the front end as a combo clerk (bagger/cashier). I've gotta learn to relax and not take work as the law of the land. If anything happens I'll probably still have a job there. Having been there four years its not like they're going to fire me or anything. And I have no intention of forsaking my union.

Anyways, the Chicago trip will be a perfect distraction from work and stuff. I'm going to be blogging pretty often when I'm there just because I'll be at the library a lot (my bro works at a library) so I'll probably do a bunch of updates on movies, tv shows, music, and video games that I've been checking out. It's going to be a lot of blogging. Get ready to read!

Jack Dejohnette album Made in Chicago Review

    

     This is the latest Jack Dejohnette album in which he comes home to his Chicago roots and plays with some of the guys from the AACM whom he played with in his youth. This includes Henry Threadgill on alto saxophones and bass flute, Roscoe Mitchell on sopranino saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones, baroque flute, and bass recorder. In addition, there is Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Larry Grey on bass and violoncello, and of course Jack Dejohnette on drums. What makes this 2013 performance at the Chicago Jazz Festival so great is not the compositions, but the individual and collaborative improvisation of these musicians as a whole.
      In fact, I can't tell that these compositions are even written down at all. It all sounds like improvisation and great improv at that! I've always thought that live jazz is always better than studio albums and this is one case where live performance really shines. The level of nuance and skill is just off the roof. A piece that really stands out is the second song, Jack 5, by Muhal Richard Abrams, where Jack Dejohnette opens up with drum flourishes on the cymbals and toms. What gives Jack such a unique touch on the drums is that he was a pianist when he first began playing music. I really like Jack 5 because when the melody comes in, its an odd sort of droning melody not unlike something Ornette Coleman would do. It's slow and methodical. The bass line is especially interesting. Check out this song online if possible, it is a great piece.  
     Some of the other songs have the same qualities as Jack 5 in that the beginning is a bit slow and the melody goes up and down in chromatic dramatic fashion. But when they start improvising things really go the dogs, or in this case, the cats. With the piano its hard to say what this group sounds like. I would immediatley say they sound like the Art Ensemble of Chicago but I would say this is more melodic and structured than AEOC. That's whats so great about it. This is great music for people that are just getting into free-jazz but it still contains enough free elements that free-jazz fans would love it. It's the best of both worlds. The piano really gives the group a harmonic framework in which to do the improvising. There are moments where the piano is doing its thing and it sounds like a post-bop sort of band.
     The other highlight of the performance for me was the last untitled tune. It sounds like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, all free and what not. I particularly love Roscoe Mitchell's squeaky saxophone playing on this. It's what makes free-jazz great, this piece. 
     I would say this is an important record because most of these guys are in their 70s, almost 80s now and they won't be with us forever. So it's cool to see them come back to their roots from when they used to play with each other in Chicago and now here they are at old age still playing and performing together, maybe for the last time. In addition, this is an important jazz recording because many Chicago jazz greats played at this festival as well. This is one of the best new jazz recording I've ever heard.
 As Jack says at the end, "May the Great Spirit bless you!" It certainly has blessed Jack.