Tag Archives: music

Jody

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I drove 17 hours to 2009 Savannah Jazz Festival.  When I got to my sister’s house, I told her I needed to be at Blowin’ Smoke.  She said, “Not before you have something to eat”  I argued for a few minutes, but it was a losing battle.  I got my stuff in the house and had a sandwich, then we were off to the venue.

When we arrived, the kickoff  jam session had been going on for over an hour.  I can’t even begin to tell you about the energy under that tent, it was pretty awesome! My sister introduced me to a few people and those people introduced me to other people.  They also pointed out some people.  One of the people that was pointed out was Jody.  I went right up to him and introduced myself to him.  Right away, I could tell he was a class act, not yet knowing who he was.  Afterwards, I went back to the table and enjoyed the show.

A little while later, I took Gilda out of her case and told the man in charge what I wanted to play.  I didn’t know much at all, at that time, I was comfortable with a blues in F.  I ended up on stage with Jody and another man named, Roosevelt. I had know idea what was going on.  ImageThe tune they played was a tune I had never heard of.  I had only been playing for a year at this time.  I was up there doing my best Milli Vanilli impression.  Jody saw I was struggling, and in between breaths, he was telling me what to do.  I couldn’t quite grasp what he was talking about at that moment.  Then the solos started! There was no way in hell I was going first.  Roosevelt had told me how nervous he was.  I was very surprised, because he was awesome!! We were obviously coming from 2 different worlds.  I was next.  All I wanted to do was leave, but Jody told me what to do, as if he knew I wanted to walk away,  right there on the stage.  So, I did, the best that I could. I could not wait to get off that stage!

Later on, I talked with him and he was so encouraging.  He said I should learn “Sonny Moon for Two”.  I learned it that week.  It is a pretty simple melody, solos are open to interpretation. So I learned it.  I went back everyday of the festival to play “Sonny Moon” but could not get up on stage for the rest of the week.

Jody encouraged me to learn a few standards and then, the next year (if I came down) maybe I could get up there and play a tune.  Well, I went home from the Jazz Festival and gave a 30 day notice and moved back to Savannah.  I saw Jody was playing at Blowin’ Smoke on the 2nd Friday after I moved back.  I went there to see his show.  He was amazing!  During his break, he came over to talk to me. I was quite surprised that he remembered me.  He asked if I had my horn and I said “Yes.” He told me to get it and he would get me up there.  Howard Paul, of Benedetto Guitars

http://www.benedettoguitars.com/

was also up there, and he had a show a the Jazz Festival also. Jody asked me what I wanted to play.  I told him, “Sonny Moon for Two”  That is what we played.  I couldn’t believe I was playing with these guys! It was an amazing experience!

Jody came to the Square one day to play with ME! I couldn’t believe it when I saw him hustling across the way.  That also was an amazing experience! We played together for about 40 minutes to an hour. Any words he spoke, came from his heart  and was said with love and respect.Image

Since the 2009 I have not been back on the stage for the jam sessions, but Jody has invited me on HIS stage a few times.  Every time has been a pleasure and an honor.  Like I said, he is a class act.  I have seen him outside of the music realm also, and he always has time to talk. Every word that comes out of his mouth is said with love and sincerity.  I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for him.  He may not know it, but he is kind of a mentor to me.  He gave me a challenge well over a year ago, and I have still not done it.  I am not sure I want to do it.  That is between him and me.

Anyway, the reason I wrote this post is because, in a world with corporate giants and nobody having the time to give someone the time of day, this man does.  He is a family man, a friend, a mentor, a teacher and a world class Jazz musician. I should also mention he owns a mouthpiece factory.  If you play clarinet or saxophone please, do yourself a favor and check mouthpieces at http://www.jodyjazz.com/

I actually bought a Jody Jazz mouthpiece a year and a half before I met him.  I didn’t know that is who he was until later.  Thank you Jody for guidance, patience and support.

 

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RPM Challenge 2013: Finished

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I didn’t think I was going to be able to finish this year.  Gilda needed repair, and I didn’t have the money. All I can do is give a HUGE thank you to my brother, Kenny, for helping me with that.  I am ever so grateful! There wasn’t enough time to find musicians and rehearse before the recordings and I lost 5 days due to a cold and food poisoning.  Then yesterday, the nightmare of printing my cd cover and label.  Thank goodness for the patience of my brother -in-law, Ed. We weren’t able to print the label and cover I wanted, due to software issues.  My computer wouldn’t install his printer. After many trials and errors, we just put text on it.  Lining it up with the templates wasn’t easy. I wanted to use a sketch for my cover that someone did of me a few years ago.  Her name is Charlotte, she was here with her family on vacation, and sat in the Square and did this.  I thought it would have made a nice cover.  Maybe when I get a new printer.sketchI was also up to the wee hours of the morning waiting for the audio files Pete sent me to download.  I had to make sure they downloaded properly, it took a few hours, but it worked.  I got it out in the mail by 11:34am.   Unfortunately, I made the cd with just me.  I wanted to add other musicians to give it a little more depth and a different sound than what I have been doing, there just wasn’t enough time.  I am hoping to be able to build off this in the very near future.  I also hope you enjoy what I made.                                                     studio 1

I actually was able to record in a studio.  That was pretty cool.  We had three sessions at Hamilton Hall and it was a lot of work, but fun work!  Pete was very patient with me, as I did many takes.  He gave me some good input and did the mastering.  It was great working him. I hope I am able to work with him again when I get other musicians.  It was also pretty cool to do a Haiku based from a photo my friend Diana sent to me (that can be found in my previous post) along with all of the Haiku I wrote and track titles.  I also want to say a big thank you to my friends and family who were very encouraging along the way.  This is my 5th Challenge and I think it was the most difficult for me.  I love when February 1st comes.  It gets me out of the long January funk and back on track.  I love The Wire for starting this (I think) 8 years ago.  It is amazing to see and hear all the music people create in such a short time. Please go to the RPM Challenge site, and see what others are doing. There is a link in my blogroll to the right.  Yes, it is difficult and sometimes can be stressful.  But you come away with something that you never thought you could do.  It is amazing, people sign up from all over the world to do this! It is fun to hear all of the different ideas they come up with.  Again, check it out sometime when you have time, thank you!

FinishedCD pic

RPM Challenge 2013: The Second 10 Days

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During the first 10 days, I didn’t feel very productive.  I had done a lot of research to figure out certain scales and/or chords to get an authentic sound, and in the first 10 days only had 3 progressions written.  Also, I had been sick for several of those days.  I was feeling very discouraged about not getting my Challenge cd finished.

In the last 10 days, I feel I made up for that. I now have 10 Haiku written and 10 progressions down.  I have worked very hard and continued to look up certain scales and chords to match what I am saying in the Haiku.  I have 5 based on literature, it kind of became a theme after my first two.  The other 5 came from various places or thoughts I had.  I would like to share all ten of them–

1,  Myshkin, the Poor Knight/ Heart torn between two women/ Tragically, lost both

2.  24601/ All he did was steal some bread/ He is, Jean Valjean

3. On a Knight’s errant/ To honor the Peerless One/ With his trusted Squire

4. Poems, short stories/ A master of the macabre/ Mysterious death

5. Gollum and Precious/ Together for Centuries/ Consumed by Passion

6. She’s from Canada/ Now living in Australia/ The Orange Blossom

7. Warm soft summer rain/ In the Squares of Savannah/ Gilded by the sun

8. Cafe barista/ A cappuccino in hand/ Frothy heart on top

9. Changes will happen/ Good, bad, or indifferent/ Never lose yourself

10. Glorious sunshine, On a chilly Winter day/ Chase those blues away

Number 10 is a Haiku based on a photo by my friend Diana.  We have done a couple collaborations in the past and I asked her if she would send me a photo and she did. To see more of her work, click on Life Thru Blue Eyes  on the right, in my blogroll.

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Now that I have all of my progressions and Haiku written, all that is left, is to record.  I had to take Gilda to shop (today) because there are all kinds of leaks and she is very difficult to play (A huge thank you to my brother for helping me with that!). Also, I have to do the album cover work and then I can send it off.  In some ways, this time of year is my favorite time of year. This is my 5th RPM Challenge and it sets a fire under me to come up with new ideas.  It is most helpful, especially after the long, cold month of January.  I am looking forward to seeing the end product of this project.  I hope you enjoy it too!

RPM Challenge 2013: The First Ten Days

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When February 1st finally arrived, I was ready to get started on my new Challenge cd.  I went right to work, looking up scales and progressions that are used in Russian music.  The first Haiku I wrote was in reference to Dostoevsky’s, “The Idiot” –

Myshkin, the Poor Knight,  Heart torn between to women,  Tragically, lost both

I wanted to use scales that Russians use.  I was even able to find pentatonic scales so it would fit in with the confines of Haiku Jazz.  I got started right away on chord progressions, using Georgian triads that I also found.  Since I have not written progressions in a few years, and haven’t really had to think of transposing, I did all the progressions in my key. I transposed them and a few days later, realized I did it backwards.  Are you kidding me?  So, I did it all again, in a simpler form.  I still feel I will improv my part over the progression.  In my mind, it seems like a good idea, I guess we’ll see.

On the 4th, I came down with a nasty cold.  I didn’t understand that, as I had just gotten over strep from a week before.  I hadn’t been sick in three years then I get a one two punch.  And that isn’t the worst part, I also got food poisoning!  So, from the 4th to the 8th I was pretty much laid up. I lost some valuable time there, but I am not daunted.  On the 9th I got right back to work, with a progression for a Haiku I wrote in reference to “Les Miserables”–

24601,  All he did was steal some bread, He is- Jean Valjean

I wanted to start with these two first, I think they are the more difficult ones, due to the research I did on them.  Now I am able to get to work some of the other Haiku.  I gues being laid up wasn’t a total loss, it did give me time to create another one–

Cafe Barista, A cappuccino in hand, frothy heart on top

I have a couple more I had before I got sick, but I will talk about those as I do them.  I still have 5 more Haiku to write, find a couple of musicians to play with me and space to record this in. It could be I do them solo, then go back with other musicians and layer over my part.  We’ll see what happens.  For now, it is off to my work station to get busy! :)

Thank you for following along!

 

Savannah Jazz Festival: 2012 Day 7

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Saturday is typically the biggest the day of the Jazz Festival, starting at 4:00- the line up,

4PM US Navy Band Southeast Dixieland Band “TGIF”
5:45PM Jazz Hall Of Fame w/Ben Tucker, Teddy Adams, Huxie Scott, and Howard Paul. Guest Artists: Warren Chiasson & Quentin Baxter
7PM Andreas Varady Quartet w/Scott Gidden, Delbert Felix and Pete Miles - Sponsored by Miner Wines & Benedetto Guitars
8:15PM Tony Monaco B3 Trio - Sponsored by Miner Wines & Benedetto Guitars
9:30PM Savannah Jazz Orchestra featuring sax greats Ed Calle & Sam Skelton – Sponsored by Jody Jazz Mouthpieces                                                                              

I spoke a little to soon about the rain.  It started raining last around 7:30ish.  Fortunately, the stage is covered so the equipment doesn’t get wet.  It wasn’t too heavy that it deterred people from staying.  Forsyth Park was packed.

Unfortunately, I missed a good portion of this day.  I was working most of the afternoon and up to 8:00.  I was really looking forward to seeing Andreas Varady.  He is a 15 year old jazz guitar virtuoso.  I had actually met him and his father the day before, in the Square I was working in.  I checked him out on youtube and it made me really sorry I missed him.  Check him out on the Late Late Show from last year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0iwgDFk62g&feature=related  and see his other videos too!

By the time I got there, Tony Monaco was playing. http://b3monaco.com/ I could hear the unmistakable sound of the Hammond B3 when I pulled up to Forsyth.   It was great walking music, from the entrance of the park all the way up.  On my way to find Alex (she had volunteered to work one of the booths)  I ran into some friends and everyone was having a great time.  It is hard not to when listening to B3 and someone who knows what they doing.  What I didn’t know until I got there, Howard Paul was in his group on the guitar!  That was a most pleasant surprise.  I saw what I think to be the second half of that show and… WOW!    I found the booth Alex was in and sat there and listened for a little while, then I went right up close.  There was some good energy coming of that stage.

The final act was the headliner of the Festival.  The Savannah Jazz Orchestra played a few tunes to get it rolling.  Of course, they were flawless. from what I could hear.  Sam Skelton came on and he did his half of the show.  As I said to my friend Brian, later on at the jam session- “What is up with Sam Skelton?  Is he from another planet?”  I have heard many saxophonists in the past week, and this guy was playing faster than anything I had heard all week.  He was simply amazing and the SJO was amazing too, in keeping up with him.  http://www.kennesaw.edu/music/faculty_bios/s_skelton.shtml

Ed Calle came on after him.  I had seen Ed Calle before when I was here 2009.  He played with the UNF Jazz Ensemble then.  I thought he was great then.  He came out last night and took off like a rocket.  He has a wonderful personality onstage when he comes out and backs that with incredible passion.  Don’t get me wrong, all of the musicians do, but something about  Ed’s energy onstage (to me, anyway) seems a little larger than life.  It was fun to see both them as the band leader while they each played, conducting the SJO, it just made for a show all the way around!  http://www.edcalle.com/

I left before Ed’s performance was over, so I do not know if  Ed and Sam had played together as “dueling saxophones” or not.  I know, what was I thinking leaving before that was over?!  It had been a long day.  Anyway, I don’t think I could describe how awesome it was if it did happen.

I almost didn’t make it to the Jam Session. It was about 11:30 when Alex called me from Blowin’ Smoke and told me to get down there.  I got dressed and went down and was glad she persuaded me to go.  Normally, the musicians that played on stage during the evening, are the ones in the Jam Session.  That wasn’t the case last night.  It didn’t matter, it was a great session.  It was also great talking to the musicians I know, and meeting some new ones and getting re-acquainted  with others.  We had a great night!  As always though, it is a bummer when it ends.

To me, the Jazz Festival is a great time all week to see friends and hang out and make new ones.  I am always a little sad when it ends.

I have to say the folks over at Blowin’ Smoke do a fantastic job.  Brian has the best staff working there and everyone seems to enjoy working there.  Many of them, I met at my first Jazz Festival in 2009 and they are still there!  If you come to Savannah, this is a BBQ joint you definitely have to check out.    http://blowinsmokebbq.com/

Savannah Jazz Festival 2012: Blues on the Green

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It is called Blues on the Green because it is Blues night of the Jazz Festival, and it is the first night of the festival to take place in Forsyth Park.  The weather has been fabulous all week.  It was a perfect evening for an outdoor concert.  It is always a great night of blues.  I missed the first two performances because I was working.  Amburgey & Hanson, which you can sample and/or buy an album here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/amburgeyhanson After sampling some of it my self, I am sorry I missed them.  The second one was the  SSU Gospel Choir.  I have been to four of these and I have not seen a Gospel performance.  It makes sense that it would be featured on Blues night, since blues sprang from Gospel music.  I missed that one too.

What I did see and hear, were the other two performances. First,  The Eric Culberson Blues Band, a local blues legend in Savannah never disappoints http://www.ericculberson.com/   He plays his guitar so crisp and clean and his voice is a little raspy, almost like Joe Cocker but not quite as raspy.  It is a great contrast.  He is a pleasure to listen to and I wish I could get out to see him a little more often.  Although, Alex and I had the pleasure of seeing him play a show a few weeks ago with two other local legends, as they played cigar box guitars.  It was much more intimate and cordial.  They played “in the round” but sometimes would back each other up.  Anyway, the reason I mention that is because, he ended his show on Thursday with a tune he did at the show I just mentioned.  As much as I enjoyed his show Thursday and the wonderful music he played, my favorite song was “Some Humans ain’t Human”  He also played it on his cigar box guitar. It is a great tune with a great message.  I thought it was his tune, but I later found out, it is John Prine.

The second and last performance of the night was Li’l Ed and the Blues Imperials.  They played some great blues. They were the headliners for the evening. A Chicago blues Band with a great sound.  Some of the slide guitar solos were perhaps, some of the best I have ever heard.  We were in the back of the park, so we didn’t really get to “see” much but we could definitely heard the awesome tunes they were rocking out.  Toward the end of their show, they did a tune called “Life is a Journey”   You can hear it here-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MfE7FkeSHI  As great as it sounds here, it was amazing  at a live show.  I had never heard of this band before, but much like past headliners on Thursday nights, they have a new fan!

After the show I went home.  I had seen some posts on facebook about the blues jam session at Blowin’ Smoke.  Knowing it would be great, I went and caught the last half hour.  Eric and Lil Ed were jamming together and what an amazing “show after the show”  There were also some locals who were up there having a great time jamming with the band.  Sometimes I think the jam session can be better than the performances.  Obviously, the shows are great, filled with electricity.  There is something about just watching them having some fun onstage.