GregN

The Who?

It is The organissimo with a small 'o'. Geez, Chuck. Jim has worked hard and long to make that 'o' small. In all seriousness, I meant it as as send up, and with a long 'e'. As in The(one and only). As you might have noticed the link is and has been correct (well at least closer to correct). I've edited the title, however, as your point is well taken. For those who may not read the actual post, and see "Hot House" as the link, well..., I don't want any confusion. Many thanks, g

Yes, you are correct. THE Hot House is a world class venue, at any rate. I often refer to you as The Chuck Nessa, fwiw. g p.s. As always I appreciate your friendly and well thought out replies and assistance in such matters.

Hot House Wed. Nov 30th! Great Venue

Sounds like it would be great to hear Reptet live! Just at the site now, and listening. Nice stuff. g

How are these?

o.k. serious answer I used to practice a lot more. But with two little ones running around, I usually just get to grab the guitar and noodle a bit. The last/present studio project was like practice though. As the playbacks had me subsequently working on issues of technique. 20 focused minutes does more for me than hours of noodling though. Usually... as a general rule, I aim for 2 hours a day. g

"One thing that has suffered for me is writing... " dude, sleep deprivation is awesome for creativity. some writers deliberately wear themselves out for want of the muse. now 'practicing' on the other, is very hard when tired. anyhow, check this, O' Jimmy, Jimmy man o' plenty you've got enough stuff in the can cuz you da man and... uh... er... Oh crap I shouldn't have taken that nap better go practice

Happy Birthday Young Greg! Sincerely, Old Greg

Everytime I drive into Detroit I feel reverence. I feel the pulse of the city. I think about the history. Its musical culture, its issues of race, the ghosts of industry, and the extant hopes that keep it kickin'. There is a certain beauty to Detroit people you wont find anywhere else. A certain urban toughness wrapped in midwestern kindness. Growing up in Flint Michigan I feel I can relate with our big brother to the south. A lot of my fellow suburbanites, don't get it. Their loss.

Yeah, after the night was over I felt bad for not being able to visit with you guys. Nevertheless, it was very nice meeting with you all. Three sets of 8 readouts all registering different input levels with some getting dangerously close to clippin' because of the loud drummer (kiddin'), kept me a bit distracted. I did leave my post a few times to check the room levels. I still haven't heard from Jim on how it all worked out. The first few tunes probably have some digital distortion and may not be usable, but I believe <crosses fingers> we got some good stuff.

Back Forty!! is opening. The jam band kids dig 'em and the Central Michigan kids can't get enough. Should make for a fun night!!!

Betty Joplin This recording is really growing on me. Another independently produced Michigan talent. g

There's your first question. Much better than asking if he likes the guys on Criss Cross. ← Chuck has all their albums.

You should know better than to ask the performer. But, in a word...nice. Went over to Baker's afterwards. Soulful. ← "You should know better than to ask the performer." Yeah, I know. One's own worst critic. I am sure it was smokin'. "Went over to Baker's afterwards. Soulful." Baker's is a gem. Did you meet John Colbert? He is the owner and a very cool guy. organissimo is recording there this weekend, btw. g

I am stuck here in Michigan with a couple of sick kids. But you are being put on the guest list, my friend. Fellas are stuck in traffic about 4 miles from the gig, but they should be there by the 7:30 load in time. g ← ....guest list???? What guest list???? Man, I could have used that six bucks for some wings or something!!!! I am also just seeing your post; hope the kids have recovered and sorry you couldn't make it!!! m~ ← Well, I put you on it on Wed. Again, amazing photos!!! You have quite a gift there my friend. I am jealous.

I am stuck here in Michigan with a couple of sick kids. But you are being put on the guest list, my friend. Fellas are stuck in traffic about 4 miles from the gig, but they should be there by the 7:30 load in time. g ← My previous post was made before reading this. Sorry to hear about your sick kids. I was, of course, only joking. Hope your kids are feeling better. ← They are both fighting some kind of bug. They will be fine and running around a bit, and then bam, they get a bad fever and down they go. Both have really bad coughs as well. I played with Jim this weekend, and felt o.k. but now feel as though I might be coming down with something. I just have to cut one more track for the RD cd and then it is ready for mix down, and we have a Detroit gig on a River Boat, so I hope I don't get sick this week. At any rate, I knew you were kiddin'. You are to the beer joke, what Ron is to the Philly joke. Man, that would be good on the GREs.

It was very inspiring. ← Curious how you will use this inspiration. Details please. ← At least a couple of ways. The very first thing I did when I got home was to reharmonize, albeit gently, Georgia. My ears don't always go for the harmonically extended stuff of Scofield but his feel and presentation was sublime and because of that alone, he drew me into the harmonic stuff. Some of it, I got. Most I didn't. At least, not technically. Tonight I am working on Hendrix's Little Wing with some reharmonizations. Also, Scofield's drummer reminded me of a couple of my drummers in terms of feel and approach, and I was inspired by how Scofield played off of his drummer, Steve Hass. Who is by the way, a very cool guy as well as being a great drummer. I am not a jazz/fusion player, per se, yet, again, I've been inspired by such a musician. Was not even close to being a Scofield fan before the show. Nothing against the man, just did know much about him, I am ashamed to admit. However, the music happening that night made me a believer. He is a very talented and legit artist, imho. And while my general tastes lean more toward old school Blues and Jazz, the man has earned my respect with his performance. Mostly, I've been inspired to practice a bit more, pay more attention to set programming with my own band, and reflect on my own note choices. g

My friend Mr. James at Big O Records wants to hear it. Greg James PO Box 16129 Lansing, MI 48901-6129

It was very inspiring.

Maybe if you expand the pool of applicants beyond Joe, Jim & Randy you'll get more nibbles! ← I meant Organissimo forum members, not just Organissimo band members! ← How was the show???

Great post Larry, you got me thinkin' Speakin' with my musician's hat on (rather than the tin foil one ) Years ago, I called Randy to fill in on drums for my blues band. We were playing at Moriarty's in Lansing Mi; a small but friendly pub and hang for music lovers. Half-way thru the night, and mind you I only knew of Randy thru a friend and thought of him as only a drummer, he instructs me to play a slow blues with some "Allman Brothers" changes. Not knowing what he was up to, or not knowing exactly what he meant on the changes (had heard those so-called changes played a million different ways by bar bands), I assumed he meant a 3-6-2-5 thingy at the turnaround, with maybe some subsitutions, so I started playing. Well, this guy stands up on his drum stool, and I am thinkin', "oh, shit what is this nutball doing", and he reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a harmonica. O.K. at this point I am just goin' along for the ride, but then he started playing! Holy crap, to this day, I still tell this story to anyone who will listen, but Randy floored me! First I recognized some Charlie Parker, but then he went from there, and he is playin' all this crazy chromatic/bebop stuff on a diatonic harp! Now, I've tried to play harmonica, but well, didn't get much past Dylanesque ability. However, I do understand that playing fast chromatic lines on a diatonic harmonica is a real bear. Aside, from all of that, Randy is an animal on the drums. His melodic approach to the drums is impeccable. I am speaking strictly as a musician here, the guy can play. As a friend, I say Randy is a nut. Joe is reserved. That may seem to fly in face of typical guitar heroics. But, Joe's style is beautiful in its understatement(s). In this day and age of technique for technique's sake and musical regurgitation, Joe has developed a unique musical voice. His touch is simply amazing. I heard somebody make the comment at the Lansing show, that he plays with the grace and power of a concert pianist. He isn't especially gritty, but he plays beautifully. Joe's approach casts a wonderful balance among the other players [in organissimo]. Randy is a fireball, Jim is the welcoming host with his warm and vocal like style, and Joe is the sharp-dressed man with a strong focus and a light hand. Their individual strengths come together for a wonderful band sound. 'A band sound', something you don't get much these days. My ole friend, John Large, a icon of sorts, in the Michigan drumming scene recently told me, "these guys are the Beatles of jazz..." in that they've studied their stuff, they nod to tradition, and then they create and celebrate melodies. The Beatles were the essence of pop, and organissimo is the essense of jazz. Big words? Yeah, maybe, but the concepts remain the same, and time will tell what's the real deal, for this very creative trio. g

Damn, I wish I could have made it. Man, RJ is all over the place. Few weeks ago he was touring the west coast. Who says the blues doesn't pay. Seriously, for those of you who don't know, RJ is a major figure in the preservation of Detroit Blues, Jazz, and R&B (early Motown). Check out his playing on the Johnny Bassett cd, (for one), he has got that ole style down. He also works with legends such as Joe Weaver (Standing In The Shadows of Motown). Mark, can't wait to see the photos! Good to see some of the old-guard board members showed up.

I am stuck here in Michigan with a couple of sick kids. But you are being put on the guest list, my friend. Fellas are stuck in traffic about 4 miles from the gig, but they should be there by the 7:30 load in time. g

Not sure if the venue would allow it. Nor am I sure that Sco does in this particular context. But, Jim allows it. So, if you are a taper and you are reading this, you may wish to check with the venue first. g