my gig

[danasgoodstuff]

A few months ago a friend of mine asked me to come sit in with her at a once a month free improv gig (Sound Sunday Pleasure at the Dunes in Portland, first Wed of the month if you want to come). Pretty brave and generous of her considering she'd never heard me play... So I went and listened to the next one and then sat in on the last two. I'm thrilled to be playing in public and be treated like a real musician by the others, but I have no idea if I'm really contributing much. Any suggestions on ways to approach this sort of thing? I tend to free associate bits of tunes...

[doubleM]

That's a tough one, not having heard the group, or you play. Maybe I'll have to shoot by one of these jams. I live in Pdx, too. I guess I'd say only play on the tunes that you feel that you know, unless it's a simple blues or something. Observe the rules of etiquette for jam sessions, which have been written about here, I think. The free association thing can work, too...I mean everybody uses quotes sometimes in their improv. Yeah, it's too tough to make any meaningful suggestions w/ the limited info. I'll try to come by. Oh, yes... Practice!

[JSngry]

If you're not getting vibed by the other players, if the group doesn't rehearse elsewhere without you, and if you're not working for free while everybody else is getting a taste, I'd say keep an ongoing and/but respectful connection happening and see how it goes as time goes by.

But I will tell you this - if ALL you do is "free associate bits of tunes", if and when the collective level/ambition/wahatever gets bumped up a notch or two, you WILL feel a draft sooner or later, so be prepared, whatever that means to you.

[danasgoodstuff]

Thanks for the imput. I asked Jackie if we should rehearse, back when we first talked about it. Her response was something along the lines of 'if you want to, but we don't play tunes so you don't need to...' The other players do respond to each other and the turntable/samples, but not in a 'playing the same tune' kind of way. The feedback I've gotten so far has been positive. I figure that however many gigs I end up playing is exactly that many more than I ever expected to play... I continue to practise tunes, but figure maybe I should be working on something else...scales, riffs and exercises wouldn't hurt but don't quite seem right for this gig either.

[danasgoodstuff]

So I went to the gig the other night, even tho' I'd been frustrated with my practising all that week, largely as a result of not playing enuff earlier in the month. So, the first set goes OK, everyone seems glad to see me both before and after. Especially our surprise guests who are there to play the 2nd set, local (but most excellent) drummer Abcar DePreist, Seattle tromboner Mark oh-no-I'm-forgetting his name, and, on clarinet, Perry Robinson. Yes, that Perry Robinson who is especially complimentary. So, they play their set, which is lovely (including Henry Grimes "Farmer Alphalpha" and a v. out snipet of "Sing, Sing, Sing"). Next set is the big freeforall, I'm thinking 'they don't need me cluttering up an already crowded stage', but others encourage me to play so I do. It's not too awful (my bit, I mean) even though I'm totally imtimidated and Perry is standing right next to me. I know I'm not going to be gigging with Henry Grimes next week, nor should I be. But it's still v. nice to get to play with the big boys and be one or two degrees of seperation from Albert Ayler. I'm so chuffed I go out and buy a new/old case for my Conn C-melody but on the way home some yo-yo sideswipes my good car while it's parked in front of my friend's record shop (www.jumpjump.com). Oh, and Perry at one point compared my playing to Desmond's, quite a compliment coming from a guy who played with Brubeck. And no, lp, I don't care if "he's just nice to everyone". All in all, a busy week.

[danasgoodstuff]

OK. I geuss y'all tired of hearing 'bout this by now, but I forgot the funniest part of my recent brush with (semi-)fame. I was sitting at the bar with my horn between sets (no, I don't let it out of my sight) when a patron came up and asked if I was form NY! Apparently he'd heard someone was and just couldn't figure out who. No, I didn't lead him on, although that could've been fun...

[danasgoodstuff]

We're on again this Wed. Don't think Perry will be there but I will, along with Vibra Stan and Jackie from Smegma and all the usual suspects. Be there, be square.

[danasgoodstuff]

So the Sound Sunday Pleasure gig went away after the smegma members left and I played a couple of gigs with the Rump Parliment (an analogy, but a great name for a band if G. Clinton wouldn't object, maybe you could call it the Rump Congress/Senate/House?). So I haven't played out in ages, not much for hustling up gigs am I, and I see that Smagma is making one of their rare home town appearances last Wed. I don't really expect to be asked, but last time I saw Perry R. he did ask me, so I take one of my horns just in case...so evryone is nice at the gig and Jackie says "why don't you play during the horn blowout" (I think that's how she put it) so I stand off to the side of the stage and wait for the high sign and join in... Probably looked like I was just horning in to the audience, nice bit of theater eh? Never played with Smegma proper before, had a nice talk at the bar with a lady from local band Rollerball, I enjoy this so much it actually be worth talking to bar owners so I can do it more often...