On Friday night (8/26) I had a gig with my good friend and partner in musical crime – Lorenzo Toppin.  He asked me to join him to play for a Neo Soul/Spoken Word event at a church not far from where I live.  It was great and probably one of my better performances.  It was the largest audience I’ve ever played in front of.  Considering that we only had two rehearsals to prepare six tunes (including an original) I thought everyone did a solid job.  The crowd seemed very pleased with what we played.  The musicians were top notch and I felt very lucky to share a stage with them.  I also felt a bit more pressure to bring my ‘A’ game and not screw up.  I was extremely nervous until it came time to play.  After Lo counted off the first tune and we hit, I had a good time and actually strayed away from my usual ideas, licks and phrases.  I’m hoping to get another opportunity to work with them again in the very near future.  Thanks very much for the opportunity Lo!

Keter’s funeral was held on August 15th. While it was indeed a somber occasion you could almost feel the bassist’s good natured and joyful spirit mingling among the guests. I know I felt it and it helped me keep my head up. The church was packed. Local artists and musicians from all over the country came to pay respects. Part of those respects included some fantastic jazz performances. As a musician I was far more moved by the sound of music than any words that were spoken. I got to talk with several players and finally got a chance to meet Michael Thomas a talented local trumpet player. We had exchanged emails several times in the past and it felt good to talk in person (and hear him wail on that beautiful Monette trumpet).

I frequently spend time on a website called All About Jazz. I noticed that there was limited coverage about Keter’s passing and what he had accomplished as a musician over the years. When I emailed them about it they asked if I would be interested in writing something.  How could I refuse?  You can read it here.

If you have followed my site regularly you know that I hold legendary bassist  Keter Betts in very high regards. This morning I found out that he died on  August 6th. Words can’t describe how I felt. I was already dreading going to  work after a week long vacation and this news made it extremely difficult. I  grabbed all of his CDs and headed to the office. Halfway through my day I’m  still pretty numb over the news.

I consider myself extremely blessed to know him. When I first decided to play  trumpet he was supportive, encouraging and offered sound advice. He was a guest  at my wedding and this year he surprised me with a visit for my birthday. Looking back, the time that he spent with me and my family taking about life and music was priceless. I will never forget it.

Washington Post did a great piece on him but I had to really dig to find more information about his passing.  I was more than a little surprised by this.  The man (who was great all by himself) played with so  many legendary musicians. He also spent a lot of time giving back to the  community by working with kids and teaching them about life through music. I am  hoping that more will be said about him.

One thing is for sure – he has touched a lot of lives (my wife thought the world of him). I have no doubt that  everyone who has come in contact with him will remember his smile, his sense of  humor and his positive attitude. The man (and his music) will live on forever.

We love and miss you Keter.  Rest in peace.

To learn more about Keter, check out the links below:

Jazz Review

NPR Interview with Keter

I am FINALLY posting a new sound file.  This is a short recording of me playing “Maiden Voyage” on flugelhorn.  As usual, don’t look for crazy pyrotechnics and Freddie Hubbard runs.  As with all my improv – I closed my eyes and let my ears guide me.  Sometimes I nailed the stuff I heard in my head but most of the time I only caught fragments of it.  Technical studies that are securely in my bag of tricks will come out naturally this way.  I still feel there is some new stuff here – a wider variety of intervals and in my opinion a better overall jazz sound/style/articulation.  Did I mention that I love playing flugelhorn?  It just feels right on this tune…

One thing that I thought was really cool about my solo was the first few bars (after the head).  Without thinking about it I quoted a fragment of George Coleman’s solo from Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage.  I remember that part of my solo screaming at me more than anything.  I haven’t listened to that CD in ages and went back to revisit it AFTER making this recording.  When I heard it I laughed out loud.  I really got a kick out of that.  Like people say all the time – listen, listen, listen!

This weekend I took a few moments to look at my Aebersold Play-Along books.  I have a lot of them – Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan and a multitude of standard collections.   The sad thing is I can only play the heads over most of them.  Forget about soloing.  The play along that I plan to spend more time with however is good old Volume 54 (Maiden Voyage).  It occurred to me that there are some great tunes in this book – many of which I have yet to master.  I feel as if I need to be able to really work on these tunes before moving on to something else.

Over the next few months I plan to continue my work on scales, chords and patterns BUT I will work on these items with the goal of applying that material to tunes in Volume 54.  My teacher strongly stresses APPLICATION of jazz elements to actual tunes.  Another trusted source told me that if I only work on scales, chords and patterns I will become really good at playing scales, chords and patterns but not improvisation.  That all makes sense to me.

Don’t get me wrong — I will still spend a majority of my time learning my theory because it is an extreme weak point for me.  Immediately after drudging through that material, I will work on improvisation over songs or changes.  It is all equally important.

If you recall, following my first concert with the Master class I decided  that I really needed to spend some time working on my trumpet technique. When I  listened to the recording of our performance I didn’t like what I heard. Over  the past few months I have really focused on developing my sound, tonguing,  playing speed and other aspects vital to becoming a good trumpet player. I know  I have a long way to go but I (and the people I play with regularly) can tell  I’ve made some strides in a few key areas departments.

That being said I don’t think I’ve made enough improvements with regards to  improvisation. Mike Fore recorded our performance at the Movies By the Pool gig and while I think I sounded better — I was playing the same ideas. When working  on the “Freddie Freeloader” and “Tenor Madness” I relied almost completely on  the blues scale and did not address the basic changes. My solos on tunes like  “Blue Bossa” and “Summertime” were pretty much on point with what I have done in  the past. This really bothered me.

As result I am trying to find a way to get all my fundamentals done and still  spend a good chunk of time on my jazz studies. I am working with a CD that I  purchased from Anderkamp music called Daily  Routines for Trumpet. It takes about 30-45 minutes to complete and it covers  long tones, articulation, slurs, expanding scales and technical studies. The  great thing about it is you hear each exercise being played before you play and  that is a good way to enforce the rest as much as you play rule. After  performing that I take a 15-20 minute break before moving on.

Right now jazz studies for me includes the following:

• Scale and chord work around the circle of 4ths or using Aebersold’s Volume 3. I can cover my minor, dom 7 and major scales this way.
• Learning a pattern and playing it in all 12 keys. I usually work from the Jerry Coker Patterns for Jazz book. It gives you two or three of the patterns but you have to work the rest out yourself (by ear). You play these patterns around the circle of 4ths, 5ths and chromatically. I also work with some patterns given to me by my teacher and another friend.
• Transcribing solo excerpts by ear and memorizing them. I knocked out Chet Baker’s solo on “Summertime” a long time ago, started on Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Friday.” Next up will be Miles Davis “Four.”  Some days I will just work on learning a new head without looking at music.
• Working with tunes. I like working with a single tune for a week or two (or three). I try to include the patterns I’ve learned or pieces of a solo that I’ve heard someone else do.  Right now my focus tunes are “Little Sunflower,” “Ladybird” and the Bb blues form.

I really hope this works. I do NOT want to play the same way a year or two  from now. It is funny – I tend to take more chances in the practice room but  once I go out for a concert or jam session I pull out the old safety net and  play within my comfort zone. Right now that comfort zone is extremely small.   The licks, solo transcriptions and patterns that I work on are not coming out  automatically. I guess that means I don’t really know them yet. Frustrating.

On Saturday I got a chance to play another outdoor gig – Movies By the Pool. In the past all of the gigs that I played were performed after a heavy rehearsal the day before. I’ve always suspected that this had something to do with my endurance problems. This time around the rehearsal was earlier in the week and that allowed me to take have a light practice the night before. I was pleased with the results. My chops held up much better and we actually played more tunes this time around than we did in other performances. Granted, I did get fatigued but not nearly to the level that I did before. I sat out for one tune and when I came back, things felt good enough to continue. As usual I wasn’t extremely happy with my performance as far as my solo material was concerned but there were a few bright spots. I did a pretty good job on “Little Sunflower” – a tune that I have been pounding fairly regularly. More than anything I have been working on the scales and chords used in that tune and that really came in handy with regards to finding what I heard. Never under estimate the importance of scales. I’m learning it is definitely not all ear.

I had a hard time hearing myself as usual but I’m learning that this is just the nature of the beast. I had an opportunity to talk to Tom Williams following his performance at an outdoor gig at the Hirshhorn Art Gallery. He sounded fantastic as did all the players. The thing that I noticed right away was Tom did not try to over blow. He played relaxed and everyone could hear him fine. I always seem to try to play harder or louder because I can’t hear myself. I keep forgetting that I am on the other side of the horn. Ahhh… the perils and joys of playing trumpet. The concert was great (and FREE). Some of the areas top jazz musicians performed including James King – an amazing bass player. We have some serious talent here in the DC area.

I must mention that there was one bad thing about the Movies By the Pool gig. We played from about 8:00 to 9:15PM under a gazebo. There was a light in the gazebo that we needed to use in order to read music. By the time the sun went down that light was a beacon that called every bug, mosquito and moth in southern Prince George’s County. I was covered with bugs bites despite using some bug repellant (they probably thought it was A-1 Steak Sauce. Near the end of the gig it got pretty unbearable with bugs bouncing off my face during solos and crawling down my shirt. I’ve been itching and scratching for days now. Still, I had a good time and look forward to more opportunities to play.

It should come to no surprise to anyone who visits my site regularly that I am a big Terence Blanchard fan. The man has one of the most original sounds on trumpet and his talent does not stop there. He writes exciting music and is currently working with some of the best young voices in jazz. Lump that with his work in film and you can understand why I think he is a master musician. There was no way he was going to come to Blues Alley and I not be there to hear him. I purchased his new album Flow the day hit the stores on June 7th. It took me a few times listening to connect with the music but I found a lot of things about it that I liked. I was anxious to hear some of the tunes performed live.

I managed to make it to one set on Friday and two sets of his Saturday performance. The Friday performance was great but the Saturday performance was absolutely electric. Terence and his group played a mix of tunes from Bounce along with the new material from Flow. The interesting thing to me was the tunes that I did not care for on Flow became my favorites once I heard them performed live.  It was as if I could understand what they were trying to do as a group.  “Wadagbe” didn’t touch me on the CD but the African rhythms leapt out to me when performed at Blues Alley.  “Over There” actually sounded a touch corny to me on CD but after hearing Terence’s explanation of what it was about – it took on a completely different meaning.  It is now one of my favorite tunes.  I actually got watery eyed listening to it (I’m really becoming a punk in my old age).

The group as a whole sounded great.  Terence was powerful and as usual – extremely expressive.  One of the things I love about his playing is the emotional content contained within each and every note.  His solo on “Over There” was absolutely amazing.  The silence in the audience told me that everyone was hanging on every tone that rolled out of the bell of his horn.  It was beautiful.  The real star of the night to me was Kendrick Scott.  He got sounds and rhythms out of his drum set that I never dreamed possible.  There was an older gentleman sitting next to me and he proclaimed during one of the drum solos that Kendrick was the best drummer he had ever heard (those were not his exact words — this is a family web site).  It was hard to argue that proclamation.  In his autobiography, Miles Davis spoke of how easy it is to “get off” on the music if you have a great drummer.  Dizzy Gillespie described the drum and trumpet as cousins.  I totally agree with both assessments… nothing fires me up like an interesting beat.  Kendrick kept it interesting and most importantly – in the pocket all night.

After the first set we got to speak with Terence, take a picture and get an autograph.  He was really cool and actually remember my wife and I from a performance at the Kennedy Center ( I probably never mentioned this in my journal entries but he played a song for us in honor of our tenth wedding anniversary.  It was really special).   He talked about how good it felt to be on Blue Note and how he was doing the type of music that he always wanted to do.    When we mentioned that we were disappointed in not being able to stay for the second set (it was sold out) he pulled some strings and got us in!  Thanks Alexia!  😉

All in all – a memorable weekend.  This performance was just what the doctor ordered for me.  After my performance at the birthday gig – I was feeling a bit down about where I am as a player.  Hearing Terence play reminded me of why I picked up the instrument to begin with.  Hopefully I can hang on that feeling — I’ve got another playing gig this weekend.

Before I close this journal entry I have to send a special thanks to Russ Johnson for his encouraging words.  They came at a great time and considering they came from an amazing player like him — they meant a lot.  Thanks Russ.  Save Big is ordered and on the way!

One of the great things about the Jazz Band Master Class is I got to make friends and meet other musicians.  As result of that I had an opportunity to participate in another small combo jazz gig on Saturday.  I played at a neighborhood birthday party/fundraiser and had a great time. The crowd was receptive and I hope we were able to provide them with some entertainment.

As far as my performance – as usual, I am very critical of myself.  I totally destroyed the head of “Blue Bossa” (I fought with a hard to read piece of music — I should have played it by heart) and I wasn’t very confident at the start of my notes/phrases.  The place was wired for sound and I had never used a mic outside of my own home studio.  I was bit scared of it at first but got the hang of by listening to the monitors and adjusting accordingly.  I battled with endurance near the end of the gig (does ever that  end?) but it didn’t seem as bad as the master class gig I played.

I had a few moments where I was able to get into the music and play something worth while.  Tunes that I did well on included “Footprints,” “Summertime” and “Freddie Freeloader.”  I recall reading that most players are not going to “kill” or do extremely well on all tunes.  I take comfort in that.  I only hope that the more gigs I do — the easier it will get.  Boyd asked if we would interested in doing more performances (once a month including June 25th) so that combined with other opportunities should allow me to get out and play more.  All good.

The band included Michelle Coffee (keyboard), Micheal Fore (drums), Lorenzo Toppin (tenor sax), Eric Brewington (trumpet) and Eyre McKenrick (bass).  Well done everyone!  It was fun.  Hopefully we will get to do it again soon.  Happy birthday to Boyd Staszewski – thanks for having us.  Also – thanks to Kathy, Betty (mom) and Sharon for support and encouragement.

This week – the release of Terence Blanchard’s new album Flow and his appearance at Blues Alley.  Christmas in June!

Is it possible to get too much of a good thing?   Jeremy Pelt was back in  town at Twins Jazz club with Noah Haidu.  I got tickets to the Saturday  night show.  My wife and I arrived early and got a nice seat right up  front.  I hooked Jeremy up with a bottle of Al Cass oil as he was running a  touch low.  Cats in the jazz/trumpet family have got to look out for each  other…

As much as I enjoyed the performance at the Kennedy Center this show eclipsed  it easily.  The group played a mixture of original tunes and standards.   The energy level was HIGH. Tunes like “E.S.P” and “Cassius” (a Pelt original)  were counted off at a quick tempo and the players handled it with ease.   Jeremy once again showed me why he is one of the rising stars in jazz.  His  command of the horn is absolutely amazing.  When I listen to him play I get  the feeling that the horn is no longer an obstacle when it comes to delivering  the ideas that are in his head.  He played fast runs, original ideas and  seemed to be having an absolute ball on stage.  All of the musicians did.   That joy spilled into the crowd as everyone seemed to be pleased.  I was so  pleased that I talked my wife into staying for all three sets and we were glad  that we did.  An amazing local alto player named Lyle Link came up on stage  for a performance of “Birdlike” and “In Your Own Sweet Way.” Jeremy and Lyle  navigated the changes like pros and delivered lyrical and energetic solos.   When listening to them play I felt validated by my decision to play this music.   I also felt as if I had a lot of work to do if I ever thought of playing with  that type of skill and freedom.   Renee Marie was in town for the Mary Lou  Williams Women of Jazz show at the Kennedy Center and she dropped by to sing “I  Thought About You.”  It was a real treat.  Renee and Jeremy had great  chemistry on stage.  It was truly amazing.  I’ve already ordered some  of Renee’s CDs after hearing her sing.  What a voice!

Afterwards I had a moment to talk to Jeremy and listen to a few cuts from his  upcoming CD.  It sounded fantastic and I will count the days for its  release.  I’ve been communicating with JP since I heard his performance on  a Sharp Nine CD – I think it was back in 2002.  He has always given me good  advice and encouragement when I needed it.  It has been great to watch him  take off as an artist.  I have a feeling he is just getting started – the  sky is the limit with this cat!

Things have been great/busy for me musically.  I got a chance to jam  with my fellow musicians again.  We had an amazing time and plan on making  a regular 2 week event of it.  This time we had a piano player and were  able to get away from the Aebersold CDs.  We also have a potential  performing gig in early June if we can find a bass player.  We’ve got a few  feelers out so hopefully something will click.  I have subbed a few times  with the master class.  One was with a more advanced class where I got  totally run over with theory talk (you can’t be an ear player and talk/apply  theory).  I’ve also got a regular slot playing solos at church on the  Sundays that my choir sings.   Life is good!

On Saturday I got a chance to check out Jeremy Pelt with the Steve Wilson Quartet at the Kennedy Center Jazz Club. The first time I heard Jeremy play was with the Louis Hayes Cannonball Legacy Band and I was extremely impressed. His sound, power and ideas were great. On top of that he is really down to earth and nice cat. I walked away from that performance a fan. His playing at the Kennedy Center solidified my appreciation for his talent and abilities.

They started with a nice Bruce Barth arrangement of “April in Paris” and Jeremy made his gold plated V1 flugelhorn sing. As nice as that was, the tune that absolutely blew me away was “Everything Happens to Me” featuring Jeremy on trumpet. He proceeded to lay down the smoothest most lyrical solo I’ve ever heard. His tone was Miles like… soft, fuzzy, fluffy and sweet. His lines reminded me of Miles with his use of space and sustained notes (bassist Michael Bowie commented that Miles must have jumped into this body during that song). It was jaw dropping but just the beginning. The next tune was “Limehouse Blues” and Jeremy went to the opposite end of spectrum. His tone was filled with energy and his phrases were complex. It was truly like night and day. On a few trumpet websites players are usually asking about equipment changes to achieve different sounds. Jeremy Pelt proved to me that if you know what you’re doing you can get the sound that you want regardless of equipment (I also have to take a moment to say that Michael Bowie is one of the most amazing bass players I have ever heard.  I’ve heard a few times live and he always leaves me nodding my head and shouting out.  He is a great musician).

Jeremy has a new album due out in June. You can listen to samples here. He is moving in a different direction from what he did in Close to My Heart. The thing that I like about his playing is he is interested in taking new directions even though he is fully capable of staying within “the box” and achieving success. That to me is the spirit of jazz. Roots that are soaked in the history of the music and branches reaching upward and outward in an effort to find something new.

Sunday I spent the afternoon with Lorenzo to work on some tunes.  I never truly felt and embraced the role of a trumpet in a quintet or small combo until I played with him in our master class.  Tunes that sound OK when I play by myself sound great when I play with Lo.  While it certainly has a lot to do with his abilities it also has to do with the historical marriage of trumpet and sax (something we both talk about a lot).  We worked on phrasing and blending — two things I never really worked on and the results were great.  We also talked about different ways to work through and learn difficult passages of music.  Good stuff.

After a few months of playing in the basement with CDs I finally got the  opportunity to go to a jam session again.  I hooked up with Lorenzo and Mike – two cats from my master class who live in the area.

For me, it was like the man who is on the deserted island talking to palm  trees and sea shells.  By the time he makes it back to civilization he is  desperate for conversation and human contact.  When Lorenzo started playing  tenor and Mike was working out on vibes, I felt like I was in heaven  and alive again musically.  We worked on a variety of tunes – mostly from  the Maiden Voyage Aebersold book.  I had never tackled “Footprints” before… that is a really fun tune.  We also played “Recordame” and a few others I had  never attempted.

I thought the guys sounded great.  Lorenzo was always a monster on tenor but he also played alto that night and it blew it me away.  He is a very passionate player and every note seems to have a meaning and emotion.  He played a killer version of Blue In Green. Like me, he went underground after our first concert to improve as a player.   I can see that his hard work is starting to bear fruit.  Mike plays drums with the master class but is an amazing vibe player.  He told us that he hasn’t really been practicing on vibes but I couldn’t tell.  His ideas were nice and his love for the great Milt Jackson was apparent in his playing.  I can only  imagine what would happen if he switched completely to vibes (he is already a  solid drummer).

This was my first time playing outside of the house in a long time.  I was curious as to  whether the guys heard any improvement in my playing.  I remember not hearing myself the last  time we jammed together but that night I felt stronger, more relaxed and confident in my playing. Lorenzo told me that he thought my sound and facility (speed) had really improved.   Mike said that I sounded more confident and my ideas had direction.  That  really made me feel good about my decision to work by myself for a while.  When my chops got tired I fooled around on the congas.  I had actually  forgotten that my first instrument growing up was a set of bongos.  I  actually had a great time playing them.

We are going to try to work together regularly and possibly add some more  players (guitar & bass).  The prospect of jamming on a regular basis really  gets me excited.  One thing that the jam session showed me is I need to  spend time working on tunes…  not just playing exercises.  Tune work  allows me to transfer the work in exercises to a musical and usable format.

More than anything it reminded me why I picked up trumpet and learn jazz to  begin with…  it is FUN.  I had a ball.