I once again had the great fortune of joining the Mike Montgomery Jazz  Quartet  for an evening of jazz at the New Haven Cafe in Greenbelt.   This time there was a slight twist in that I played the first two tunes as the  only horn – quartet!  It was a stretch for me and a reminder that I really  need to work on playing the heads to tunes.  Based on how you play the  melody you can either draw the crowd in or turn them off.  Truthfully – I’m  not sure what I did to the listeners in the cafe, I was just trying to get through  it (especially a very fast Blue Bossa)!

As always I enjoyed playing with my partner in jazz Lorenzo Toppin but I also  got to check out my man Bobby Beale who subbed on drums for Mike Fore.  I’ve run into Bobby at jazz concerts  all around the city but we had never played together.  It was a real treat.   Everyone did a fantastic job and audience seemed to appreciate what we did.   I had a great time and look forward to more opportunities.

Reviewing the Performance

As usual I recorded the performance and as usual I thought I did great until  I listened to the recording!  I try to wait a few days before listening to  the results but curiosity usually gets the better of me.  It was painful.  After listening to the recording I often wonder why I get invited to play  anywhere!  To my ears my intonation is off,  my tone lifeless and my ideas incomplete. Once I get over the initial “bash” session I settle down and work on the areas that need attention.   That’s the point of it recording – right?

Am I being overly critical?  Probably, but I  recently read an interview with Sonny Rollins that gives me some comfort. When asked if  he had a favorite recording Sonny stated that he found it excruciating to  listen to his own work. If Sonny can feel this way (and in my opinion he has set  the bar with regards to jazz and tenor saxophone) – so can I.  I guess that  is part of what drives us back to the woodshed to try to find perfection.

Still on Claude Gordon

I’m still plugging away at the Claude Gordon routine and the results have  been positive.  On the gig I felt like I had a lot more in the tank and was  able to take much longer solos (4+ choruses).  Normally I would play 2 or 3  before starting to feel the burn.  For the range studies I’ve moved from  topping out at G on the staff to about B below high C.  I haven’t started  using these notes in my solos or regular playing but there is a mental barrier  that I feel tearing down with every advancement.

The Gordon routine is still taking up about 90% of my practice time.  I  miss the jazz stuff tremendously but I’ve noticed that when I do practice  improvisation exercises, it is easier because of my improved endurance, range  and overall playing.

Back on Miles

It is no secret to those who know me that I am a big Miles Davis fan.   His playing on the recording “Kind of Blue” is what moved me from jazz spectator  to jazz performer.  Over the past few years I have jumped from player to  player with regards to copying style and vocabulary.  I never really  stopped to focus on anyone.  I’ve recently made the decision to really dig  into Miles – specifically the work he did on Prestige and his early Columbia  stuff with John Coltrane.  I’m giving him more of a focused listen and I  marvel at the beauty and simplicity of what he plays.

Truthfully I hear a ton of cats coming out of  Freddie Hubbard but very  few bring the vibe that Miles did.  I think that style of play lines up  more with me as a person.  I’m not entirely sure what took me so long to  get to this point but I’m glad I’m here.