Gigs, gigs, gigs
For some reason in my career, gigs tend to come in clusters. I might not be busy for the longest time, then all of a sudden I get a bunch in a row. If this happens in the wintertime, one of the gigs, usually the one that I am looking forward to the most, will be accompanied by some sort of illness. And I don't actually get sick all that often usually.
A recent weekend was a good example of this phenomena. On a Friday, I did a last-minute gig with Steve Perakis and Jimmy Castoe accompanying a singer named Cathy Wicks at a celebration for Obama volunteers. We were playing at an indoor shelterhouse at the Park of Roses here in Columbus, and it was the first night that it was really cold with temperature going down to about 15 degrees. The venue itself was not super warm either. It was a long room with a tiled floor and a high, barn-like roof. If you've guessed, yes, the acoustics were lousy. But the acoustics are almost always lousy wherever I play, so this is no surprise.
There's a lot of speeches and congratulations. There is a large American flag hung over one of the fireplaces which is waving in the warm updraft from the fire. Looking at that and sitting in a room of ecstatic Obama supporters makes be feel warm about American democracy, but soon my Chomsky-mind kicks in and that ends.
The gig is pretty decent. The first two tunes are great. We start with "People Get Ready," which is one of my all-time favorite tunes, and one of the things I play on guitar the most. However, I've never actually played it on a gig before, so this is a blast. Next we do a great cover of "Blue Bayou," and I'm able to get some nice pedal steel sounds using the Tele and a volume pedal. The rest of the gig has its moments, but it is pretty much so-so. However, I love playing session man on other people's songs and gigs. Truth be told, this is probably what I'm best at, not free improvising.
Saturday, Honk, Wail, and Moan played a corporate function. The gig is supposed to run from 8-11 p.m., but with all of the speeches, we don't get started until 8:30. Whoever was planning the event had the band set up on steps facing a large empty space with our backs to the dining area. The idea, I think, was that people would eat in one place, and then come around and dance to the band. As it turns out, everyone stays seated, so we basically play an evening's worth of music for a huge empty space. Every once in a while, though, some people come by and smile at us to keep us from feeling lonely. I think four people in total danced for a total of one song all night.
At the end of the night, one of the coordinators apologizes to us, saying that it was too bad that people were not in the mood to dance that evening. That happens, I realize. Then they say that they want us back next year. I can only imagine "why?" Don't they know that everyone hates jazz, and most people would rather not have live music at their functions? Most people just want to get drunk with their co-workers and talk, and jazz just gets in the way. But having jazz around is like having a very expensive contemporary abstract painting over your sofa that no one really understands, yet they somehow feel culturally elevated in the presence of it.
Of course, by the time I get to the Saturday gig, I'm feeling under the weather. Nothing terrible. Mostly a little tired and rundown with a scratchy throat.
So, by the time of my Sunday gig at Skylab with Ryan Jewell and Hasan Abdur-Razzaq, I'm feeling like I'd rather be in bed than playing free jazz. This sucks, because I've been wanting to play with Ryan and Hasan as a trio for a long time. To compound the situation, the gig starts late, and we're scheduled last because we're most likely to be the quietest act.
A recent weekend was a good example of this phenomena. On a Friday, I did a last-minute gig with Steve Perakis and Jimmy Castoe accompanying a singer named Cathy Wicks at a celebration for Obama volunteers. We were playing at an indoor shelterhouse at the Park of Roses here in Columbus, and it was the first night that it was really cold with temperature going down to about 15 degrees. The venue itself was not super warm either. It was a long room with a tiled floor and a high, barn-like roof. If you've guessed, yes, the acoustics were lousy. But the acoustics are almost always lousy wherever I play, so this is no surprise.
There's a lot of speeches and congratulations. There is a large American flag hung over one of the fireplaces which is waving in the warm updraft from the fire. Looking at that and sitting in a room of ecstatic Obama supporters makes be feel warm about American democracy, but soon my Chomsky-mind kicks in and that ends.
The gig is pretty decent. The first two tunes are great. We start with "People Get Ready," which is one of my all-time favorite tunes, and one of the things I play on guitar the most. However, I've never actually played it on a gig before, so this is a blast. Next we do a great cover of "Blue Bayou," and I'm able to get some nice pedal steel sounds using the Tele and a volume pedal. The rest of the gig has its moments, but it is pretty much so-so. However, I love playing session man on other people's songs and gigs. Truth be told, this is probably what I'm best at, not free improvising.
Saturday, Honk, Wail, and Moan played a corporate function. The gig is supposed to run from 8-11 p.m., but with all of the speeches, we don't get started until 8:30. Whoever was planning the event had the band set up on steps facing a large empty space with our backs to the dining area. The idea, I think, was that people would eat in one place, and then come around and dance to the band. As it turns out, everyone stays seated, so we basically play an evening's worth of music for a huge empty space. Every once in a while, though, some people come by and smile at us to keep us from feeling lonely. I think four people in total danced for a total of one song all night.
At the end of the night, one of the coordinators apologizes to us, saying that it was too bad that people were not in the mood to dance that evening. That happens, I realize. Then they say that they want us back next year. I can only imagine "why?" Don't they know that everyone hates jazz, and most people would rather not have live music at their functions? Most people just want to get drunk with their co-workers and talk, and jazz just gets in the way. But having jazz around is like having a very expensive contemporary abstract painting over your sofa that no one really understands, yet they somehow feel culturally elevated in the presence of it.
Of course, by the time I get to the Saturday gig, I'm feeling under the weather. Nothing terrible. Mostly a little tired and rundown with a scratchy throat.
So, by the time of my Sunday gig at Skylab with Ryan Jewell and Hasan Abdur-Razzaq, I'm feeling like I'd rather be in bed than playing free jazz. This sucks, because I've been wanting to play with Ryan and Hasan as a trio for a long time. To compound the situation, the gig starts late, and we're scheduled last because we're most likely to be the quietest act.
Hasan
Part (maybe 90%) of doing experimental music is networking, and I am not feeling on top of my game-- not that I am a master schmoozer in any event. I am able to hand out a few Pimalia label sampler CDs, shake some hands, and listen to some good music, but it is not easy. By the time we hit around 11:45 p.m., I am really tired, but once I put the guitar on, I get some energy. We play a decent set. I think my playing has its moments, but my tiredness causes me to fall back on some of my standard tricks. The tough thing about playing free jazz or anything improvisational is that you really don't want to be phoning it in. You really want to challenge yourself to come up with some surprising things, which is difficult when you're run down and tired.
People seem to like the set though. Hasan and Ryan are great. I hope we get to do it again.
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