more soon 🙂
I went to Iran…
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Tag Archives: jazz
Modelling…
I’m surprisingly satisfied with the sound of the Zoom B3. Digital modelling has arrived. I actually made the decision this week NOT to invest in any more sexy analog gear because on listening back to recordings from my last gigs, i’m not only impressed with but also surprised at how good it sounds. My current insights fly in the face of even my own prior principals.
Life can be like that…
The Zoom B3 with continuous control pedal.
Terra firma…
Wow, it’s done. I’m back on land and preparing for the next phase. I spent the last two months on a cruise ship playing improvised music and popular songs from the mid-twentieth century with pianist Doru Apreotesei and vocalist Deborah Herbert. It was a fantastic time of growth and exploration. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, there will be sound clips from those gigs posted here from time to time in relation to various topics.
Now the work turns to preparing for a concert series that i’ll produce that focuses mostly on my presentation of solo works for bass. Some of the pieces i’ll perform have been composed for me. Some will be by composers i admire and have been greatly influenced by (e.g., Cage, Braxton, Sun Ra, Ayler). Stay tuned here for the where and when.
Partial list of Sun Ra charts
Some music…
I’ll be starting to post some new music here now. By “new”, i mean clips from gigs that i’m doing currently. Most recently, i’ve been playing in duo with the pianist Doru Apreotesei. As i mentioned in my post “The Audience Gets It“, we’ve been playing – mostly – improvised music in an environment that is generally reserved for the squarest of square: a cruise ship piano bar. The track here is “Blue In Green” co-written by Miles Davis and Bill Evans.The playing on this clip is pretty “inside”. There will be others that aren’t 😉
The Manhattan Lounge on MS Color Magic where i’m working right now.
Moving forward…
It’s all about moving forward. Forward. “Left, right, left…” Think about it.
More about methodology soon.
Machine Gun…
Wow, we did our first gig together in 1986. Time flies.
Us at the Court Tavern ca. 1986
The “J” word…
Before i continue with my discussion of solo and group improv methodologies, i wanted to mention that i’m giving some serious thought to abandoning the “J” word. The term “Jazz” appears to do the opposite of what language is supposed to do.
As much as the word is a part of my identity – both personal and cultural – i question very seriously its ability to communicate anything remedial about the subject to which it’s applied.
Link
http://www.reverbnation.com/jairrohmparkerwells
This is my Reverbnation page. The best place to catch up on my new releases and tour dates. Please check it out and subscribe for updates.
Thanks!
Jair-Rohm
Letting it go…
Maybe it’s all about meditation. A wise woman once told me that Music is the highest form of meditation.
Maybe.
There certainly is a lot in meditation technique that mirrors proper instrumental performance methodology. Meditation has taught me a lot about playing bass. Playing bass has taught me a lot about meditation. Improvisation relies very heavily on many of the fundamental principals of meditation, specifically, the concepts of Focus and Detatchment are central to the task of the improvisor. To improvise dynamically, the musician must be in the moment – devotedly focused on what is, rather than what has passed or what is to follow. Likewise, the improvising musician must also be free from assumptions about that which they are a part of creating and refrain from indulging in the need to command and control.
Going Outside 