Inspired

Today we had a Wind Ensemble workshop at Vincent Massey Collegiate. I came into it expecting the usual - work on repertoire, learn some tricks about playing trumpet, stuff like that. I came out of the workshop with much more than I expected.
At the beginning of the workshop, Jackie Dawson (our conductor) gave us a talk on "Music: What's in it for me?". She talked about how music is a gift that we give, and how this gift is best when we give it away. She also talked about the passion that is in music, and about remembering that we love what we do. I was really inspired by this , and by the rest of the workshop.
The trumpets went off and had a sectional with Jeff Johnson, and he was a fantastic clinician. We actually didn't do a ton of playing, but he talked to us about music and teaching and making music. I probably got a lot more long-term valuable stuff out of this than I would have if we would have spent more time playing.
After this, we had a brass sectional with Steve Dyer - who is fantastic as well, but this was mostly "work on your parts" - but Steve is great as well.
And lastly, I had lunch (graciously provided by the U of M...I think), and then I had a repertoire test with Jackie Dawson. This is the part of the day that I will remember most, because I actually got to spend some time one-on-one with Jackie. And I was thoroughly impressed and humbled by her - somewhat by the fact that she is an amazing conductor and director, and knows her stuff through and through, and how to get her musicians to improve, but mostly because I could totally tell that she cares about me, and that she is genuinely happy to have me as a part of her ensemble. Even though she really only talked with me today, I was blown away by the fact that she knew who I was, and even knew some stuff about me, even though I had never told her.
This is what being a musician and a teacher is all about. Because of Jackie taking the time to find out a bit about me, I am now inspired to be the best I can be, and I genuinely feel like I belong in the ensemble.
Jackie Dawson has officially been added to my list of "People I Admire". You're probably not reading this, but, thank you, Jackie Dawson, for making me feel like I am important. I hope I can do the same for everyone else.

the new guy at Prov

If any of you reading this are still at Prov, look up my brother, Jon Mark. I'm leaving in 30 minutes to bring him there for the year.
A side note: I'm very excited that Jon Mark is going to Prov - I've been trying to get him there for a few years.

Cool!

I have been writing music for around 5 years now. Looking back on the stuff I've written, it's easy to see where I've improved, and especially what my influences have been. Aaron and I used to joke about how all my music sounded like video game music for a while, and it was sad but true! However, as I got more into jazz, I started writing more jazz. The first time my jazz pieces were performed was with the World Music Group in spring 2005. That summer, I wrote a piece for Amber as a going-away present (she was leaving for Germany for a year). The piece was called "Amber's Bounce", and it was my first somewhat well-written piece (OK, so jazz is easy to write if you know what you're doing because the form is so static). I also posted this piece on Sibeliusmusic.com for people to download and listen to.
So a few months ago, I got an email from someone I didn't know asking for permission to use this piece in a recital. I said yes, and today I got an email from the same person with a link to the YouTube video. So, I present to you, "Amber's Bounce", played by Gabriela Santander from Venezuela!

Bloggity bloggity blog

It's been too long.
So here's an update.

First things first: Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck. Wow - both of these shows were absolutely amazing (please forgive my alliteration) - yet completely different. Kenny Garrett (an alto sax player) opened up for Hancock, and had the house rocking for an hour and a half (we were at the Burton Cummings). After Garrett, Herbie's band came on. Some of the highlights: Watermelon Man mixed in with a tune called "Seventeens", which was in 17/4 time, Maiden Voyage played as a piano-only ballad, Cantaloupe Island, some of the songs that Herbie co-wrote with John Mayer, and the encore, Chameleon, where Garrett came out to join Herbie's band (which was a quartet - piano, guitar, bass, and drums). This show was high-energy, featuring pure amazingness from all involved, and Herbie occasionally played a keytar. Best. Show. Ever.
I went to see Dave Brubeck a few days later...amazing, but in a completely different way. Bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding opened, and this time with a shorter set (30 minutes-ish). Wow - what a voice, and amazing bass chops as well. I think that she's probably only 25 or so, which is even more amazing. So, after Spalding, Dave Brubeck walks on stage. In contrast to Herbie Hancock, Brubeck doesn't say much. He sits down at the piano, and launches straight into "On The Sunny Side Of The Street", and lets his fingers do the talking. Apparently Brubeck turns 87 this year, and his other players looked equally decrepit, but they did not show their age in their playing. Brubeck whipped his way through a set that was mostly straight-ahead jazz, in contrast to Hancock's funk-filled extravaganza. Brubeck capped the night off with his trademark piece, "Take Five", and then played "Blue Rondo ala Turk" for the encore.
The best way to describe these shows: Herbie Hancock was a huge party with all your friends, with music pumping, and everyone dancing like mad. Dave Brubeck was an intelligent conversation with an old friend.

In other news, I moved out of my parents' house July 1st, into the basement of a house with Aaron. It's awesome, although if you have spare food, please send it our way.
I spent July 6-13 serving at Providence Arts Camp. I taught a class on Music and Worship, directed a small girls choir, and helped with the worship music. Good times were had by all - I'm planning on coming back to teach again next year.

In other other news, I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last Saturday morning at approximately 4:52 a.m. The verdict: this is the best book yet. And, holy crap, what a way to end the series! I will write about it later, but I don't want to post spoilers. If you read this, bug Aaron about finishing Half-Blood Prince, and then Deathly Hallows, because he owns it but is procrastinating reading it!

And...school starts in a month or so. And I'm very, very excited. Excited.

For those who complain about me never updating my blog...happy now?

Jazz Fest part I

Went to see Herbie Hancock on Sunday with Andrew. Going to see Dave Brubeck tonight with Ashleigh.
I'll write about both of them soon...so keep reading!

Now I've heard everything

I was on my way home from work, listening to CBC Radio 2 (it's the only radio station I will listen to nowadays), and what did I hear?
A jazz version of Scotland The Brave. With a jazz bagpiper. And a kick-ass rhythm section.
The player? Rufus Harley, who apparently died last summer. This guy was an accomplished jazz saxophonist who had guested with the likes of Sonny Rollins and Herbie Mann. This wasn't kitsch or something strange...it was straight-ahead jazz with bagpipes as the lead instrument. The best part? It was pretty good, too!

Now I've heard everything.

You see a gazebo...

Ahhh...a blast from the past.

ED: You see a well groomed garden. In the middle, on a small hill, you see a gazebo.
ERIC: A gazebo? What color is it?
ED: (Pause) It's white, Eric.
ERIC: How far away is it?
ED: About fifty yards.
ERIC: How big is it?
ED: (Pause) It's about thirty feet across, fifteen feet high, with a pointed top.
ERIC: I use my sword to detect good on it.
ED: It's not good, Eric. It's a gazebo!
ERIC: (Pause) I call out to it.
ED: It won't answer. It's a gazebo!
ERIC: (Pause) I sheathe my sword and draw my bow and arrows. Does it respond in any way?
ED: No, Eric, it's a gazebo!
ERIC: I shoot it with my bow (roll to hit). What happened?
ED: There is now a gazebo with an arrow sticking out of it.
ERIC: (Pause) Wasn't it wounded?
ED: Of course not, Eric! It's a gazebo!
ERIC: (Whimper) But that was a plus three arrow!
ED: It's a gazebo, Eric, a gazebo! If you really want to try to destroy it, you could try to chop it with an axe, I suppose, or you could try to burn it, but I don't know why anybody would even try. It's a *)@#! gazebo!
ERIC: (Long pause. He has no axe or fire spells.) I run away.
ED: (Thoroughly frustrated) It's too late. You've woken up the gazebo, and it catches you and eats you.
ERIC: (Reaching for his dice) Maybe I'll roll up a fire-using mage so I can avenge my Paladin.

Onwards and upwards

So Aaron and I have a place set up for July 1st. It's on Clarence - near Q94 FM, just off of Pembina. If you have any house-related stuff you don't need anymore (This includes food), let me know!

Joining the ranks of the technologically savvy

952-2486.
You know you waaaaant it.

Music reviews

Lately, I have been absolutely mesmerized by one particular artist: Brad Mehldau. Brad is a younger guy - born in 1970, and he is one of the best jazz pianists on the scene today. His style is nothing like I have heard before - he is definitely influenced by the greats of bebop, but from what I can hear, his influences range from standard jazz to fusion and free jazz, to hard bop, and even outside jazz proper to progressive rock, electronica, modern "classical" music, and just about everything else. To give an example, on his CD "Largo", he has a bunch of self-composed tracks which are fantastic, but he also covers Radiohead's "Paranoid Android", and the Lennon/McCartney tune "Dear Prudence".
I have two CDs of his that I want to write about today - the first being "Largo". This CD has gotten a lot of play in my car recently, and even Aaron was impressed enough with it to blog about it. I think that my favourite track is "Dusty McNugget", with its extremely laid-back feel, with a touch of funk. "Paranoid Android" is awesome as well, as is "Dear Prudence", which is a close second for best track. The last track, "I Do", is very reminiscent of some Billy Childs stuff I heard recently, and this track is just Mehldau and his piano. I can detect a touch of Gil Evans in the arranging done for this CD as well - very, very innovative, with some extremely interesting sounds and harmonies. This is a great CD for chilling out to.
The second CD is Metheny/Mehldau. This is a duet CD between the legendary jazz fusion guitarist Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau. Save for two tracks, this CD is just Metheny and Mehldau. These two play together like nothing else I have ever heard - what goes on in this CD is pure, unadulterated magic. The tracks I currently like best are "Unrequited", "Ring of Life", "Say the Brother's Name", and my favourite, "Make Peace". I can't even describe how good this CD is - it's probably best labelled as fusion, but is very accessible to people who aren't intimately familiar with the inner workings of jazz genres. This is also great chill-out music, and chances are that even if you aren't a jazz fan, but appreciate good music, you will enjoy this CD.
So there you have it. Buy both of these CDs - you won't regret it. Here's a link to some of Mehldau's music on the Web.
And, just for fun, a YouTube of Mehldau!
-Matt