yay-ahz

so i was at the jazz club Iridium on friday nite, totally inspired.

afro-cuban jazz was the music du nuit.

it.was.amazing. 

my friend levy schooled me in the lay of the stage, left to right: piano, bongos, congas, timbales (!!!), electric bass, and vibraphone. a percussionist's heaven of sorts.

each musician was an 'expert' at their instrument, and in total control in relation to the cohesive sound of the band...nobody was out there for themselves to be heard...they knew when to recede for the soloist or play just loud enough...and obviously respected each's talents as they smiled and grooved with the music, just as we did in the audience.

my fave was the piano player, perhaps a biased opinion, but he was a surefire talent.  there was a song where his wrists were sharply angled while he struck the keys.  i asked him post-show why he did that...apparently it was intentional so the sound would be loud enough. his solo parts were also complete ideas...part rachmaninoff meets gershwin meets debussy...thrown in with classical jazz scales and glisses...he even looked like the jazz version of evegny kissin, curly hair n' all. 

my second fave was the timbale player (timbalist?)...he just had this...control and consistency in his playing that i could appreciate...such a pro.

what was also inspiring was the "flatness" of the band's sound, and how it stayed exciting and vibrant under that ceiling of flatness. all the elements of the venue (stage, instruments, the way the instruments were played) contributed to this musical aesthetic...it's just, interesting.

the nite made me truly appreciate jazz music...as a classically trained pianist, i used to perceive jazz the way someone would compare pastry chef vs. chef...you're either good at one or the other. and usually the crossover isn't successful simply because you're more made for one. 

but now i see it as....even if i won't achieve in jazz the same level i've achieved in classical music, it can only help. and well, it's just cool to know jazz, no?

i was never great at improvising, nor was i comfortable improvising in public, on the spot. perhaps learning jazz would release that personal constraint, especially if it's just a mental one, and further challenge and enhance my musicianship. i find that it's very powerful to know both classical and jazz techniques and chords, because you can tie in elements of one into the other... being in a rock band, my classical background has already played a great musical influence on the parts i write. i'll pull some chopin here, david bowie there, muse elsewhere...

it's like when i took opera lessons for a year...who knew that would come in handy in a rockband when it was my turn to sing!

play on.