Music as a career - Part 2

Giving up

for busking

Technorati Tags: Music skills,musician,fame

Charlie Mariano, saxophonist, musical sojourner

Charlie Mariano, the Boston-born saxophonist who gained world renown as a performer with his former wife, Toshiko Akiyoshi; Stan Kenton; and Charles Mingus, among many others, died yesterday at Mildred Scheel Hospiz in Cologne, Germany, his longtime home. Mr. Mariano, who had battled cancer for years, was 85.

“He was the dean of Boston jazz musicians,’’ says jazz impresario George Wein, a Boston native who resides in New York and was a colleague and friend of Mr. Mariano’s since the 1940s. “Charlie was a wanderer, and he left his mark wherever he went.’’

Born Carmine Ugo Mariano in 1923, he was weaned on his father’s beloved Italian operas and the big bands he heard on the radio: Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, whose saxophonist Lester Young became Mr. Mariano’s first musical hero. He would not get his own saxophone until his 18th birthday, but in short order, the ambitious young musician was playing nightly at Izzy Ort’s bar and dance hall in what was then known as Boston’s combat zone, for $19 a week.

Mr. Mariano was drafted in 1943, but never saw combat. He was tapped to play in one of the several small music ensembles that entertained at officers’ clubs. Near the end of the war, Mr. Mariano, who was stationed on an air base north of Los Angeles, heard Charlie Parker play live for the first time, during Parker’s first West Coast gig, at Billy Berg’s jazz club in Hollywood.

“He completely turned my head,’’ Mr. Mariano said of Parker in “Tears of Sound,’’ a 1993 biography of Mr. Mariano published in Germany. Taken with the sax great’s inventive harmonics, newfangled rhythmic figures, and breakneck tempos, “I chased Bird’s sound, his way of phrasing. I listened to his solos on recordings for hours, wrote them down, and played it.’’

As it was for many alto saxophonists, Mr. Mariano found his muse and musical foundation in Parker’s ground-breaking sound. After leaving the Army in 1945, he drifted to Chicago, then Albuquerque, picking up work where he could, and finally wound up back in Boston. When the big-band era began winding down and many local clubs were closed, the largely self-taught Mr. Mariano enrolled in music school for the first time, at the Schillinger House of Music, which would later be renamed Berklee College of Music.

Technorati Tags: Charlie Mariano, alto saxophonist, Boston, Tim Price

More in Boston Globe... 

More by Tim Price (Charlie Mariano and Osmosis)

Music as a career

Music is no rocket science, but…

…more demanding than performing in a porn flick.

Technorati Tags: Music skills,musician,fame

Jim and Suzy in Helsinki

Helsinki, I missed Harri!

By Jim Glass

Late last night Harri, a Finn and the owner of the SOTW, pinged me on Facebook to see if we could have a breakfast or drinks tomorrow morning when we arrive in Helsinki. I let him know we might be able to make that happen, but didn't hear back. In the morning, for the first time since we started the cruise, all three of us overslept waking up after 10 AM!

So I quickly tried to get online to see what arrangements had been made, but the Internet connection was tenuous at best. An hour and twenty minutes later I found out Harri had been at a restaurant that was not to be at. Sigh, oh well we tried.

  

The first part of our tour was a visit to the great architect Saarinen (father of the famous American architect) country villa and study. Such an interesting space with so many architectural delights some of which I captured. Even if it is just doors, they are so nicely done.

 

And his art, drawings, and use of color was of interest.



Then we toured the city and headed back to the ship.

Technorati Tags: Helsinki,SOTW,Sax on the Web,Harri Rautiainen,Jim Glass,cruise ship,Finnish architecture,Eliel Saarinen,Hvitträsk,Finland

Pictures courtesy of Jim Glass

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The above trip report was filed by Jim Glass. He is former moderator and chief administrator of the Sax on the Web Forum. Jim lives with his wife Suzy in Seattle, Wash. and is an active saxophone player in several bands in the area. Also known as a saxophone collector.

Jerry Bergonzi at Acton Jazz Cafe

by Albert Lowe

Caught Jerry Bergonzi Last Wednesday (February 2009)

He definitely can play up a storm. I got both shows from 9 to 11:30.

But being only an attentive listener, and self educated at that, I can't say where he fits in the hierarchy of sax players.

He is good for sure, however the trio was just having fun for the night. My problem is that I am used to hearing the melody at the start of the piece then I have a chance to see/understand what they are doing. Bergonzi had a great time setting up his song but then for the most part only alluded to the melody. They had a great time especially with the endings. They seemed, to me, to be playing can you top this for the end riffs. At any ending they would run through and quote at least three different end riffs. Sort of like when soloists pass off to each other. One would start a classic end and move it around. Then the base, and one case the drummer Robert Kaufman, would take it to a different classic ending and they would change it again. That was the highest point of the evening for me, mentally retrieving the classic record that had that ending and seeing how they fit.

A good time was had by all. Bergonzi most certainly has the chops and showed them all in each bit. I.e. bop to classic swing style etc. I actually enjoyed his piano more. When he was on piano he wasn't able to cover the air with notes and I could follow his reasoning. The bop cascade in between the major notes of the melody etc was distracting to me especially when not having a clear idea of the base melody they were working on. Bergonzi did a very clever thing on one set. At the end of each burst of improvisation he came back to the melody and handed off to the base - but very last note out of place too high. At the end of the song the high notes became a new melody in the higher key. I almost fell off the bar stool.

The Acton Jazz Cafe either has made major improvements in their business management, acquired a sugar daddy, or won't last long. Because of changes in the fire code rules for night clubs the less than one hundred seat venue had to strip the old wall coverings off and replace them with fire proof sound absorption. They have almost turned it into a recording studio. Professional sound absorption on all the major flat surfaces, mikes all over the place and a good sound system. I'm willing to bet that the sound quality doesn't change much between having a crowd and being empty.  Bruce Gertz, the base player, placed his Zoom H2 sound recorder on the table nearest the group and seemed satisfied with the results.

At the peak, there were thirteen paying listeners including me. There was no cover and my selzer and twist of lime cost $2. If I was 45 years younger, and still unmarried, I would be there every night.

Bergonzi and his crew will be playing on Wednesdays for the near future. There should be an eight dollar cover charge but if the crowds don’t get bigger than thirteen it won’t be worth paying some one to collect it. The musicians got all the booze they wanted so they made out sort of. The Jazz Café  has them playing tomorrow Wed May fifth. So if I don’t get sidetracked, very likely, I will be there to get a better feel for his style etc., have a good time, and find out what setting Gertz uses on his H2 recorder.

-AWL-

Technorati Tags:
Jerry Bergonzi, Bruce Gertz, Robert Kaufman, Acton, Jazz Cafe, Albert Lowe

Q & A #1: Developing your own saxophone sound

Image via Wikipedia

Ogul Koker from Turkey wrote on May 24, 2009:

I've started to play sax 1,5 years ago. But at the same time I've started to study musicology. So I had no time to play sax and after this one big year I can't ever properly blow my sax :(

So my plan to learn how to play sax for this year is to practice all major, minor scales and modes, arpeggios and to learn how to do vibrato...

I also want to study some jazz, but dunno where to start :( I thought I could start with trying to imitate a player that I liked. I really like Mark Turner, Kenny Garrett, J. Coltrane and a lot of guys, but they sound to me hard to play... I think I should try to imitate a player from an early era? But who will that be?
I've got an alto sax btw.

Sorry for my bad English and greetings from Turkey! =)

Dear Ogul,

thanks for your note.

About developing your jazz sound; If you are not sure whom to imitate, no one else cannot really tell it to you. My suggestion is to listen to music a lot. Kind of jazz you like, players you admire. Then gradually (over the years) your saxophone sound will develop toward the direction of your liking.

Keep practicing and listening. Good luck,


-Harri

Technorati Tags: John Coltrane, Mark Turner,Kenny Garrett,Turkey,jazz sound,saxophone sound,alto sax,practice, Dave Liebman

Carmen Leggio - Young Man With A Horn, RIP

Writes Fred Cicetti on Sax on the Web in 1999:

Carmen Leggio's been playing tenor sax for about six decades and it shows. His small frame is stooped over and his head is bent down a bit. The man was made to play music, so it's fitting that his body has conformed to his gift.

Leggio blows tenor the way Willie Mays ran down a flyball. They both let you know from the get-go that you'll never be able to do it their way.

"I have thousands of songs memorized," Leggio explains with childlike joy and not an eighth note of boasting. "I can hear a song once and know how to play it. In my whole life, I've never bought a piece of sheet music. Saved a lot of money."

Leggio (incredibly, it means "music stand" in Italian) taught himself how to play at the age of nine. He began on clarinet, imitating Artie Shaw on the radio. He still performs "Stardust," "Nightmare" and "Begin the Beguine" on an old King metal clarinet. At 14, he switched to tenor sax and began playing in clubs in his hometown of Tarrytown, a suburb just north of New York City.

"I quit high school, because I knew I was meant to be a musician," he said. "But my father was so angry that he didn't speak to me for years. On his deathbed, he admitted I was right to leave school."

That admission came after Leggio had played with Benny Goodman, Maynard Ferguson, Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie and Doc Severinson. There have also been television shows, movies, the Newport Jazz Festival, Birdland and, yes, Carnegie Hall.

On April 17, 2009, Carmen Leggio suffered a heart attack in front of his home in Tarrytown, NY and died later that day at the age of 81.

What a loss to the saxophone community and jazz.

Writes Tim Price in his blog now:

Carmen Leggio bristled with individuality, whether soaring over a legendary big band like Woody Herman or Maynard or cutting a new path through a standard song like " Smile" his ruggedly magisterial horn made a personal statement the jazz world will never forget.

This player, developed a way to express a wide and subtle range of emotions through a unique and highly evolved level of musicianship, that is never cluttered or forced. One of the masters of original melodic improvisation that melted in your heart like an emotional choclate ball. When he played a ballad you might think he's whispering the greatest story of un-requited love ever told,directly down your spinal column.

Back in the70's I bought the record " Tarrytown Tenor". I got in New York City at King Karol records. At the time, I was wondering why a player like this was not touring the world, recording more and playing every jazz club in NYC and Europe. I played that record everyday, playing along with it and studying the art of Mr. Leggio’s saxophone. I saw him at the Vanguard with That and Mel playing some of the best lead alto I ever heard- just amazing phrasing and soul.

He sure will be missed, and a loss to the world.

RIP Carmen, I'm sure Prez, Sal, Romano and Hawk are waiting in that jam session above for you.

Detroit Torino Jazz Project – Live Video Broadcast

Detroit Torino Jazz Project Live

in co-operation with Sax on the Web site

@ Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe
in Detroit area

Live Broadcast
Friday April 24 & Saturday April 25, 2009
6:00pm (18:00) EST

Featuring leading jazz musicians and photographic artists from Detroit, USA and Torino, Italy (AKA "THE DETROIT OF EUROPE").
Chris Collins (sax, picture right) and Emanuele Cisi (sax, picture left) will be joined by Cliff Monear (piano), Sean Dobbins (drums), and Nick Calandro (bass) in this live recording session.

Blowing your own horn

While browsing through the Sax on the Web Forum recently, I realized that many saxophonist members are also keen brass players. Here they proudly display their latest inventions:

Miraphone Double Belled Sax Shaped Trumpet (1950s?)

Martin Williams and his Double Belled Trumpet

Triple Belled Trombone

Double Belled (in series) with a muffler

I am assuming that the picture posters have rights to these pictures. By posting on the SOTW Forum the rights have been extended to the owner of SOTW.

Late addition: Is this a proper use of brass instruments?

This just in (Jul-18-2009):

 

Randy Emerick has joined the trombone section. Watch out, Kid Oreo!