Mike Stern

Jazz guitarist Mike Stern was in Washington D.C. recently, for some gigs at Blues Alley. Word traveled through the grapevine that he would be coming up to Westminster to do a clinic in the afternoon before the first night's show. I was among 20 or 30 people who were lucky enough to get the word and headed over to McDaniel College on a lovely spring day to learn from Mike.

Mike is a world-class player and has produced many albums of music labelled jazz, but really cover a very wide range of styles.  He has toured the world many times and plays with the best musicians. But it was not always so. Part of his clinic was simply telling his personal story. He came to jazz after growing up on rock and roll, and rhythm and blues. He got excited about jazz but had no particular talent for it and he found it extraordinarily difficult. It was sheer will power, driven by an all consuming passion, that drove him to overcome the many hurdles to becoming a great jazz musician. I explain this sort of thing to my students all the time, but still it was encouraging for me to hear it from Mike Stern.

During the clinic, he played some amazing extended improvisations on standard tunes, first "Autumn Leaves," then "Body and Soul." Like many other jazz players, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of his instrument and can access the most complex harmonic and melodic ideas off the top of his head. What sets him apart, and was plainly evident, was his ability to express his own character, thoughts and emotions through his playing. It's the holy grail of all of us who strive to be great improvisers: to know you can call up any technique you desire, but to let that all take a back seat to pure expressiveness. Mike Stern has the whole package, and it was a privilege to witness it up close and personal.

His solos were incredibly sophisticated, employing some concepts I try to teach my more advanced students, but going way beyond anything I could ever hope to achieve. It was great to hear someone who has mastered the art of creating musical phrases and turning them into motifs that develop and change as the solo continues; and having a sense of contour and trajectory to the phrases, and the solo as a whole.

Playing with rhythm is also something I stress, and Stern proved his mastery by playing with only a bass player for accompaniment, no drummer. His solos got pretty adventurous, yet his time was always absolutely perfect, and beyond that, he played with an incredible sense of jazz swing style rhythm.

To top it off, he was a very warm, generous and funny guy. He answered questions and did his best to provide useful information, but mainly I think he came to provide some inspiration, and I got a lot of that from his clinic.

Photos courtesy of Frank McCreary.

Learn more about Mike Stern at http://www.mikestern.org/

Five Gigs in Four Days

It happens once in a while: every different kind of gig I do gets scheduled for the same week. This time I did five very different gigs in four days between April 22 and April 25. Here's how it went down:

April 22, Thursday afternoon - Classical guitar for kids at Forest Park Library. Unexpected tons of fun! For details, see my previous post, Playing Music For The Kids.

April 23, Friday night - Solo acoustic and vocals at a large Baltimore area restaurant with a huge patio and covered outdoor bar. Lots of young adults drinking heavily, talking loudly, and only marginally interested in the live musician performing a few feet in front of them. Well, some people do stop and listen, and it's cool to see a few people getting into some Hendrix, Zeppelin and Beatles along with their more modern favorite singers like Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson. But overall, not much involvement with the music. Things have changed since I was young. Check my recent post, Spectrum Reunion, to get an idea of how important live music was to young people in the late 1970's when I was in my teens and early 20's. Nevertheless, I am grateful to this venue for supporting live music and maintaining their commitment to providing live entertainment seven nights a week.

April 24, Saturday day - Acoustic duo with Elena, afternoon wedding reception. I had never been asked to do acoustic music at a reception before, so I was a little concerned about how well it would work, but it turned out fine. Elena and I learned a few requests from the client, and drew on our experience playing in variety bands, and from there figured out what we could do acoustically. We covered everything from Stevie Wonder to Brad Paisley, from Nancy Sinatra to Sheryl Crow. It worked out nicely and we may have some new songs to add to our regular repertoire. Elena is a great talent and a total pro. She did her usual outstanding job, despite the fact that she was eight months pregnant at the time!

April 24, Saturday night - Hectic Red, nightclub gig. After the reception, I rushed home, re-packed the car and headed out to play a club date with Hectic Red, the classic rock band I've been with for over 22 years. The band still sounds tremendous after all this time and we are blessed with a great number of terrific fans and friends. We played a lot of Steely Dan, Yes, Rush, Beatles, Billy Joel, Genesis and so many other cool classic rock tunes you just don't hear bands do. Tremendous energy and good vibes were felt all around.

April 25, Sunday afternoon - solo guitar for a wedding ceremony and cocktails. Sunday morning I got up, put on the suit and tie and drove to a nearby historic mansion/restaurant for a wedding gig.
As I usually do when hired as a solo guitarist, I played classical music for the ceremony, including Pachelbel and Vivaldi for the processional and recessional.  The cocktail hour was much less typical. The client was very specific about wanting solo guitar versions of classic rock tunes, including the Beatles, lots of Led Zeppelin, and a special request for Duran Duran! It took some thought to get my head around the idea, but the more I worked on it, the more I liked it. And to be honest, I did bring a looping pedal, but only used it a couple of times to create overlaid parts.

By Sunday afternoon it was all over. Well, not quite, there was still a neighbor's birthday party to attend. But eventually I was back home relaxing and watching a movie with Mrs. Sherman. Life is good, but I'm glad every week is not like this one.

Pictures by Crystal, aka The Painting Queen. Be sure to read her blog entry about my week of musical adventures. She is my biggest supporter and fan, and she means the world to me. Well, she is Mrs. Sherman, after all.

Playing Music For The Kids

I was hired recently to play classical music for a children's program at a Baltimore City public library. It was part of a series the Enoch Pratt library is doing to give city pre-schoolers a chance to see and hear real musicians playing classical music. I was warned that the last event didn't go too well and the musicians, a string trio, were, shall we say, not well received. Nevertheless I was encouraged by the fact that some other musician friends of mine had done similar things, and I thought it was well worth the effort, even with the outcome less than certain. I could never have guessed how much fun it was going to turn out be.

The staff at the Forest Park library were great. They obviously had plenty of experience managing kids. They had a prepared a fairy tale theme with costumes for the kids to wear, activities, and story time. Everybody made crowns for themselves, and I got one too. I got busy with my assignment: to provide music and entertain the kids while keeping it in a classical style. It didn't take long before a number of little boys and girls came closer and started looking at the guitar and the music. Some started asking questions: how did you learn how to do that? How do you know what those notes on the paper mean?

One guy wanted a little more. He was one of the oldest, maybe five or six years old. He watched me intently for several minutes before coming up and telling me that he'd been rocking out since he was three years old. I invited him to strum the strings while I formed chords with my left hand. He obviously had no experience at all, but nevertheless, in a few moments we were rocking out together. Eventually he moved over and tried to do the left hand, which he quickly found was much harder.

I was throwing in classical ditties in between encounters with the kids; it was all good. The point was obvious, one I have seen many times in my years of teaching guitar: you simply have to let kids know that there are possibilities, things that they can do too, if they want. The level of difficulty doesn't seem to matter. You simply show them that it is being done, and they will simply accept it as possible. Not all will achieve it, but some will, and they will do so more easily with the knowledge that they have already seen someone do it.
Thanks to Petra and PW Feats for providing this opportunity for me.

Be sure to read Painting Queen's blog entry about this very special gig!

Spectrum Reunion

On April 3 2010 we had a spectacular reunion of my very first band, Spectrum (well there was one earlier band, but it was too short lived to mention) (OK, it was called Future Shock). We were invited to reunite as part of a big multi-band event being developed to celebrate the golden years of a legendary Baltimore rock nightclub called Maxwell's. The Spectrum people had already been meeting up socially and talking about playing together, and this event gave us a ready made reason to do it. 

It was to be held at the Recher Theatre in Towson MD, a terrific venue with a 700 person capacity, a great stage and very high quality sound and lights. We rehearsed several times before the show, and it was great to see how good everyone was still playing, since, unlike me, most of the members had not been actively playing much since our last show in 1985. We quickly and easily gelled as a group again.

It was also amazing to discover how many fans were still around who remembered us. We started a Facebook page and quickly amassed over 400 friends. That helped the show turn into an advance sell-out.

That night, our set was scheduled at about two hours into the event. The energy in the room was at its peak and the enthusiasm coming from the crowd was amazing. It fired us up, and we played with all the power, precision and flair that we used to have. It was more than just re-living the glory days; we were still really doing it.

Back in 1975, we were all in 10th or 11th grade at South Carroll High School together. All of us who became part of Spectrum were crazy about rock and roll music. Once the group started, we were totally committed to being the best possible band we could be. And yes, we were all a little bit out in left field, shall we say, but that was probably an essential part of why we bonded together so tightly.

Spectrum existed in a time, the late 1970's - early 1980's, that was unique in the history of the Maryland area's local music scene. Just about every high school in Maryland had live bands for dances on a regular basis. There were also teen centers, and teen dances at Fire Halls and rec centers all over the region where bands could play. As high school kids, we went to see bands, and it got us excited and motivated. This is how Spectrum got started, as fans of live music.

We worked very hard to be as good as the best bands we loved to go see. We raised ourselves up to the highest levels of musicianship, professionalism, showmanship and production. We were very successful, and we had more fun than you can imagine, and we became best friends. Then we made the transition to nightclubs, and that scene was also vibrant and exciting for local bands at the time. There were big clubs everywhere, and they were all doing well. It could have had something to do with the fact that the minimum drinking age at the time was only 18! There was a huge number of young people going out to party and hear live bands, all the time.

We were them, and we played for them. We had the time of our lives, and we did it as long as we could, until many factors conspired to bring it to an end. The problems included raising the minimum drinking age to 21 (a good idea in retrospect), the introduction of Karaoke and DJ's into nightclubs, the rise of punk and New Wave synth-based music, financial mis-management, an economic downturn, personnel changes - it all became too much to cope with. But we all came out of it with the knowledge that we had gone through an amazing experience shared by a very few lucky people.

After our set at the Recher Theatre, we basked in the glow of overwhelming enthusiasm and appreciation from the many friends and fans, many not seen for 25 years, who came back to see us again. I think it's safe to say you'll be hearing more from Spectrum. Keep up with the band on their Facebook page.
For more great pics of the band from back in the day, check out this photo album.
Check out photos from the reunion in this photo album - pictures and digital artistic magic by Crystal.
Please read Crystal's blog on the Spectrum Reunion, "Spectrum Rocks Again." from her wonderful blog, The Painting Queen.

Telesma

telesmaband.com

I have sought out and enjoyed good music of every style for my entire life. After all these years it still amazes me how there is always something new and exciting to be discovered. My wife and I heard Telesma at FairieCon last fall in Hunt Valley MD and were blown away. I have heard a lot of music that calls itself "world" or "world-fusion" or "east meets west" and some of it is good, some of it is lame. Telesma may get dropped into that world-fusion category, but they have that extra something that most of the others are missing. They don't just drop a sitar on top of a synthesizer. They create something completely unique out of the merging of different musical elements that they have a strong connection to.

There is intense rhythmic drive, which keeps the energy level very high. The sound is big and rich, with a lot of variety in instrumentation, and an over arching sense of beauty in sound and tone. There is a flow of improvisation that goes on individually and collectively throughout the performance. Musical themes evolve gradually, and build in intensity. You get a sense that they are truly working as a group, achieving that magic higher level of unity that so rarely happens in bands.

The effect is to communicate with the listener on a deep non-verbal level, to envelop your mind and senses and carry you away. You get taken on a journey. Their music is coming at you on many levels at once, but you can enjoy it at whatever level you are into. For example, there are elements of trance and electronica in their music, yet it is never dull and rewards attentive listening. There is quirky creativity that still manages to kick some serious ass. There is deep soul and spirit. There is a strong understanding of the power of rhythms of different cultures. It is the remarkable organic merging of all those things that make the experience of hearing Telesma so amazing.

I have to highlight Telesma's guitarist Chris Mandra. Even though it is clearly a group effort, Chris provides an intense creative drive to each song that is essential to the band's performance. He brings improvisation and electronic experimentation, great guitar playing skills and a fiery passion into every song. He is a totally dedicated and completely original musician. Check out more of him:
www.myspace.com/katastatik

All pictures taken by Crystal. 

A Passion for Classical Guitar

I recently discovered a radio interview with guitar virtuoso Eliot Fisk from NPR's On Point radio program, originally aired in June 2009:

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/06/eliot-fisk-classical-guitarist

How often does one get to hear an interview with a brilliant classical guitarist on the radio? Just about never! So this is a rare treat. We are so lucky they keep their past shows archived on their website so you can go there and listen to any past show anytime.

This is a really great interview; Eliot is a wonderful ambassador for the classical guitar. He is incredibly talented, a true virtuoso, passionate, intelligent and spiritually connected. His playing has those same qualities and he was generous enough to perform on the air during the show.

Listening to Eliot reminded me that my own passion for classical guitar has never diminished, since I was introduced to it by my first teacher, Jim Denton, way back in 1971 in Waynesboro PA. I still have the book of classical pieces he once gave to me. Most of it was way beyond me at the time, but I guess he knew it would be an inspiration to me, and it was. Now, all these years later, I still play pieces from that book.

Eliot very eloquently describes the intellectual, physical, and spiritual aspects of being a classical guitarist. That exactly matches my own experience. Classical guitar appeals to me strongly on all three of those levels and I have learned that they are all inter-connected.

The intellectual part comes from an appreciation of the awesome creativity, beauty and sophistication of the music of the great classical composers.

The physical part is how much I enjoy the technical challenges involved in learning new pieces and refining my technique to the highest possible level I can.

The spiritual part comes from discovering the way one's  performance can convey not just the composer's intent, not just the performer's  interpretation, but something that transcends all of that and communicates directly to the listener's heart.

Even though I have worked hard to "get good" at classical guitar, I still feel blessed and grateful to be able to perform it and share those moments when the boundaries between composer, performer and listener dissolve and we all feel as one.

Enjoy this video of Eliot in concert. I hope this blog inspire you to delve more deeply into classical music; I'm sure you will find it as rewarding as I have.




 


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Have Classical Guitar, Will Travel

I get a special sense of satisfaction when I do a classical guitar gig, even if it's a noisy social situation and no one seems to be listening. (it is always best to go on the assumption that someone is actually listening, even if you don't see them. It is almost always true.)

A recent gig I had was to provide background music for a cocktail party at a hotel grand opening. My understanding was that, for this situation, the music needs to be sophisticated, dynamic, and diverse. It needs to blend into the background but also be enjoyable to anyone who stops to listen. To accomplish that, I play a mix of mostly upbeat classical, Spanish/Latin, and easy-listening versions of pop tunes. I also include some contemporary finger-style pieces by Steve Morse, Phil Keaggy, Earl Klugh and others.

The pieces are fun, challenging and/or just beautiful, sometimes all of the above. I have been building up my repertoire for many years, and I enjoy this music very much. I have enough pieces in a variety of styles that I can choose what feels right for the situation, and play music I love at the same time. Some current and all-time favorites of mine to play:

Bach, "Cello Suite No. 1, Prelude"
Sanz, "Canarios"
Satie, "Gymnopedie I"
Ponce, "Scherzino Mexicano"
Steve Morse, "Picture This"
Genesis, "Horizons"

So that's a little insight into the classical side of my musical life.

To wrap it up, here's a clip from one of my heroes, the great British guitarist John Williams. I hope it inspires you as much as it does me!