Megi's Jazz Odyssey - the return

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  • Derek_RDerek_R Posts: 1,721Member
    Megi posted:

    Meant to say - I hope your wine bar gig goes well Derek, and do report back about that. Is it with a band or solo?

    Thanks Megi. It's a second gig with a fellow acoustic player. The chap in question is a bit more of a folkie than I - we joke he does the British songs and I do the American ones - although it isn't quite that cut and dried. He sings a Waylon Jennings tune and another one about the American Civil war and I do... well a few of my own and I'm from here.

    Not sure if it'll be a duo or a trio - the first gig I did with them last week there were three of us, we each did 20 minutes solo and then we did an hour together. On the basis that we haven't learned anything new then I suspect it'll be the same again, but if the third fellow can't make it I might get 30 minutes solo. It's a nice way of getting a bit more solo time under my belt without having to do a whole night.

    Meanwhile I have a St Patrick's night gig to navigate before then - Whisky In The Jar, Fields of Athenry, Dirty Old Town, and Galway Girl etc... I know at least two of these aren't Irish but they'll have to suffice. I might change Cider Drinker to Guinness Drinker, too

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    That should make for a nice gig, whatever the line up Derek. I wouldn't mind a few wine-bar type gigs myself to be honest, so I envy you a bit for that one, for what it's worth. Good luck for the St Patrick's night shindig as well, will be fun I'm sure.

  • onemanbandonemanband Posts: 94Member
     

    Meanwhile I have a St Patrick's night gig to navigate before then - Whisky In The Jar, Fields of Athenry, Dirty Old Town, and Galway Girl etc... I know at least two of these aren't Irish but they'll have to suffice. I might change Cider Drinker to Guinness Drinker, too

    I have a Paddy's night too, Friday night  in Cheltenham!!

    Paddy's night, boozer in Cheltenham, end of the race meeting........all the ingredients of a bang on night 

  • Derek_RDerek_R Posts: 1,721Member
    onemanband posted:
     

    I have a Paddy's night too, Friday night  in Cheltenham!!

    Paddy's night, boozer in Cheltenham, end of the race meeting........all the ingredients of a bang on night 

    Brilliant! Just up the road from me. Where are you playing?

  • onemanbandonemanband Posts: 94Member

    "The Ridge"........ early (ish) gig I believe, I've to be set up by 17.00

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    Why did nobody tell me???!!!! My favourite Shoegaze band, namely the wonderful Lush, have recently reformed! Unbelievable, I honestly didn't think this would ever happened, which I guess is partly why I missed it, since I just wasn't looking out for such a thing. I only found out somehow by chance while randomly searching around on Youtube.

    There's a new EP out, which I have to get, and also a posh 5 vinyl LP box set, which I'm going to have a hard time resisting, despite the over £100 price tag. I have pretty much everything they ever did, including all the CD singles, that they originally released back in the 90s - it's been a while since I felt that desperate obssesive need to obtain certain CDs/vinyl, but I have it now - Lush reforming is one of the few things that could do that. Takes me back to my record collecting days. Blumin' heck though - I never saw them live, wonder if that might be possible at some point now.

    New Lush music! They sound almost like the intervening decades never happened. And I feel like I'm back in my late 20s again...

  • Reg SoxReg Sox Posts: 3,121Member

    Not my taste Megi, but I totally understand your emotions.  I felt the same with Deaf School starting gigging again a few times a year after a gap of four decades.

    Enjoy!  And get that boxed set - you'll just regret it later if you don't.

    Cheers, Reg.

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    Thanks for that Reg - I suppose that was a bit of an ungainly splurge of enthusiasm on my part, but I just had to say something somewhere. I don't know any other fans of the band, and I know it's not for everyone - just something about their music that I always connected with. Your feelings re the Deaf School reunion do indeed sound to be much the same as mine re Lush. I have often thought that we don't really like particular artists because we think they are perfect - we know they aren't, and it's more that we relate to and connect with them so strongly that we love what they do, flaws notwithstanding. I even like Lush's version of Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep:

    Found out there is also a five CD set available, covering the same material as the 5 LP one, plus a load of extra previously unreleased material. Not quite a nice a packaging job as the 5 LP set, and not quite as nice aesthetically I guess, but I'll probably go for that one - it's about £70 cheaper! image

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    Last night I dep'ed for someone at a rehearsal playing with a big band. Some tricky music reading involved at times, and I wasn't perfect, but I think I did not bad. If I was a full time member, I would be taking the parts home to practice some of the tricky bits. But really enjoyable anyhow, and it was a great band with some terrific musicians - quite an experience, so I hope I can do it again some time. People in the band said "see you again" anyhow, and the band leader has offered me a gig playing for a seaside resort theatre show (not with the big band) for 3 days in June - so perhaps I'm moving into ES Blonde's territory... image

  • Just TelJust Tel Posts: 519Member
    Megi posted:

    Last night I dep'ed for someone at a rehearsal playing with a big band. Some tricky music reading involved at times, and I wasn't perfect, but I think I did not bad. If I was a full time member, I would be taking the parts home to practice some of the tricky bits. But really enjoyable anyhow, and it was a great band with some terrific musicians - quite an experience, so I hope I can do it again some time. People in the band said "see you again" anyhow, and the band leader has offered me a gig playing for a seaside resort theatre show (not with the big band) for 3 days in June - so perhaps I'm moving into ES Blonde's territory... image

    Well done Megi. Is it Cleethorps here we come? I was there last week.

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    Just Tel posted:

    Well done Megi. Is it Cleethorps here we come? I was there last week.

    Thanks Tel! I've been doing gigs with jazz bands in Cleethorpes for a fair few years now, so the lucky people there (at least those not wise enough to keep away) have already been exposed to my playing... image This new one is a case of Skegness (no less) here we come, which is a place I've not played previously - but it's also new to me because I've not really played in a show band before.

    What took you to Cleethorpes, if I'm not being too nosey? There for a holiday, or something else?

  • Just TelJust Tel Posts: 519Member

    Wow Skegness Now your hitting the big time. I was in Lincs last week visiting whats left of my relations in Brigg where my mum came from. It had been 40+ years since I was last there and it hasn't changed much.

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    I drive through Brigg quite often (on my way to or from Scunthorpe,) and occasionally have been there for an afternoon. I do like the place - it's just a nice little Lincolnshire market town really. And I suppose you are right to say it hasn't changed much over the years.

  • Derek_RDerek_R Posts: 1,721Member

    Nice one Megi! Was it a bit of Freddie Green comping??

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    Thanks Derek - I suppose there were places where a bit of the Freddie Green would have worked well, although I was tending to use a bit fuller chord voicings. Some of their stuff was quite modern sounding, with some bars that had accents and specific rhythms, plus fast chord changes - kind of "zap pow" stuff if you know what I mean. Really that stuff needs to be played very precisely, and in general it seemed better to use the higher strings to be heard through the whole band. A big band with the full brass sections - 4 trombones, 4 trumpets, 5 saxes all playing can get quite loud. Amazing dynamics though, a bit of a wow, and quite an experience to be part of. They had (apart from me) a great rhythm section also - a really solid bass guitarist, excellent keyboardist (who I know), and the drummer was quite something also - very crisp and with great timing. All very impressive music readers, quite used to working from parts.

    My own sight reading chops really were somewhat tested - I'm more used to improvising and not having to play a piece - even the tune - the same way each time - that's fun of course, and a part of jazz, but it can also be a bit of an excuse for not quite nailing things sometimes. So this big band, which does require serious precision and accuracy, did expose that weakness a bit. I did the best I could, and I think my jazz experience certainly helped all the same. But just a fantastic experience as I say - I was left wanting more, so hope I get that chance.

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    What do you know, they have a website:

    http://www.bigswingband.co.uk/

    - although some of the music they rehearsed yesterday was more modern than the 40s style promoted there.

  • Derek_RDerek_R Posts: 1,721Member

    Sounds great. My sight-reading isn't up to much, I must confess. I was working on it a year or two back and it was starting to improve... but there just wasn't time for that and everything else :-)

    That's my excuse anyway. I shall check out the website later.

    Derek

  • Kevin PeatKevin Peat Posts: 3,232Member

    http://www.mardibrass.com/

    One of my colleagues plays with this group occaisionally. He was a full time trumpeter with the BBC orchestra and played on Strictly etc. (RIchard Hammond - not THE Richard Hammond, but another one.)

    The professionalism on the recordings is top notch. 

    http://www.chameleon-concert-a...t/mardi-brass/page/1

    This actually features Richard in it. Now he drives trains for a living. What a waste !

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member

    Thanks for that Kevin - I'll have a look/listen to those links. A few years ago I actually went to see the touring version of Strictly (don't ask) and the band for that was pretty amazing as I recall.

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    When we switched over to the new forum last year I thought my "jazz odyssey" diary thread had been lost, but I just found this remnant (i.e. including the posts above) and although there was a lot more after that, I thought I'd revive the thread from here, rather than start a completely new one.

    I guess I'm a little bit less of a died-in-the-wool jazzer than when I started the thread, and a bit more open to playing in other styles. Although jazz still is very much my main playing thing. But I still am interested, and enjoy listening to a wide variety of music.

    The guitar history above would need a bit of updating, but most of you have read about my various aquisitions already. The Starfield Altair pictured above no longer exists, as I sold the body and parts, and used the neck for my wave guitar parts build:

    image

    image

    which turned out to be a belter of a guitar, so that worked out well. But again most of you already know about all this. Anyhow, just to get the diary thread up and running again. :)

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    Weirdly, now I've reposted on the old thread stub, all the other posts have now appeared, not sure why but that's great really. :)
  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member
    One mega thread!
    Good to see it brought back to life and look forward to its future progress. :smile:
  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member
    As this thread has Jazz in the title ....

    Is this cruel and unfair and if so is in Jazz or Rock guitarists that come off worst???

  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    I do hear people criticising jazz in general quite often, and often in an ignorant and uninformed way. Of course it's their right not to like it, but I wish they'd just keep their negative opinions to themselves, and focus more on being positive about the things they do like.

    But the chap above clearly knows something about, and likes, both jazz and rock guitar styles, and his sending up seems to me to be affectionately done, in a good-humoured way. Who comes off worse? I'm not sure, but I would hate to be like his stereotype portrayal of a jazz guitarist - I'll have to watch out in case I catch myself peering over my glasses with my guitar under my chin... :D
  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member
    I'm relieved at your reaction Graham!

    I think from what I've seen in the brief time I've known about this guy that his main music at the moment is Jazz-Metal fusion. An intriguing combination, and I've always liked crossover stuff ... Folk-Rock, Jazz-Rock, Flamenco-Rock etc.

    There's a 2 3/4 hour video lesson he did at a Guitar Camp that I'm listening to, and it's got some fascinating (for me) thoughts and guidance in it. A good deal of emphasis so far on intervals, which he talks about with clarity and eloquence.

    I'll link it below in case you, or anyone else, fancies a dip into his ideas.

    There's a segment in particular that starts just after 34 minutes about trying to play over a chord sequence that is a gradually rising set, without just playing rising arpeggios, The sequence is something like Cm7 C#m7 D#m7 Em7, chords which don't share notes very well! Interestingly the result of his idea of what to play over it (at 34:20) really put me in mind of something that Jeff Beck might well play.

  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    It sounds to me like he's talking to a pro-jazz audience. I think he really knows his stuff, though. It's always funnier when you're laughing at yourself! Made me laugh, anyhow :)
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    Wonder why he's not playing a guitar with his name on? Oh, cos he can afford a Vigier...
  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member

    Wonder why he's not playing a guitar with his name on? Oh, cos he can afford a Vigier...

    :smiley:
  • MegiMegi Posts: 7,207Member
    Of course, he still has much to learn - he's breaking one of the rules of jazz by having a guitar with 24 frets, not to mention the tremolo. These young upstarts, honestly, what can you do? :D
  • nicholaspaulnicholaspaul Posts: 1,005Member
    Megi said:

    Of course, he still has much to learn - he's breaking one of the rules of jazz by having a guitar with 24 frets, not to mention the tremolo. These young upstarts, honestly, what can you do? :D

    LOL Very good points. I'm not sure that maple fingerboard is adding anything Django or Wes-like either.
    I think he can get away with it, thanks to his facial hair and French accent.
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