Whirlwind
What a whirlwind 3 days! I got back to Vancouver at around 3:00 on Friday after a long long flight and a long wait at Customs. I was hoping to get home and get some rest before the gig but id didn’t happen. We were supposed to have a rehearsal with Dr. Lonnie Smith but thankfully he cancelled it. I was a little worried but Lonnie assured me that all would be okay and who am I to argue with a Dr. He of course was right and the gig came off without a hitch. I was really really tired of course and wasn’t exactly thrilled with my own playing but the band sounded fantastic.
Things really kicked in to gear on Saturday night when we played The Wheelhouse Theatre in White Rock. The sound on the stage was awesome and the band really clicked. We played some new tunes which was cool….the most memorable of which was a Taggart feature on Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood.” Ross played it beautifully. I love playing with Ross. He really pushes me and drives me and you have to play well otherwise he’ll leave you in the dust. There are as many variables with two saxes playing together as when a drummer and bass player play together. What I mean is that you have to hook up and sometimes you just simply don’t. Ross and I however seem to hook really nicely, our tuning, phrasing and articulation seems to come together without much of an effort.
Sunday we made the trek up to Kelowna and played to a smaller (125 or so ) but really enthusiastic audience. They loved it and its always fun playing for an audience that is into what you’re doing. The organ wasn’t as good sounding as the ones the previous few nights and the Dr. was somewhat limited in what he good do but like always does, he got sounds out of it that most organists don’t even know are possible. I was amazed again and his ferocious groove and how he uses his feet to double his left hand. Perhaps I’m biased but if I can put that aside for a minute and say that truthfully Dr. Lonnie Smith is definitely an underappreciated organist. He understand every single nuance and idiosyncracy of the organ and uses the instrument to its full capability.
Today we are on our way to Cranbrook which I about a 7 hour drive but we have the day off so we’re taking our time . We should arrive there around 7:00 pm and will have time to just relax and hang out which is cool before playing our concert tomorrow night. I did bring my camera but didn’t bring the cord to transfer them to my computer so posting pictures will have to wait till I get home. Some fun ones for sure.
The Dr. is in awesome spirits as he is most of the time hwoever this time takes the cake as he is in a great mood and has been a gem to deal with1
Things really kicked in to gear on Saturday night when we played The Wheelhouse Theatre in White Rock. The sound on the stage was awesome and the band really clicked. We played some new tunes which was cool….the most memorable of which was a Taggart feature on Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood.” Ross played it beautifully. I love playing with Ross. He really pushes me and drives me and you have to play well otherwise he’ll leave you in the dust. There are as many variables with two saxes playing together as when a drummer and bass player play together. What I mean is that you have to hook up and sometimes you just simply don’t. Ross and I however seem to hook really nicely, our tuning, phrasing and articulation seems to come together without much of an effort.
Sunday we made the trek up to Kelowna and played to a smaller (125 or so ) but really enthusiastic audience. They loved it and its always fun playing for an audience that is into what you’re doing. The organ wasn’t as good sounding as the ones the previous few nights and the Dr. was somewhat limited in what he good do but like always does, he got sounds out of it that most organists don’t even know are possible. I was amazed again and his ferocious groove and how he uses his feet to double his left hand. Perhaps I’m biased but if I can put that aside for a minute and say that truthfully Dr. Lonnie Smith is definitely an underappreciated organist. He understand every single nuance and idiosyncracy of the organ and uses the instrument to its full capability.
Today we are on our way to Cranbrook which I about a 7 hour drive but we have the day off so we’re taking our time . We should arrive there around 7:00 pm and will have time to just relax and hang out which is cool before playing our concert tomorrow night. I did bring my camera but didn’t bring the cord to transfer them to my computer so posting pictures will have to wait till I get home. Some fun ones for sure.
The Dr. is in awesome spirits as he is most of the time hwoever this time takes the cake as he is in a great mood and has been a gem to deal with1
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