Tomorrow morning I go in for surgery on my right hand for a carpal tunnel release. It has gotten to the point that all my fingers hurt, including my thumb. Soon I will have to have the left one operated on as well. I should not have waited so long to have it done. I … Continue reading Carpal Tunnel Surgery Today
Category: Video/Audio
Progress & Difficulty
Well, I said wasn't gonna, but, I did anyway. I bought another mouthpiece. I mentioned it the last post, the Vandoren V16 metal mouthpiece. Having played on it for the past several days, I am super satisfied. First of all, it is the most gorgeous piece of metal I've ever seen. It is made of … Continue reading Progress & Difficulty
Giant Steps
For the past several days I have been trying to learn Giant Steps by, John Coltrane. It is probably his most famous tune. It was revolutionary as far as I'm concerned. It came out in 1960. All the years I have been playing I have never attempted to learn it. It was too much of … Continue reading Giant Steps
The Thrill Is Gone
The Thrill Is Gone is a famous song by the late B.B. King. It was probably his biggest hit. It has been done and redone by several artists. And it was also done by the Navy Band with me singing lead. It was about the only thing I could sing well at the time. I … Continue reading The Thrill Is Gone
Miss Jones Again
Have You Met Miss Jones - Fishing for comments dammit! Well, here it is again. You'd think I would know this song by now as long as I have been playing it. I play it every day. It's not that I don't know the harmony, the chords, the structure of the song. I know the … Continue reading Miss Jones Again
Cannonball Adderley
Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley was born September 15, 1928, and died August 8, 1975, at age 46. He was a jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. He was thought to be the heir to Charlie Parker. That says something of the caliber of this saxophonist. Adderley is remembered … Continue reading Cannonball Adderley
All Of Me
Fishing for comments dammit! All of Me is one of my favorite songs. I first heard it in high school. It's a relatively easy song to play and was one of the first songs I ever learned to improvise on. I have had this horn for a little over a year now and I find … Continue reading All Of Me
Charlie Parker
Now's The Time - Charlie Parker Charles "Yardbird" Parker was an amazing saxophonist who gained wide recognition for his brilliant solos and innovative improvisations. He was, without a doubt, one of the most influential and talented musicians in jazz history. When I was first introduced to jazz in high school I was floored when I … Continue reading Charlie Parker
Ravi Coltrane
It seems like there are billions of saxophone players in the world. Some are like me, just a novice. And then there are those saxophone players that are just brilliant. I just ran across another extraordinary saxophone player. You may know his father, John. I'm sorry I am late in this discovery. Most of you … Continue reading Ravi Coltrane
Weather Report
Photo credit: Randee St. Nichols Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter both made names for themselves playing with some of the top jazz artists of their time; Maynard Ferguson, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, and many others. They met each other for the first time in 1959 while playing with Maynard Ferguson. Years later Weather … Continue reading Weather Report