Thinking About My Sax...

When I was in high school I nearly gave up on music. I had discovered a passion for jazz, but as I was stuck with an old student model Yamaha tenor that was out of tune and sounded thin, I was at my wits end. My family saw that I was struggling with this and rallied together to buy me a vintage Selmer MK VI tenor from my music teacher (I'll never be able to thank them enogh for this). That day was the beggining of a relationship that has lasted to this day, with all kinds of adventures along the way. I'd love to tell them all now, but I've decided to make this a short post.

It's about time I had a tune-up done on her (yes, it's a she, and her nickname's 'little lady'), as the felts and corks are starting to jump ship. The pads are good still, and even though I could do this work myself, I'd rather wait for the opportinity to have a qualified shop take her of her.

I went to a jam last night at the request of my sister in law. She said there'd be some friends of hers there, but she had the wrong day and we ended up at a bar called 'The Last Chance Salloon', in red-neck Alberta (I'd played there before, actually), watching an upright bass player and giutar/singer churn out some classic hillbilly rock. This folk bass player wasn't half bad, and it seemed that it was in the cards for me to get up and jam after all.

There's something fun about walking into a strange club/bar with my sax on my shoulder, seeing the crowd enjoying the groove and appearing as 'just some guy', untill later when they see my horn and yell "A sax! Yee-haa!" (I've gotta get out of this place...) Seriously, I like to sit in with bands, regardless of their ability or the genre they're into, just to have that interaction with other musicians. This is surely one of the draws for most musicians - the thrill of creating music. It's just so rewarding to do. Period.

Anyways, I said this would be a short post, so bye for now.

"Where’s jazz going? I don’t know? Maybe it’s going to hell.

You can’t make anything go anywhere. It just happens."

-Thelonious Monk

Q. What is the best example of an optimist?

A. A trombone player with a pager.