tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124798652012-02-16T11:05:28.525-07:00Jazz Authority was created for the purpose of sharing knowledge about music theory, saxophone technique, and for discussing music in general.Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-49397248008067284952011-02-17T00:45:00.004-07:002011-02-17T00:49:46.554-07:00

Well, I haven't been updating all of my shows here on myspace over the last year, as facebook has proven to be a better way to get the word out about upcoming shows.Haven't been blogging much either. School and gigs (and family! :) keep me very busy. Here's a bit of an update...I returned to the Port Theatre in January to perform with Sarah Wood, showcasing excerpts from her show "BC to Broadway"

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-13278586924359313222009-10-22T23:34:00.002-06:002009-10-22T23:37:37.017-06:00

Please consider emailing a short letter to your MLA and the BC arts minister explaining why you support the arts and communicating that the BC Liberals will not receive your vote/support specifically because of their recent cuts. If you don't live in BC you can still speak up on behalf of the arts. Below are a few good statements about why the arts are important and worth supporting.Cheers,

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-63557183368013548232009-09-09T19:50:00.002-06:002009-09-09T19:54:31.393-06:00

Thanks to Andrea Adams for this great video!More music by this band can be heard at their myspace page.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-46944511136308557842008-11-30T13:36:00.002-07:002008-11-30T13:48:46.227-07:00

Concert Review of the Don Thompson Quartet – Canadian Tour 2008The October 20th evening concert at the Knox United Church in Parksville, British Columbia, was a “must see” for serious jazz fans and musicians of any and all kinds. The material performed was entirely original compositions by Don Thompson. Over the course of two sets, lasting about 45 minutes each, the audience was treated to a

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-21871049440760190392008-11-30T13:25:00.003-07:002008-11-30T13:35:28.612-07:00

This is a video from the Horace Silver tribute band I'm playing with. See more at my Youtube profile.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-74841490064598870022008-11-30T13:14:00.002-07:002008-11-30T13:22:09.805-07:00

(This is a copy of a term paper I wrote this fall...) Topic: The influence of classical music and early African American folk music on the development of jazz in the 1950s and 1960s. Two jazz genres – third stream jazz and hard bop – grew simultaneously in opposite directions during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The post-bebop jazz style called symphonic jazz or alternately “Third Stream” jazz

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-58624754883306851232008-11-07T13:09:00.003-07:002008-11-07T13:27:28.910-07:00

My Very First CD Review Ever: “The Growing Season” by Rebecca MartinSometimes we arrive at places we never meant to visit, like the time I was on the subway in Toronto and decided to get off one stop early. I walked the rest of the way, passing unknown shops and unfamiliar landscapes as I navigated my way home over the next thirty minutes. Something similar happened in the way I arrived at the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-7137669732309305372008-10-29T21:47:00.007-06:002008-11-09T15:42:38.871-07:00

I'm very excited to be playing two dates with this band!The Message - A Tribute to the music of Horace SilverThe Georgia Straight Jazz Society is proud to hostThe Message - a A Tribute to the Music of Horace SilverSunday November 2, 2008Elks Home, 6th Street, CoutenayHorace Silver is one of jazz music’s unsung heroes. Nanaimo musician James McRae aims to do something about that. An octet of

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-15750740742113313422008-08-20T20:41:00.004-06:002008-08-20T20:55:12.134-06:00

Apparently our PM Stephen Harper, who likely enjoys paint by numbers and took lessons as a child to learn how to play the radio, doesn't recognize the economic and other benefits of investing in the arts.See my other blog at this link.It's not often that my musical and political efforts come together. This is one of those times. Here are two more:http://greencameron.blogspot.com/2007/12/

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-22895898310201954762008-01-30T12:36:00.000-07:002008-01-30T13:45:51.947-07:00

I had the opportunity to host the Malaspina Jazz Jam at the Queens last night. I was invited by drummer Adam Cormier (the jam host band leader) and we played with Ken Lister and Pat Coleman. A fellow by the name of Steve (last name Smith, I think) sat in on keyboards.Ken and Pat are local heavies and I was very honored to have the opportunity to play with them. Adam is a young up and coming

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-62752426415547554742008-01-14T00:03:00.000-07:002008-01-14T00:36:05.334-07:00

Below is a short clip of a show I sat in on back in Edmonton in 2003. The video and audio quality are very poor, so turn up the volume and don't squint too hard.Back in B.C. now, and I've been doing some playing. Had a great new years eve show on Gabriola Island with Dinah D on acoustic bass & lead vocals, Tina Jones on trumpet and vocals, Myron Makepeace on piano (Fender Rhodes... super nice

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-71191768702286030222007-08-28T15:47:00.000-06:002007-08-28T18:16:53.393-06:00

I'm keeping my chops up playing in a local R&B/classic rock band. Teaching a bit as well, and feeling inspired to do some real work on my jazz chops lately. Wish there were more jazz players out here...I'm still hoping to build on the Jazz Authority project. The concept of 'The Jazz Authority' was not about me; it is meant to be about our collective knowledge of music and improvisation. The

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-77651453388894409292007-02-04T14:35:00.000-07:002007-02-04T14:42:02.584-07:00

Videos below were found on Youtube, and I'm putting together a larger collection at my Youtube spot. I will host more vids in the future.Just wen't on holidays back to my hometown Victoria, B.C. and was inspired to really start busting my buns to get into a regular practice schedule. When there's nobody to jam with it's hard to make the time to practice, and while Aebersold playalongs are great,

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-75834351272617724292007-01-04T07:37:00.000-07:002007-01-04T07:47:07.391-07:00

Footage of Coltrane performing the beautiful piece Naima. From this website:In 1957, after the age of 30, Coltrane began to shift spiritual directions. He married Juanita Naima Grubb, a Muslim convert, (for whom he later wrote the piece Naima), and came into contact with Islam, an experience that may have led him to overcome his addictions to alcohol and heroin; it was a period of "spiritual

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-22026153940306575432007-01-04T07:32:00.000-07:002007-01-04T07:36:35.166-07:00

Miles Davis & John Coltrane, in "So what", live, 1958. Great footage. Great music.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-23871501224126536662006-12-28T14:35:00.000-07:002006-12-28T14:43:11.133-07:00

Well, I sure have been delinquent in my efforts here at my jazz blog. With the recent update to the new blogger version I'm putting a little extra time into my Green Party blog, and I thought maybe I should post here as well.I'm still playing in my rhythm & blues/classic rock band here but it's not very fast paced. I'm partly to blame; I could help chase down gigs but I'm far more focussed on

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1139851149916745672006-02-13T09:48:00.000-07:002006-03-01T20:36:14.046-07:00

“There are four qualities essential to a great jazzman. They are taste, courage, individuality, and irreverence. These are the qualities I want to retain in my music.” “The saxophone is actually a translation of the human voice, in my conception. All you can do is play melody. No matter how complicated it gets, it’s still a melody.” “It’s like a language. You learn the alphabet, which are the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1138673962715970852006-01-30T19:14:00.000-07:002006-03-01T20:38:58.126-07:00

Thanks For The Green Support By Cameron Wigmore I'd like to thank everyone who participated in this election by voting. You've helped make democracy happen. A special thank you goes out to my supporters, volunteers and those who voted for me; your efforts and votes have shown that people in the Crowfoot riding believe in me. It's good to know that you want to see green values represented in

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1138673620940068942006-01-30T19:06:00.000-07:002006-01-30T19:13:40.940-07:00

Oh boy. Blogger lost my template, along with all the modifications and additions I made. Bummer. It'll take me hours upon hours to put it all back up. For now, enjoy the archives, and stay tuned for more solid jazz content!

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1136559749989466612006-01-06T07:43:00.000-07:002006-01-06T08:02:30.006-07:00

Two and a half weeks left and I'm very busy with the campaign. I've been participating in forums and debates, putting up lawn signs (to later be collected and re-used ;-) and canvassing throughout my riding, which is very big.As a Green Party candidate I'm being received surprisingly well out here in southern Alberta. People are excited about our platform when they find out that the Green Party

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1131328004564843982005-11-06T18:41:00.000-07:002005-11-06T18:46:44.566-07:00

3000 Hooray! People like my blog! Keep coming back. If you want direct interaction, e-mail me and let's talk music. Cameron W(post title links to branvan3000, an interesting band)

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1131327613328920242005-11-06T18:36:00.000-07:002005-11-06T18:40:13.330-07:00

Well, my candidacy has taken up a lot of time lately, not to mention my 20 month old, promoting my dinosaur poster business, working at the museum, and playing in my R&B band. I will be adding more posts in the future, on the subjects that have been suggested, and I look forward to any and all e-mailed questions or suggestions. L8R

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1129182803085152132005-10-13T23:09:00.000-06:002005-11-06T18:29:03.116-07:00

Tonight I officially became a candidate for the Green Party of Canada.I will be representing the green party as a federal candidate, and I know that this will be a learning experience.I have little political background, but what's more important than that is that I have an extensive 'green' background, and I'm serious about this opportunity.Obviously this means that I'll be very busy with my

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1127411936723695852005-09-22T23:47:00.000-06:002005-11-06T18:52:44.770-07:00

"If they act too hip, you know they can’t play $#!T."- Miles DavisSo I finished my mouthpiece article and posted it. Now I guess I have to come up with some other subject matter. I hope people are checking the archives - I have a lot of great posts written on various topics that are worth checking out, and just because they're a couple of months old it doesn't mean that the information isn't

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1127357145512093462005-09-21T20:35:00.000-06:002005-09-21T20:45:45.526-06:00

There is a lot of ground to cover when the subject of mouthpieces is up for discussion. With so many variables, it's hard for us to know if we've really got the right one. Not only do we have dozens of mouthpieces to pick from; there is the issue of how they all interact with our horns and our reeds. The ligature is another concern, and of course if our embouchure is incorrect, nothing will sound

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1125688345547627902005-09-02T12:53:00.000-06:002005-09-02T23:28:19.510-06:00

Q: Why can't vocalists get through a door?A: They either can't find the key, or don't know where to come in. Well, it seems that summer is over and I didn't even get to go camping. In fact I didn't do much this summer. It seems like all I did was work and change diapers. Well wait a minute - it wasn't all that bad. Life really is moving forward and I'm enjoying it. If I ever get pissy about the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1124927855026599992005-08-24T17:42:00.000-06:002005-08-24T17:57:35.033-06:00

Check out the new link list at the bottom of this page. I scoured the web to find you only the best sites to list here. I'm not exaggerating - I spent hours searching for thrilling nuggets of surfing bliss for all of my faithfull jazz-head blog readers. Enjoy!!!

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1124756967129719802005-08-22T17:59:00.000-06:002005-08-22T18:29:27.140-06:00

How To Get Paying GigsThere are books written on the subject of how to be a successful musician, but I haven't seen any that address the subject of pay. Here, now, I will offer some tips on how you can get a gig, and get paid well.Portfolios.Every band and their dog has a demo C.D. How excited would you be to get a copied low quality recording of some guys jamming in their basement? Not very.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1123703204916431572005-08-10T13:15:00.000-06:002005-08-10T13:46:44.926-06:00

"Opinions are like assholes . . . everyone’s got one."- Art BlakeySometimes I can't get my sax out to practice. If the situation arises where I wan't to practice and have the time to do it, but something gets in the way. When this happens I can 'practice' in my mind. Going through the motions while moving my figers as if I was playing has been productive for me, and I even do it when I'm on long

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1123162401558497542005-08-04T07:05:00.000-06:002005-08-05T10:32:06.090-06:00

"Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious."- Thelonious Monk If you are looking for a new cable service provider and live in North America where Star Choice satellite cable is available, I recommend trying this company. I live in a valley where FM radio doesn't penetrate, so I do my radio listening on my satellite radio. The jazz played on one of the 'galaxie radio'

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1122902611166985372005-08-01T06:48:00.000-06:002006-09-23T18:32:41.826-06:00

- You need the same mouthpiece as your favorite player in order to sound like him.- You need to do lots of drugs to be a great player.- Talent and/or being 'gifted' is the more important than hard work & tenacity.These three misconceptions have caused a great many players to experience far more greif than they should have. I think it's sad that so many cats are giving p because they don't think

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1122437565401869742005-07-26T21:29:00.000-06:002005-07-26T22:12:45.416-06:00

Let's say that I have a quality recording of some music. This music is on a Compact Disc, and the recording in studio to disc is very good. My disc player is connected to my amplifier with average/good RCA audio cables, and my amp is of decent quality. Again, the speaker wire is of good quality (thick - a proper guage of wire for home audio) and the wire leads us to the speakers. They are great

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1122176509436002282005-07-23T21:29:00.000-06:002005-07-23T21:41:49.453-06:00

It surprises me sometimes when I meet someone who doesn't know how to listen carefully to someone or something. It takes practice and a trained ear to be able to pick out what chords and/or voicings are being played in a jazz show or recording, but the average person SHOULD be able to recognize the difference between a cymbal and a snare drum, a sax and a trumpet, a high note and a low note.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1121630380626198612005-07-17T13:38:00.000-06:002005-07-17T13:59:40.636-06:00

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

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1121519106202656362005-07-16T06:48:00.000-06:002005-07-16T07:05:06.210-06:00

Well, my R&B band is done for the summer. The lead guitarist is also a palaeontologist and he's off to China for a month to go fossil hunting. It'll do the band some good to have a break - one can only play Mustang Sally & Chain Of Fools so many times... I'm getting back into a regular practice routine, even while work is getting busy. I work in the tourism industry and the summer is hard core. I

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1121344324661817792005-07-14T06:26:00.000-06:002005-07-14T06:32:04.676-06:00

Vibrato and Other Effects(This article was written by another sax player out there. I think posting it here is fine, but for me to take credit would not be cool. Enjoy!) Two effects I refer to specifically are growling, and slurring notes. Growling, as used in rock and roll quite frequently, involves getting your sax to play a combination of notes together to produce an oscillating, `gritty'

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1121233667935065892005-07-12T23:37:00.000-06:002005-07-12T23:47:47.943-06:00

Well, with about 70 posts, three months worth of archived material and many late nights promoting this site, it's finally recieved over 2000 hits! Here at this jazz authority site I've seen a great amount of requests for posted sheet music, as well as posts on my own personal insight regarding saxophone technique and jazz music in general. It's great to see interest increasing, and I will keep up

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115529961686853812005-07-10T18:04:00.000-06:002005-07-10T18:15:59.550-06:00

What is important to you? It's a general question - one that requires more context perhaps. When you listen to music what are you listening for? When you play, what do you hope your audience will hear? Would you rather play a show with an awesome audience and little pay, or great pay and a lousy audience? (that one's obvious - the pay...good crowds are always somewhere to be found, but the cash

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1120483334482457302005-07-04T06:46:00.000-06:002006-09-23T18:36:42.373-06:00

Q. How can you tell if a stage is level?A. The drummer drools out of both sides of his mouth. Back in my college days I remember being one of many horn players, while the rythm players were like rare creatures - hard to find and usually too busy to jam. What the sax players did was pick up their favorite playalong record (Aebersolds are the most famous), and go play in a practice room. Now there

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1120158712252055682005-06-30T13:02:00.000-06:002005-06-30T13:11:52.276-06:00

Below is a lengthy post of great advice for sax players at any stage...SIMPLE SAXThe saxophone (or any other instrument for that matter) doesn't need to be a freaky thing. If one steps back and looks at what they need to know right now, one can set simple goals that won't be too big. For example, a beginner would do well to get down to business with their scales and arpeggios in all keys. That

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1120017491685223422005-06-28T21:52:00.000-06:002006-09-23T18:39:01.893-06:00

Q. How can you tell if the stage is level? A. The drummer drools out of both sides of his mouth.Injuries & pain when playingIt happens to a lot of us. Sometimes there's a dull pain in the start, gradually progressing to a sort of pain that makes you want to shoot yourself. The worst part about pain for a musician is that it can end a career very quickly. Yeah, so what if buddy there has a

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1119789930944864782005-06-26T06:41:00.000-06:002005-06-26T06:45:30.956-06:00

I'm just going to spew forth a bunch of random thoughts on instrument cases here. I'm not in the mood to compose a smooth flowing essay on this subject. Bear with me as I let loose the waters of my 'dam' brain (I love puns, but it hurts to write so cheesily). I'm a sax player, so I talk about saxes a lot, but most of this stuff applies to all instruments. Hard shell is better than gig case.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1119402692040640202005-06-21T18:49:00.000-06:002005-06-21T19:11:32.046-06:00

Ever think about how you fit in when your band is performing? Are you a horn player or a member of the rythm section? The reason I ask is because one can significantly modify & improve their bands sound by stretching the boundaries of each musicians role. As a horn player, the biggest role is to create melodies. The saxes, trumpets and other wind instruments are there to be at the front of the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1119291983538582672005-06-20T12:17:00.000-06:002005-06-20T12:26:23.560-06:00

When I was about 15 years old I started busking back in my home town. It was a tourist town, and in the summer I could make easy money playing my sax on the street corner. In some towns busking (or street performing) is strictly regulated, but no matter where one does it, they have to learn the basic buskers code of conduct. Don't set up near some other cat and drown him out. He'll come back the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118943409012014102005-06-16T11:20:00.000-06:002005-11-06T19:37:48.486-07:00

If you want sheet music, you'll have to ask for specific songs. You won't find many (if any) more random charts posted here, without someone requesting it. I've had many requests for more sheet music, but I need to know what you want in order to post it here, and I won't post copyrighted music. It's easy to request: just ask in the quick comments spot at the left column of this page, or ask in

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118842217439800042005-06-15T07:21:00.000-06:002005-06-15T07:30:17.443-06:00

Well, I think I've got the forum bug out of my system now. Wait, that didn't sound right - there's no problem/bug in the system - I had a bug in my system...not my computer, I mean metaphorically speaking "a bug in my system". The forums are fine - no bugs. (I'm sure you got it the first time but I'm prone to cheezy over-done humor).Now one of these forums should take off, and when it does the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118667905934126482005-06-13T06:40:00.000-06:002005-06-13T07:05:05.940-06:00

Categories in MusicI've always been annoyed and confused by the need to categorize different kinds of music. I suppose that when one is talking about a certain artist and another is unfamiliar with them, it helps to put their music in context. I just think we've taken it to the point of absurdity. When I'm talking with someone who is not familiar with jazz at all, and I tell them I play jazz,

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118638421237708312005-06-13T04:46:00.000-06:002005-06-12T22:53:41.240-06:00

Well, unless someone is looking for a specific chart, I think we'll hold off for now on the song posts. If you want it, you got it, but I ain't gonna push it on you.Short term focus here is on scraping up some forum content, posting on subjects like improvisation theory, sax related stuff, and - show 'em mah motto - random dubously zappy rants about 'the musicians music'.Stay in touch gang,

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118583836197040942005-06-12T08:39:00.000-06:002005-11-06T19:44:03.956-07:00

Jazz is like politicians passing bills and sausage making.The less you know about how it's done, the better you sleep at night. Take that Robert Frost!

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118554706490178082005-06-12T03:23:00.000-06:002005-06-11T23:38:26.496-06:00

Well, I couldn't resist. I want a good forum for us to get together, and I figure the best way to find a good free one is to create a few and pick the most popular one after a few months.So here's our newest addition to the Jazz Authority empire (yes, I have delusions of grandeur) and it's provided for free by bravenet webhosting. This service doesn't come without a cost though - every time we

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118428952550979392005-06-10T12:36:00.000-06:002005-06-10T21:55:46.453-06:00

Check out our new forum! Jazz Authority has a second blog now, where we can all interact in a forum setting too (and check out the chatroom).Simply register for free (by creating your own blog) and post away! Unfortunately you can neither view or post on the threads if you're not a registered member. There will be many questions (and answers to them) posted there in the near future.Thankfully,

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118283369691047172005-06-08T20:06:00.000-06:002005-06-08T20:16:09.693-06:00

I really dislike pop ups, and I apologize for the ones here that sometimes come up. I guess when you build a free blog with all kinds of free features, you get pop ups. Anyways, the only thing I can say is ignore them, close them, and don't let them get under your skin. Dig these anti spam tools. They're free, and they work. If you don't already have 'em, get 'em. AdAware Spybot

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118281480539469372005-06-08T19:24:00.000-06:002005-06-08T19:44:40.546-06:00

Well, I can't pretend to know all of the best canadian saxophonists, but I have met and heard a few, studied with a couple, and jammed with my fair share. It seems to me that for someone to make it to the "top", one needs to have a good attitude, in addition to being a phenomenal player. After many years of experience I can tell you that if you've got killer chops, but your attitude stinks and

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1118112977863384032005-06-06T20:34:00.000-06:002005-06-06T20:56:17.870-06:00

Jazz is crazy and I like it that way. The crazier the better. I say the best jazz musicians were and are crazy, and by crazy I mean creative genius. There's a fine line between the two, and sometimes being a genius and crazy goes hand in hand.I don't know if you can relate, but sometimes when I'm playing for long periods of time I get into the zone. It's a place where I stop thinking about

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1117953299035934802005-06-05T00:31:00.000-06:002005-06-05T00:46:04.186-06:00

Ever wonder what kind of saxophone you'd be if you came back in your next life as an inanimate object made of brass? Me too! Well, now you can know, by taking my way-too-cool quiz. Try it over and over and watch the hilarity ensue. Hooray.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1117732379645214682005-06-02T10:51:00.000-06:002006-09-23T18:43:21.530-06:00

I've been asked by a few people to post some thoughts regarding the altissimo range. Whether we dream of popping out nasty squealing lines like that cat who plays with the Saturday Night Live band, or we want to tear it up in the upper stratosphere, we have to do the work to get there. Here are some of my suggestions and insights about this coveted ability. The altissimo is the uppermost

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1117509106522282472005-05-30T21:08:00.000-06:002005-05-30T21:11:46.530-06:00

Below is a list of things to do, things not to do, and stuff about saxophone maintenance and care. Pay attention!If you value your sax and it has it's lacquer still on it, then wipe it clean with a dry cotton cloth after every playing session. Use damp Q-tips to clean out the crap in between mechanisms. For those less anal, just clean the easily accessible areas with a damp cloth once a week or

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1117126412129421782005-05-26T10:48:00.000-06:002005-05-26T10:53:32.143-06:00

I was studying with Pat LaBarbera in a class at Humber College in Toronto a few years back. One day he was talking about improvisational theory when out of the blue he said, “and maybe that's the secret to jazz.” He was referring to the use of triplets, and he was kidding around, of course.I took this comment a little more seriously though, and directed my usual doodling in my notebook to

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116974414505012072005-05-24T16:37:00.000-06:002005-05-24T16:43:17.366-06:00

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/jazzrealbookhttp://briefcase.yahoo.com/jazzrealbook2These links should take you to all charts in the real book. As I remember you can download individual charts by clicking the title and saving a .GIF image of it. These charts are O.K. and hopefully you can print them at the proper size. Good luck!

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116636541711861892005-05-20T18:44:00.000-06:002006-09-23T18:48:51.280-06:00

WHY WE WOODSHEDCan anyone tell me why we do this to ourselves?!? I've sat in my basement for hours upon hours with my bluenote records lifting solos of the greats and acquainting myself with every little nuance of their style. I've practiced the same riff for two hours straight day after day. I've done a lot of things in the name of great music that most people would say was either crazy or just

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116594470263799442005-05-20T07:07:00.000-06:002005-05-24T16:47:02.110-06:00

What do you do when you have a Selmer MK VI sax, a website, and a good graphic design program? You make a desktop image! Note that "mark six" is written on the bell to the left.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116508767096560822005-05-19T07:16:00.000-06:002005-05-19T07:19:27.110-06:00

SAXOPHONE TECHNIQUEYou asked for it. Now I'm gonna bring it. Below are some more advanced insights, but hey, anyone can use this info.Let's assume that you are already solid on a number of subjects; scales in all keys (major & minor), basic chord progressions (see below)...II- / V7 / I MajIII- / VI7 / II- / V7 / I MajIII- / bIII7 / II- / bII7 / I MajAlso blues progressions, rhythm changes,

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116422775505869942005-05-18T07:19:00.000-06:002005-05-18T07:26:15.510-06:00

For all of you Miles Davis fans out there I recently had a new book brought to my attention. I've read his autobiography (if you haven't you should, it's great reading) and may just try to hunt this one down. Anyways, some basic about it are found here.L8R

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116305162843274702005-05-16T22:28:00.000-06:002005-05-16T22:46:02.856-06:00

Here are excerpts of a great interview with Stan Getz. If you're not familiar with Stan, You should be. Some thing the interviewer doesn't go into here is Stans drug problem. As I understant it, Stan Getz was frequently loaded at big shows, arriving late and out of his tree. Sad that that happened to some of those cats. It's strange how his music was so beautiful, but that he dealt with drug and

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116269518276371612005-05-16T12:34:00.000-06:002005-05-16T13:04:06.806-06:00

Of course this is only my opinion, but the fact is that every one should have these albums. There is historical significance attached to some of these, and some solos recorded here represent the artists at their very best. The list is in no particular order. There are link provided (I had to hunt them down, and I'm NOT affilliated with the linked sites in any way) that will give you a description

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1116121624277829052005-05-14T19:32:00.000-06:002005-05-14T19:47:04.290-06:00

Well, I have a lot to say on this subject. At this point I'm going to post a little article on how to balance a reed. We all know the woes of sax reeds. This may help you salvage some of your throwaways or practice reeds.I find that only 1/4 of the reeds I buy are free blowing right out of the box. Of the others, maybe half can be adjusted to a proper responding point. The rest I use for

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115866986407035362005-05-11T20:54:00.000-06:002005-05-11T21:03:06.413-06:00

Let's make this quick and simple. The more you compress your audio, the more you degrade the audio quality. The bit rate refers to the amount of audio info in an audio file. If a tune has a bitrate of 96, it's at about FM radio quality. At 120 Kbps, it's said to have CD quality audio by some, but I say that's a bunch of crap. Most tunes are ripped at 120, but I can definately tell the difference

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115866453715846172005-05-11T20:25:00.000-06:002005-05-11T20:54:13.743-06:00

Wouldn't it be nice to have a list of great music applications tested and confirmed usefull by a musician? Even better; to have links for all of those programs! Well, here you go. I'll give a brief review and description of each. Hooray for free software!!!In a previous post I mentioned AUDACITY, a great music editing program. You can save projects in MP3 format by downloading the LAME plugin.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115644781931366422005-05-09T07:13:00.000-06:002005-05-09T07:19:41.936-06:00

Jon Stewart reffered to a rant on polotics by Dennis Miller as 'a solid meal' one time, and I thought one day I had to use that. Man, I totally lost the whole theme of my post suddenly! Ha! Well I'm here now, so this is what we get. Not even a subject or an opinion, just some words about not much at all.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115214918089734092005-05-04T07:37:00.000-06:002005-05-16T14:38:37.173-06:00

I found this great interview on the net. If you don't know, Joe Henderson was a very amazing Tenor Sax player. My old sax teacher on the west coast told me he was a very accomplished pianist too. Sadly Joe passed way a few years ago, but his music will always live on. Before you read the interview (of which I have only a portion), here's a good list of most of his records...Discography (by the

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115129603461492212005-05-03T07:37:00.000-06:002005-05-03T08:13:23.463-06:00

No one is posting here so far. I do want some feedback, but if you just want to scan the page, maybe download some stuff and leave, that's up to you. But maybe if I get upset and write some inflamitory garbage y'all will post comments here. Here goes, you ignorant wankers....Ha ha! This is fun, you slobbering wanna-be hacks. What does everyone like that I can say something nasty about? Hmmm.....

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115126427658354592005-05-03T07:20:00.000-06:002005-05-09T07:12:58.340-06:00

So, I found this on the net. Gotta love the newer music software that lets you write and print your own music in jazz fonts. Sibelius, finale, etc. are great programs. You can try to find them shared on a p2p, but for reliability go buy the program. Anyways, below are the other pages for this transcription. I put this up here because anyone playing any instruments can go through this and learn

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115126038219601132005-05-03T07:13:00.000-06:002005-05-09T07:13:35.633-06:00

The second page. Again, his lines are very usefull if you're just figuring out II-/V7 navigation, or if you're simply a big fan of dexter and wanna cop a riff.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115125833657221832005-05-03T07:10:00.000-06:002005-05-03T07:26:41.466-06:00

The third page. Dig Dexter Gordons' smooth lines - very usefull if you want to cop a lick in all keys. Look at how he runs his lines over the changes. Download all three pages, print, and get practicing!

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1115044444638639862005-05-02T07:35:00.000-06:002005-05-04T07:32:29.883-06:00

Musicians and drugs. Everybody knows the stereotype: too cool for their own good, ultra night owl, always with a drink in their hand, and always looking for the next party. Not every musician is an irresponsible delinquent, but some are. I used to be. A few years ago I cleaned up my act and quit drinking and drugging. I didn't stop having fun though. I used to wonder why anyone would want to live

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114894691624394492005-04-30T14:58:00.000-06:002005-11-06T19:58:52.243-07:00

Well, here's a chart you don't see every day. Think Larry Young on organ, Woody Shaw on trpt, Joe Henderson on sax and Elvin Jones on drums. This is a great chart. Here's an idea; when blowing over Maj7+11 chords play a II/V pattern starting with the root of the two chord set a minor 3rd below the root of the chart chord, the Maj7+11. For example, over D Maj#11 play Bmin/E7. The sound is

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114781456307891492005-04-29T07:21:00.000-06:002005-04-30T07:14:23.463-06:00

Well I'll be a mokeys uncle. I forgot to change the default settings so that anyone can post replies/comments on this blog. Now it's set up properly, so go nuts, like these free jazz cats did.L8r.

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114748837135324832005-04-28T22:19:00.000-06:002005-04-28T22:27:17.136-06:00

Well, so far I haven't directly bothered to create any mind blowing lesson type posts. That'll come in time. I wanna put some stuff here on pentatonics, chord substitution, slash chords, triad patterns, etc, etc, etc. For now we'll just get everyone up to speed on the basics. the links below should have something of value for you...http://saxlessons.com/http://www.privatelessons.com/http://

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114748309386306282005-04-28T21:55:00.000-06:002005-04-28T22:47:03.626-06:00

Mostly jazz related links here. I've checked out some of them, but not all. I didn't put them here so you could stare at them. Click on the freakin' links!!! http://www.jazzguitar.com/http://www.timpricejazz.com/http://www.jazzpath.com/http://www.jazzonln.com/http://www.jazzreview.com/http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/flash.htmhttp://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheorydefs.htmhttp://

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114746892454366712005-04-28T21:32:00.000-06:002005-05-01T10:44:45.610-06:00

Well, I always have been ambitious, and I don't like to let people down, so I'm not going to say just how many tunes I plan to post here. I have an extensive collection of hard to find charts and hope that they can be of use to someone out there. I might get to posting one or two a week. In fact, if I could post more than one at a time I'd upload a whole whack of 'em right now.Anyways, I should

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114632443248832912005-04-27T14:07:00.000-06:002005-04-27T18:11:56.006-06:00

Cameron W So this is me. I had a relative take this image with a 3.2 megapixel camera. I did some touchups with Adobe Photoshop and ended up with a good quality image that was printable at a size of 8x10. This is just a low res copy that I used above for my bio pic, but I thought I'd put it here and ask if anyone else has done any do-it-yourself bio projects that turned out to be successful. That

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12479865.post-1114622150318055202005-04-27T13:32:00.000-06:002005-04-27T18:00:45.240-06:00

Hello. I am here to share some of my wisdom regarding music in general, and specifically subjects that include: jazz, music theory, improvisation, saxophone technique, productive practice and rehearsals, and insights with other genres including Ska, Surf, Blues, Rock, Metal, etc. I'm not here to boost my ego or show everyone how much I know. Knowledge is power, but wisdom is the key to opening

Cameron Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06674088043146569577noreply@blogger.com0