Lineage - It's Importance to Me

I am very fortunate. I grew up in a household where jazz was being played all of the time. I grew up on Zoot Sims, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson and as I grew older my tastes expanded and I started getting into Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Steve Grossman, Bill Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Michael Brecker and so many others.

I have been thinking quite a bit about influence, and lineage because my students are developping into players. I have a grade 9/10 big band that I lead in Ottawa. Every rehearsal I walk into the room, and ask "So what's everybody been listening to?" There are some great answers - Miles Davis - Nefertitti, Michael Brecker, the RH Factor, Arturo Sandoval, and so many other artists. I'll ask "Does anybody know who Johnny Hodges is? or Clifford Brown? or Don Byas?"

The answer is generally "no", except for my students - because listening is a huge part of my lessons, and I can even think it's unfair that I ask. Unless you grow up in a jazz household, you probably don't know a lot of the names that I would bring up - especially as a 13 or 14 year old who's just getting into the music.

I believe that it is important to know the lineage of your instrument - the players and the physical instrument itself, and the music.

The lineage of your instrument is important from the player standpoint, because you begin to hear the influence. You can understand why and how a player draws from the players before him/her. Listen to Lew Tabackin for not just the Coleman Hawkins, but the Don Byas and the Sonny Rollins in his sound, phrasing and lines. If you talk to players who are new to the soprano saxophone, they are indebted to John Coltrane, but what about Steve Lacy?

If you think of the history of an instrument, you can figure out why players played the way they did. Especially on the saxophone, the invention of left-hand pinky-rollers was a huge innovation. Before they were invented moving around that key cluster was very awkward. Have you ever owned a Buescher True Tone? That was one of the reasons for me to switch off of them. The ergonomics were awkward on that part of the horn. This is just one example. But you could relate that to the reason players from that period didn't spend that much time around that end of the saxophone.

Another point to touch on is style. How was an eighth note played in 1925? '45? '65? '85? today? What kind of vibrato was in style?

The reason that I think that lineage is so important, is because it creates an active listener. When you start understanding nuances in sound, rhythm, texture, etc. You integrate what you like into your playing concept and taking something from the greats can't hurt.

It's incredible to watch my students hear the influence another player has on another - they then find out what they want to sound like. They develop a concept for their sound. They feel time in different ways. To me, it all comes down to active listening.

What do you think about these clips? What do you like? What catches your ear? Can you hear the influence?

Body and Soul

Coleman Hawkins

Dexter Gordon

John Coltrane

Michael Brecker

Chris Potter

What do you like? What catches your ear? Can you hear the influence?

Open Scales

I have never enjoyed practising scales. I understand the purpose and their value (even tone, technical dexterity, rhythmic accuracy) but even with all of the positives, I still have a hard time enjoying eating my musical vegetables.

That is, until lately. This is definitely not a new discovery, but I have found a way to make the study of scales work for me. I've called it "Open Scales."

I take a scale and play it out of time. My goal is to create an interesting melody for myself by varying the rhythmic aspect. Essentially, I play each scale freely. The beauty is that I don't have to think about the notes (they are within the scale - moving step-wise). As I create different rhythms it feels like I'm playing a cadenza.

I have found that there have been many upsides to this kind of exercise. One thing that I've noticed is that I play scales for hours now. I'm simply finding scales more interesting. Since I am in total control of the exercises' flow, I feel more connected to each idea. Instead of just a set of notes, I am creating phrases.

I am also spending more time with the metronome. When a new idea emerges, I can develop it over the horn, and I push my technique differently. I feel like it's more practical. When I get an idea that doesn't execute cleanly, I hit the metronome. Now, I have goals!

Tone develops from another perspective as well. In particular, I am focusing on how intervals relate within a scale. For example "F" is the sixth of "Ab" and it sounds and feels very different when traveling to the seventh as opposed to the fifth.

Also related to tone is colour. I feel as if my spectrum has become broader. It's fulfilling to hear all of the different colours that are within a note and how they change from interval to interval. As I spend more time on this concept, I am gaining more control of the pallette, and realizing the potential of each phrase.

I have tried this with a few students as well. It's great fun and extremely to see what they come up with. It's a real study in perspective. I find myself grabbing a lot of ideas from my students - because it's fresh. I'm also seeing how creative my students can be.

Prior to starting this method of practising scales, I practised scales daily, with a metronome, full range, at various volumes, and with many different articulations. With incorporating this into my practise routine, I was looking for a new perspective that might enhance my enjoyment of an integral part of learning the horn.

Airport Travel

Many of us who travel frequently understand the risks of taking our instruments to an airport, but we also have experience in this matter and we usually, can come to an agreement with the airport employee that we are dealing with. I often have friends and students who are traveling for the first time that ask me what my experience is, and how I get by carrying my tenor or even baritone saxophone on an airplane.

Here's an example of a recent email -

I am a grade 10 music student and I play the alto saxophone, and my school band is travelling to England in April for a music competition. I was recently in a music store and had taken a look at some of the soft sided alto saxophone cases. My mom and I figured that they would be a lot lighter and more comfortable to carry around, but we were not sure if they would fit on the air plane as carry-on and we know how careful some of the people are when they load on luggage.

Based on the dimension given on the various websites, the cases are not considered carry-on. I was wondering if these cases would provide enough protection for my saxophone if it was checked baggage.

So if it was your instrument and it had to go underneath the plane with the checked baggage, would you feel comfortable with it in one of the soft sided cases, or would you stick with the standard wood / plastic case?

My answer -

Here's my experience in regards to flying.

I am a multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds) but primarily a tenor saxophonist. I carry my instruments in leather gig bags. The advantage - they are light and I can trek around pretty easily with more than one instrument. The disadvantage - they are soft and if I'm not careful, the instruments can get damaged very easily.

I fly quite frequently and I always carry my instruments on the plane (some exceptions - if I have my flutes and/or my clarinets, I have, but not always, stuck them in my luggage, or have shipped them). I even carry my bari sax on when I fly. My cases are larger than carry-on size, but I have never flown with them in cargo.

Now to your questions.

If it were my instrument, I would not go underneath into checked baggage. There is no option for me. My saxophones would be near impossible to replace (1931 Selmer Cigar Cutter tenor saxophone, 1930 Selmer Cigar Cutter alto saxophone, 1932 Cigar Cutter baritone saxophone). Any damage is signifcant damage, especially if I'm heading straight to a gig. So, my instruments never get flown in checked baggage.

I would not feel comfortable shipping a horn underneath the plane in a soft case. I know people who ship their horns in Protec, BAM, Walt Johnson (the older ones) and Hiscox cases. These cases are either soft on the outside and have a hard shell on the inside, or they are totally hard-shelled cases.

I would feel safer with one of the cases that I mentioned above, rather than a standard box case. The padding on the inside of those cases are (typically) more forgiving - meaning softer. I also find that they hold the saxophone more securely.

Now for my advice.

Try and carry your sax on the plane. Here's a list of things that you can do or think about.

Get a nice case. You never know what they are going to let you do at the gate. You need to be prepared.

Call the airport. Explain your situation. "I am a musician, traveling with a large group. I have an expensive saxophone that I would like to carry on the plane..." Take the name of the person that you speak with.

If you get a nice case with a shoulder strap. Carry the horn on your shoulder - it looks smaller.

Show up early, speak with the flight attendant.

Smile.

Be polite.

Even with all of the advice that I can give you, you still have to be prepared for anything. I have had success so far, but I am always ready for the answer that I don't want.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me.

Cheers!

R

I know that the AFM (American Federation of Musicians') is currently trying to get a standardized set of guidelines to keep this issue from being a case-by-case basis. As far as I know, nothing has come of it yet. If anyone has any other experiences to share, or any advice, feel free to comment.