I was very excited for Day Three.
This is the day of our first gig...well, it was supposed to be.
We woke up this morning to rehearse. Amy and I wanted to get our sets together before heading to our first show at the Smiling Goat in Halifax. I am normally not a fan of creating set lists, but I am usually working with my material exclusively, and so I feel much better having some sort of a plan. It was already snowing this morning and the forecast said that we were going to be hit with 30cm of snow.
We rehearsed our first set and after being warned about the roads, Amy called up the venue and we all decided that it was best to postpone our show until Sunday (November 27) afternoon at 1pm.
I was disappointed - I'm ready to get playing, but also a little relieved. My cold is lingering and I had a chance to sleep a little more than usual to try to fight it. After I woke up, we rehearsed and rearranged the second set.
Every time that we talk about or play the tunes, I'm getting more and more comfortable with the material. It's a good feeling!
So tomorrow, the tour kicks off in Fredericton, New Brunswick at the James Joyce Pub at 6pm!
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day Two
My second day was short, but it started very early.
We performed at Redcliffe Middle School for the music classes (grades 5-7). The students were great! Extremely attentive and when we opened the floor up for some questions, they weren't shy. The question of the morning was, "How heavy is your saxophone?"
One of the beautiful things about a tour like this is that we are getting a lot of time to focus on our rep. We are recording everything, listening back, talking about arrangements, what's working, what's not, etc. It's nice to be totally focused on the sound of one group.
We performed at Redcliffe Middle School for the music classes (grades 5-7). The students were great! Extremely attentive and when we opened the floor up for some questions, they weren't shy. The question of the morning was, "How heavy is your saxophone?"
One of the beautiful things about a tour like this is that we are getting a lot of time to focus on our rep. We are recording everything, listening back, talking about arrangements, what's working, what's not, etc. It's nice to be totally focused on the sound of one group.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
My Tour With Amy Brandon - Day One
The first day was a busy one.
I landed in Halifax just shy of noon (local time) and Amy met me at the airport.
The flight was smooth (I slept the whole time) and security was great about getting both of my horns in the cabin with me. The on;y downside to the flight was that I've had a cold for a few days and the change in pressure is playing some nasty games with my left ear.
We load my gear and luggage into the car and hit the road. We stop and grab a coffee, and catch up on the drive.
We got back to Amy's house and started rehearsing. I love to rehearse when ideas are being thrown back and forth. Amy has some great ideas for my tunes, and we started to work out some arrangements. I really feel like our sounds work well together. We rehearse for the better part of the day (4 or 5 hours) and then off to the radio station, CKDU, for an interview with Lamont McLachlan.
Lamont is a great host, asks engaging questions and has a great sense of humour. After an hour on his show and playing a few tracks from my new EP with the Ottawa Hard Bop Association (to be released in the near future). It's time to head home.
Once we get home, it's time to plan our next day, which is performing for the students of Redcliffe Middle School. This will give us some opportunity to test our new arrangements and see what works!
I landed in Halifax just shy of noon (local time) and Amy met me at the airport.
The flight was smooth (I slept the whole time) and security was great about getting both of my horns in the cabin with me. The on;y downside to the flight was that I've had a cold for a few days and the change in pressure is playing some nasty games with my left ear.
We load my gear and luggage into the car and hit the road. We stop and grab a coffee, and catch up on the drive.
We got back to Amy's house and started rehearsing. I love to rehearse when ideas are being thrown back and forth. Amy has some great ideas for my tunes, and we started to work out some arrangements. I really feel like our sounds work well together. We rehearse for the better part of the day (4 or 5 hours) and then off to the radio station, CKDU, for an interview with Lamont McLachlan.
Lamont is a great host, asks engaging questions and has a great sense of humour. After an hour on his show and playing a few tracks from my new EP with the Ottawa Hard Bop Association (to be released in the near future). It's time to head home.
Once we get home, it's time to plan our next day, which is performing for the students of Redcliffe Middle School. This will give us some opportunity to test our new arrangements and see what works!
My Tour With Amy Brandon - the Beginnings
I am extremely fortunate to be on tour with Amy Brandon this week. Our tour covers Halifax, Fredericton, Moncton, Tatamagouche and Truro. One of the beautiful things about this tour is that we are performing an all original programme (except for Amy's reworking of Skylark).
I first met Amy when she dropped by one of my shows at the Rainbow. Our mutual friend, Matt Aston, was my drummer and went to school with Amy.
Roughly a year later, Amy was playing at the Avant Garde in Ottawa, with Matt, and I dropped in with my horn. I sat in with the group and at the end of the night Amy asked me if I'd be interested in touring at some point.
In February, the dates were firmed up (for the most part) and in October the charts were exchanged.
I'll continue in my next post...
I first met Amy when she dropped by one of my shows at the Rainbow. Our mutual friend, Matt Aston, was my drummer and went to school with Amy.
Roughly a year later, Amy was playing at the Avant Garde in Ottawa, with Matt, and I dropped in with my horn. I sat in with the group and at the end of the night Amy asked me if I'd be interested in touring at some point.
In February, the dates were firmed up (for the most part) and in October the charts were exchanged.
I'll continue in my next post...
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Page-Lapensee-Pontello - Gig #1
The first gig for the trio was a few weeks back, and it was definitely one to remember. The trio is extremely excited to be performing at Le Petit Chicago every other week (make sure that you catch Search Engine on the opposite weeks). I feel that this trio is going to push musical boundaries every time it hits the stage.
Here`s a taste of what we performed and a little insight into what the group is all about.
Here are some notes about one set that we played.
We started with Confirmation and decided to stick with a whole set of Parker tunes - the vibe was great! It`s interesting to explore an artist`s music on the stand with on the spot arrangements - it gives the music a sense of urgency.
Confirmation - straight ahead, fast and energetic
Billie`s Bounce - slow, bluesy
Scrapple From The Apple - fastest tune of the set
Ornithology - freely, mostly over G and D pedals, open-feeling, elastic time
Au Privave - 3/4 blues - interesting to try and figure out the melody on the spot.
Yardbird Suite - calypso, fun way to end the set
The group has many ways to approach tunes and we are excited to bring you some great jazz on a regular basis!
Here`s a taste of what we performed and a little insight into what the group is all about.
Here are some notes about one set that we played.
We started with Confirmation and decided to stick with a whole set of Parker tunes - the vibe was great! It`s interesting to explore an artist`s music on the stand with on the spot arrangements - it gives the music a sense of urgency.
Confirmation - straight ahead, fast and energetic
Billie`s Bounce - slow, bluesy
Scrapple From The Apple - fastest tune of the set
Ornithology - freely, mostly over G and D pedals, open-feeling, elastic time
Au Privave - 3/4 blues - interesting to try and figure out the melody on the spot.
Yardbird Suite - calypso, fun way to end the set
The group has many ways to approach tunes and we are excited to bring you some great jazz on a regular basis!
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
A New Trio
I'm very excited to talk about a new trio with a steady gig in Ottawa. We played our first gig just over a week ago, and it was definitely a gig to remember - I'll be posting about the gig in the near future.
David Pontello (drums), JP Lapensee (electric bass) and myself (woodwinds).
Blues-Standards-Originals
Blues-Standards-Originals
The trio of Page-Lapensee-Pontello are honoured to be bi-weekly hosts of the Monday night Jazz evening at Le Petit Chicago.
Woodwind artist Richard Page has become a fixture on the Ottawa jazz scene. Throughout his career Richard has performed with many great artists, such as Bob Brookmeyer, Rick Wilkins, Darcy Hepner and many others. He has also performed all over the world, most notably at the Montreaux and Vienne Jazz Festivals.
Since moving to Ottawa in late-2009, David Pontello has quietly-but-quickly established himself on the local music scene. He regularly plays with vocalist Renee Yoxon and singer-songwriter Glenn Nuotio. Hailing from Toronto, his past credits include tours, albums and shows with Justin Rutledge, David Hein (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding), Sean Cullen and Swamperella.
JP Lapensee is a member of the Capital Youth Jazz Orchestra and plays regularly in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, most notably as part of the HML Trio.
Le Petit Chicago
50 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Québec
819-483-9843
Monday, 5 September 2011
Lester Young Transcription - Fine and Mellow (1957)
Lester Young's "Fine and Mellow" solo is one of my favourites. It's the sound and feeling that draw me in. This is one of the first transcriptions that I had ever attempted in high school, and it has stuck with me since.
To me, the solo is all about nuance. There aren't that many notes, and it is only a chorus long, but Lester gets to the point. Pure beauty!
If you're going to learn this, make sure you have the melody firmly planted in your head. It's important, otherwise you'll miss the subtleties in the vibrato, rhythmic variety and the emotive qualities that Lester Young brings to this bandstand.
Check it out on Youtube.
Here's the version for tenor sax.
To me, the solo is all about nuance. There aren't that many notes, and it is only a chorus long, but Lester gets to the point. Pure beauty!
If you're going to learn this, make sure you have the melody firmly planted in your head. It's important, otherwise you'll miss the subtleties in the vibrato, rhythmic variety and the emotive qualities that Lester Young brings to this bandstand.
Check it out on Youtube.
Here's the version for tenor sax.
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