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A finny thing happened to me on the way to the "free" market
I have often thought that along with scales, chords , technical exercises, concpt etc.. the "intangibles" of the art are just as important as the studies we perform. These intangibles might be called "life experiences" and often come to us in the form of anecdotes from other players. Here's one that happened to me in Los Angeles when I was a kid.
We formed a group in high school and it was built along the lines of Shorty Rodgers and his Giants. We had trumpet, alto, and tenor with a full rhythm section and we played some stock arrangements from Mulligan, Rodgers, Giuffre and the like. We worked on weekends at a coffee house (the only place under 21's could work) on the Sunset Strip, Things went along fine for quite a while then something happened.
The alto player and myself used to go around all the clubs after school and asked them if we could help them clean up and set up for the evening. Most of the time the just sent us home but two clubs let us work. Jazz City and The Hillcrest. Later we would sit in the kitchen and get to hear the bands through the walls. We heard some great ones. Jazz City later develpoed the "peanut gallery" on Saturday afternoons for youngsters. You could go and hear the great bands legally. Well one night we were at The Hillcrest and Ornette Coleman was playing. After the first set we were getting ready to go home and Ornette walked back into the kitchen, surprised, as you can imagine, to see a couple of young kids there. Well after introductions and the why we were there he asked us how we like the music. We said it was interesting but a little confusing to which he answered "Have you been out in the street today." Well he sat down and wrote us out a melody and we went back to the group and rehersed it. We didn't know much about free jazz but we did our best.
Come one Saturday night, we decided to spring the number on our coffee house audience. We chose to do it during the first set because we knew the owner never came until well into the second set. Just in case....Well we started playing and the whole thing sounded like a train wreck. Sure enough.. just when you thought it was safe to play an Ornette composition... the club owner walks in. When we came off the stand he looked at us in wide eyed amazment and said,
"What the hell are you guys trying to do to my club?"
"Come on Art. This is where it's at Free jazz" our alto player said.
"Free jazz? You bet, cause you're not getting paid tonight and you're free to look for another gig tomorrow."
One of the most humorous definaitions of "Free" that I have ever heard.
Maybe I am wrong but it seemed back then the great musicians were more excessable and there was a whole different feeling on the scene.
Maybe you guys have some experiences to share.
Last edited by Bluebrew; September-29th-2004 at 10:51 PM.
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