Heil Parker!

 

 I really like the last few minutes.

Another Sunday and another productive and enlightening rehearsal for BHIC. I think it might make for better blogging if I were to give our sessions the reality TV show treatment, but the work of music is an unsexy grind most of the time. Kansas City newcomer Jeff Davis came this week to help us rehearse one of his pieces. Jeff recently moved to town from Oklahoma and is the leader of Sir Threadius Mongus, which has been featuring some of BHIC's past and present residents: Matt Otto, Pat Ketter,  Russell Thorpe and Gerald Spaits, so check them out.

 

Also wanted to do a little cheerleading for the recent release by the SFJazz Collective. Another fantastic group of musicians playing awesome music. I had forgotten how much I like Horace Silver. Here's hoping they do an Andrew Hill season sometime.

 

I had to explain to my girlfriend what a "bop nazi" is yesterday. It was kind of difficult because she kept laughing and saying, "Are we in the forties?" For the record, I identify a bop nazi as such: someone possessing ideologies about respect and tradition that supposedly justify being dismissive of music or musicians who don't swing the way they'd like them to.

 

While not a bop nazi myself, I do enjoy them because they're generally passionate and accomplished. Kind of like jazz republicans. Every musician has to justify to themselves the commitments they've made. Pushing oneself to practice for many hours a day for years with little financial incentive is incredibly difficult and I completely understand if someone needs to feel self-righteous about it. My only concern is that they tend to end up bitter. I once had a talk with Marcus Strickland where he lamented about how sad it was for him to finally meet and play with so many of his heroes and find that they were angry and bitter. Hero worship is such a strong component of jazz culture but a little bit of a "kill your idols" mentality might help to prevent ending up mad at the world.

 

 

Comments

[russell]

MIguel Zenon kills. but wow.. Alexander technique anyone?

[Cb]

*My only concern is that they tend to end up bitter. I once had a talk with Marcus Strickland where he lamented about how sad it was for him to finally meet and play with so many of his heroes and find that they were angry and bitter*

So true... your above quote speaks to similar personal experiences I encountered more often than not among cats on the greater "jazz" scene once I got out of the military bands after twenty + years... most of the hero stuff is hype, regardless of how good the player is... cats we think are cool today, were likely not cool during their times... keep growing BHIC, good things are happening on our scene because of it... I will try to be back for at least the Spring session, if that is cool...

Peace, Cb

[russell]

Cb, you are always welcome!!!

[Jason]

Now that's some sweet ass jazz !!!!! Gotta love horace silver !

[Donna]

a wonderful piece of music right here

[Max]

man that jazz is so sick !!! I'd listen to it all day !