Can there be too much of a good thing?

It is the middle of the Christmas season and I am neck deep in Christmas music. There are times at gigs where it is hard remember whether I played a certain tune or one with similar melody, chords, groove and subject matter. An effort is made try to change things up a bit but, to be honest, it can get a bit tiring. The same tunes day after day.

I resolve to have more tunes in the book for next year and to search out the true gems that exist within the Christmas repetoire. Current examples of enjoyable tunes are: 'Cool Yule', 'Emmanuel God With Us', 'The Man With The Bag', 'Trois Anges Sont Venues Ce Soir', and 'Twas In The Moon Of Wintertime'. I found some of the music from 'The Nutcracker' that will be in the book next year.

Still smiling but looking forward to perhaps playing in a minor key.

Merry Christmas.

Acquiring the abstract.

There has been some discussion amongst my fellow musos as to the state of music. Much has been made of the downturn in the economy and there is some degree of nervousness in the air. I see what is happening now as a time of opportunity and I put forward a point of view that has been under the radar for some time now.

Art, in general, but specifically music, is a part of the fabric of civilized society. You hear, see and touch things every day that are a result of the creative process whether it be music in a film, the design of an auto or, the feel of a shirt. These are concrete examples that were conceived and designed by many people, not a few of whom are artists. There is another level which art exists and affects us all.

Most people can recall an event where, after witnessing art (hearing a concert, viewing a painting/sculpture), there was an emotional response. If there happened to be more people in the room that response may have been magnified and manifested as a physical response (smiling, crying) as well. This is the benefit of art. On our own we can feel something within us that has been triggered by an abstract representation. When we are lucky enough to be with others who have been affected as well suddenly the group has a moment of shared experience which can be very powerful.

There is a realization that we have too many TVs, cars, kitchen gadgets (well maybe not that), clothes etc. The purchase of these material items felt great at the time and have provided some basic pleasure, but what is the long term outcome? As an example, you can drive their car to a store, buy the latest Blue Ray version of a movie, go home and make popcorn in their popcorn maker, or microwave and watch said feature on a wide screen high definition TV while wearing silk pyjamas. Some of the art that does exist in this scenario is the design of the car, writing the script and music, acting and various scene and costume sets in the movie and the design of the pyjamas. All good and worthy of a degree of attention but removed from your immediate experience.

Now I put forward another scenario. You agree to meet friends at a venue (bar, concert hall) that has live music, make a great dinner (I strongly suggest that here is where the kitchen gadgets really come to their own), go to the show/pub/whatever, listen and react to what you are hearing, talk about it with your friends (not during the performance please). What has happened? You set up a time to be with people (a community), had a nice dinner (creative experience) and talked about what you where hearing (community interaction). I suspect that in six months time you may still be talking about this experience as opposed to movie night in.

So there you have it. Go forth and experience art first hand and acquire something abstract.

It's all worth it.

I was chatting with a fellow muso today about players that we know that have made an impression on us over the years. There was much agreement on who we found to be inspirational until he told me the following tale (shortened here).

A musician of note had been touring internationally with a group of high level players when one night he declared that he had enough of this stuff, packed up in the middle of the gig and left.

This to me demonstrates what I consider to be wrong with more than a few performers today. The player was known for being into experimental music and may not have been the best choice for the gig but, he knew what the gig was and took it on. I would not wish to cast aspersions upon anyone for expressing them selves in music but, if it gets in the way of the gig then the player needs to find another element, in what they are doing, to explore. Even parts that can appear simplistic can be raised to another level on the bandstand by changing ones approach.

I have been guilty of passing on some music during my time. Sometimes it is a specific tune or style. The justifications can be varied but ultimately they say more about me than the music.

All this to say we should all take a moment to consider why we are musicians. Is it to satisfy some idealized need within ourselves, to play with other musicians, to entertain an audience? Perhaps a combination of these.

Back to enjoying the heat of summer, at last.

Transportation

One often overlooked factor in a musicians life is getting to the gig. Different instruments require different modes of transport. If you play a smaller axe such as trumpet, sax or violin you can walk, bike or use public transit depending on distance, times and availability. Larger instruments decrease your options. A vehicle is required and, depending on what you play, it tends to be larger than most.

Early on in my career I had a few different hatch-back cars that did the trick. As long as it was just me and my equipment I was good to go. Things changed when I got together with my wife as we would go to gigs together and needed a few more bits of gear. Enter the minivan.

The minivan certainly has lots of room for equipment and people which is good as before long we had two more passengers. The joke in our house was that we needed a vehicle that could hold an upright bass and a family of four, sometimes together. We went through two minivans, our second one stopped working in our driveway the other day. What to do?

The solution is the purchase of two hatchbacks. This offers the most flexibility as they are each large enough for two people and equipment, if more equipment is needed we take along the other car, if we are on different gigs (hey it happens) no worries and, if one is gigging the other can still operate the family taxi service and take the kids to activities as need be.

All this type about cars should not diminish the fact that there are some who have very hip and cool ways of getting around sans emissions. An example for us all I think.

What Goes In

My children get exposed to allot of music through my own playing, concerts we take them to and what is available to them via recordings.

There is a strong tendency to parade around the house singing what has recently been heard. We are currently being serenaded by songs from The Beatles, ABBA, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Beethoven.

Recently they have discovered a case of old cassettes. I predict an explosion of melodies to issue forth within the coming weeks.

Upcoming gigs.

I have several gigs coming up with various artists.

Saturday June 20, Bianca Pittoors (7:30 - 10:30 PM) at Cafe Paradiso (199 Bank St., Ottawa).

Sunday June 21, Alicia Borisonik (3:30 - 6:30 PM) at the Shenkman Arts Centre (245 Centrum Blvd., Ottawa - Orleans).

Thursday June 25, Kim Kaskiw (Noon - 1 PM) at the Wolrd Exchange Plaza as part of the Ottawa Jazz Festival.

Tuesday June 30, Marc Nelson (8 - Midnight) at the Aylmer Legion.

Wednesday July 1, Johnny Vegas (10 PM - 1 AM) at Maxwells Bistro (340 Elgin Street).

Throughout the summer Thusdays (5 - 8 PM) and Sundays (11 AM - 2 PM) at Metropolitain Brasserie (700 Sussex Dr.) weather permitting.

The Full Monty

Well it is pit time again. This show looks to be fun. The music is good, the band is clicking and the singers seem solid.

For the unenlightened the plot revolves around a group of unemployed workers and their revealing idea on how to raise some cash.