Greetings from Lausanne, Switzerland.  Starting a 3 week run of playing with a variety of musicians around the European continent. The Yellowjackets are off the whole month of May, so we all have scattered about to try to get things happening. This trip will include playing 3 dates around Switzerland and Germany with George Roberts' quintet, doing a concert outside of Amsterdam with the New Generation Big Band, doing 5 dates with the Giovanni Mazarino trio in Italy, and finally playing with Randy Brecker, Mitch Forman, Jeff Andrews, and Zawadzki Krzysztof around Poland. Looking forward to playing a variety of music with different players in different settings. Feeling very grateful for the opportunity to do so.

In my travels as a clinician I inevitably sit down at the drums and piano to demonstrate certain things. Tenor saxophonists have an affinity for the drums that is very particular. The relationship between the drums and the tenor saxophonist is one of intimacy and mutual respect. I find that having this relationship with the drums and piano helps me to think more rhythmically and harmonically when playing the saxophone. It also helps me to find a way to interact with the pianist and drummer in the band as the saxophonist. By knowing the language of drums and piano through first hand experience one is able to speak that language on other instruments. Through the experience of playing drums and piano with saxophone players, a saxophonist can get more of an idea of how the interaction works from the other side.

To take this all a step further, it really is essential that one know the whole piece of music in order to play his/her  individual part. In the case of playing in a jazz combo, it would be wise to know what the bass, drums, and piano are doing in great detail. This knowledge will facilitate the ability to have your part fit into the general scheme of things. To play a solo on a tune’s given harmonic structure with some sense of command should involve  knowing the form thoroughly, having a sense of the melody while improvising on that tune, knowing several alternate routes through the harmonic structure, and  being able to suggest the feel and pulse with the time feel you set up in the way you play your notes. A good way to check if you are on the right track is to play a solo on a tune by yourself and record it. When listening back see if you clearly hear the time feel,  chord changes, and overall form and intent of the tune. If you don’t, go back and play the melody many times in a row (in time), adding a few embellishments each time to help suggest the harmony. We should all think of being the drummer, chord instrument, and bassist regardless of what instrument we play.

A commonly asked question is what do you practice to come up with new stuff to play in solos. There are a couple of ways to approach this subject. One way is to go at it from a compositional standpoint. I sometimes build a melody from scratch that has an interesting shape, and then try manipulating it in a variety of ways. I first play it in different keys, then try to connect the melody in intervals a minor third, major third, whole half step, or any number of other intervals apart. Minor third and major third apart usually works quite well. The next thing to do is to see if there may be a specific setting to use this melody in (blues, a standard, a 2-5-1 progression, over a one chord vamp).

A second way to come up with new ideas to play in solos is to simply improvise a few lines at a time, and see what comes out. If you hear something that sounds interesting, stop and isolate that melodic shape. Play it many times and try to edit it into something that has a nice sound. You can then play the shape in a variety of keys, various intervals apart, much like the process explained in the last paragraph. Sometimes it’s interesting to throw in a few large interval skips amongst many smaller intervals. You will be surprised to hear what you can come up with. The trick is to really stick with it and work the ideas through to a finished state.

Just finishing up a book by the ex basketball player-senator Bill Bradley called  “The New American Story”. Bill Bradley cut out from politics a few years ago after coming to the conclusion that the governmental system in the US was seriously broken. He has a down to earth take on the current state of affairs in the US government, and sites many examples of government history as a means of shedding insight into the recent political climate here. Not only does Mr. Bradley make light of the fact that we’ve all been hoodwinked by corporate America and special interest groups, but he also goes on to site concrete and reasonable solutions to many of the problems facing us today. A very inspiring read.  The many blunders of our current regime are laid out in a clear, concise way that makes you wonder why more people weren’t able to see through the shenanigans.

So, in closing, try to eat more fruits and vegetables, get some exercise every day, and do something nice for the people around you.