Hi all, I read in an Iain Ballamy interview that he participated in an informal jazz workshop to test drive some of his musical ideas. I thought that was a great idea.
But in this case, I just mean getting a group of like-minded musicians together who are willing to pool their knowledge and resources to bettering themselves and each other while working on standards or self-penned compositions. Maybe the new European Jazz Real Book? Lots of great stuff coming out of Europe.
All instruments welcome.
I'm a guitarist and singer. I started in punk, but I've since drifted into jazz. I've been playing for about nine years, so I have some facility and technique, but I don't play pieces well without some study (like memorizing the parts so I don't have to rely on my sight reading). I've studied harmony, etc. and generally write instrumental music in an impressionism vein or songs.
Anyways, I'd like the purview to be wide: fusion, chamber jazz, straight ahead, free, pop, soul, funk, Latin. I like a lot of different things, and I want to develop ideas with other musicians. The main point is to play, write music, learn, and, if manageable, gig.
People I like for those who care: Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Stephen Sondheim, Sibelius, Brahms, Elvis Costello, Prince, Bill Frisell, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, Scott Walker, Wilco, Andrew Hill, Dexter Gordon, Jon Jang, Richard Thompson, Bruce Cockburn, The Band
Current listening: Can, Los Van Van, Irakere, Fred Hersch, Chick Corea, Alban Berg
Current music things: Writing reviews, transcribing "Bumpin' On Sunset" (the guitar is easy, the tremoloed strings tricky for a neophyte like me), composing a suite starting with an evil Vince Guaraldi part and then delving into some Latin rhythms (hopefully), and two pop songs on the backburner -- one kind of like Elvis Costello and the other straight out of Tin Pan Alley.
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