Monday, May 30, 2016

Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario Woodwinds- GIVE ME 5- with saxophone master Marshall McDonald.





It has been my contention that the most valuable viewpoints come from those who do. Thus, it’s logical to assume that any artist who is surviving in this field, and doing it with success, is doing something right. The energies we all put into our craft; The years of apprenticeship and the intense commitment to the horn, and the pure love of playing it are paramount to the art form. This section of my D'Addario Woodwinds Blogs by Tim Price, to all intents and purposes is a sort of portable omnibus of sax / woodwind creations. Musically, verbally and spiritually. The music these players create and talk about is a privilege to be a part of. The music always has an infinite history and fertility, inexhaustible vitality, and at the same time, a seductive power of temptation - which inspires all of us who play – and offers the open-ended invitation to create as much as we can. The results, the waiting, the practicing at all hours, the talking of the music and constant study gives the music a breath of spirit, endless in motion and evolution.

This weeks blog features a player whom I respect highly- Marshall McDonald. This is a player who I would call a master artist who's woodwind and saxophone playing, history speak for themselves. Face it, the street cred Marshall has is inspiring. Marshall began his tenure with The Count Basie Orchestra under saxophonist Danny Turner in 1994 and now holds down the Lead Alto chair famously held by the great Marshal Royal. Marshall has performed concerts and jazz festivals world wide with the orchestra directed by Frank Foster, Grover Mitchell, and Bill Hughes and Dennis Mackrel.
Marshall’s unique ability to play all of the saxophones, clarinet and flute has led to recordings and world tours with The Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Paquito D’Rivera and the United Nation Orchestra, Frank Foster and The Loud Minority Big Band, The Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Orchestra, The Illinois Jacquet Big Band, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and Charli Persip and Supersound. Marshall has played every sax chair except baritone in the Basie Band, he has played every chair including baritone sax in the Lionel Hampton Band, and played and recorded on alto, tenor and baritone sax with Paquito D’Rivera, and was often found switching from the Lead Alto chair of the Charli Persip band to the Tenor chair when needed.
Marshall has also performed with The Bobby Caldwell Orchestra as the opening act for Vanessa Williams. McDonald has performed in Broadway shows, including clarinet in JELLY’S LAST JAM, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Clarinet and Flute in the 1998 production of STREETCORNER SYMPHONY and in 1999 he performed on stage in the musical KAT AND THE KINGS. He was an orchestra member of THE MEETIN’ by Pamela Baskin-Watson and Bobby Watson.
In addition, Marshall has played woodwinds behind performers such as Stephanie Mills, Aretha Franklin, Melba Moore, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Johnny Mathis, Frankie Avalon, The Dells, and Manhattan Transfer.

1-   How have the last few years of your life affected your current music?



The last few years have greatly affected my playing and music.  My wife has had a profound effect on my playing and my approach to music, and we also have been spending a great deal of time in Japan, which has also had an influence on my music choices.  I’ve begun to remember why I wanted to play music in the first place.  For the joy and the fun!  I want to tell a story when I play a solo, make people feel something, bring the experience of life onto the stage with me.  I play a feature ballad with the Basie band, one that Bobby Plater originally played, Soft as Velvet, my approach to it has completely changed.  I want to tell my story, and when I play Soft As Velvet on stage, I think that I’m playing it for my wife, it’s her favorite song!   First, I don’t want to play too loud, as Phil Woods once said, he would rather people lean into the stage to hear, than move back into their seats from the loudness of it.  And I’m singing through the horn.  Years ago, I always liked the players who sang with their horn, Charlie Parker, Miles, Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball and the pop cats like David Sanborn.  Sanborn loved Hank Crawford.   A player should be familiar with the lyrics of the tune.  There’s a great solo by Michael Brecker on James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”, I love his lyrical singing approach to the solo.   Brings it all home, you dig?


 
2. How did you choose to play the saxophone, and what players influenced you early on?

I started out at age 9 studying classical Clarinet.  I had private lessons, and I was going through Klose and Rose studies, and in a few years I was playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.  But some time when I was young, although my father listened to Classical music, and he also played piano himself, he had a tape of Louis Armstrong, I think the recording of Hello, Dolly and Mack the Knife.  I heard that and I was floored!  Man, I think it was Barney Bigard playing clarinet.  And found such joy in this recording, I played it all the time, it was an 8-Track tape, who remembers those?  And Louis was singing, and he was playing and the clarinet playing just knocked me out.  Then my mom got me a record of Pete Fountain.  So I asked my Pop to get me a saxophone so I could play in the school jazz band, honestly he wasn’t thrilled but he did it!   My teacher started teaching me how to play the alto, and then at school the next year I found a record in the music library.  This guy named Charlie Parker “Live at Massey Hall”.  I took that home, and played that on my turntable every single night while I lay in bed!!  I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I liked it!  It was absolutely amazing, I had never heard anything like that!  After that, a guy from college came to our school to do a jazz clinic, and he played me a record by David Sanborn, the one called Sanborn.  Man, I dug that.  I tried to also copy stuff off that record.  The sax major from college was the first guy to show me some chords and gave me something to play on a solo.  In my senior year of High School I went to see David Sanborn in concert in Pittsburgh, it was Hiram Bullock, Will Lee, Steve Jordan, Rosalinda de Leon-the band was killin!   When I saw that, I knew I wanted to be a performer.   After that my next real jazz teacher was Mark Kirk, protege of Phil Woods who told me to leave the Charlie Parker Omnibook at home, that reading solos was useless,  that I needed to learn the piano, and to learn 4 scale patterns (that had the notes numbered and told me to think in numbers) that Phil taught his students.  That took years of study from that first lesson.  At that time, I listened to a variety of music from Earth, Wind and Fire, Chicago, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Charlie Parker, Arthur Blythe, Jackie McClean,  Weather Report, Bill Chase, Maynard Ferguson, Count Basie, John Coltrane et al.  My biggest influence and favorite player was by far Charlie Parker.  All the other cats were into Cannonball at that time, I was a throwback, I loved Charlie Parker.  I also had a bunch of Michael Brecker recordings, I later got to meet Mike while on the road with Basie and speak with him on the phone.  He told me about his practice habits, playing patterns in 12 keys, in every interval he could think of, of the way he wrote them all down.  Much like what George Coleman talked about .  Funny, Mike said he was listening to Stan Getz at the time,and wished he could play less notes like Stan!   Man, dig that.  And I love Stan Getz too, one of my favorites.   Bob Berg, Bob Mintzer, Bergonzi, the post Trane cats, I lend an ear to them too. 

 Nathan Davis told me to learn all the saxophones, my first job with Lionel Hampton was on baritone sax.  Nathan had me switch from Lead Alto and play bari a little while at Pitt.  He also gave me a tenor and soprano and said learn the differences.  Each horn is a voice.  I would only listen to tenor players while practicing tenor, and I transcribed and wrote out lots of tenor solos.  Tenor has become my favorite voice.  John Williams, the great Basie bari player once told me, I was the only guy he knew who played 4 of the sax chairs in the Basie band, and all of the sax chairs in the Ellington band!   You have to be versatile! 


 I grew up in Pittsburgh so while I was at University of Pittsburgh, I was studying with Nathan Davis, and listened to Eric Kloss and Kenny Blake in town. There were some great young players there, trombonist Frank Mallah, who called Charlie Parker,  The Big Birdie.  He told me just transcribe solos and listen to The Big Birdie!


3. At this point in life - What inspires you musically?

I still enjoy a large variety of music, from Prince to Miles to Vincent Herring, to Stan Getz, and I love lyrics of good songs, I love the love songs with a story and lyrics.  I like pop music that has a love ballad to it, I think people like these songs because they tell a story about their lives.  And it’s romantic.  I think most great music has some romance in it.  My favorite songs are those with beautiful lyrics.  And then when I play a ballad or play a tune, or play Lead Alto, I want to be singing, it should sing.  That’s what inspires me now, to play some music that people will enjoy, I don’t want to try to impress the musicians with my hippest licks in 12 keys, I’ve been listening to the music that lasts.  Last forever.  Like Frank Sinatra.  Miles Davis recordings.  Bird.  Sonny Rollins.  The great Blue Note Record era.  This music reaches out to the listener.  I’m inspired to try to play some music now that the listener will tap their foot and leave with some joy in their heart!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Tim Price Blogging For D'Addario Woodwinds- Give me 5. . With tenor saxophone master Doug Lawrence.





It has been my contention that the most valuable viewpoints come from those who do. Thus, it’s logical to assume that any artist who is surviving in this field, and doing it with success, is doing something right. The energies we all put into our craft; The years of apprenticeship and the intense commitment to the horn, and the pure love of playing it are paramount to the art form. This section of my D'Addario Woodwinds Blogs by Tim Price, to all intents and purposes is a sort of portable omnibus of sax / woodwind creations. Musically, verbally and spiritually. The music these players create and talk about is a privilege to be a part of. The music always has an infinite history and fertility, inexhaustible vitality, and at the same time, a seductive power of temptation - which inspires all of us who play – and offers the open-ended invitation to create as much as we can. The results, the waiting, the practicing at all hours, the talking of the music and constant study gives the music a breath of spirit, endless in motion and evolution. This weeks blog features a player whom I respect highly- Doug Lawrence...One of today's tenor voices and a inspiration to all who hear his creativity. I'll tell you what I love about Doug's playing...EVERYTHING. This guy has the roots, the story to tell and is a master musician. Check him out- he's one of the real ones. When he plays...you feel it! Listen carefully dear reader to this Basie tenor legend- his words come from time put into the music and time on the bandstand.


1- How have the last few years of your life affected your current music?


 Doug-
1. The past few years have been some of the happiest of my life because of the birth of my daughter. Johnny Williams told me when I have a kid it would make me play better, and he was right. It's hard to describe, but it is definitely true.


  2. How did you choose to play the saxophone, and what players influenced you early on?


2. I started out as a classical clarinet player at a very young age. My father played all the reed instruments and had saxophones hidden under his bed. He told me never to touch them. (He wanted me to just play classical so I could try to get in a major orchestra and get all he benefits etc). I was home sick in 7th grade for several weeks with bronchitis. One day my mother went to the grocery store and I put an album on the stereo my dad had. "Coltrane Plays For Lovers"... I couldn't believe how great it sounded! Then I put on another record my father had "Stan Getz at the Royal Roost"..I was hooked. I went under the bed and got his tenor out (5-digit Mark VI with a Link mouthpiece Stan Getz had given my dad) and started playing. My mom came home from the grocery store and thought it was my dad playing in the back room. She almost jumped out of her skin when she walked back and saw me playing. Needless to say, I was in big trouble when my dad got home, but later that night he got the horn out and said "let's hear it". He just shook his head when I started playing and my mom started crying. A few months later he got me a Martin alto and a Conn 10M.

3. At this point in life - What inspires you musically?

DOUG-
3. I am still inspired everyday to play because I think I am getting better. I love to play the horn more than ever now. That is the great thing about music. You never stop learning. My father played up until the day he died. My mom told me he sounded great that day! The other thing that really inspires me is listening to who I call my Guru's almost daily. They are - Paul Gonsalves, Gene Ammons, Dex, Wardell, Prez, Ben, Stitt, Hawk and guys like Lucky Thompson, Billy Mitchell, Tina Brooks, Fathead, Zoot, Getz, Trane, Eddie Harris, Newk. I love a melodic approach to playing. And I love a distinctive tone. I listen everyday for years and years to the same tunes sometimes and I always hear something new. It's inspiring!



4. Your choice of notes is really inspiring- talk about how you arrive at this kind of destination as an artist. What are you thinking about in terms of your solos, and agenda.
 

DOUG - 4. When I am improvising I almost never think about the chord changes. I use my ear and I try to "sing" through the horn. I was taught the "old school" way of playing, and that is to use my ears and learn as many standards as possible. When everything is working right, I'm not thinking at all when I play. It's all just happening! Or if I am thinking at all, I might be thinking about a beautiful woman in the front row or something like that. LOL!!! Cats that really know me know this about me. I was doing a Christmas tune tenor feature ballad at Walt Disney Hall a few years ago and the arrangement wasn't really happening if you know what I mean. But I had to do the feature. So as I was walking out to the mic at the performance, Dennis Mackrel who was the MD and has known me for 30 years says to me - "play this one for your daughter"....that's all it took. We brought the house down, even with a sad arrangement. For me, music and improvisation can mean more from the heart than from the head.


5. Talk about some projects coming up in your future, ideas and agendas. Also thank you for doing this Doug- it's a total pleasure. I'm a fan and always will be!


DOUG -
5. I have a few things on the horizon that I am excited about. I have a 3 horn band (tenor, trumpet, bari) with Hammond B3, guitar and drums (band members - Bruce Harris, Lauren Sevian, Ray Macchiarola, Bobby Floyd and Dave Gibson). We have a few tunes in the can so far and hopefully we can record the remainder of the album this summer in NYC. I'm hoping to have a winter 2016 release. The other thing I'm really excited about is a new "Doug Lawrence Signature" tenor mouthpiece currently in development. My friend Bob Sheppard has a model out and it has been very successful. The same company who puts his out has approached me to put my model out too. Eric Falcon is the designer and Macsax is the company. Hopefully mine will be as successful as Shep's!






Friday, May 6, 2016

Tim Price Bloggin' For D'Addario Woodwinds- For the love of Sal! Sal Nistico workshop.








Sal Nistico....Was not only a dear friend but a inspiration to me and a teacher. I met him in the early1970's after he left Woody Herman's band- and was living in our musicians apartments on Hemenway St called " HOLMES HALL"....In Boston, right down the street from Berklee where I was also a student. Sal used to cook for us, we'd session all day, listen to music and talk about life and everything under the sun. I was only 20, just turned 20 too, and Sal was one of my hero's. I met him at " Lennies On The Turnpike"...he was playing with piano genius Jaki Byard in a quartet. That should of been a record. He had a photographic memory, he used to sing parts from the Don Ellis big band book, that he was in when he was in Los Angeles! He also knew so much from a practical point of view. I loved what Sal stood for as an artist- and how he played. During the lessons, he would show me lines, or ideas and not have me write them out, they had to be internalized! He was a great teacher that way, you really worked when you studied with him. I included two lines here- that were some of my favorites from Sal, that are great to apply. Simple progressions- But keeping them in a tempo and swinging is the goal.







NEXT.....Is to understand...these are NOT sight reading. These are harmonic study's that build note choice and swing feel. Shed them starting at 60= a quarter note. Your goal is to get them burning! Anywhere above 120 is perfect. Internalize these...don't just look at them and add them to a hard drive of information you'll forget. Get into them, and go to you tube and LISTEN to everything you can find of Sal Nistico's. There's a lot there, and also on Ebay & Amazon- get into this creative genius playing. He was one of the real ones on the tenor saxophone, and a great friend to me.


This was the last lesson I had with him in the 1980's before he moved to Europe, and stayed there. It was in Philly, and I set a weekend up with Sal and Don Patterson the organist at a Philly club called the " Kings Rook". Sal made dinner the last day of the gig, we were practicing together, and I was taking a lesson. After the day ended, I went to pay him for the lesson, and he told me.." This one's on the house"...and keep doing what I'm doing and working hard. To get those words from a guy like Sal was beyond anything, it was real. I think about him, his playing and what he stood for as a musician a lot.




I hope these exercises and info get a lot of you interested in Sal. Thank you and I hope this is of assistance to all.
~ Till next week~ Tim Price for D'Addario Woodwinds. 2016.