I did a big band gig last night that also featured vocalist/musician Carla Cook. I’ve worked with Carla several times, but after last night’s hit I felt inspired to share a few thoughts about her. My opinion is that Carla Cook is an underappreciated gem. I’ve heard her sing in a variety […]
I was working with saxophonist Tad Shull last week and he commented on the standard pay for a jazz gig in NYC. We were doing a big band gig and happy to be getting a somewhat decent taste for our efforts when Tad enlightens us that we were actually making less than standard pay […]
Last night, I had a gig with a funk band called, Blue Fringe. We were at BB King’s on 42nd and 8th Ave. I do their horn arrangements and contract the section for their bigger gigs. Last night was one of those. The plan was sound check at 6:30, then dinner, […]
I was recently hanging with a well-known musician friend. As we got in a cab to hit some sessions, we began to debate where to go. I suggested a possible club and he replied, “ehhhh…I don’t like that place….too cliquey.” I thought about it and decided that every place was “too cliquey”. […]
At a recent session, we were playing a popular but obscure tune. After the melody was stated, I stood and watched another horn player attempt to traverse the changes. As he played, I realized that the AABA form was out the window and what seemed like an endless stream of A sections was […]