Chasing the Trane is a new documentary film by critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld.
The film is produced with the full participation of the Coltrane family and the support of the record labels that collectively own the Coltrane catalog. Scheinfeld brings his strong story-telling skills to the creation of a rich, textured and compelling narrative that takes the audience to unexpected places.
Set against the social, political and cultural landscape of the times, CHASING TRANE brings John Coltrane to life as a fully dimensional being, inviting the audience to engage with Coltrane the man, Coltrane the artist.
One of the most amazing things that my YouTube channel has done since I started Vlogging is allowing me to reach other musicians that I might never have met.
10 Minute Jazz Podcast author Nick Mainella lives in New Hampshire, USA and has produced the fantastic 10 minute Jazz Podcast for over 18 months. You can subscribe to Nick’s podcast here, (after you’ve watched our chat!)
I’m a big fan of Chris Potter, like many contemporary saxophonists I can be inspired and intimidated by his incredible musicianship, technique and command of the saxophone.
I really enjoyed watching this masterclass from a Jamey Aebersold Summer School, (that’s Jamey of the 1, 2, 3, 4 on piano at the start.)
Some things I wanted to draw your attention to from this Masterclass,
Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve
A good tone and good time will see you through most situations.
Music, especially jazz is self-expression.
Be able to melody VERY WELL!
Whatever you can find that makes it fun, do it and keep on doing it
IT IS SAID TO BE ‘PLAYING MUSIC’ SO LET’S PLAY!
The big ‘take home’ for me out of this was recording myself when I practice. I’ve advocated this for a while with students, but I’ve been a little reluctant to do it myself. However, last night I setup a folder and tried to put into practice some of the ideas that Chris talks about.
What do you think about Chris Potter’s playing and what he says in this class?
On Saturday, 21st June I was delighted that Wynton Marsalis brought the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra to the Cambridge Corn Exchange. It was a particularly special date for me as it was exactly fifteen years ago to the day since I performed on the same stage with a Blues Brothers band.
I had been in touch with LCJO saxophone players Sherman Irby and Victor Goines to arrange a backstage meeting, but they both escaped to The Eagle for some fish’n’chips! I met up with them later on, but it was a real thrill to introduce some of my students – in particular 14-year-old Rob Burton, who, maybe one day, will be playing with LCJO – to … Wynton Marsalis.
Some of the great pearls of wisdom that Wynton shared with us are outlined below.
Don’t just learn the notes, learn why those notes were played.
Many of you may know that Wynton is quite a jazz conservative. His excellent book Moving to a Higher Ground is a must-read for any student of music, jazz fan or not. We’re going to read his book and have a Google hangout on it over the summer. But he surprised me a great deal by encouraging Rob (and all of us) to learn the music of Ornette Coleman:
The avant-garde is what youngsters should learn. They need to appreciate the freedom that is found in the music of Ornette Coleman.
I later met up with Sherman Irby, Victor Goines and other members of the saxophone section for a few beers. I’ll say more about this over the next few weeks, but these are some of the key points they wanted to share:
If you want to be a musician, be like a stockbroker. Spread your portfolio as widely as you can: be an arranger, clarinet player, teacher, composer – but work hard at all of them.
Vocabulary is everything – if you want to be a better musician, learn the vocabulary to express it.
Work hard on your sound. (Where have you heard that before?)
Spend time each day listening to music – really.
It was such a great thrill to have these guys in Cambridge. I’m in touch with a few interested parties about getting a Cambridge International Jazz Festival and I’d love to welcome Wynton and the Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra back to this town.
Just before the guys came to Cambridge they recorded this in Harrogate
