Graham's English Blog

Another interesting musician's blog, lots of articles, sound samples; the guy is very accomplished already; also advertises an absolute pitch development program that he developed himself=> sounds too good to be true, but what if eh?

http://music.grahamenglish.net
(has lots of sound samples of his recordings, for the most part very clean, very nicely done, obviously knows what he's talking about)

http://www.grahamenglish.net/
(has articles etc., but too many ads)

Bass Player

-Kenta found us a bass player, Alex, from the local high school
-plays the upright and is great at it; I wonder what he thinks of our arrangements, and of my fledgling status;
-we record tomorrow!?

Patterns and Comping

-Since I've started playing with these guys, I've stopped practicing on my own (kind of ironic); I need to keep working on my voicings, being more effective in the rhythm section should be my top priority, but also, can't stand to stop practicing improvising altogether; it seems like the separate practice of both of those can compliment each other, if undertaken diligently.
-Propose to recommence attacking the following areas in earnest:

Chord Voicings: (for now we'll try one of each at a time, per week, or until 'proficient'; pull from transcriptions)

• in thirds ( basic 'bebop style', need to move them into a higher register than what I'm playing now)
  
• in fourths
• block chords (priority over fourths ?)
  

Change Running patterns Etc. (one of each per week)

• Bebop pattern (takes priority)
  
• Whole Tone pattern
  
• Diminished pattern
  

Should brush up on playing my basic half-step/whole-step dimished scales and whole-step/half-step diminished scales.

When I will start working on pentatonics ? Maybe get a leg up on them by just running through the scales and their modes in all 12 keys ?

Need to continue sight-reading through Bach Inventions and maybe some Chopin (?)

Wayne Shorter Quartet

-went with Paul; at Mondavi Center's Jackson Hall
-Wayne Shorter, Brian Blade, John Patittucci, Danilo Perez
-Crazy interplay; the first song was 40 minutes long!
-Sometimes felt as if the music was hanging by a thread, about to slip and I'm on the edge of my seat; all sorts of tension and release going on; at times stark, at other sweet, beautiful, explosive, raw, moody, tender, evocative, thunderous....amazing musicianship; at time I felt as if Brian Blade's virtuosity was the only thing holding group together, giving the music structure, shading, texture.