Last night I had the opportunity to fill the guitar chair in Ohio University’s Jazz Ensemble I and play behind saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Jeff is probably best known for his work with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. During the afternoon, we had a rhythm section sectional with Jeff and then a full dress rehearsal. Jeff quickly put everyone at ease with his relaxed, funny, and down-to-earth vibe and was particularly skillful at quickly and precisely communicating the details that he wanted to hear from the the group, often using some great analogies to illustrate his ideas. Do yourself a favor and check out Jeff’s latest release “Bloom” on iTunes, it’s fun and funky as hell.
The black and white photos from the gig were taken by photographer William McFadden.
I’ve been trying to catch a Pete Huttlinger show for about three years now, but every time he’s in town I’ve had a gig. This past weekend Pete played 2 free performances at Fur Peace Ranch’s annual Holiday Faire where in addition to finally having a chance to hear him play in person, he invited me to sit in with him!
We played “Blue Monk”, “Blue Bossa”, “Autumn Leaves”, and “Silent Night”. Pete was very gracious and despite his overwhelming technical abilities he was very supportive easy to play with. Thanks Pete, it was an inspirational afternoon!
I updated my Practice Record forms yesterday, with room to record roughly eight weeks of both repertoire and fundamental studies with tempo markings and list long-term goals. A good way to keep track of your progress on weekly assignments and document your daily practice routine. The Practice Record will continue to be available from the Student Resources page.
Download Practice Record (PDF Format)
It’s been ten years this week since Michael Hedges left us. Take some time this week to listen and reflect on the music he blessed us with.
I ran across this poem shortly after Michael’s death and it made me think of him.
ISRAFEL
by Edgar Allan Poe, 1831
In Heaven a spirit doth dwell
“Whose heart-strings are a lute”;
None sing so wildly well
As the angel Israfel,
And the giddy stars (so legends tell),
Ceasing their hymns, attend the spell
Of his voice, all mute.
Getting back into the swing of things in Athens took a little more work than anticipated, so I apologize if this post is a little late.
Overall, my experience at NGW in Chicago wasn’t much different from what I was used to at the New Milford, CT campus. The schedule of events was basically the same, and I taught the same classes both weeks. What was different was the more relaxed vibe of the faculty and campus. There were definitely fewer students in Chicago and a smaller faculty and staff. Paired with the fact that many of our classrooms were spread out across campus (some over 1/3 of a mile away) the campus was much quieter and more relaxed than in CT where we had 15 classrooms filled with guitarists in one small building. The peace and quiet in the basement of the chapel where my acoustic class met was a welcome change from having to compete with blues and rock classes on either side, but at times it was almost too quiet! I really like hearing the sounds of the guitars echoing down the hallways at NGW.
Continue reading 'National Guitar Workshop Chicago 2007'
My third year of teaching at National Guitar Workshop in New Milford, CT was my best experience there yet. I was happy to see all my friends from previous sessions again, meet a new class of students, and hear some fantastic music. Enrollment was down for the week, and while that’s not good for NGW’s bottom line, it made for smaller class sizes and allowed for plenty of individualized interaction with the students. My Modern Acoustic I class ended up having a total of five guitarists in attendance and I had a wonderful time working with them. Over the course of the week, we covered a lot of topics, played a lot of tunes, and on Thursday night performed “Hey Jude” for our portion of the student concert with Tom and Terra contributing vocals. The audience was a rowdy bunch and didn’t hesitate to help us out in singing “Na Na Na Naaa…Hey Jude!” while Ben played some bluesy fills during the final vamp. I was really pleased with how well the group played, and how well the audience responded to them. Congratulations on a job well done!
Continue reading 'National Guitar Workshop CT 2007'
