Monday, April 20, 2009

Only a "Gig"ment of Our Imagination

I had forgotten.

It had been since December that I received an email telling me about a gig in April. Talking to a musician in December about a gig in April is like telling them about a gig in five years: it's not going to bring about a whole lot of concern. But professionals are (cough cough) supposed to remember and eventually I did. A little late in the game, but nonetheless.

This is the same gig we played last year, so we just need to knock off the rust and get going.

Working with these old friends is so easy and four hours goes by without a glance at the clock. The thing about playing with musicians of this caliber is that almost anything is possible. The thing is deciding what not to play. We all have chops, but musical taste is the guiding principle. Or at least we hope it is.

The hardest thing (besides some devilishly tricky passages) is the arrangements. Those can be a bit tricky. Here's an example:

"OK. AABBAABB. Then vamp with that weird chord while you solo."

"When do I go out?"

"Whenever you feel it. Just fade out. Then AABBB, but a clear cutoff at the end. DAHT!
A Beethovian kind of silence."

Does anyone know what the hell we are talking about?

Nah. But it's fun.

1 comment:

Al said...

Don't forget the canzona with no clear meter.