Thanks for Nothing, Tony Williams

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Scott K Fish
williams_tony

Tony Williams

SKF NOTE: Tony Williams, Ron Carter, and Hank Jones (aka The Great Jazz Trio) At The Village Vanguard. Mr. Jones and Mr. Carter are trading fours with Tony Williams on 12+12, the last track on the album. I’m listening intently to the whole trio, but on the last beat of Tony’s four bar drum break, driving alone in my car, I smile.

What did Tony play on that last beat? Nothing. He left a measure of space. Silence.

It took me a second before realizing I was smiling at Tony’s not playing. Well, actually Tony was playing. No spaces, no music. Silence is the great factor separating music from noise.

Drummers marvel at other drummers knack for playing quiet, for being supportive, for staying out of the way. But I don’t remember many compliments paid to drummers for knowing when to shut up.

Thanks for nothing, Tony. You made me smile.

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Rita Moreno: You Have to Hang On To Your Sensitivity

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: Rita Moreno’s words of wisdom apply also to musicians.

moreno_rita.jpgRita Moreno sends off grads at Berklee commencement
By June Wulff GLOBE CORRESPONDENT  MAY 07, 2016

Q. With your seven decades in show business, young performers should hang on your every word. When you give a speech to graduates and aspiring performers, what advice do you give them?

A. The most important [piece of advice] is to get yourself educated and be tough enough to get knocked down, brush yourself off, and keep moving. The tough thing for people in the arts is that you have to hang on to your sensitivity and tender side. Every job is hard to get, but in our profession, there’s a preponderance of rejection.

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Emily Remler: You Don’t Try to Make a Statement for Women

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Scott K Fish

“You don’t get angry, you don’t get bitter, you don’t get feminist about the thing. You don’t try to make a statement for women. You just get so damn good that they’ll forget about all that crap.”

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Source: Emily Remler, Life After Wes, by Julie Coryell, Down Beat May 1985.
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When The Message Reaches the Heart of the Listener

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Scott K Fish

SKF NOTE: During the 1960’s the word soul was used to define a style of music (soul music), but also to name a quality musician’s either had or didn’t have. Having soul was – and still is – a good quality.

In response to something said in Down Beat, letter writer Frank Jones came up with this thoughtful definition of soul.

“Anytime a musician reaches to the depths of his heart and imparts his message thusly, this is soul. When this message reaches the heart of the listener, this too, is soul.”

Source: Frank Jones of Winnemuccca, NV, Chords and Discords, Down Beat, January 19, 1961

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Paul Wertico: Hearing Drums as a Free Voice at Age 12

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Scott K Fish

“He can’t explain it. He really has no idea where it came from. Wherever it came from, Paul Wertico was deeply in touch with his muse from the time he picked up drums at age 12. ‘I was hearing the drums as this free voice while everybody else my age was still playing Wipeout.’”

Source: Paul Wertico, Paul Wertico’s Drum Obsession, by Bill Milkowski, Down Beat May 1985

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