Now that this gig has come and gone, I have to admit to be feeling a bit bummed. Not that it wasn't enjoyable and rewarding, as it certainly was on many levels; it's just that now that all of the hard practicing I did for the damn thing won't be quite as necessary, I feel slightly out of steam. Ah, well, I'm sure that it'll pass.
Did I mention that it was an enjoyable gig? Yes, for sure. Let me speak a bit to that. After arriving to Community Music Center, Brandon Evans and I spent a bit of time chatting about life and such before going over his chart for the show. Made up of about twenty motifs that fuse colorful Western notation with personal, esoteric signs, the chart seems to me to be less a solid territory and more of a matrix within which to get joyfully lost!
There were definitely times during our forty-five minute set in which I did feel slightly uncomfortable, but, per our soundcheck/rehearsal and pre-gig talks, that is a big component of the overall idea. That said, I also felt, at times, to be sublimely connected with Christina and Brandons' playing. Hopefully they, and the audience, heard things that way, too. The interaction felt good to me, maybe even a bit more than good. The score most assuredly was a bulwark for me, at the more "lost" moments. There was never really any time during which I felt the absence of some sort of musical possibility.
The most frequent feedback that I got was "..intense!" Seems OK to me!
It was also really cool to hear Oliver Lake live again. His duo set with Donald Robinson was beautiful.
Many thanks to Brandon, Christina, Rent Romus, and all of the wonderful Outsound staff. You all are fucking amazing.
Below: Brandon sets up for the run down, Christina's rig
Above: my beloved Ludwig kit, with funky cymbals and cowbell
Below: Rent Romus, hardest working man in Improvisational Music (SF Bay Area, anyway!)
Below: Evans/Stanley/Pino Trio, in action. Photo courtesy of Charles Smith, thanks, Charles!
