Thursday, November 27, 2014
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Tis The Season
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Tis The Season: Happy Thanksgiving to those of you reading my blog. It is Thanksgiving that we celebrate today. As we begin looking forward to Christma...
Tis The Season
Happy Thanksgiving to those of you reading my blog. It is Thanksgiving that we celebrate today. As we begin looking forward to Christmas, and begin thinking of Christmas songs we enjoy, and love, I share some of my favorites.
Many of us have memories of sitting in front of TV watching cartoon Christmas specials. Christmas specials such as Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and many more. Those TV specials represented the joy of the season, and anticipation of Christmas day.
As we aged songs like Frosty The Snowman probably began finding its way out of our top 10 list of favorite songs. Still, this is the time of year when Christmas songs will be heard; you can`t escape them, but do you really want too? We grow in faith. Christmas songs such as Frosty The Snowman and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer are replaced by Christmas songs taking-on greater reason why we celebrate Christmas: The birth of Jesus Christ - Our Lord and Savior. In time, Frosty and Rudolph are replaced by traditional songs that celebrate Jesus, such as What Child Is This; Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel, and many other traditional Christmas songs.
Traditional songs such as Silent Night and We Three Kings are songs we sing during Christmas season, and represent in our faith the celebration, joy, and reverence we have for Jesus, and the holy birth. There are also non-traditional and secular songs that are also a joy to hear. Songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas are secular songs from the Peanuts series.
Vince Guaraldi`s songs for Christmas are not only for children to enjoy, but also adults. Christmas Time Is Here has to be one of my favorites; sacred or secular. Christmas season would not be complete without hearing Nat King Cole`s - The Christmas Song.
As a society we are blessed to have both sacred and secular Christmas Songs to sing and enjoy. Again, Happy Thanksgiving to all, and Merry Christmas.
Many of us have memories of sitting in front of TV watching cartoon Christmas specials. Christmas specials such as Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and many more. Those TV specials represented the joy of the season, and anticipation of Christmas day.
As we aged songs like Frosty The Snowman probably began finding its way out of our top 10 list of favorite songs. Still, this is the time of year when Christmas songs will be heard; you can`t escape them, but do you really want too? We grow in faith. Christmas songs such as Frosty The Snowman and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer are replaced by Christmas songs taking-on greater reason why we celebrate Christmas: The birth of Jesus Christ - Our Lord and Savior. In time, Frosty and Rudolph are replaced by traditional songs that celebrate Jesus, such as What Child Is This; Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel, and many other traditional Christmas songs.
Traditional songs such as Silent Night and We Three Kings are songs we sing during Christmas season, and represent in our faith the celebration, joy, and reverence we have for Jesus, and the holy birth. There are also non-traditional and secular songs that are also a joy to hear. Songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas are secular songs from the Peanuts series.
Vince Guaraldi`s songs for Christmas are not only for children to enjoy, but also adults. Christmas Time Is Here has to be one of my favorites; sacred or secular. Christmas season would not be complete without hearing Nat King Cole`s - The Christmas Song.
As a society we are blessed to have both sacred and secular Christmas Songs to sing and enjoy. Again, Happy Thanksgiving to all, and Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Bennie Maupin - From A Fan
Post-Bop and Avant-Garde Jazz Saxophonist Keith Gamble: Bennie Maupin - From A Fan: Before I began playing saxophone I was (and still am) a fan of Bennie Maupin. In elementary school I was playing clarinet. I continued ...
Bennie Maupin - From A Fan
Before I began playing saxophone I was (and still am) a fan of Bennie Maupin. In elementary school I was playing clarinet. I continued playing clarinet in junior high school; bouncing around at different times playing first or second chair clarinet, and bass clarinet.
It was 1973 when Herbie Hancock recorded Chameleon. On a New Years TV special bringing-in 1974, Herbie Hancock and Headhunters were featured on his hit - Chameleon. I was captivated. When the camera zoomed-in on Bennie Maupin, well, that was it! I had to play Saxophone!
That year I saved $400.00 from a news paper route I worked as a boy and purchase my first tenor saxophone. My first saxophone was an old York. I over paid for my first saxophone, but that $400.00 brought me closer to my hero, Bennie Maupin, and my joy and love of playing saxophone.
I continued following Bennie Maupin`s career, and being greatly influenced by Bennie Maupin throughout junior high, high school, and college. Of course, I had mentors overseeing my progress becoming a musician, as well as a fine human being. Mentors such as Ernest Rodgers, and Sam Sanders. It was through Sam Sanders I met Bennie Maupin.
In the early 1980`s, Sam Sanders was affiliated with the Detroit Jazz Center on Park and Elizabeth. Sam Sanders and Bennie Maupin were childhood friends, and Sam would speak of Bennie Maupin knowing I was his fan. Sam Sanders brought Bennie Maupin to the Detroit Jazz Center to play a weekend in Detroit, and you know I was there! I was captivated by Bennie Maupin.
After his performance, and as you would expect, I went to introduce myself to my musical hero of the saxophone. I presented myself to Bennie Maupin with an Afrocentric handshake, but he responded with a traditional handshake. I do not remember what I said, but whatever it was he was unimpressed. It was clear my musical hero did not feel about me as I felt about him. Was I disappointed; yes!
As time moved on I began establishing my musical career. Bennie Maupin has remain a major influence to my musical voice on saxophone, along with other influences such as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and John Coltrane, but my true heroes for my musical development are Ernest Rodgers and Sam Sanders; my teachers.
It was 1973 when Herbie Hancock recorded Chameleon. On a New Years TV special bringing-in 1974, Herbie Hancock and Headhunters were featured on his hit - Chameleon. I was captivated. When the camera zoomed-in on Bennie Maupin, well, that was it! I had to play Saxophone!
That year I saved $400.00 from a news paper route I worked as a boy and purchase my first tenor saxophone. My first saxophone was an old York. I over paid for my first saxophone, but that $400.00 brought me closer to my hero, Bennie Maupin, and my joy and love of playing saxophone.
I continued following Bennie Maupin`s career, and being greatly influenced by Bennie Maupin throughout junior high, high school, and college. Of course, I had mentors overseeing my progress becoming a musician, as well as a fine human being. Mentors such as Ernest Rodgers, and Sam Sanders. It was through Sam Sanders I met Bennie Maupin.
In the early 1980`s, Sam Sanders was affiliated with the Detroit Jazz Center on Park and Elizabeth. Sam Sanders and Bennie Maupin were childhood friends, and Sam would speak of Bennie Maupin knowing I was his fan. Sam Sanders brought Bennie Maupin to the Detroit Jazz Center to play a weekend in Detroit, and you know I was there! I was captivated by Bennie Maupin.
After his performance, and as you would expect, I went to introduce myself to my musical hero of the saxophone. I presented myself to Bennie Maupin with an Afrocentric handshake, but he responded with a traditional handshake. I do not remember what I said, but whatever it was he was unimpressed. It was clear my musical hero did not feel about me as I felt about him. Was I disappointed; yes!
As time moved on I began establishing my musical career. Bennie Maupin has remain a major influence to my musical voice on saxophone, along with other influences such as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and John Coltrane, but my true heroes for my musical development are Ernest Rodgers and Sam Sanders; my teachers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)