Archives for April 28, 2008

What an enjoyable gig Saturday night with Francesca Amari in Lowell, Michigan! Francesca is a wonderful vocalist with a sparkling personality, and she obtained superb rhythm section support from bassist Dave DeVos and keyboard player Wright McCarger. Drums? Nope, no drums. It”s interesting to see what you can do without them, and how their absence affects both one”s personal playing and the overall sound of the group. We seemed to do just fine, and the people certainly enjoyed us.\r\n\r\nThe event was a black-tie grand opening of a ballroom just north of town on Lincoln Lake Road. It was a well-attended soire, and between dinner and dancing, our quartet managed to cover a fair amount of ground stylistically.\r\n\r\nMy favorite playing format is the small combo. I love the freedom, the room to stretch. And I particularly enjoy backing up vocalists of Francesca”s caliber. While I love doing instrumentals, I don”t like a steady diet featuring me as the lead. I”d rather not be the only person carrying the melody; I like being a sideman, and I get as much a kick out of noodling around in the background–whether behind a singer or another instrument–as I do in standing out front. For that matter, I”m also quite content to sit out on a number for the sake of variety. Not every tune has to have a sax in it, or a sax solo. Taking a breather and letting the rest of the band carry a tune without me creates interest. It”s the principle of judicious subtraction, in which less becomes more.\r\n\r\nAnyway…what a blast! I could play that kind of a gig every weekend. Good musicians, good crowd, lovely location, great food…who could ask for more? Unless, that is, it”s more occasions like that one. Bring ”em on–I”ll take ”em!