It’s nights like last night that remind me how much I LOVE to play the saxophone! There’s nothing like a small combo of good players to bring out the best in me. Hopefully I help bring out the best in them, too, but in any case, the guys Friday evening brought me into my Zone.

The gig belonged to drummer Brad Dawson, and the event was his sister’s wedding reception. Brad is a superb all-around musician whom I had a chance to play with briefly before he moved to California well over ten years ago. He was a 17-year-old kid back then, but already he was playing a whole lot of drums and immersing himself deeply in jazz. He’s been back in town for while now, and tonight we finally got a chance to make some decent music together.

As for the rest of the musicians, Bob Van Stee played piano and Matt Herradia laid the bass foundation. Joining me on the front line was a flugelhorn/trumpet player whose name, I regret to say, escapes me. I wish I had his card, because he played very nicely. I  liked his use of space, particularly because my own approach tends to be an aggressive, hard bop style. It’s a pleasure when another player’s concept provides enough contrast from my own that it makes me think and gives me ideas.

The setting was the second floor ballroom in the Saint Cecilia Music Society building in downtown Grand Rapids. It’s a wonderful place for company parties and wedding receptions, and with two Steinway grand pianos on its stage, you’d think it would also be a great room to play in. But the acoustics are such that the sound seems to evaporate immediately after it leaves the musicians’ instruments. I had to really listen in order to hear Bob on the piano, and Matt’s bass came across as an indistinct thumping, though he was only six or seven feet behind me.

For all that, it was a very enjoyable evening playing straight-ahead jazz. Other than Brad, the musicians are guys I haven’t played with before, though I’ve known about Bob VanStee for years. I love that kind of situation. There’s something about jazz that connects people who previously were strangers. You can tell when a person has paid his or her dues, and you sense an unspoken camaraderie, a mutual appreciation. You hear different ideas, new ways of doing things, and you learn from them.

And of course, getting paid is always nice!