Live Eyes for the Armchair Storm Chaser

They look pretty dramatic, those images of a large tornado approaching Indianapolis. The guy who posted them in Stormtrack wrote, “I have a large collection of webcam links…As major events happened around the country, I would search for webcams in the vicinity of it…One example is when the May 30, 2004 tornado went through the south side of Indianapolis. Using WTHR Channel 13”s traffic cams, I was able to catch the tornado on the still images they display. Three are from WTHR”s traffic cams and the fourth is from a skycam, looking southeast towards the tornado.”

I”ve seen a number of similar dramatic shots of tornadoes and severe weather captured by station cameras in various locations. I”ve also noticed more and more storm chasers posting links to camera locations as weather was rolling into a given area. “Gee,” I found myself thinking, “wouldn”t it be cool if some Stormtrack member created a database of webcam links across the U.S. that everyone could instantly access rather than having to hunt around for the right links?”

You know where this goes from here, right? When it”s your own idea, you”ve already found your volunteer. There is now a sticky thread on Stormtrack for a webcam database, marked “under construction.” I”ve got the list organized and the first few links pasted in. So it”s in its initial, rough stages. Where it goes from here will be interesting to see and will depend largely on the feedback and contributions of Stormtrack members. My idea from the start was that the list would be a community project. It may even wind up including mobile cams that some chasers take with them. Click on one of those and you”ll be right there on the chase, watching the weather unfold before your eyes. Okay, so it”s not the same thing as actually being there–but when you can”t be, it”s nice to have a way of still getting in on the action.

I”ve included all of the forty-eight contiguous states in the list. Some of those states may get scrapped along the way. The main interest will be centered around tornado alley, and I expect the most links will be found in states in that region. Kansas, yes. Oklahoma, fershur. Maine…mmm, not exactly a hotbed for storm chasing. But you never know. Every area has its own brand of weather, and since this project will be ongoing, there”s no telling what may turn up us it continues to grow and evolve.

Too many times I”ve experienced the frustration of sitting at home, staring at the radar on my computer at a severe weather outbreak unfolding three states away, gnawing my knuckles and thinking, “Man, I wish I was there!” A lot of other storm chasers know that feeling. Maybe this will help. When you”re stuck with chasing from the armchair, it”s nice to have live eyes out in the field.

December 12, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Life, Storm Chasing

Michael Brecker

Eleven months have elapsed since the passing of tenor sax giant Michael Brecker. The following is excerpted from the news section of the official Michael Brecker website:

JANUARY 13, 2007 – Following a two and a half year battle with MDS and then leukemia, Michael passed away. A memorial service occurred at a packed Town Hall in New York City on February 20th. Michael was lovingly remembered in words by Susan, Jessica, Sam and Randy Brecker, as well as Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Dave Liebman and Darryl Pitt. In addition, Joey Calderazzo, James Genus and Jeff “Tain” Watts performed with Randy. John Patitucci and Jack DeJohnette performed with Herbie–who also performed with Paul Simon. Pat performed a solo piece which he composed for Michael more than twenty-five years ago.

Few tenor sax players have been as widely emulated as Michael Brecker. His sound and his approach were instantly recognizable, and his mastery of his instrument was legendary.

I first became aware of Michael and his brother, trumpeter Randy Brecker, years ago in college, with the release of a Brecker Brothers album titled Heavy Metal Bebop. I caught up with Michael next through Chic Corea”s Three Quartets. That record opened my eyes to just how much music four world-class players could generate in an acoustical format. Michael”s quicksilver technique, intensity, and overall musicality amazed me then, and they have done so ever since. Mike had the ability to play consistently at a dazzlingly high level, spinning out fresh, jewel-like musical statements with clarity, precision, and soul.

Brecker debuted in New York at age twenty-one in the group Dreams with his older brother, Randy. He evolved into one of the most coveted side-men in the music industry, and eventually went on to produce ten of his own recordings. Mike”s early style derived from rock guitar as well as jazz, and developed over the years into his trademark inside-outside approach. His eclectic tastes led him into a sweeping array of musical associations. A brief sampler of different artists and groups he has worked with reads like a who”s who of both jazz and rock: Herbie Hancock, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Chic Corea, Chet Baker, Steely Dan, Pat Metheny, Lou Reed, George Benson, Dire Straits, McCoy Tyner, Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton, Aerosmith, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, Frank Zappa, Bruce Springsteen, and Parliament-Funkadelic.

The music world lost a true luminary with Michael”s passing. Thankfully, Michael leaves us an exhaustive body of work to admire and learn from–and above all, to enjoy.

Thank you, Michael. You were gifted–and you were a gift.

December 11, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Event, Jazz, Life, Music, Recording, Saxophone

In Praise of a Good Beer–After the Gig

Alpena, Michigan, has a good brewpub, the Fletcher Street Brewery. It also has the Northern Lights Arena, where I”ll be playing tonight with the Rhythm Section Jazz Band. I call that a fine combination: a fun gig followed by a beer worth drinking. As a dabbler in homebrewing, and having a best friend who is growing into a marvel at the craft, I love a good beer–the operative word being good.

At Pauly”s, one of my favorite beer stores located in Lowell, I marvel whenever I see people standing in line with a twelve-pack of Bud. Pauly”s has an incredible selection of craft brews. When I step inside, I instantly feel like a kid in a candy store. Stacy, Pauly”s wife and an avid homebrewer, has done a fantastic job of stocking their store with a huge array of truly beautiful ales, lagers, and lambics. Going there to buy mass-produced American Pilsner is like going to a Bass Pro Shop to purchase a twenty-dollar fishing pole. Sure, you can buy one there, but for a few more bucks you can do a whole lot better.

But I digress. What I want to point out is the progression from gig to brew. I can”t say for sure that I”ll make it to the Fletcher Street Brewery tonight–the gig ends late, and I”m feeling under the weather as it is–but I can just about guarantee that while I”m on the job, I won”t be drinking. On rare occasions, I may have a single draft if I come across something that piques my curiosity, but one is my limit. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I”m a bottled water or ginger ale man. I like to keep my faculties sharp so I can play my best. That”s my personal preference. From my perspective, professionalism involves showing up not only with my instrument, but also with a clear mind.

Not that I have a problem with fellow musicians who imbibe. I do have a problem with musicians who get drunk on the job. Most, however, are responsible people who play just fine and don”t go beyond the pale. My point isn”t to moralize, but to define a priority. The music comes first.

When I”m on the job, I”m there to play–and I love to play. There are few things I”d rather do. Everything else can wait. Fletcher Street Brewery will still be there tonight when I”m finished. I look forward to sampling their IPA!

December 8, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Event, Jazz, Life, Music, Saxophone, Weddings

Storms of 2007 charity DVD and the Greensburg Tornado

I just ordered The Storms of 2007 DVD. Featuring contributions from some of today”s top storm chasers, this disc takes you for a dramatic ride through the intense 2007 severe weather season. You can count on top-quality production and incredible videography that will bring you face to face with some of the world”s most violent, beautiful, and fascinating weather.

But here”s the best part: one hundred percent of your twenty dollars goes to disaster relief.

According to the website, “The Storms of 2007 is the 4th addition to the popular Storms of 200X series. Starting in 2004, Greg Stumpf and Jim Ladue introduced a charity project to help people affected by severe weather. Storm chasers from across the United States pulled together to produce an exciting and award winning charity DVD.”

Among the storms featured in this video is the history-making May 4 Greensburg tornado. Striking after dark, this nearly two-mile-wide monster virtually obliterated the southwest Kansas town of Greensburg. Thankfully, due to today”s sophisticated warning system, the vigilance of chasers and spotters, and a sharp and gutsy Dodge City NWS forecaster who snapped the imperiled community to high alert with a timely “tornado emergency” broadcast text, the loss of life, while tragic, was remarkably low. Not many years ago, the toll could very conceivably have been in the hundreds.

The Greensburg tornado became the first tornado to receive an EF-5 rating under NOAA”s (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admnistration) new Enhanced Fujita Scale, which replaced the familiar F Scale in February of this year. Greensburg was also a storm that demonstrated the storm chasing community at its best as chasers hot on the trail of the tornado shifted from chase mode to first-response emergency relief.

Storm chasers come from all walks of life. Many are meteorologists, met students, and media personnel. Others are volunteer firemen, physicians, and EMTs. Many more, such as me, are simply decent people who will do whatever we can to help. The dark side of our hobby brings out the best of what we have to contribute as people caring for other people. In the immediate aftermath of a tornado, caring may consist of clearing a road of debris, helping to direct traffic, providing emergency medical care, or simply getting the heck out of the way so relief work can proceed unimpeded.

nFarther down the road, caring may take the form of a charity DVD. Kudos to the producers and contributors who have offered the best of their time, expertise, and material to make The Storms of 2007 happen. I can”t wait to get my copy. And I”m blessed to have this means of making a difference in my own small way. I hope you”ll take advantage of it as well.

December 6, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Life, Storm Chasing

Saxual Development: Growing as a Player

In the earlier stages of my development as a sax player, I used a voluminous amount of written material for my practice sessions. Scales, patterns, chord studies, solo transcriptions, high note exercises–they all came out of the books. I had a gazillion books, a regular saxophone library.

Today, while I still have a few books that I pull out from time to time, most of my library is now boxed away. The books have served their purpose, namely, to get the material off the page and into my head and my muscle memory. Those faculties are now developed to a point where I prefer to devise my own excercises and patterns, which I hash out in all twelve keys without the aid of paper. After all, that’s the goal, right? To internalize musical building blocks and ideas so well that they pour forth spontaneously and effortlessly. Developing the mind-body connection in a way that produces skilled musical craftsmanship and great music takes time and hard work. But the results…ah! Creativity. Freedom of expression. Growing ability to execute ideas fluidly and convincingly. Those are the payoff.

My practice sessions today are now mostly conducted using my head and my horn. The written–i.e. visual–resources have been a boon, though, and I still resort to them freely when I need to. There’s always something new to learn and someone I can learn it from. In particular, the Internet has opened up a world of information and study tools, and today”s saxophonist has access to everything from web-based lessons, to forums on various makes of horns and mouthpieces, to jazz theory, to vintage saxophones, and much, much more.

If you’re a sax player and are not aware of Sax on the Web, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It’s a virtual clearing house of sax-related information, with lessons and input from top pros as well as forums for student and working-class sax players. Also, take a look at the website of sax clinician and educator Tim Price. Besides free online exercises that will help you build your jazz technique, Tim also offers reasonably priced distance-learning lessons.

The information and educational tools available to musicians these days are incredible. In the end, though, they can’t take the place of the ability to think and the willingness to work hard. There’s no getting around the woodshed. Practice with focus–and play with heart.

December 5, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Jazz, Life, Music

Live Jazz to Fit Your Budget

Whether you’re planning a wedding reception or private party, or looking for background music for your dinner club, a jazz combo is a great way to add a touch of sonic ambience. And the good news is, you don”t have to drain your budget in order to find something you”ll like.

How much band can you get for your buck? It depends. Seasoned musicians will typically command a higher price. Younger players may be less expensive; however, you”ll want to consider the potential trade-off in quality. There truly are some incredible young musicians, but as a general rule, you”ll get what you pay for.

However, no law says you”ve got to hire a full entourage. You may do just fine with a duo, such as a piano and vocalist or solo instrument. That can be a particularly effective solution if you”re concerned about the amount of space you”ve got to work with.

Of course, you”ll be sacrificing something in the way of sound. Add a bassist and the keyboard player will thank you. You”ll be freeing up his left hand, and you”ll love the added fullness and inventiveness that result. Plus, a trio is still small enough to offer economy of space.

If you”re dealing with a big event, though–a wedding reception, for example–you”ll probably want at least a quartet. Drums adds drive and energy that will take your listening experience up to the next level, and when it comes to setting a beat for dancing, a drummer is indispensable. Of course, in such circumstances, space isn”t likely to be a concern for you.

In a nutshell…

* Consider your needs, your options, your limitations, and the tradeoffs.

* Consult with the band leader. He or she may offer suggestions that fit your unique circumstances.

* Finally, at the risk of stating the obvious, plan well in advance and budget for what you’ll be delighted with, not what you can get by with. You’ll love the payoff as your guests compliment you over and over on the fantastic band!

December 4, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Event, Jazz, Music, Saxophone, Weddings

“They’re Playing Our Song”

It’s your wedding reception and it’s your money. So the band you hire should have no problem with playing your song. You know: the one you and your sweetheart pick for the first dance. The one that sets the tone for the dance floor. That, and any other song you particularly like.

Of course, you need to take a few steps to ensure that you get what you’re hoping for. Here is some sound advice from The Knot: “Explain what you’re thinking about in terms of musical selections….If there’s a song you really want to incorporate and [the band doesn’t] know it, they should be willing to learn from sheet music you provide them. If they’re resistant to the idea, find out if it’s because they think it won’t work with the instrument (they are, after all, more in the know than you; ask them to come up with some doable alternatives of a similar style). Or if it”s a case of just because, this is the time to do the cha-cha out the door.”

Assuming you’ve decided to engage a jazz combo for the live music at your reception, let me expand on the above with a few pointers:

* Discuss with the band leader well in advance which tunes you’d particularly like to have. If the leader doesn’t have a certain tune in his or her selection, then the two of you can work out how you’ll obtain a lead sheet for the band. Alternatively, you can describe what you”re looking for and ask for suggestions.

* Be realistic about your expectations. Jazz bands can be quite flexible, but they”re still jazz bands, not variety bands. If it’s a ballad you’re looking for, such as “Tenderly” or “My Funny Valentine”; or if it”s a swing standard a la “Take the A Train” or “Just Friends,” then you”re in the sweet zone. On the other hand, “Free Bird” probably isn”t in the repertoire.

That’s a general rule of thumb. Each band has its own degree of flexibility.

* Exploit the versatility. Good jazz bands are uniquely adept at creatively reinterpreting tunes. So…”Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise”: is it a ballad, a bossa, or a swing tune? Answer: It can be just about anything you want it to be. The band may make that choice spontaneously in performance, but you can capitalize on the possibilities. Maybe you”ve got a favorite tune that you”d like to hear done a bit differently. No problem. Just ask.

December 4, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Event, Jazz, Music, Saxophone, Weddings

Practicing Altered Dominants

I had a blast playing in church this morning! Most praise team music isn’t complex; it”s primarily diatonic stuff that gives me a chance to work extensively in a particular key center, hashing out pentatonic licks, bebop scales, and so forth. It felt particularly good to be playing nice lines in the altissimo register–like, “Hey! I can actually get around up here!”

But this evening in my practice session, I drilled down into more complex material. Last year I was working heavily on my diminished whole-tone scales. More recently, I”ve been hammering out my Jewish scale, which is one name I”ve heard applied to the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale. I”ve been running the same digital patterns over both scales, working my way around the circle of fifths to develop facility in every key.

Both the DWT and Jewish scales have built-in tones that work perfectly with altered dominant chords. But each scale has its own very distinctive sound. So I”m now implementing a new approach in my practicing that will help me integrate the two scales fluidly, so I can rapidly shift from one to the other. Tonight, I took the tone center of Bb and worked on both scales in it. I chose Bb because I find it to be one of the more challenging tone centers for these scales, particularly for the Jewish scale.

Challenging is good. I like “challenging”–particularly when I can feel the results settling into both my fingers and my ability to hear more colorful melodies and note choices. Love those flat ninths and flat sixths! It takes work to get them onto my palette, but I really value having the ability to toss them onto the musical canvas when and how I choose.

Growth: there’s no end to it in music. There’s always something to learn, some new discipline to work on. The endless demands of mastering an instrument can be frustrating at times. But they’re also one of the things that, for me, make playing the sax so fulfilling.

December 2, 2007 by
Filed Under: Entertainment, Jazz, Life, Music, Saxophone

Supercell Deficiency Syndrome

You’ve heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), right? Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s kid stuff compared to Supercell Deficiency Syndrome (SDS), a condition unique to storm chasers.

If you’re not obsessed with wild convective weather, you’ll think I’m crazy, but storm chasers know exactly what I’m talking about. You pine for warm temperatures, rich dewpoints, and high CAPE. You crack open your front door on a windy day just to enjoy the shear created by the draft. You empty a feather pillow in front of an electric fan and yell, “We have debris!” You”re desperate.

Me too.

A few minutes ago, I looked out the window to see snow flying across the parking lot here at my apartment. Yes, snow. You know: the stuff we Michiganians wax rhapsodic over at this time of year. “O lovely snow!” we say, omitting the “h” in true poetic fashion. “Lo, how it joyously pirouettes like myriad ballerinas from the soft November ether.” We love snow.

By February, though, our opinion of snow has modified somewhat, as have the adjectives we use to describe it. Snow is no longer soft white dancers twirling gracefully earthward. It is frozen pigeon poop in flake form plopping out of the sky to cover the roads with slush and ice. We no longer say, “Look at the lovely snow!” We say, “Look at that $%@& filthy white crud!” We hate snow.

Today, I notice that the snow is accompanied by wind, which as a general rule I”m fond of, but not at this time of year. Wind in April is glorious; wind in November is freekin” coooooold! I think to myself, “Four months before storm season.” Then I think, “Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

Okay, well, by now you”ve gotten a feel for the kind of guy I am. Positive. Creative. Motivated. Do you think for a minute that I intend to spend this winter languishing indoors, cocooning myself in the throes of SDS, weeping and pining away for the lack of decent storm chasing weather? Yup, that’s the plan. No, wait a minute…I mean, no way! I’m an upbeat kinda guy, a regular little sunbeam, so of course I have a goal for these next few months. I”m going to use them to bone up on my forecasting skills. I’ve contacted the National Weather Service here in Grand Rapids, and I”m making arrangements with a couple of the meteorologists there to give my two storm chasing partners and I a little coaching. I”m totally serious about this. I”m hoping that by the time the 2008 storm season begins to roll in sometime around March, my buddies and I will know a lot more about severe weather forecasting. We didn”t do bad in 2007, not for three lads from Michigan. But I”d like to do better this coming year. I’d like to be equipped to make better, more knowledgeable judgment calls in the face of the constantly shifting atmosphere. I know enough now to realize that, when all is said and done, some decisions will still be a flip of the coin. It’ll just be a better-informed flip.

Okay, okay, enough on that, eh? I’ve grown into an incorrigible weather freak, and some of the stuff I””ve written is probably gobbledegook to you. That”s one of the joys of learning: building up a huge stockpile of terminology to sling around, thereby impressing myself with my vast knowledge and boring the crap out of everyone else.

In all seriousness, I miss the storms. I really do. They make me come alive in a very special, wonderful way. But Supercell Deficiency Syndrome or not, I”ll make it through this winter–and you will too. These next few months are just a reminder that life has its seasons. And, like you, I have things to keep me occupied. Besides educating myself in weather, I hope to get more involved in my church and build my writing and music businesses. I’d like to make this frozen season a fruitful one. By God”s grace, I will.

So maybe winter isn’t such a bad thing after all.

But snow is still frozen pigeon poop. That”s my opinion, and I”m stickin” to it like bird turds on cold pavement.

November 27, 2007 by
Filed Under: Humor, Life, Storm Chasing

From the Heart

Whew! Back from Dallas, where my mother, sister, and I spent Thanksgiving with my brother Brian, sister-in-law Cheryl, and new–and first-ever–nephew, Samuel. This trip down there was my introduction to Sam, and I must say, he”s cute as a button. Handsome, too, and with gobs of personality. I would go so far as to say that, when it comes to all-around, world-class winsomeness, this little guy has monopolized the market. He”s certainly got his mom and dad wrapped around his little finger, not to mention his grandma and aunt. As for me, well…”Uncle Bob” (gotta get used to that concept!) found himself feeling unashamedly moist around the eyes as he sat there in the couch, looking down at that sleeping little black-haired baby boy cradled in his arms.

This is my third blog posting on a website dedicated to jazz and the saxophone, and frankly, I don”t feel like writing about either. Music, after all, is just a slice of something much larger called “life,” and at its best, music gives voice in some way to what life is about.

When I was a young man, I defined so much of life, and myself, by music. I saw through a very narrow lens. But the lens has grown much bigger as I”ve gotten older. My playing has improved–but more importantly, by the grace of God, so have my heart and my outlook on life. A long history of shaping experiences somehow filters in to inform the stuff I play and–when I slip on my singer/songwriter hat–the songs I write, infusing them with an added dimension, a richness I hope my listeners can feel.

In a strange way, as music becomes less consuming, it becomes more meaningful. The less that music is its own message, the more it has something to say. It becomes a voice for many things. In some way, from now on, little Samuel will find his way to and through my horn. Not through any conscious effort on my part, I”m sure. But there will be a little more gentleness, an added dash of laughter, an extra playfulness, a deeper sense of wonder, and a touch of sadness as well, all with Sam”s wide, innocent brown eyes behind them.

Life is a long song. May we play it sincerely, passionately, and well.

L’chaim!

November 24, 2007 by
Filed Under: Jazz, Life, Music, Saxophone
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