Anonymous

So, in this chapter of mic wars, there is a clear winner and it is not the mics or the signal path. It is the Omega vibraphone. Tony brought his over to my place and we recorded a couple of short passes so I could work out some kinks in some of my new recording hardware without playing at the same time. The nearly complete lack of noise, the beautiful pure tone of the instrument, and Tony's playing together gave a perfect backdrop to test the mics, because all the tests sounded good.

Here's the gear involved...

Since we're talking about chord melodies I thought I'd play a tune that I love to play. Since it's a ballad I can do a rubato kind of thing and take my time!

Are you working on a tune? Post it here and let me see a chord melody/solo tune from you.

Milt Jackson along with Cedar Walton, Ray Brown and Mickey Roker from 1984 performance at JazzFest Hamburg. The excellent rhythm section provides solid support for Milt on both tunes. This is one of my favorite versions of It Don't Mean A Thing, done at a slower tempo with a strong blues feeling. By the way Milt Jackson's birthday was January 1.

Michael

This is a great piece.

I love when in the middle he stops of a bar and then picks it back up!

Pretty cool!

For Sale: Malletech 3.0 Octave Omega Vibraphone with Motor, Serial #4, $4,100. One owner. Hardly used by a beginner who did not progress. Originally purchased December 2013. I have two sets of wings for this machine and the tuning bar. Must be picked up, not shipped. Contact LeAnn Swieczkowski in Charlotte, NC at 704-560-4322 or lski1817@gmail.com.

So, two mallets. I think what is interesting is how low his hands are. A good lesson for us all. You can’t play soft with high hands and you have no dynamics if you can’t play soft. I see that as the biggest problem with 4 mallets. The mallets are too hard and the hands are too high. No dynamics and that plinky sound. Often technically and harmonically impressive, but lacking in musicality.

This is amazing and I actually got a little choked up to come online and 8 other mini concerts! It's a chance for us to perform and us to listen. Mini concerts are when you play 2 or more pieces with out stopping.

So with this mini concert you can sit and listen to about a concerts worth of vibe players performing. It's incredible to me and such a statement of dedication. Preparing for this is as challenging as preparing to play a few tunes on an actual concert. As far as work, there's not much difference.