I'll be in Italy for A Percussion Festival next September. We are also setting up some gigs for after the festival! There is a vibe competition at this festival. Check out the post here.
Here's why Mike Mainieri is playing solo here. It was right after 9/11. All flights were cancelled. Mike left 2 days before 9/11. So the band could not make it! Very sad.
It's Mike Manieri giving a solo concert. It's pretty incredible.
I always wonder how someone fills an hour by themselves on stage. Friedman does it and would love if he talked about it. He cheats and plays the wood. I know that. So does Mike do it here.
I've been working on this tune with different time feels since I've been preparing for a tour and CD with the wonderful Czech singer, Martina Bartova. I'm posting a very slow, kind of dreamy version with lots of space. I've recorded several versions so maybe in a couple of days I'll post a version containing fast arpeggio-like figures over the harmonies of the tune.
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!
