My take on the Workshop

I had a great time at the Philly workshop and this was for many reasons. First just hanging with guys and talking about the instrument for 2 days was great. However I also like being an observer and watching Joe, Dana and Mike do their thing, and see people getting excited.

Just to see the participants digging the classes was a thrill, because I know that guys are going home to practice, and I know that they left inspired. That's a huge deal.

I think for the participants to engage with Joe and listen to his music and to his stories was very important. I think Joe is a great spokesman for our instrument. As he pointed out, to be 50, and to be voted this year's rising star is a great thing. It means he's on the move. As he played for us, and we listened to his music, it's obvious he is. Which to me means, he's just growing and growing, and playing and playing.

Because of the site, I have become great friends with Joe to the point where we joke around about being brothers. I have enormous love and respect for him, not only as a person and a player, but for how he presents our instrument and how he presents the music! It's easy to get caught up technically on this instrument and forget about your soul! And I think Joe pointed that out at the workshop. That's what I especially loved about this workshop, that the soul was mentioned all the time. Saying something!

Joe gave a great workshop about "stair climbing." He showed us how to do it, then played his versions of it, via the vibes and his cds, and then showed us Bobby Hutcherson doing this. We saw the path, and we saw it developed. This was totally great. Joe rocks! He's inspiring and totally hip.

Dana did a great Latin workshop, and what I liked most about it, was how he got everybody involved with it. Dana is a true workhorse and doesn't stop practicing and studying and playing. It was great to finally meet Dana and hang with him. He sounded great! I also found out that he's a Black Belt so, make a mental note everyone, don't pick a fight with Dana!

Mike is a great young vibe player, who is taking what's new and developing it, and he demonstrated that. I have a lot of respect for Mike and his playing and it's really cool to see the instrument in such good hands.

Also in attendance was Randy Sutin, who is our Zen master and a great vibe player! Randy is a very musically open-minded person. If I state a rule about improv, I can see Randy going.... hmmmmm...... what about this. I wish there was more time, because Randy is a true master of the instrument, and I would have loved to have him give a workshop. His approach to the instrument is something we should all check out.

Our site's programmer was here as well. Besides being a super-brain, Stephen Hambright is a great percussionist and an up and coming vibe player. It was great for everyone to meet him! Stephen is a great friend and a great talent in his own right. This site would NOT EXIST without him, that's for certain. I couldn't do this without him.

The final hang was great as well. This is the best part for me, where we all come together. This is the S(*t!!!! To have pros and aspiring players in the room all playing together is what this site is all about. It really brings the music and this instrument to a good place.

I think the vibraphone could easily be way more popular in the percussion world than it is now. I think this is an instrument developed around jazz. We have the Burton grip, which was developed with the vibes in mind, like the Steven's grip was developed with the marimba in mind.

I think once people are shown the world of improv first hand, our instrument looks way cooler and cooler. This is an incredible instrument. Look at our lineage! Lionel, Milt, Gary. Here are our masters on the axe. They cut down the path for the rest of us. Just think about that. Three incredible jazz cats are what our history is made of. To me, that is so hip. That blows me away. This instrument is made from Jazz and improv. I used to think that this instrument would eventually die out. To me, this instrument is the hippest percussion instrument that we have, and if we all come together and start playing this thing really well, we'll kick ass and really create a scene, and a following. It's really a simple thing. And that's what these workshops are for in my opinion. To recruit players, get them serious, and then send them out into the world and show people how hip and swinging this instrument is.

The theme for this workshop was that, with a final "Don't forget the passion when you go out there!"

What people did for this workshop was incredible. While this was not a financial success for anyone, it has lain the path for the site's mission for this instrument. Everybody gave so much, I can't believe it.

So look out mallet world! Here comes BACK the vibraphone!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

IMHO