Didn't blog last week... here are some of the rarer tunes I played at the market then:
Rags: Sunflower Slow Drag, The Entertainer
Choro: Vou Vivendo, Tico Tico
Klezmer: Bei Mir Mist du Schoen, Fun von der Khupe
Country: Any Old Time, Always Late, Forever and Always, Nine Pound Hammer
Musette: Alhambra, Mystererieuse, Cascades, Coeur Vagabond, Ca Gaze (first time there)
Classical: Minute Waltz (first time)
Other: Valse clogs, Jesse Polka (first time), Frieze Britches (first time, but I only remembered the first three sections)

Unplayed: Ma Yofus, Estudiantina, Radetzky March, Panama, La Paloma, Whistler's Dog (not ready), any tango, Sensation, Turpin rags, Teddy Bear Picnic, Marie Elena, Pineapple Rag

This past Saturday I did play Radetzky March but didn't have the A section at ready recall... played Sensation smoothly... Teddy Bear Picnic worked well... got all five sections of Frieze Britches... swing tunes like Basin Street Blues, Blues for Dixie, more vocals (Sitting On Top of the World). Both weeks had the normal two-hour first set and another set after breakfast.

The practice these past two weeks has been different... lots of swing tunes (Blue Skies and Honeysuckle Rose particularly)... keep working on El Choclo... Humoreske... much less playing from score. Great attention to getting big fat notes which plop perfectly into place, with distinction made to the duration and envelope of each note. On the classical tunes I've been playing them looser, with more meaning, and have been working on inner voices (supporting notes beneath the melody on the right hand). On the iPod I've been listening to tunes I haven't rated or listened to yet, realizing this eliminates norteno, musette, klezmer.

I've been reading Gunther Schuller on Jelly Roll Morton, but haven't played his material this week... also reading Charlie Parker solos before dropping off to sleep.

Last Sunday was the East Bay potluck, and I played both box and brushes. I led tunes Panhandle Rag, Moonglow and Detour, but held off on more because the rhythm speeded up when some of the guitarists figured out some of the chords.... ;-)

I'm trying to figure out some way to get to Caffe Trieste late Saturday mornings in hopes of catching some of the acoustic players. From Nicola Swinburne's site I learned that Bruce Zweig has some MP3s of Matteo Casserino which I'm downloading this weekend... it's good to hear that tremolo and sense of timing again.
posted by macromed5 at 10:27 AM