It's been a bit of a busy week, and I'm not being too careful with my elbow - no ice-downs, no medications, just a stubborn, old codger, "tough it out, sonny" approach. And at church today, a mad strum-fest on "Come to the Water" didn't help matters any. (I'm all for giving credit where credit is due, but "Come to the Water" lists 12 people in the songwriting credits, or two people for each chord used in the song. The lyrics aren't exactly Dylanesque, either. Twelve people? Have fun cashing your songwriting royalty checks, guys.)
I finally made a Twangdogs rehearsal on Monday and was a bit surprised to learn that we're planning on recording a demo in about a month. I've never really been in a recording studio before - one time I went to a weekend seminar at a studio that really did voice-over work, and I've visited Jim Tullio's studio in Evanston (http://www.otbrecords.com/studio.html), but I've never really done any recording work. I know little of the recording process, other than it can be brutally painstaking, so I plan on bringing a book or two for a four-hour session. We're looking at a few new songs to add to our repertoire, including one where I use only my feet - bass - hi-hat - bass - hi-hat - and that suits me fine. A seven-member band can go from zero to wall-of-sound in two seconds flat, and since I'm a little partial to having a little space in music, I'm content to play as little as possible, or not at all if the situation arises.
Two weeks ago I was approached by John Mead to help out on some of his classes. I'm already sitting in with the Disco ensemble, but I was also asked to help out on the Bad Boys of Rock ensemble. Last session was tartan-era Rod Stewart, this session is Al Green and Steve Winwood, two people I wouldn't really associate with the term "Bad Boys." Al Green may have been before that pot of boiling grits dumped down his back steered him towards Gospel, and if leaving school and having a hit at age 16 makes you a Bad Boy, then I guess Winwood falls in that category.
The class is an interesting juxtaposition in styles. With the Al Green songs there is a very steady 4/4 pattern (courtesy of Al Jackson Jr., known as "The Human Timekeeper" for his work with Booker T. and the M.G.s, among others). I enjoy playing the songs because 1) it's Al Green ('nuf said), and 2) it's a good exercise in staying in the pocket. Songs like "Let's Stay Together" or "Take Me to the River" tend to propel themselves, and I think it's my job to help the other musicians on the beat. No reason to get fancy on these tunes.
One Steve Winwood tune we worked on was "Time Is Running Out" from his first solo album. That album got fairly slagged in the media, and I'm not sure why. I think it may have been a bit of a misfortune to release an album in 1977 that wasn't punk or disco. The album may have been a victim more of the zeitgeist than anything else. But again, this is another "stay in the pocket" songs that allows the other musicians to stretch a little, but I keep the anchor so it all sounds tight.
The other song? "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys." As Ian Hunter says in "All the Young Dudes," "I've been waiting to do this for years." "Low Spark" is, to me, the definitive jazz-rock fusion song. It has the structure of rock and the syncopated rhythm and improvisational expanse of jazz. In playing that song I found myself thinking differently than on other songs - putting myself a bar or two ahead, planning a fill here or a steady beat there. "Am I too loud on the ride? Am I using the same fill too often?" It can be a bit distracting since I love the song itself, and I may be best off just listening to the others and letting the music direct me.
Still, it's a song that I like so much that I hope we don't overdo it. But if we do, it's like o.d.'ing on pepperoni pizza or barbecue - it's a lovely way to go!
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