Thursday, July 17, 2008

back to it...

Previously written and posted a few days after the fact:

France, Germany, and the Nederlands. A lot has happened in the last week. I am writing on a plane headed to Roma. My stomach anticipates what this country(Italy) has to offer, in a culinary sense. I'm also hoping to be introduced to some talented musicians in Italy. The day we arrived in Vienne, France, I split from the main group of people with Mr. Barranco to go try and catch the Maria Schneider orchestra soundcheck. We managed our way backstage, only to run into Rich Perry, a favorite tenor player of mine. He recognized us from coming to perform with the band in Denton this past fall. It was great hanging out and chatting for a while. He was with a friend of his from Paris, a novice saxophonist. During the soundcheck, Rich's friend and I talked for awhile. He had a lot to say about the Euro jazz scene. He spoke very highly of Italian saxophonists. I hope to cross the paths of these great musicians and maybe get to play with them.

Our time in the Netherlands was very enjoyable. It was nice to acutally stay in one place for more than a day. Living out of a suitcase is quite an experience. The North Sea Jazz Festival was a crazy happening, a musical circus of sorts! The venue had up to 14 stages with music going on at the same time. We had the earliest time slot on our stage. This was a blessing in disguise because it allowed for a proper soundcheck and also left our evening free to see more of the performers. We had a great crowd at this show. The people were very engaged, which is always nice. The set went well and I imagine a good recording will come from it. The rest of the evening, we all roamed the massive complex soaking up all of the sounds. I heard some inspiring performances and got to meet and talk with a lot of the artists. Thanks to our artist wrist badges, we could walk backstage and interact with many of the other musicians. Musicians tend to have strong/unique personalities. It is always interesting meeting the person behind the horn/music and see what it is like to hold a conversation with them. The trend for jazz festivals to include other genres of music is widespread. This was the case at North Sea, but they had such a wide variety of music, much of it very great.

After a little over a week of performing in Europe, I anticipate future trips for myself. The audiences seem to be a lot more receptive on average. People seem to value cultural experiences more here. I wish U.S. audiences were the same. It is very clear to me know why so many of my favorite U.S. musicians spend so much time performing overseas.

The next few days we have off. The chance to play has become the highlight after long hours spent traveling on a bus, plane, or just waiting.

So what does Italy hold for us? We all successfully made it out of Holland. Roma here we come. This band hangs just like it performs, hard. Italian espresso, gelati, and pasta....can't wait!

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