Yoga Teacher, Gig as Leader, Practice List

As usual it's been a LONG time since my last update.  It's getting to the point where I need to stop apologizing for it.  Life gets very busy at times not just for me but for all of us.  Despite my inactivity on the site rest assured that I have still been playing, practicing, working on my craft and above all - enjoy this journey. 

My past few journal entries have been devoted to interviews of other players but I'd like to update you on what's going on with me.  Things have been busy and I'll try to summarize briefly below.

Yoga 

As many of you are aware I have been taking Yoga classes for some time.  I initially came to yoga with the desire to learn how to breathe properly.  That original quest lead me finding that yoga benefited me in so many other ways.  The Sanskrit word yoga means union - union of environment, the senses, body, mind, and soul.  Through a regular practice I came to experience this union and found it very beneficial. 

In late July I completed a very grueling Level 2 Yoga Teacher Training course at Spiritual Essence Yoga in Upper Marlboro, MD.  I originally entered the training with the idea of deepening my daily practice but after encouragement from my teacher and colleagues I have already begun teaching classes. 

It's been a wild and completely surprising ride but it feels just right.  Many of the things that I've learned on my mat - acceptance, staying in the present and practicing without self judgment - have transferred into my musical endeavors.  I think that is something we can all benefit from no matter what it is we are doing.

Special thanks to my teacher Dana Smith and all of my classmates (whom I now consider friends) for making training one of the most fulfilling things I've ever experienced! 

First Gig as Leader 

I've played in public several times but one thing I always wanted to do was to lead a gig myself.  In May I was given that opportunity when Spiritual Essence Yoga held a wine tasting event and I was asked to provide music.  I had been jamming occasionally with two cats and this felt like the perfect opportunity to step up to the plate and pursue a dream.  To say I was nervous was an understatement.  It's one thing to play under the name or protective umbrella of another.  To be the person calling the shots, making arrangements and calling the tunes is a much bigger responsibility.

I am happy to say that the gig went great and we were very well received.  I can list about 100 things that I wish I had done better but all and all it was a success.  I am looking forward to doing it again in the very near future. 

Below is a video of the group walking through the song "Triste" a week before the event.  The line up is Bobby Beall on guitar (he also provided vocals for the gig and he’s one of the best drummers you’ll ever hear), yours truly on flugelhorn and Mike Montgomery on bass.  I extend a very special thank you to these cats for taking this musical journey with me.  It was comforting to know I was working with two very skilled and seasoned musicians.  I look forward to our next gig together.

Both of these cats are members of the Kash Wright Trio.  I highly recommend checking them out when you have the opportunity.

The Practice Room

With regards to what I'm studying in the practice room, the list is short and sweet.  I find that if I have too many goals or tasks I become overwhelmed.  Below is a summary of what I've been working on:

1)  Learning Tunes - I've picked two tunes that I'm practicing daily.  First by memorizing the melody and playing it as pretty as possible, second by embellishing around the melody, third by playing arpeggios over the changes and finally just improvising.  Once I've worked on a tune for a month or so I move on to the next.

2)  Learning Licks/Patterns - this is a main stay in my practice.  It helps build my vocabulary and I also try to find ways to crosstrain...  you can work on tone and articulation while learning patterns killing two birds with one stone.  I usually practice these licks in all keys around the circle of 4ths or using Aebersold's Volume 3 (ii-V-I).  Sometimes the lick will come from a book but most of the time I just pull licks from a favorite tune.

3)  Transcribing - I don't do nearly enough of this but sometimes I will take a small piece of a tune or one chorus and learn it by ear.  I don't write anything down.  I just try to capture the feel of the player, their phrasing and sense of time.  It's like getting a lesson from Miles, Clifford, Kenny Dorham, Woody Shaw or Blue Mitchell!  What can be better than that?