Chris Isaak in Minneapolis

Went to see Chris Isaak at the Orpheum Theater last night, courtesy of some friends who kindly supplied the tickets. Really a great show, what a fabulous entertainer. Oddly enough, the sound guys didn't do a very good job. The bass guitar and bass drum were way heavy, while the lead guitar could hardly be heard in the first half of the set. The more acoustic part of the evening sounded good, though, and the levels were better when the electric set came back. I can't tell you how many rock/pop concerts I've been to where I thought the sound guys should just have been fired on the spot. There's no excuse for it, given the technology that's available today. Tristan Prettyman opened the show, and clearly had a following in town, although I have to confess that I can hardly bear to listen to girl singer-songwriters these days. The genre seems to be crowded with lesser talents that lack the poetry and musicality of forebears like Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin.

August gig

Today was a perfect day. Trap shooting in the morning, a massage in the afternoon, and a guitar gig in the early evening. I did two sets at the University Club of Saint Paul with the Mike Hachey Band, Carmin Pluntz of Beasley's Big Band guesting on alto and tenor saxophone. I played by Ibanez AF105F through a 15w Carvin tube amp: a suitably laid back sound for a small venue. Dennis Spears was in the house, and sang a blues medley with us: "Centerpiece" morphing into "Route 66". Others songs performed by the band included "Footprints", "Nostalgia in Times Square", "All of Me", and similar pieces from the great American songbook. In the later part of the evening, I went to Matty B's in Saint Paul, where Dennis was performing with a guitar, bass, and drums trio. Matty B's is a great place with fine food, good service and a nice bar. This will probably be my only night playing out this month, as I have to go to London next week and New York the next. Not to play guitar, unfortunately, but working for The Man.

Back on the guitar

After months of playing bass in Caterwaul, I have put it down for the summer and picked up the guitar again. On Sunday afternoon, the Jazzkickers had their first rehearsal of the year: a 3-hour marathon in which we reviewed our material for this year's Employee Giving Campaign concerts at work. Right after that, I went downtown to the Jazz Jook Joint Jamm at Sophia's in Minneapolis, sitting in with Dennis Spears and Debbie Duncan to play some blues. This Friday, I'm joining the rhythm section of the Mike Hachey Band at the University Club in Saint Paul; Carmin Pluntz of the Jazzkickers (and Beasley's Big Band) is leading on saxophone. It's good to be playing out on six strings again!

Enigma Variations

Attended a great performance of Elgar's "Enigma Variations" by the Minnesota Symphony conducted by Osmo Vanska on July 14. The "Nimrod" variation must be one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Also on the program were Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody" and Stravinsky's "Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra."

GAS Strikes Again

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, Fender made some truly amazing Strats and Teles. I liked everything about the American Standard of that era: the neck radius (9.5"), the figured maple necks and fingerboards, the hardware, especially the bridge saddles, and the finishes, especially the white, which would typically change over time to a color that could vary anywhere between vanilla ice cream, banana milkshake, and a pale flesh tone. I still have my 1991 Stratocaster from that time, which I only changed by swapping out the pickups for Texas Specials.

However, I was foolish enough to sell my Tele, but last week on eBay I bought its clone, a 1990 white one that had aged to just that banana color and had the classic, slightly figured maple board. Of course, nothing is simple: the neck pickup didn't work, there was some belt buckle worming on the back, and a small ding on the lower edge of the body. But my guitar tech, the redoubtable Dave Rusan of Prince fame, slipped in a new Lindy Fralin pickup, buffed out the back, deglossed the neck, leveled the frets, and polished it to perfection.

Now it's fabulous, with that true Tele KRRRANG on the bridge pickup, and a warmer sound from the neck. Nothing rings or cuts through the mix like a Telecaster. Played through a Fender Princeton Chorus, it can twang, scream or shout on command. Cosmetically, it's almost perfect; I made Dave leave the ding in the body so I wouldn't feel bad next time I drop it after too many Jack Daniels. It's one of those minor blems that's like a beauty spot on a pretty woman; after one minute you think it's cute and after two minutes you don't notice it.

I will probably never play out with this guitar, because I don't play country or rock 'n' roll on stage any more, but it's a treasure nonetheless. Amazingly, these guitars have really kept their value: the Blue Book rates a good one at over $800, which is pretty much what you paid for a new one back in the 90s. I actually don't like the current Strats and Teles; they changed the neck radius for no good reason. My Strat is currently in the shop having a Earvana nut and new string trees installed, but that's a keeper too. Long live Fender guitars!

Last Caterwaul gig of the season

June 4th, I played two bass sets at the Tiburon, one with singer Barbara Bjork and one with Caterwaul. Barbara's numbers included a vocal version of "Footprints" and Bonnie Raitt's "Too Soon to Tell." Dennis Spears was in the house, and joined Barbara for a rousing rendition of "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water."

The Caterwaul set comprised all original compositions by keyboardist Lisa Meyer and trumpet player Todd Tanji. I played my Parker Fly bass through a Vox combo amp. This was our last gig of the season, but we return to the Tiburon on September 10. Many thanks to all who turned out for this show, especially Dennis, Marlin, Gary, Barb, Andy, Mike, Michelle, Shilad and Katy.

Spring gigs

April 2nd, I played bass with Caterwaul at the Tiburon in downtown Minneapolis. I typically have dinner before the gig, since the Tiburon has a fine menu and a plenty-good-enough wine list but, as it turned out, I ended up grabbing some food just 15 minutes before strapping on my bass, and discovered that 5 glasses of wine on an empty stomach doesn't exactly help you navigate complex bass lines or aid with the improvisional process. Back in my glory days as a player in various rock bands, this level of alcohol intake would have been the model of restraint, but when you factor in advancing age with the increased demands of the jazz idiom, the result is something less than ideal. I got through the set OK, but had a learning experience in the process: I now have to work twice as hard under the influence to achieve about three-quarters of the usual result. Fortunately our drummer had also imbibed, so we were on the same wavelength and played in synch (thanks, Jessie, for keeping me company).

May 7th, I played two sets at the Tiburon, one with singer Barbara Bjork (whose regular bass player has buggered off to live in Rochester, NY), and one with Caterwaul. This was a whole different story than the April gig, thankfully. Having to learn new material at short notice concentrated my mind on the musical task at hand, and introduced me to the novel concept of drinking club soda at a gig. Barbara's numbers included Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and Jimmy Van Heusen's "I Thought About You", both fabulous tunes from the Great American Songbook. Robert Tess sat in with us on keyboards, which made the evening just about perfect for me. I played my Parker Fly bass through an Ashdown "Perfect 10" mini-stack.

Handel's "Israel in Egypt"

Attended Thomson West sponsored concert of Handel's oratorio at the Ordway, featuring the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Vocalessence. Great to hear a 120-strong choir wth the chamber orchestra in this unusual work. Many thanks to all who turned out from Thomson for this event.

March gig

Another gig with Caterwaul at the Tiburon in downtown Minneapolis March 5. Many thanks to all who turned out, and special thanks to Robert Tess, who filled in for Lisa Meyer on keys. I played my Parker Fly bass through an Ampeg amp.

February gig

Played with Caterwaul at the Tiburon in downtown Minneapolis February 12. Almost all of the numbers were band compositions; I think the only jazz standard was "I'll Remember April." Many thanks to all who turned out. Caterwaul is Lisa Meyer (keys), Todd Tanji (trumpet, flugelhorn), Paul Renz (guitar), Jessie Lesmeister (drums), Peter Jackson (bass) and Eric Heegaard (guitar).

SPCO gig at West

On January 27, the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, I hosted four musicians from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra at West Publishing's facility in Eagan, MN. They played Franz Schubert's string quartet "Death and the Maiden", and turned in a fabulous performance, with Ruggero Allafrancini and Nina Fan on violin, Sabina Thatcher on viola, and Joshua Koestenbaum on cello. Many thanks to the 150 or so who attended, and special thanks to those who bought tickets for upcoming SPCO events.

First gig of 2006

On Friday January 6th, I played guitar with the Mike Hachey Band on at the Saint Paul University Club, using my Gibson Les Paul Elegant through a Fender Princeton Chorus. Songs included "Summer Samba", "Stella By Starlight", "All Blues", "My Foolish Heart" and "Oleo." Jerry Shelton of Rennieworks played trumpet, with Ron Peterson (keys), Brian Morrow (bass) and Mike Hachey (drums).

December gigs

I played guitar with the Mike Hachey Band on Friday December 2nd at the Saint Paul University Club, using a Gibson Chet Atkins solid body nylon string through a Roland keyboard amp. Songs included "One Note Samba", "Blue Bossa" and "Oleo." Carmin Pluntz played saxophone, with Ron Peterson (keys), Brian Morrow (bass) and Mike Hachey (drums). On December 3rd, I played bass at the French Press Jazz Cafe in Saint Paul, using a Parker Fly through an SWR amp. Lineup was Paul Renz (lead guitar), Todd Tanji (trumpet, flugelhorn), Lisa Meyer (keys), Eric Heegaard (rhythm guitar) and Jessie Lesmeister (drums). Songs included original compositions by Lisa and "Green Dolphin Street." Both gigs were played to a full house.

October gigs

I played two concerts this month, both on bass guitar. One was a corporate gig at the Hamm Building in Saint Paul, with Paul Renz and Eric Heegaard on guitar, Todd Tanji on trumpet, Lisa Meyer on keys, and Jessie Lemeister on drums. We played many original compositions by Lisa, as well as jazz standards. The other was a benefit for the West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis, with Paul Renz on guitar, Jessie Lesmester on drums and Robert Tess on piano. We played three songs: "Blue Bossa", "It's a Stretch" ( a Lisa Meyer original), and "Autumn Leaves." I used my Parker Fly bass for both gigs - excellent! - played through an SWR amp. Butch Thompson closed the show with some great piano solos by Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton.

Jazzkickers gig for Employee Giving Campaign

On September 16, the Jazzkickers played two gigs at the West facility in Eagan, MN. Tunes included "Sweet Georgia Bright", "Corcovado", "Equinox", "Angel Eyes", and "Black Orpheus". Many thanks to all who turned out to support us and the Employee Giving Campaign.

Summer gigs

A catch up posting and a retrospective on the summer's gigs. In July, I played my Les Paul with the Jazzkickers on the Tech Terrace at West Publishing in Eagan. I never find it easy to get a good sound in the open air, and this gig was no exception. I made the mistake of putting an amplifier down on a concrete floor, which leads to all kinds of harsh reflections. Next time, I'm getting the amp up on a stand, or at least on a mat of some kind. Musician's Friend sells a pretty nice sound insulating mat that has the footprint of most medium size amps. Everyone else sounded good, with Carmin Pluntz on sax, Tim Wick on keys, Steven Proper on bass, and Gary Berosik on drums. I also played at the University Club of Saint Paul with Steve Klein on sax, Ron Peterson on keys, Bruce Morrow on bass and Mike Hachey on drums.

Spring gigs

I didn't play out much in March, thanks to bad weather, flu, and a hectic travel schedule. However, April 1st I did play the University Club of St. Paul with Carmin Pluntz (sax), Ron Peterson (piano), Bruce Morrow (bass), and Mike Hachey (drums). Other musical events included Dennis Spears' birthday bash at the Dakota, and a couple of Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concerts: Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Ordway and an afternoon of Gluck, Benda and Mozart at Ted Mann Hall.

Gigging at the Speakeasy

Played the Speak Easy February 5th with Melanie Marrow (vocals), Sarah Sty (keybds), Jeff Jones (bass), Paul Renz (guitar), and Jesse Lesmeister (drums). Songs were "Blues In The Closet"; "Yardbird Suite"; "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"; "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"; "It Don't Mean A Thing"; "Since I Fell For You"; "Autumn Leaves" and "Twisted." I played my new Les Paul Elegant through a Fender 63 Reissue Vibroverb. Upcoming gigs at the Speak Easy are March 12 and April 16. The Speak Easy is located in the Lyn-Lake area of Minneapolis behind the 3 Muses restaurant at 2817 Lyndale Ave S.

Guitar acquisition syndrome and other ailments

I recently moved into a new house and collected all my musical instruments in one place for the first time. What a shock! I have a 31' x 26' basement studio, and it's now filled with 15 electric guitars, 5 acoustic guitars, 10 electric basses, 2 acoustic basses, 4 mandolins, a banjo, 4 Roland keyboards, a Vox organ, a Moog Rogue, a Fender Rhodes Piano Bass, a Novation Bass Station, and a piano accordion. I feel like a glutton owning all these instruments, but I can't bear to part with any of them. Highlights of my collection are a Gibson Les Paul Elegant, a Custom Shop 335, a Martin D-35, and a Parker Fly bass. I have a bunch of amps also, pride of place going to two custom-built tone monsters from Savage Audio, a Macht 12 and a Rohr 15.

First gig of the year

Played University Club of Saint Paul on January 7th with Melanie Marrow (vocals), Ron Peterson (electric piano), Bruce Morrow (upright electric bass), Mike Hachey (drums), and self (electric guitar). Songs included "Why Don't You Do Right?" (a.k.a. The Jessica Rabbit Song); "Autumn Leaves"; "Smile" (a Charlie Chaplin song); "Since I Fell For You"; and "Summertime". I played lead on some instrumentals to round out the evening, including "Four" (nice Miles Davis tune); "Wave" (my favorite Jobim samba); and a few blues standards.