I had my first Sunday morning gig today! With my dad being a retired pastor, you might think I'm talking about performing at a church. However, I was finishing this particular gig probably as the earliest of church musicians were probably waking up. So, I guess I'll have to admit, no, this was not a church gig.
Sorry, Dad...
But hey, he'll be happy to know that it was a great night, with not just one gig, but two. And I've had some great, music-filled nights here in Chicago. But for the amount of fun music played in one night, this one takes the cake.
I started the night in Humboldt Park at a glass blowing open house (of all places!). Fellow Chicago saxophonist Tim Koelling and his jazz fusion trio Pink Monkey invited me out to their 8-midnight gig to jam with them. I have to admit, knowing that I also had a 1:30-4:30AM that same night (morning?), I was a little hesitant to go.
But after the fact, like so many times recently, I was so glad I did. It was really great playing a mix of jazz standards, random cover songs, and originals with this group of awesome musicians. Definitely looking forward to jamming with them again!
And at the Wonderbar playing with Low Spark, we had some EPIC jamming, particularly around the 3:30AM point. We had some new musicians sit in with us, and I got to make things a little weird with some of my effects pedals. Plus, I think playing this long and late allowed us the freedom to really cut loose and experiment. Good, creative stuff. And holy cow, who are all these people listening?! I don't know why they are up so late (unless they are other musicians), but I love them!
And here's the amazing thing about the night: as it went on, from 8PM all the way to 4:30AM, I think I yawned maybe once, and this was in the car in between places. I definitely did not predict the positive energy I'd get throughout the night.
So actually, I think I CAN understand the people at these clubs that are up so late. Once you're at a good place and you're in the zone, whatever that zone might look like to you, it doesn't matter how late it is. Motivation/passion/creative-energy is way more powerful than sleep. As Low Spark bandmate Ben Kolber reminded me last night, "You can sleep when you're dead."
(Though I have to admit, tonight I'm looking forward to a full 8 hours!)
Until next time,
Derek
P.S. I'm really excited to release my music video "Catch'em Up" on my Beatbox Sax Youtube channel in the next 24-48 hours. Be sure to keep an eye out for it!
Sorry, Dad...
But hey, he'll be happy to know that it was a great night, with not just one gig, but two. And I've had some great, music-filled nights here in Chicago. But for the amount of fun music played in one night, this one takes the cake.
I started the night in Humboldt Park at a glass blowing open house (of all places!). Fellow Chicago saxophonist Tim Koelling and his jazz fusion trio Pink Monkey invited me out to their 8-midnight gig to jam with them. I have to admit, knowing that I also had a 1:30-4:30AM that same night (morning?), I was a little hesitant to go.
But after the fact, like so many times recently, I was so glad I did. It was really great playing a mix of jazz standards, random cover songs, and originals with this group of awesome musicians. Definitely looking forward to jamming with them again!
And at the Wonderbar playing with Low Spark, we had some EPIC jamming, particularly around the 3:30AM point. We had some new musicians sit in with us, and I got to make things a little weird with some of my effects pedals. Plus, I think playing this long and late allowed us the freedom to really cut loose and experiment. Good, creative stuff. And holy cow, who are all these people listening?! I don't know why they are up so late (unless they are other musicians), but I love them!
And here's the amazing thing about the night: as it went on, from 8PM all the way to 4:30AM, I think I yawned maybe once, and this was in the car in between places. I definitely did not predict the positive energy I'd get throughout the night.
So actually, I think I CAN understand the people at these clubs that are up so late. Once you're at a good place and you're in the zone, whatever that zone might look like to you, it doesn't matter how late it is. Motivation/passion/creative-energy is way more powerful than sleep. As Low Spark bandmate Ben Kolber reminded me last night, "You can sleep when you're dead."
(Though I have to admit, tonight I'm looking forward to a full 8 hours!)
Until next time,
Derek
P.S. I'm really excited to release my music video "Catch'em Up" on my Beatbox Sax Youtube channel in the next 24-48 hours. Be sure to keep an eye out for it!