The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

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Paul Marangoni
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Paul Marangoni » Tue Mar 31, 2020 12:33 pm

Jazz legend Wallace Roney dies from coronavirus complications

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/03/31 ... lications/
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Kurtis
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Kurtis » Tue Mar 31, 2020 6:33 pm



Sad to hear the news
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Pocketplayer
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Pocketplayer » Wed Apr 01, 2020 5:42 pm

Williams' phrased like a rock drummer with that huge "jazz" set up drum kit.
Listening, I can argue what he plays does not go well this this style...
yet, he is Tony Williams, so... you know how many drummers auditioned
or got fired for even trying to phrase like this over the years? many would
never have thought to play this way, but there had to be a younger cat
influenced by Ginger Baker and "modern music" that gave jazz a try only
to get kicked out of the audition. Much less bring a loud drum kit...
what did Buddy and the previous gen think of Williams?
Jeff Porcaro Groove Master
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Odd-Arne Oseberg
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Odd-Arne Oseberg » Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:33 am

Ellis Marsalis and Bucky Pizzarelli passed from Covid-19 related complications.

In my county of about 267 000 people there's 1 person hospitalized. Not confirmed, but we suspect it's one of my cousins who just came back from vacation.

I obviously live in a place where things are easy to control. We don't really have any other known cases, but the routines are still as strict as they could possibly be.

Recovery of people put on respiratiors is a lor better than they feared.

My routine is basically my keto IF thing.

Lunch is a smoothie that's pretty much 90% coconut milk, egg yolks and medicinal mushrooms.

Dinner is based on cod, bone broth and mountains of dark leafy greens. That's how you get your potassium when you don't do carbs.....and it's pretty much swimming in butter and olive oil.

1 more month of sick leave confirmed and no appointments for 3 weeks, so the social distancing thing is easy to do.

See some health care workers have passed and can't help but thinking that the main reason for their bodies not being able to handle this is probably because they're overworked.
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Tom Reschke
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Tom Reschke » Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:45 am

Pocketplayer wrote:Williams' phrased like a rock drummer with that huge "jazz" set up drum kit.
Listening, I can argue what he plays does not go well this this style...
yet, he is Tony Williams, so... you know how many drummers auditioned
or got fired for even trying to phrase like this over the years? many would
never have thought to play this way, but there had to be a younger cat
influenced by Ginger Baker and "modern music" that gave jazz a try only
to get kicked out of the audition. Much less bring a loud drum kit...
what did Buddy and the previous gen think of Williams?

I don't think your argument is a bad one necessarily, but my retort would be that that is exactly what makes him great. It's true for me pretty much across the board that the "greatest" drummers and musicians are those that play and sound like themselves. Everyone has their influences for sure, but the greats are able to absorb what their heroes did and then make it their own. That's what makes Tony, and Gadd, and Elvin, and Vinnie, and the Van Halen brothers and on and on so awesome. They're unapologetically themselves. And I would agree that you're right that if someone were to audition for some combo gig and came in with a 24 inch bass drum and 2B sticks and beat the hell out of the drums and his name wasn't Tony WIlliams, he's probably not getting that gig. But, you're probably not going to get or say, KEEP any gig that you're playing on that you're doing an impersonation of somebody. Sure, in the studio, someone might suggest a Ringo thing, or a Bernard Purdie vibe, or even a take it to outer space like Vinnie thing, and that's always helpful but I don't think I could sustain that on a regular gig. And I'm not saying that I play every polka gig like I play a Jazz fusion gig, but that I'm playing my personal interpretation of the music based on my experience and what I've heard. I truly think the greatest compliment that I could get would be, "well, he may not be everyones cup of tea, but he definitely sounds like himself."

As for what the older generation thought of Tony? I'm sure it was mixed. Especially back then when people were more close minded? There's a quote in a book I have about a Saxophonist that played too much like Lester Young and the comeback was, "Anyone that don't play like Prez is wrong!" I mean, feathering the bass drum was drilled into many of our heads by certain teachers when it came to playing big band jazz especially, and I NEVER fucking do it, because the drums and microphones are different than they were in the 1940's and bass players can actually be heard and felt now. Shit. Lost my train of thought. It's early I apologize.
Moderation's all well and good, just don't overdo it.
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nomsgmusic
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby nomsgmusic » Thu Apr 02, 2020 7:21 pm

Pocketplayer wrote:Williams' phrased like a rock drummer with that huge "jazz" set up drum kit.
Listening, I can argue what he plays does not go well this this style...
yet, he is Tony Williams, so... you know how many drummers auditioned
or got fired for even trying to phrase like this over the years? many would
never have thought to play this way, but there had to be a younger cat
influenced by Ginger Baker and "modern music" that gave jazz a try only
to get kicked out of the audition. Much less bring a loud drum kit...
what did Buddy and the previous gen think of Williams?


I was in music school in the late 80's and I went and saw Tony play many times (as a sideman, and with his own bands.) One of my takeaway's was (like you stated) this... If I did one millionth of the shit that I just heard Tony do on a gig, I would get fired instantly! I remember asking one of my (well known) drum teachers about this, and he replied, "You're right, most of us would. But most of the times you hear "that Tony" it's with his own band, his tunes, he makes the rules, he signs the checks, and he knows what people are coming to see and hear, and so does the band." And when someone hired Tony as a sideman (during that era) they knew what-who they were getting. T. O. N. Y. If they wanted Vernel Fournier, they would have hired Vernel. So there's that. The same probably could have been said about Elvin in that era as well, but he hid it inside some genuine humility.

One of the most audacious things that I saw Tony do was at the Vanguard, and coming out of bassist Ira Coleman's solo, Tony played this BIG flat flam idea running up the toms, (with the BD, right side crash, and the left hand moving up the toms, all playing in unison, at ffff, playing 1e&a, 2e&a, 3e&a, 4e&a, BAM (crashing the ride at the top of the form.) It was sort of obnoxious. I was sitting in the "drum seats" in the Vanguard (behind the post) so I could see everyone's faces in the band. When Tony did that they all just looked at each other gave a little eyeball roll and smiled, all while the audience went nuts! They came to hear TONY!!!!, not tony

What did previous generations think? I was told by one of Tony's drumming peers (in age, and eventual popularity) that after Tony hit the scene, he was told MANY times by older bandleaders, "Don't be playing none of that Tony Williams shit on my gig, if I wanted that, I'd hire Tony." So bear in mind there was LOTS of jazz gigs (from many bandleaders) that Tony didn't get hired for, in favor of: (for example) Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Billy Higgins, Art Taylor...... In the generations before, the same could have been said about Elvin, and before that Buddy. When Elvin first hit NYC, people didn't know what to make of his approach, he made some musicians VERY uncomfortable.

You're right, you play who YOU are. I got to know Tony (a little) in the last 15 years (or so) of his life. I got the impression that there was some deeper stuff going on. But he was (outwardly) an AUDACIOUS guy. Big cigars, chest puffed out, big brightly colored drums, he had an outward "rockstar" persona, he was TONY!

By the way... Was it really Tony signing the checks? Because the club didn't like Tony's volume either, and that was the LAST time his band played The Vanguard. From then on it was the Blue Note and Birdland in NYC. We are all working for someone.

Don't get me wrong. I loved all of Tony's drumming, but (historical, musical, social, business, etc.) context is EVERYTHING.

Tom, There has been a lot of BD feathering done since the big bands of the 40's, by some very young (and "hip") drummers, and in some very modern approaches to "jazz." I've seen it with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears, including from (wait for it....) TONY! Good feeling time, never goes out of style, and the best gear (microphones) doesn't create it, musicians do.

Everyone please be safe and smart during these awful and weird times we are in.
MSG
[url][/url]bluejayrecords.com/drumatic
[url][/url]vicfirth.com/artists/mark_griffith.html
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Pocketplayer
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Pocketplayer » Fri Apr 03, 2020 2:02 am

I agree with you guys...the ONE cat that comes to mind that fits this (paraphrased);
" I remember asking one of my (well known) drum teachers about this, and he replied, "You're right, most of us would. But most of the times you hear "that Tony"..." is VINNIE!

Vinnie gets away with A LOT of overplaying...but when you are that talented and creative, you get that
free pass most envy, got fired over and overall can create much jealousy over (80s Vinnie), then after the 90's he was so huge and respected that vibe evaporated. I think the Joan Rivers gig sent him to another level...up to that point he was that Zappa drummer, the guy who gigged with Joni Mitchell, a new studio cat with chops...seeing him comp a different break every night was must watch drum TV. Then the BRII Memorial...then Sting...then VINNIE!
Jeff Porcaro Groove Master
http://jeffporcaro.blogspot.com
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Kurtis
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby Kurtis » Fri Apr 03, 2020 3:45 pm



at 20:14 my goodness. out of no where.Tony was an innovator on many levels. Those young years with Miles. He had creative concept oozing from his pours.

Last edited by Kurtis on Fri Apr 03, 2020 7:05 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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langmick
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Re: The CoronaVIRUS - touring, music activity...and much more

Postby langmick » Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:18 pm

Mulgrew Miller was amazing, he and Tony were so complementary. The one time I saw this group, Tony was lighting it up, and he was in a bit of a mood that night. But Mulgrew almost eclipsed Tony, Tony would glance over and smile every once in a while, Mulgrew would smile back. His solo lit up the hall. He could read Tony and anticipate.

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