Playing around the center

In the beginning years of the 1970's I became a part of the North Chicago Musician scene. I was gigging a lot and meeting all different types and styles of musicians who were also working on the Near North side.

I became fascinated by the expanded potential of 12 tone music. As my studies in classical and jazz theory progressed, I desired to use my voice more instrumentally and wanted to be able to play around the groups of notes that defined a scale but were not limited to major and minor modes.

I was introduced to Fred Anderson and his fluid group of musicians. Fred took a liking to me and I was allowed to regularly sit in on gigs at the Amazing Grace coffeehouse. I was fortunate. This experience taught me about organization around intervals and playing with disparate tones. I also was able understand on a much deeper level, tonal colors.

The lessons of my year with Fred has remained with me today. Understanding the scales of perfume allows me to be fearless when I sense a major second in an evaporative bridge. It has taught me that a perfume sketch can include notes that are not always easy as long as there is a resolution that makes harmonious sense.

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