Showing posts with label fred anderson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fred anderson. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

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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