Daniel McBrearty

The Udhav Shinde Trio has been playing together on and off for about 4 years now. (Being on different continents makes it hard to play together regularly, but we're working on it.) For me, it's been a rich experience. Udhav's rhythmic vocabulary is mind blowing, and challenging for me to blend with, but he's such an intuitive musician and warm human being that it's always a pleasure to try. Judy's ability to get to grips with these melodies (with lyrics in Marathi) is amazing, and she gets better and better. (She also works her *** off keeping things going and organising.) It's still quite an experimental unit, but hopefully we'll develop things further in future.

In this video, we worked with dancer Sujata Goel and lighting designer Davey Cunningham to try to blend the music with visual and dance elements. Constraints of time and resources were tough, and (unbelievably) the "professional" cameraman we hired threw away some of the best master footage without our consent, but fortunately we were able to salvage enough to put this together - with the blessed help of Sujata's friend Saai (who happened to also be shooting video) and Orlando Verde, who made the final edit.

what would it have been with a mother to love me,
give of herself unselfishly,
and tenderly support me?

at each hour since my birth
to remind me of my worth
electrically connect me to the earth?

This is no plea for sympathy
(I've had so much, it sickens me)
I ask this question honestly

This is no cry of useless blame
I know the reasons for the game
they played. I forgive, I release it. There is no shame.

what would it have been, though?
what changes to my world view?

my spirit knows, will answer me in time.

Saturday is my last complete day in this city that I have already come to love. I wake at 5, then sleep from 6 to 8. After getting up, breakfast and emails, I do something I haven't done for a long time - practice clarinet. Really practice; I play Gershwin's "Lady Be Good" for a while, then work on Ab scales with a metronome.

The best thing about this visit has been starting to play music again. I've missed it very much in the last two years, when I stopped playing to create Engoi. Contact with other musicians, the joyous energy of swing, and the feeling of musical community I've found here has energised and reinformed me.

Much of this has been due to my friend Keita. We corresponded online for several years before finally meeting on this visit. Keita is a neophyte saxophone player and accomplished painter, with enormous and unending passion for music and many friends who share it. This week, he introduced me to some and got me playing clarinet with them. My reservations over my rusty technique were dissolved by the warmth I found in this community.

We've been seeing a marvellous band based around pianist and singer Tyler Yarema, William Sperandei on trumpet, and Scott Neilson on tenor at the Reservoir Lounge. (Apologies to the super-solid rhythm section whose names I don't know!) They do a high energy set of swing and rhythm and blues, with tight arrangements and several featured vocalists. They all play their arses off, with top quality solos tune after tune. There is an enthusiastic crowd that likes to dance. I sat in on Tuesday and Thursday, and each time was a little better. I've started to feel confident, and on Saturday I've been invited to play once more.

On Friday afternoon, Keita took me to meet Don Englert, his sax teacher. We talked music over a beer, and got along immediately. After meeting the family (all musicians), we went to the music room. Don and I compared clarinets (for reed geeks, mine is a Selmer, his a Buffet) and tried each others. He complimented me on my sound, which did me no harm at all, then Keita borrowed Don's soprano and we played a bunch of tunes for an hour or so. Keita had to learn some new things on the spot, and I saw it was a challenge for him, but he used his ears, and did well. Don and I had some fun trading phrases and riffs, then talked a while longer. Finally, it was family dinner time, so K and I said our farewells and left. I made another musical friend.

Back at Keita's, we talked about music, technique and so on. I thought I'd figured out some stuff that might help Keita, a way of practicing scales that I have used. I tried explain basic scale theory in a way that meshes in very tightly with the practice schedule, so that the knowledge is internalised rather than learnt in an academic fashion. We spent an hour or so going through that, accompanied by some notes on the back of a postcard, and Keita made a recording of some of it. I talked a bit as well about using the time when you are away from the horn, waiting for a bus or whatever, to "practice without practicing" - mentally run the fingers over the notes of the scales you are working on, trying to hear the sound in your head. Any way you can up the pace of learning is valid.

Finally I get back to the apartment I rent for the week, and listen to a recording of the great trumpeter Rafael Mendez that Keita has lent me. This self taught genius talking about practicing and playing is another inspiration, and I go to sleep happy.

Next day at midday (after breakfast and my return to clarinet practice) called Keita, and get an answerphone message he has left for me, as he has gone to work. In it, he thanks me for the "lesson" (I'd honestly not thought of it like that), and we'll meet later. This starts me thinking about that word : lesson.

The benefit of transferring knowledge to others is that, in moving the information around, we clarify it. It's like distilling whisky; the mental reformatting of information needed to explain it strengthens our own understanding, and reminds us of the basics. Today, I've been reminded that I have not done the basic scale work on clarinet. I have a reason to want to do so, to play well with these great guys at the Resevoir. And hence my Ab scales.

Later I buy presents for my children, play clarinet for fun in the park, and make a friend a called Sabina who has stopped to listen. We drink coffee and she shows me more pretty corners of Toronto, as we talk about art (she's a painter) and many other things. We eat something delicious in a tiny Latin American (Cuban?) shop which has tins and tins of produce stacked to the ceiling, before I go back to shower and change. Later we meet and head to Resevoir Lounge, the last time for this visit.

 

 

 

 

Here are some tunes I recorded on tenor sax a few years ago. The first, Blues for Shrill Straight Horn, is unaccompanied, and dedicated to my buddy Keita, in Toronto. The next two are the jazz standards My Old Flame and Red Top (by Lionel Hampton), and the guitarist Paolo Radoni is playing guitar.

As with all music, words, and pictures on my blog, these tunes are free for non commercial use only.

 

All that passion, all that need,
The heat of a moment, brave as a seed,
Taking me, taken by me,
Answering need,
You were for a moment
Irresponsible, freed.

All that passion, all that need,
All bundled up like the seed
Of a grape. How do you hide it?
Store it away?
Life without privacy
Day after day.

All that passion, all that need,
So sweet to me, desires are freed
In a moment. I wanted
A brand on my arm.
The world in a love-heart
Good luck charm.

Oh, time and distance, and passion
And needs.
Wasted guilt, and compassion
Morals and seeds.
Commitments, promises
Feelings are freed
In the heat of a moment.
Come, passion and need.

(c) Daniel McBrearty 2007. All Rights Reserved.

to my blog. I'm giving this a try instead of blogger. The possibility to add videos, photos, and all is attractive.