Line-up:
Dan Shimmyo - Saxophone
Eric Maurer - guitar & Novax CH7
Jamie Williams - drums
So, Fuzz Bucket is on a sort of hiatus because Jamie has moved across the country with his family. Meanwhile Eric and I still occasionally jam but not nearly as often. Most recently Eric booked a gig with his friend of many years, Tony Fasce. I saw them perform at the Les Paul Big Sound Experience in Mawah, NJ, just a few weeks ago. I think it's the best I've ever heard Eric play and Tony is an amazing drummer. If I had thought of it I would have brought the gopros and captured the whole performance. Oh well, missed opportunity...
I have also started practicing on the Soprano Saxophone lately. For years I've been obsessed with improving at that instrument. It has been tough though... In my obsession I've switched from a vintage selmer metal mouthpiece to a more modern version and I've also switched reeds to a lighter gauge. I think the current setup works the best for me at least until my technique improves. Just for fun I started posting silly videos of my practice sessions on instagram. I'm not sure if there's a way to embed an instagram video but here's one that I liked:
https://instagram.com/p/4AzlpMq2DO/?taken-by=shimster13
Okay, so let's talk about this jam video. There are a few things that make this jam unique.
1) It starts out with Eric cranking up the feedback causing a sort of droning noise which usually prompts me and Jamie to refill our drinks. Instead Jamie and I started playing along with Eric's knob turning oscillating noise patterns. Very cool stuff!
2) Eric then picks up the guitar and plays along with us with a pretty heavy sound which I love. The really interesting thing about this jam is the lack of bass guitar. But it still works!
3) Ultimately what made this jam successful was that we didn't sit around discussing what we were going to play. Instead we let the music and atmosphere in the room dictate what the music was going to sound like.
4) This jam just transitions all over the place and even though it leaves you scratching your head for a bit I think it comes together just enough in places reminding you that we are still listening to each other.
5) My epic chin. The most unflattering camera angle and maybe Friday donuts have conspired to give me a chin that reminds me of Jabba The Hutt. Oh yeah, playing saxophone has a way of messing up my face a lot. Especially those low notes.
Well, here it is! The video of my chin. Hope you like it!
