Tom Dowd - Michael Leasure - Mark Hodgson - Giant Steps - AFM - Nobel (Thin Man) Watts
1997 - 1998
452### NARAS – Tom Dowd/ Groucho Marx said “ I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member” My executive privilege with the AFM had several benefits. I could have milked that gig and taken advantage of financial privilege. I had an open credit card and expense account that paid for everything. I didn’t abuse or run up fraudulent expenses.
Seeing how that political network operated is the reason I resigned my position. I couldn’t play the game. (Palm Greasing via the Good Ole Boy Club. One of the best privileges I experienced was my temporary membership in NARAS.
National Association Recording Arts and Science. NARAS had recently opened a Miami Charter. I was offered a seat on the executive board. My position as a voting member included voting for GRAMMY BEST Song, Artist etc. I cast my votes. At the time there were still legitimate music artist.
The coolest event I attended was a NARAS invited guest gathering at Gloria Estefan’s venue. I met and hung out with legendary Tom Dowd. I had a 15- minute one to one conversation with him about his various recording projects. He told me several stories I’ve written about. I recommend the Tom Dowd documentary if you haven’t seen it. I resigned my AFM position and haven’t heard anything from NARAS since.
42*** Tom Dowd/ sitting on a stool at Barnes & Noble its java time and Trane with headphones the deluxe edition. I’m listening to the track Tom Dowd told me about. He cut those tracks on Giant Steps version two without the piano solo. I leave my prints, they know I listen to Trane they know what I eat what I drink they know what I read. I'm a subversive java drinking jazz head with other taste or profiled as one thing or another. Trane sounds great! Dowd’s mixes are cleaner, brighter, closer to the source. I hear Trane blow air through his horn.
453### University of Miami March 1997/
Fred Wickstrom was the Professor of Music, percussion program director at University of Miami. In my duties administrating the business of the AFM Local 655, I saw Fred’s name. Completing my tour of duty and submitting my resignation I was ready to start playing in public again. During those 2 years of only playing ‘in the shed’ molded my creative improvisation skills into a very high level.
I was ready to exhale. I contacted Mr. Wickstrom and set up a time for me to come to his school and conduct a clinic. At the university that day was Matt Gorney and Sam Rivers. Sam was conducting a workshop with the Jazz Band. After my clinic Fred sent me a memo pertaining to my performance.
Michael Welch: Your presentation last Friday was phenomenal. Most were expecting some type of gimmick, what they got was pure music. The textures you created were really unique. One of the students alluded to the fact that it sounded like two Elvin Jones’, everything was so musical. You literally lay down a wall of sound for that first half hour. Personally I’ve seen few clinics of pure solo playing that held the audience spellbound as yours did. Alluding to the fact that you first developed this while in college studying four mallet marimba gave some glimmer of hope to those students particularly interested in drumset who now find themselves studying marimba.
Asking them selves ‘why am I doing this? Your Music Business Seminar was a plus. Thanks for an interesting, entertaining, and learning experience. Fred Wickstrom
454### 1997 Mike Chaffee / Pull Me Back In/ After I resigned my AFM Miami gig I had lunch with my old music representative friend Michael Chaffee. I met Mike when I was working at Discount Music in Orlando. Mike offered me a position on his firm to represent his lines in South Florida.
I accepted, but after 2 weeks I knew I wasn’t ready to get back into that business. It was probably a mistake on my part. I wanted to move back to Central Florida. I was burned out from my previous 2 years working the AFM gig. It took a lot out me mentally. Mike was a real gentleman when I told him I couldn’t accept his offer. The last time I saw Mike was in Tampa. I went to see Elvin Jones. Mike was representing his Elvin endorsed products.
#79 $$$ Gig - 1997 – Dexters Crow Bar / Jaxs Orlando, FL/ Coming back to Orlando in 1997, I started playing a few gigs with Michael Leasure at Dexters, in Winter Park. It didn’t last long. The music was too intense and crowds weren’t showing up.
My first collaboration with Michael Leasure was 1991-1992. That trio also included Michael Bocchicchio on acoustic bass. All of those tapes were terminated with extreme prejudice.
Since my exit and return, Orlando had opened a few new music venues downtown. I played at the Crow Bar with Dan Jordan, Jaxs with Charlie Robinson. It was a short -lived renaissance.
#80 $$$ Gig - 1998 - Journey Through Jazz Orlando, FL/ Dan Jordan conceived and created his Jazz Education Program called Journey Through Jazz. Returning from Miami to Orlando he called me to play the gigs. It was a great program based out of the Rollins College Music office. Central Florida public schools were offered this program.
It was very popular and successful. Dan is a brilliant presenter and gifted musician. We did the program in Elementary, Middle and High Schools for several years.
I may have participated in 100 presentations. Different bass players were on the gig including Michael Ross, Michael Bocchicchio and Dan Walters. A DVD was produced and continues to be available through the Music in Motion Company.
43*** Eyes Open/ the sax man plays his horn they observe these students of music, young high school age, he rocks side to side, eyes closed, no music on the stand, much different than what they hear. Emotions are spoken and emulated from words to molecules of sound. Jazz, blues, avant-garde, be bop, swing, rag time. What do they see? Their eyes are open in this bright classroom.
Mine are closed from the trap-set. Can they come with us? Everything’s visual, we talk and play, today they listened and observed.
44*** Honest/ the notes from the tenor and cymbal are dancing through the air molecules in agreement equally sharing cubits of time air moving with music with tradition bebop the real deal in tribute to the masters we’re not bird or max how could we be they were saints we can only try and play our respects we’re allowed to play these instruments today it was good it was honest.
455### 1998 – Mark Hodgson Boot Hill Saloon
Daytona Beach, FL/ My first gig with Mark Hodgson was a one nighter subbing for Mark Roffe. Steve Shanholtzer on guitar with Stephen Dees playing bass. I had a 70s jam with Steve but this was my first time hearing and playing with Stephen and Mark.
I totally enjoyed it. It was one of those bandstand moments when everything cooked. I started working full time with Mark Hodgson in 1998. It evolved into a long music relationship that I value till this day.
I can’t say enough about how talented Mark is. I learned about playing music I really wasn’t deep into. That would be the Blues. Like my experience with Reggae and Windjammer, it took me several years before I felt that I had some comfort level playing the Blues tradition.
Each ensemble was always different with various guitar player styles. Dan Walters and Stephen Dees held the bass seats. Mark and myself also worked many gigs as a duo known as The Garage Set.
Those gigs were great. It was always unusual for me to be in a situation that audiences actually liked the music and performances. Jazz and certainly Avant-Garde doesn’t provide that reward. For several years I played with Mark at The Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach during Bike Weeks. Noble “Thin Man” Watts was also on the gig. We played for 10 days straight from 2-6 and 9-1. It was great. I continue to collaborate with Mark Hodgson.
45*** Boot Hill Bike Week/ the bottles crash into the plastic bucket it’s a large bucket. When the music from the jukebox stops its surreal. People standing, looking at the walls of photos. Banners, signs, the juke box starts to the crash of another bottle in the bucket.
456### Mark Hodgson Band / Daytona Speedway/
The Mark Hodgson Band (Dan Walters/Joe King/Mark Hodgson/Michael Welch) played the opening morning for the Daytona 500. We had VIP special entertainment passes for the gig. We needed to arrive at 6am, get our gear on their transports and get escorted to the infield stage. Noble ‘Thinman’ Watts was also on the gig. We did this twice.
46*** Sweet/ ‘Nobel The Thin Man’ played his horn today he was great, still got it, in the zone. Another musician friend told me ‘age will stop you from chasing your sound’ I looked at Noble, saw it in his face. A deep dimension of music from his life, beyond the bandstand he was occupying. All of our notes meant nothing. But his were sweet.
47*** Smoking/ from my seat at the boot hill saloon the jukebox skips. Bottles are thrown into a plastic garbage can people walk in out and through several doors, fire shots are ten dollars, formal leather attire is today’s fashion statement. Smoking is allowed.
48*** We Play/ from my drumseat at the boot hill saloon, I can see the pinewood cemetery through the window. Walk-throughs are $2.00, there’s a banner over the street. Daytona welcomes bikers. We play 2 pm to 6 pm and 9pm to 1 am. It’s Bike Week
457### House of Blues - The Wailers/ during one of The Mark Hodgson Band bookings at The House of Blues we opened for The Wailers. Our normal gig was in the non-ticketed restaurant lounge. It could be 4 nights.
When we opened for The Wailers, the band was led by bassist Aston “Family-man” Barrett ‘It was great to hear true one drop and four on the floor.
Our band was very well received.
#81 $$$ Gig - 1999 - Substitute Teacher Orlando, FL/ With the exception of a few music gigs, I was living off my savings from my AFM employment. ‘I Needed A Gig” I decided to put my College Degree to work and signed up to be an Orange County, Florida substitute teacher. It was a good idea at the time and provided financial relief. I also began to organize my written monolog and observations. I’ll speak about the experience in more detail later.