Being Prepared For The Gig... (Props to our own)

[SabianKnight]

First off let me give props to my boy, LGM member,  j_kay for his maiden voyage into the "circuit" this past Saturday night. My man is a great player and musician. He had the priviledge of playing with smooth jazz keyboardist, Sunnie Paxson (Stanley Clark, Larry Carlton...) and bass player Rohan Reed (Najee, Maxi Priest...). He got broke in proper (did I just show my age?!)

Here is the deal...
j-kay recieve a phone call on Friday to play on Saturday night with an artist he had never played with or really eve heard. Upon meeting the artist later on Friday night, prior to her gig, he was given a CHART BOOK and (2) CDs with like 25 songs. He had to play these in less than 24 hours. He had to bring his own gear and play the gig.... filling in for a monster drummer. NO PRESSURE RIGHT?

... oh and the gig was outside... in a botanical garden/park.

What is my point?  you might ask...

• He had to have big ears to gleen from the CDs
• He had to have a vocabulary to interpret the music
• He hadto be able to READ MUSIC to insure proper performance of these recorded works
• He had less than 24 hours to learn 25 songs that he really had never heard - 3 sets
• He did not have any rehearsals
• Sound check was only about 10 minutes... 30-45 minutes before show time
• He had to have professional gear
• He had to Sight Read on the gig... it was a trio gig and they others two musicians could read as well as the drummer whom he was filling in for

Real gig.... Real World....
Ask yourself, "Am I prepared to do this kind of gig at this moment?"

Your job: play musically. Support the artist. Respect the music. Hold down the croove at all costs.....

Can you do the job?









Have a vocabulary to pull off solos that last several minutes each that are in response to the music being played at the drop of a hat and not repeat yourself (... they made him take 5 solos because they each did at least that).   

[SabianKnight]

Personally, I learned the necessity of a large musicically applicable playing vocabulary. Be ready in season and out of season.

As well I witnessed how important prefessional presentation is...

BTW... the artist Sunnie Paxson's son is an accomplished and endoresed drummer so she knows what is need. Below is a brief bio of her son:

Jimmy Paxson jr. (drums): Jimmy is the son of two accomplished Philadelphia jazz musicians. Growing up in a household influenced by great 70's fusion music and the drumming of Tony Williams , Elvin Jones , Lenny White , Billy Cobham , fused with the wackiness of Soopy Sales , Monty Python , and Benny Hill coming off the television ... it is no wonder why he is such a truley perverse drummer. Though accepted at Julliard by age eleven, it is his years studying in Los Angeles under the tutelage of the late, great Murray Spivack that best honed his skill and style. Jimmy has recorded and/or performed live with Stevie Nicks , Alanis Morissette, Edgar Winter , Sophie B. Hawkins , Rod Stewart, Steve Vai, Ronnie Montrose, Robben Ford, Zohar(uk) and Glen Hughes.

j_kay finds this out upon setting up for the gig.... no pressure right!?

[theLearner]

That is a serious drummer right there...wow

[juSe]

Preparation is everything!!!

Cgrats J_Kay.

[juSe]

Preparation is everything!!!

Cgrats J_Kay.

There is only so much preparation that you're gonna get from watching a shed clip.  We as drummers, and deeper still MUSICIANS, need to be striving to get to the point that we can be fruitful in any musical situation. 

Growth is the word for the week.

[BEATBOXERZ]

 Good for handling your business J-Kay. Way to be a professional.

[SabianKnight]

There is only so much preparation that you're gonna get from watching a shed clip.  We as drummers, and deeper still MUSICIANS, need to be striving to get to the point that we can be fruitful in any musical situation. 

Growth is the word for the week.

Growth is the word period...

to be fruitful you have to grow.... by bearing much fruit the Father is gloried. We church folk need to apply the fact that the Bible says the people (we) perish for lack of knowledge. This applies to everything.

Most of our drumset GREATS have the same things in common: discipline, reading music, large musical vocabulary, vast musical knowledge and understanding, mastery of the fundamental (real chops). This is what we should strive for. In that we can be prepared with something other than excuses when God presents opportunity to us.   

[bigblackdrummer]

That's funny allot of that sounded like my summer.

[BEATBOXERZ]

That's funny allot of that sounded like my summer.

I feel you. Sounds like my summer and every sat night. I did a studio recording session with the rock group Night Ranger and with no rehearsal, 4 songs on the spot and they walked out of the session extremely happy. If you allow yourself to be used by the music then you can pull off the impossible with no rehearsal.

[Cherri]

J_Kay, Respect!

[rjthakid]

Personally, I learned the necessity of a large musicically applicable playing vocabulary. Be ready in season and out of season.

As well I witnessed how important prefessional presentation is...

BTW... the artist Sunnie Paxson's son is an accomplished and endoresed drummer so she knows what is need. Below is a brief bio of her son:

Jimmy Paxson jr. (drums): Jimmy is the son of two accomplished Philadelphia jazz musicians. Growing up in a household influenced by great 70's fusion music and the drumming of Tony Williams , Elvin Jones , Lenny White , Billy Cobham , fused with the wackiness of Soopy Sales , Monty Python , and Benny Hill coming off the television ... it is no wonder why he is such a truley perverse drummer. Though accepted at Julliard by age eleven, it is his years studying in Los Angeles under the tutelage of the late, great Murray Spivack that best honed his skill and style. Jimmy has recorded and/or performed live with Stevie Nicks , Alanis Morissette, Edgar Winter , Sophie B. Hawkins , Rod Stewart, Steve Vai, Ronnie Montrose, Robben Ford, Zohar(uk) and Glen Hughes.

j_kay finds this out upon setting up for the gig.... no pressure right!?

[MaestroDivine]

I'm GLAD this was posted...

This substantiates EVERYTHING that we've been preaching on this board.

J_Kay, BeatBoxerz, & BBD did not get to that level by watching clips of Spanky & Lil' Darrell on youtube...

Frankly, even though though his name is bigger than all three of these guy's combined, I wonder if Spanky could pull this off?

[sugabear]

Much respect for J_Kay. I'm working on improving this level right now.

[SabianKnight]

I feel you. Sounds like my summer and every sat night. I did a studio recording session with the rock group Night Ranger and with no rehearsal, 4 songs on the spot and they walked out of the session extremely happy. If you allow yourself to be used by the music then you can pull off the impossible with no rehearsal.

I remember Night Ranger from the 80s. You are doing some work doc. Glad to have pros like you participating here to broaden the scope of the musicians here.

[j_kay]

Man, I thought that you were joking when you said that you were going to put this up...  *lol* 

Anyway, thanks for the props.  I did not go to work on that Friday (10/13/06), and was on  my way to get that weekly cut (I had the date mixed up - my appointment was for Saturday, and not Friday, but I digress *lol*).  Around 11am, I got a call from the drummer that holds the seat for this group, and was advised that he had another gig.  Because fo this, he could not make it, and wanted to know if I could fill in for him - the gig was for Saturday.  Honestly, I hesitated in my reply (for about a few seconds) because of the short notice.  I hate cramming, and I like to be very prepared for anything, whether it's a test or anything music related.  I accepted the offer, and got the bandleader's contact information.  While speaking with her, she stated that she wanted me to meet her at the Westin Grand Bohemiam, at 5 (she had a wedding rehearsal dinner gig that night) to get the CDs (yes, CDs) and the drum book (yes, drum book).  This was the first time that I have had the opportunity to take my kit out of my drum room, and out in the 'real world'.  This was her first date, and she was a beaut (I have some clips and photos that were taken by Sabianknight)!  I had less than 24hrs to prepare for this gig, but I felt that I did just okay - I am my harshest critic, lol!!! 

I got a call from the drummer on that next day, and he stated that he was told that I did really well, but on today, he called me and said that he was told that I needed to work on my straight ahead stuff, but my funk was incredible (lol).  That's cool, because it gives me something to work on!   

Thanks for the props, everyone!!!   

[JFunky]

Forget "Spanky", Jkay for Governor

...congrats bro'.  I hope "you know who" knows this and feels like    and will listen to you from now on.

[fretai03]

Much respect J_Kay. Congrats.


I've got a lot of work to do...

[BEATBOXERZ]

I remember Night Ranger from the 80s. You are doing some work doc. Glad to have pros like you participating here to broaden the scope of the musicians here.

I was thinking about posting a ruff draft of one of the(instrumental) tracks that was done. It's some really good, solid rock drumming being played on the material. I know that you would most definiately appreicate it SK. You old school  . But I'm a little reluctant to so. Plus, I should probably get permmission first. We'll see.

[BEATBOXERZ]

Man, I thought that you were joking when you said that you were going to put this up...  *lol* 

Anyway, thanks for the props.  I did not go to work on that Friday (10/13/06), and was no  my way to get that weekly cut (I had the date mixed up - my appointment was for Saturday, and not Friday, but I digress *lol*).  Around 11a, I got a call from the drummer that holds the seat for this group, and was advised that he had another gig.  Because fo this, he could not make it, and wanted to know if I could fill in for him - the gig was for Saturday.  Honestly, I hesitated in my reply (for about a few seconds) because of the short notice.  I hate cramming, and I like to be very prepared for anything, whether it's a test or anything music related.  I accepted the offer, and got the bandleader's contact information.  While speaking with her, she stated that she wanted me to meet her at the Westin Grand Bohemiam, at 5 (she had a wedding rehearsal dinner gig that night) to get the CDs (yes, CDs) and the drum book (yes, drum book).  This was the first time that I have had the opportunity to take my kit out of my drum room, and out in the 'real world'.  This was her first date, and she was a beaut (I have some clips and photos that were taken by Sabianknight)!  I had less than 24h to prepare for this gig, but I felt that I did just okay - I am my harshest critic, lol!!! 

I got a call from the drummer on that next day, and he stated that he was told that I did really well, but on today, he called me and said that he was told that I needed to work on my straight ahead stuff, but my funk was incredible (lol).  That's cool, because it gives me something to work on!   

Thanks for the props, everyone!!!   

J-Kay, this needed to be posted brother. What you did is in NO way an easy task. You just took a quantum leap in your evolution as a pro drummer. As for your str8 ahead stuff, go out and get a real book. It doesn't have to be written in classic drum chart form, I don't even think that they make real books for drummers. Just get it. Learn all as many jazz standards as you can. And just swing man. Find a good jazz bassist and shed with him. Jazz has a feel that must be pulled out. FEEL Bruh FEEL is the key to the kingdom. Good job man! Very proud of you...

[j_kay]

Thanks, man!!!!