All Things Chill

On Sunday, I had Demon Dogs with Golda and stopped by Jorge and Diego’s apartment to jam. I finally brought a trumpet over and I improved over some songs / riffs they wrote. It was great. Too bad there wasn’t a drummer. It felt good to jam with people again. Hehehehe the ‘Cuerpo Sessions’. There’s nothing like creating live music with fellow musicians. I love those guys.

When asked to compare dj’ing to playing the horn, I said ‘There is no comparison.”

Creating live music feels so damn good. You actively listen to those playing around you and you just flow with them. Everyone takes leads from time to time, but there’s still a sense of cohesiveness… separate but very much together. I love it. Besides teaching, it has to be one of my favorite things in the world. Follow closely by the emotionless void that is the Internet. LOL.

I really appreciate it when people tell me… “Hey man, that deep house set was cool.” or “Wow… nice track… haven’t heard that one in a minute.” But… when you connect with a listener / band member while playing live music… there’s a level of communication so deep and involved that it can never be duplicated. You don’t needs words. All you need is to see those hips sway to the beat, or a glimmer of wonder in someone’s eyes. When the music REALLY hits you… it’s more of a groove and mindset… a feeling that will never be equated by playing some vinyl / cd’s / tape / mp3.

One of the most obvious examples is the concept of silence. When you’re a dj… silence is not an option. Sure you can throw down a track with a ‘breakdown beat’ or ‘atmospheric chords’ etc… but silence… is death for the dj. It’s just a necessary evil. We just have to deal with it. But with live music… silence is a powerful thing. I’ve heard the most powerful musical statements when there’s nothing playing at all. Miles Davis was the king of separation. He let the world know… that NOT playing your horn was JUST as important as the well crafted jazz scale or hook that you’d normally play.

If you haven’t experienced it… drive home without the radio on. I can promise your ears will thank you. If you’re still not convinced… go to an orchestra’s concert (pro or amateur). Sit through the whole program… and when you like an arrangement (they should have at least one that suits your preferences)… begin to appreciate it. Roll it around your tongue. Taste it. And when it ends… let the room finish the song. Now listen… hold on to that last delicate note. Try to find the exact moment that the song ends. Now induldge me once more and sit in the silence. It only lasts an instant, but if you’re lucky, you can freefall in it for days.

Live music.

It’s organic. It’s like breathing. It’s what makes me happy.

~Spec

P.S. Vote for my t-shirt here. Only one more day of voting!

This entry was posted on Monday, April 18th, 2005 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Music Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.