12/12/14.....working hard, maybe too hard? Well, learning saxophone is hard work.

Damn I'm tired. Managed to get a couple hours in on my horn just doing long tones then improvising over some blues. I love my sound these days. Buffet mouthpiece just gives me the right kind of fat all the way to the top. Towards the end of the first hour I started falling asleep.

Well, it was after midnight and I have been awake since 6:45 this morning. I worked all day on this beautiful west village home. I was there 4 days this week, had 2 shows, fixed some amps and guitars, taught a bunch of lessons.

Earning money, I love to earn. I love all of these jobs equally. It's hard to strike a balance sometimes when money is involved. One gig paid, the other didn't. But the time is coming when I'll have an instrument in my hands more than not. There is nothing I want to do more than make music.

So this practice session is just one step closer to that. It was a good one. A really good one. I like where my improvising is going.

The day started out with a high compliment I received from a fellow respected Ebayer and saxophone guru I've never met. He must have watched my demo video for a mouthpiece I'm selling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BPI33yW_mM&list=UUMhr-A-1fGhPjvHFF9fBP-A

New message from: drlarryross (2001)

Man, you sound GREAT! You have the sound that I would like to hear, if I went out to hear some jazz at a venue. Keep up the good work. Cheers! LR

New message from: drlarryross (2001)

FYI: you sound better than Eric Alexander and Joe Lovano (who is from my hometown Cleveland; I have heard him since the '70s). If you go into the studio, you will probably come out with some phenomenal recordings. You are the best-sounding young guy that I can remember hearing. The sound that you have allows you to play anything, and make it sound good: that's talent. LR It's nice to hear something nice about your sound once in a while. Feels good, especially since yes, the band is about to record. I don't listen to the mentioned sax players, they are much better than I (I just ran into Lovano at Jon Baltimore's Winds, that is one JAZZ CAT. Just a cool vibe all around!) am but that is the wonderful thing about music. We all get to be ourselves and I'm glad the sound is getting out there into the world and turning someone on. I wrote back saying how I basically am self taught but the one guy I spent the most time with we worked on sound together for 8 years. I got this reply: New message from: drlarryross (2003) Yes, your tone is IT; the work paid off. Self-taught is better, because that's what the early jazz musicians were, like Sidney Bechet who barely read anything. Coltrane also recommended playing by ear. I strongly recommended that you put out a CD of standards (e.g. Chelsea Bridge, Ruby My Dear, Monk's Mood, Blue in Green, Fran Dance, etc.), and see what happens. Cheers! LR That's great to hear. I never wanted to sound like anyone else but me. And Bechet is one of my heroes along with Trane cause they sounded so unusual. And while I don't anticipate making an album of standards, if I did Chelsea Bridge would be the last song on side 1. J