How did you get so good?

I love this question....how did you get so good?

I get asked this by my kid students all the time. "How do you do that? How did you get good at that?"

I do my best to let them know it's an exercise in persistence, appreciating the little bit you did learn already and all that good stuff.

I've been in a real woodshed period. Lots of hours practicing classical guitar, lots of hour practicing my saxophone. The fruits are starting to show and it feels good. I feel good. I don't yet know what it's for or why I do this, but have just surrendered to it and accepted the mystery. I'm having this weird temporary experience called life bookended by 2 great mysteries. I could haven been a soldier, fireman, wall street guy, engineer, father, but chose to make music and dedicate my time to this activity that brings me almost no money but a lot of joy.

So I was recently at a party with my parents. The host and his friend had a little jam session and they played some classics. I had my guitar in the car so I went and grabbed it to sit in. Some of the folks were astounded. One guy was near tears talking to me. I was moved by that. I didn't know it was possible.

He asked me how I got to this place......

It sounds bitter but it's not. I looked around and thought "well, other than my 5 year old niece and the 2 teenagers here, I'm the only person in this room who has probably never been married and who doesn't have a family...."

I didn't say this out loud, but the thought naturally popped into my head.

This has been a lonely existence. I'm quite sane but accept that I'm not easy to be around either. There is always melodies in my head, things I'm working out musically, solving this seemingly unending puzzle. 90% of my days I'm quite okay being alone. I'm defensive of my time. The minute I'm sharing too much of my time I lose the sanity part.

One friend said something about the 'sacrifice Jef made' or something like that. It's no sacrifice. It's just my life. It's that simple. When the music is good it's all worth it. Being this age and on my own, and it's quite possible I may remain alone, I've accepted this, I best make the most of this creation. Maybe this is my child? These sounds, the few records I've been a part of. I mean, why not?

So it's not to say that all artist are difficult and are just good at being lonely creatures. I'm open to any possibility to share this life. My feelings about the whole matter can change as soon as I click publish. And certainly it's worked out for others. And I still have a long way to go before I can call myself a good musician. And I'm digging this journey. Maybe I'll someday get that good.

JB

On faith, patience and progress.

This summer, Gospel of Mars hit the 5 year mark. Five years.... how did that happen? We have our first LP coming out soon, something I knew would happen but had little idea of when.

We could have done it sooner, but really, everything happens in it's own perfect time, in it's own perfect way. And there have been plenty of setbacks with this LP. For some reason I don't feel the leat bit frustrated. It's at the pressing plant and I have no control over anything. I don't know when it will be in our hands, I just know that it will be in our hands.

There was a point in my life not long ago where everything seemed to be in a rush. I would be playing in 4 different projects, my heart may have been in one of the 4, the rest were things that 'may become successful' or projects that I felt weirdly obligated to do. I was stretched thin and not particularly happy. Everything was urgent. Life was urgent. And whatever music I had my heart in I allowed to suffer. I had little faith in it.

Then I hit bottom.

I learned to say no. It forced me to be honest. The bottom sucks but if you let it, it's the greatest teacher.

If we forced ourselves to make a record 4 years ago, it wouldn't have been very good as we weren't very good. We have a tendency to create material that is too challenging for us to play well. It takes time and persistence.

Now there isn't a sense of urgency any longer. Which is Ironic. I have 30 less years of time ahead of me than I did 30 years ago when I played my first gig. Everything was urgent. Maybe cause I'm in no hurry to die? Or maybe cause I'm just enjoying the ride, getting better on my instruments, and enjoying the company of my friends and fellow bandmates and the honor it is to create with them. These things are more important to me now. The progress is the success.

My faith is stillness is unshakeable now. Sit still, show up and do the work. Simple formula. All the good things that have happened to us happened in ways that weren't expected. We didn't shop our record at all, we just got in front of the right folks to put it out. They have faith in us. That happened at the right time, we already had the recording in the can. We still struggle getting gigs outside of 2 spots that we love, and really, do we need more places? We've built a bit of community by playing at Troost 17 times now. When it's time for us to step it up, it will happen naturally in it's own way.

I think the old me was just ego.....always forcing it's will. That's the model in our society that we're given over and over again. The forceful egomaniac gets the success. Maybe that's true, and maybe it's true that it doesn't last and doesn't make anyone happy.

And what if you're a natural introvert like I am? I can't think of a more dishonest way of life than to try to fit in with the extrovert. There is no success in dishonesty. And most days I'm now happy. Glad to serve our music and audience. Grateful that the music we make is honest and not trying to 'make it'. Happy to let the music we make take us where we are needed to go. On it's own perfect time and it's own perfect way.

JB

A $1000 solution to a $5 problem. Change that neck cork!

This post is just to remind myself, who lives in a capitalist society and is addicted to buying stuff, to just chill out and find cheap solutions.

So lately I've been less than enamored with my beloved '36 Buescher Aristocrat tenor. It's been playing okay but sounding a bit harsh. It does need work and ultimately I will get it overhauled mainly to restore it's sloppy key action to be as tight as my minty low hours '35. When I bought the horn last year within a week the bell to body brace popped and one of the key guards fell off so I took it to KB Sax where he straightened it out. He told me the pads are good but challenging to work with, they aren't the best quality and if it's a keeper I should ultimately get it overhauled.

An art deco Buescher Aristocrat isn't worth all that much dough. And this one was de-snapped, there is no lacquer left, it's an ugly beauty. I can't think about getting 'my money back out of it' if I ever needed to sell it but....it's that good so I have no intention of selling it.

So anyway, I still had the neck cork on from when I purchased it. That was 18 months ago. And for the last 6 months I've been using that bad for the environment teflon tape. So last night I had myself a neck cork changing party. Did both of my Buescher tenors...

Didn't get a chance to play until tonight and I got the most satisfying 2 hour practice session I've had in a while in. Everything sounds better, plays better, I didn't want to stop but need to go to bed!

See, in my consumer mind the noise goes like this: You're not satisfied. Look on EBay, SOTW, Reverb at saxes. Maybe it's time for a Selmer Balanced Action? ($5k-$8k). Or maybe another vintage Otto Link like a Double Line one ($1k-$2k), or another neck (Chinese made $80 to USA or German or Dutch $1.2k) and on and on and on.

When your horn isn't tight it's harder to get inspired, harder to practice. Easy for me to fantasize. The last thing I wind up thinking is "maybe it's just a little leak up top, or maybe it's just the neck cork, or maybe I could spend the money on a lesson...."

I do know when it's my reed. It took me years to settle on the brand I use now, and that would trip me up. Buy a new horn when I really just needed to listen to that cat who years ago told me: "You're playing those blue box Vandoren reeds? You working to hard bro!"

I bought a stack of 10 neck corks on EBay for about $12 shipped. I followed instructions from Music Medic and also have watched the pros do it enough times to know, that is something I can handle myself. I bought 10 just in case I mess up. I did the first time, the second time I got it. And now like I said, I get to remember that I have a horn that I would envy if it were my brothers or sisters! Gone is the notion that I need anything else except more sleep, and more time on my horn. I got a good one! We'll keep making music together for years to come!

JB

Buffet Dynaction tenor saxophone. Why did Selmer come to dominate the French saxophone world?

I'm torn about selling this beauty.....

Why am I torn? It's easily the best sounding tenor I've owned. And it's terrifically in tune to boot. I also find the key work to be super easy.

You often hear the name Buffet being associated with 'classical' horns much like Buescher is. Well, I don't play classical but I guess I prefer 'classical' tenors. Buffet and Buescher are my personal favorites. I find them capable of doing anything. I never feel limited sonically like I do on other horns. I feel the same way about an old Selmer, flexible and capable of expressing you. Other brands I've felt like the horn had too much of it's ego stamp in the way. Kings, 10Ms, lovely horns but hard to get me into the horn and out to the room (for me, I'm open to others who experience differently!).

I just had this horn tuned up and KB Sax in Long Island City. When I went to pick it up I got to play it against a Selmer Balanced and Super Balanced Action tenor. I feel this held it's own with those and had a stronger low end which coming from American tenors, I like very much. I didn't find the key work difficult to switch on either of them with the Balanced being my personal favorite.

We talked about SML, Buffet and Selmer which were all made pretty close to one another, much like the 'big American 3' made in Elkhart Indiana.

How did Selmer come to dominate? They are all fabulous horns. I personally don't dig the feel of an SML though I have played some that had a great sound.

Sonically I found this horn to be rather close to the Selmers I tried that day. Dark center, nice bite though the Selmers won in the brightness department. They all projected similarly. When I tried some of Kim's necks my Buffet simply became a better horn than those 2. Even with the stock neck the intonation is superior though the tone leans towards quite dark.

Like I said I could get around on all of them with ease.

So, I think it may come down to something simple: weight. The Buffets and SML tenors I have played are stupid heavy! The Selmer felt like a toy (No Selmer fanatics, this is not an insult, it's a compliment! I'm a player. I need to have fun playing. I need it to be a balance between a tool and a toy dig????) I owned a Dolnet for a while too. Goddamn! That was a heavy beast! Powerful but I prefer the tone of the Buffet over all of the above.

 I may keep this tenor for studio work, it has a great tone color and I can sit down for that. Or maybe it's time to commit to a gym and lift more weights?! My Buescher and my Conn Transitional have good weight, about the same as the Selmer. I find new horns to be too heavy as well, except for Borgani maybe.

So I'm torn. It's for sale as of now but don't mind it sitting here either. This horn has a helluva sound and is easy to play. If you are looking for one keep that in mind. Yes they are a good Selmer competitor, no they are not a Selmer, they are a Buffet which is great in it's own right. But if you have neck or back issues, keep this in mind!

JB