Re: [Harp-L] Gregorie Maret a different side

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I gave this some thought and came up with a similar conclusion Mike. 

 I find that I sometimes have to avoid actually watching someone. Maybe there's something about them that gets on my nerves and this jades my overall impression. For example: I have an aversion to people whom shave their heads when they, in fact, do have hair. Maybe I'm jealous because mine has taken the a-train?

 I also have an aversion to people who use overly accentuated facial distortions. Like Al Jareau. I love his voice but have a hard time watching him. Then theres Aaron Neville. Sweetest voice in the business BUT the birth mark on his eyebrow distracts me. I reminds me of a vole. 

People send me tapes and CDs all the time. I review them in the dark, with nothing BUT earphones. I listen to them at different times of the day, in different states of energy/ fatigue, in different moods. I do this to average out my overall impression(s). To me, that's only fair. 

In the case of Maret: After about 25 life stories of various musicians, I have come to a revelation. Not a lot of them were poor to begin with. And those that were seemed to have something else going for them. Like: Family in the business, sometimes parent or parents that were BOTH musicians, connections, while they couldn't afford the instrument they wanted to play, either their school or someone they knew had one to use, there was a teacher for their instrument living at a handy distance, they were in the right place at the right time, or have a mentor, family backing, married well and didn't have the threat of starving due to a 'safety net' situation, and etc. blah blah blah. 

Now for fledgeling musicians with financial help, everything is moot. Because there's nothing like not having to worry about starving and being able to focus ALL your energy into your craft without any outside pressure(s). Being able to pay for your schooling without having to flip burgers, and the usual host of other bummers. Like rent, transportation, heat, and so on. 

So, what happens is that a person with the right connections CAN wind up in a situation where they can do more of the planning for their career path. Whereas people with no breaks coming their way will be relegated to 'side man'. And while, like Cassius, standing there with that lean & hungry look, can make some bad decisions. Just out of sheer frustration, or the need to pay bills..or eat.

Now I don't know Gregoire's situation but it seems to me that he has associated himself with a number of other musicians whom have ALWAYS been what I would call 'Open artists'. These are people whom have always been at the cutting edge of post modern/fusion jazz, have a tendency to experiment with new directions in harmony and melody, and so I feel that much of his current (and future) success will be due, in part, to these good decisions he is making. Decisions that fit his situation. 

A lot od side men never make it because their creativity is being stifled. Just the other night our drummer bemoaned the fact that 'We' can't open up at the club. Why? Because the owners want everything to stay subtle, mellow, and subdued. 

Just my perspective....opposing viewpoints welcomed.....  smokey Joe / the last of the Cafes.   

   

On Oct 4, 2013, at 5:41 AM, diachrome@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Since I get the digests I'm usually a day late in these conversations. Sorry if I'm bringing up dated info. 
> 
> After I posted the Barrett vs. Maret topic yesterday, btw that was Bill Barrett not Dave Barrett, I went to YouTube and listened to more then an hour's worth of Gregorie's live recordings, a few studio recordings with non M-base musicians he backed, and 2 interviews. 
> 
> I was previously of the same opinion of his playing as most of you. We probably heard the same tracks early in his career. It left me cold. A lot of notes with no foundation in melody, yada, yada, yada. 
> 
> I tried to take an unbiased listen to his playing again yesterday. I played the vid's on my iphone through headphones and turned the phone over so I wasn't distracted by poor video images or suggestive images to create a mood. It was just the music that was being judged. 
> 
> I have to say I really liked what I heard. It wasn't the same guy on those early recordings. He was playing on Toots and Hendrik's level of soulful yet intellectual approach to jazz. My favorite piece was the one he did with the vocal ensemble Take 6. I listened to both video interviews and came away with the feeling some of the musicians he backed were trying to steer him in a different direction. It wasn't so much him wanting to play the way he did on the recordings but it seemed more like he was being open to their suggestions to explore a different path. As a sideman you are at the direction or mercy of those hiring you. Apparently he delivered because some keep him in their company. 
> 
> I would suggest hunt down the video's of him on YouTube and give a listen through headphones or good speakers. 
> Close your eyes and ignore the images on screen. He does have soul, and chops and can play a ballad without losing the audience in the process. 
> 
> Take Care 
> mike 
> www.harmonicarepair.com