Jazzer’s Videos

You need to get that kid into a headlock and tell him what’s what!

In all seriousness, though, that’s a real shame. The ideal scenario would have been a passing of the torch so to speak, so it’s unfortunate that this never came to be.

 

Blues My Naughty Sweetie.

“One Helluva Wild Band.”

(excerpt from my past life)

 

Wow, I enjoyed listening to your band @Jazzer. What's your band's name? Are they also on Spotify?

 

Chris this was not my band though I was it’s trombonist.
When I was forced to quit I was trombonist in five bands.
This band is:
‘The Tony Pitt All Stars.’
My own band:
‘Dave Hewett’s Condonians.’

There are many ‘Jazzer’s Videos’ up on this thread.

Also go on YouTube and put in
‘Sillyhew Jazz’ for more clips.

 

@Jazzer

Since you are a musician, could you recommend a book where the meaning of the terms musicians use to describe the different kinds of sound are explained?

I find descriptions of the music of classical composers and they refer to things like texture, tremolo, and there are terms to describe the rhythm... is there like a guide to understand all this?

Thanks in advance Jazzer!

 

Very impressive playing @Jazzer I enjoyed it. I commend you for being able to watch these videos, because it can't be easy giving up something that you loved and were very good at...

All the best
Michael

 

Very perceptive of you Michael, and kind.
Of course - you clearly understand.
I still get a kick out of the fact that at age 15 I fell in love with an art form, taught myself, had no trombone lessons, by age 20 was professional, and played on the jazz scene for over 50 years.

My jazz was a terrible loss
- my silence even greater.

Thank you again Michael.

 

Well I guess any book that will deal with musical terminology would be good.
Perhaps ‘The Pocket Manual of Musical Terms’ for about $6.

If you give me a short list of terms I can probably go through them for you.

 

I recognise talent when I see it @Jazzer. Being able to play like that and self taught tells me that you have the gift to create music in abundance. Although I am not a musician being an Audiophile since the age of sixteen, good music touches my heart, soul and mind in a way that it feels ethereal and this hasn't changed now I'm at the tender age of sixty. Over the years I desperately hoped tinnitus wouldn't take away my ability to enjoy music and this nearly happened in 2008 after my second noise trauma. I had to stop listening to music through my HI-FI for two years and felt shell shocked for many months is the best way to describe it. I bought a Bose wave music system, and this little gem helped save me through some of my darkest hours, as I was able to enjoy listening to music replayed in Audiophile quality albeit in a smaller form. Hopefully that is in the past. The tinnitus can still be loud and intrusive but not as severe and unrelenting as it once was. I'm able to continue listening to music through my HI-FI again.

Take care
Michael

 

Nice interesting post @Michael Leigh
Yes I too love the classics.
My favourites being the Romantics.
Tchaikovsky - Rachmaninov - Sibelius - Elgar - Khachaturian - Beethoven - Mahler - Bruckner - Mozart piano concertos etc....
(I’ll leave opera to you Michael.
The sopranos always sound like they are being throttled to me.)
I love grand sweeping melodies.
The big tune - what Sir Thomas Beecham loved to refer to deprecatingly as ‘the lollipops.’

But I have to mention that the absolute God of music - to me - arrived with the golden tones and naturally guttural voice of one Louis Armstrong.
Most people saw him as a loveable entertainer, but in fact he was such a completely natural human being, that love flowed through him in the shape of fantastic musical phrases.
He taught the entire jazz world the language of jazz phrasing.
Even the modernists like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis came to acknowledge him.
But in the total absence of any deity in my life - he fulfils that role.
(For me - deism is all mythology.)
A civil rights champion who had the courage to tell president Eisenhower he was ‘Gutless’ for failing to support a handful of black children who simply wanted to go to school.

Sorry Michael - I’ve been rattling on.
Perhaps later on I will tell you about my visit / pilgrimage to Louis’ house in Queens, New York.
Dave x
Jazzer

 

Wow Dave, you are so talented! I know it must be hard for you not being able to play music anymore, I can only imagine what enjoyment that brought to you over the years.

I loved watching the YouTube videos of you playing, my favorite was of course "when you wish upon a star"
you really demonstrated your musical ability in that video.

xx

 

Another thought Juan.
You could ask Google specific questions like:
Definition of tremolo
Definition of vibrato
Definition of rubato etc...
Or I can help you if you get stuck.
Dave x

 

@Jazzer

I've a very honest and true story I would like to share. 11 years ago we lost our son to suicide. Thomas, a very self taught guitarist, his talent and singing was brilliant. After our loss, our oldest son married, and with that him and his wife had a child, a girl. I could see in this little one there was something special, now I'm not bragging just the true I see. Talking complete sentences by 2 and remembering everything. The most astonishing was remembering songs. Now at the age of 3 we have the pleasure of listening to the full John Denver song country roads which she knows completely and in perfect tune.

She has 2 pianos 1 at our home the other at hers. And the noise flows.
Now I have in me the strange power of vision and one afternoon when we had the granddaughter staying overnight she was on her knees playing with her piano, and as I sat listening to her my thoughts of her learning to play some type of instrument should be invested in if she desires. Now as she sat there and it being myself and her in the sitting room something very interesting happened. Her uncle Thomas appeared in true form and coming from behind his form entered into the granddaughter. Yeah you're saying Elmer has gone over the edge. No sir, because now when she comes the first thing is the piano comes out, myself and the wife are now invited to play in her concert, where this comes from I believe her uncle gave her. Her parents are not music inclined. The wife plays the imaginary drums, I get to play the guitar and its 1 2 3 play. I get so emotional each time this happens. I thought of you self taught and thought I would share this experience with you.

Peace and silence my friend
Elmer

 

Please continue @Jazzer as reading about your jazz music and where you've been over the years quite interesting.

 

Thank you Jazzer! It is a matter of being able to describe sound really... I found some books on music theory and it seems they also deal with this terminology.

For instance sometimes sound is perceived dimmed, like a "deaf sound" (for instance when a tympanogram curve is lower than normal).. and sometimes sound it has a sort of vibration or reverberation to it. So when it reverberates how it is described in music?

I want to understand how to describe correctly the properties and qualities of sound

Also I read a book and said a piano had "flats" and I don't know what it means exactly...

 

Yes, that's true! Thanks Jazzer!

 

Juan - these are not specifically music terms, but acoustic terms.
I do understand the ‘piano flats’ comment.
In some cases a piano will have some notes that do not ‘sing out’ or ‘resonate’ as well as the other notes.
These are ‘flats.’

 

My dear friend - I am so pleased you honoured me by sharing your story.
I am so sorry about your loss Elmer.
It sounds like Thomas was a pretty talented guy.
So poignant to me.
(There have been two suicides in our close family also.)
The appearance of Uncle Thomas is remarkable, and I believe every word.
My condolences to you and your wife Elmer.
Love to you both,
Dave xx

 

Music it calms the sorrow and let's us drift into the unknown.

 

Thank you Star.
Yes - my jazz ability was a big loss, but my silence, my peace and quiet, so much bigger.

I featured “When you wish . . .” as my solo spot for three years in a touring theatre show:
“From Basin Street to Broadway.”

I am not a religious person at all, but “Wishing On a Star . . .” though illogical, would be a heaven sent gift in a perfect world.
A jazz solo is an opportunity for the jazzer to rephrase the melody in his own style of course.
My ‘chops’ were on great form that day, so I risked a ‘show-off’ cadenza.
(Sort of:
“Look mum - no hands and no safety net!”)
Even I have to admit - it came out pretty good.
Thanks for your appreciation Star.
Dave xx

 

Hi Elmer,

I'm so sorry for the loss of your son; I can't imagine how devastating that must have been for you.

I hope your faith provides some comfort -- that he is at peace now, and you will see him again.

 

Playing to several thousand people in Dresden amphitheatre (2017).

I was a star of stage and screen.
(I love dishing up all that shit.)
Hahahaaaaaa...........x

 

Gentleman Jim McIntosh and the Jazzaholics

 

So lovely to hear you Dave, you're a star and always will be... xxx

 

Nostalgia for times past... ❤️

 

Haven’t posted a jazz video for a long time.
This from a former life.
Dave Hewett’s Condonians.

Beale Street Blues

 

I started giggling to myself when I watched this video. Made me happy to see you up there on stage. You guys looked like you were really enjoying yourselves.

Nothing better than live music!

 

‘Having fun onstage’

Ol' Miss Rag

 

Ballad Medley

Hello everybody xxx

 

I Want a Little girl

An ad hoc band of guys who had never met before, but it worked very well because we all knew his to listen, in the best jazz tradition.

Usually introduced as:
“I Wanna a Little Girl - But a Big One Will Do.”