This series of photos was my first experience shooting the same subject(s) over an extended period of time at the same location. I went through dozens of rolls of film and even with all of the blown shots it was still difficult to edit things down to less than twenty images. This was also my first project where I processed all of the film myself and made my own enlargements. So many hours in the dark room…I thought I might lose it for a minute there!

At some point I’ll post more of my favourite images from this project but for now keep your hands up and your chin down!

Thanks for stopping by!

JC

Tony’s gym is gone now so I’m glad that I have some documentation of the rather unique club that was Pep’s Boxing and Fitness. This picture of Tony is one of my favourite photos I have from my time hanging out ringside.

As far as wedding gigs go this was a really good one (maybe one of the best I’ve ever done?).  If you’re wondering what that means it means that we were hired to play the music that we normally play, the music that we would choose to play for kicks, and we weren’t messed with in anyway.  There were no shouted requests for Steve Miller Band, Bob Seger, or my personally favourite “play something we know”.   It was just people partying and digging on some greasy organ music.  That’s how you have a good time.

Now that I’m writing all of this it’s got me thinking about a wedding gig I did with a band that shall remain nameless . The bride and groom were huge fans of the band and new all of our music.  They were so excited to have us play for them but as it turned out they were the only ones who liked the band.   To say that their guests hated our music would be a massive understatement!  On this particular night  we got all of the requests mentioned above and then some.   It was really  something to see the bride and groom cutting a rug and singing along while all of the guests just sat there, ploughing  back their Molsons, glaring at us….awkward.

So ya….weddings.

JC

JC

I’m never quite sure how to describe the sound of a record like this one. The music on this date swings. It’s relaxed but exciting. It’s mellow one minute and explosive the next. Maybe the best description is simply the title itself: Party Time.

A couple of thoughts…

This rhythm section really cooks. Art Taylor and Wendell Marshall are perfect stewards of the beat and Ray Bryant is always funky. As for Ray Berretto I must say that there was a time when I didn’t quite get congas on a straight ahead record like this one but that ended abruptly the first time I heard him on Horace Parlan’s classic Blue Note date Headin’ South. His playing here just makes for an exponentially greater amount of Party Time.

And of course what can you say about Arnett Cobb?  Now that’s a sound!

You can read all about Arnett Cobb HERE and you can check out his discography HERE.

Arnett Cobb “Party Time”
1959 Prestige Records
Arnett Cobb – Tenor Sax
Ray Bryant – Piano
Wendell Marshal – Bass
Art Taylor – Drums
Ray Barretto – Congas

This record has been scientifically evaluated and has been given a  rating of 6.02214179(  )×10²³  

If anyone out there knows who the drummer and the bass player are, and where this was filmed (Ronnie Scott’s?) please drop me a comment or message.

Edmonton based tenor saxophonist Jerrold Dubyk after a rehearsal for a recording session at Groundhog Studio in Port Coquitlam, BC (yes those are hockey sticks). Check out his website HERE and sample his tunes HERE.

You can catch Jerrold in Vancouver on June 1st…stay tuned for details.

JC

I don’t take these drums to my work very often (Currently I take a set of CANOPUS DRUMS to most of my gigs) but I practice at them almost daily. There’s something reassuring about the sound of an instrument that you’ve owned for many years. I guess it’s familiarity and predictability…you always know what you’re going to get.

Many of the legends that I’ve played with are still using the same horns that they played when they made some of our favourite records. And the same goes for drummers too. When I saw Kenny Washington in Victoria B.C. in the early 1990′s with Johnny Griffin he was playing a nice old set of Slingerland drums (that were most likely not that old when he bought them). When I showed up at his place in Brooklyn for a lesson almost twenty years later there was that same set of drums sitting in his music room.

There’s no real point to this other than to say that if you’ve got some greasy old drums hang on to them! And if you’re young and you’ve got some shiny new drums hang on to them until the qualify for G.O.D. status. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll have a student sit down at your kit and say “hey man we’re these the drums I saw you playing back in 2013?”

JC

Steve Kaldestad at The Jazz Cellar

Steve Kaldestad Trio

Steve Kaldestad – Saxophone
Chris Gestrin – Hammond Organ
Jesse Cahill (that’s me) – Drums

Cory Weeds’ Cellar Jazz Club
3611 West Broadway

No cover and cheap beer yo!

You could stay at home and watch shitty sports on the TV or you could come and get you’re greasy on. Tough choice…

“Listen to Max Roach”

That seems to be my standard answer these days for many questions that my students ask of me.

“Where should I start for solo ideas?”

“How can I use the bass drum in my time keeping?”

“Up tempo cymbal beat?  Who should I check out?”

Easy: “Listen to Max Roach”

I’ve posted before about how much and why I dig Max Roach (check it out HERE) but I recently came across an old issue of Modern Drummer Magazine that features him on the cover and that’s got me on a bit of a renewed Max kick.  Inside is one of the best articles I can ever remember seeing in a drum magazine (keeping in mind that I haven’t purchased any drum magazines in at least a decade).

Max gives Rick Mattingly  a guided tour through some of his most famous records recounting anecdotes about the sessions and offering insight into the development of his playing and of jazz music in general.  It’s a very interesting read and if you can’t find yourself a back issue of the August 1993 edition of  Modern Drummer Magazine you can find some of that interview HERE

While you’re reading up on Max here’s a track from Max Roach + Four: On The Chicago Scene (1958 Emarcy)   featuring legendary trumpeter Booker Little, George Coleman on saxophone, Eddie Baker at the piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and the architect himself Max Roach on the drums.  Dig how Max breaks up the time behind the soloists!

Enjoy the music and enjoy your week.

JC

Speaking of free jazz…

I’m playing a couple of shows in the next week that are both free and jazz but not free jazz (and I’m pretty sure that there will be no aerobics). Check it out:

Tristoan Paxton  Trio

Tristan Paxton – Guitar
Jodi Proznick – Bass
Jesse Cahill – Drums

Sunday May 5th 4:00 PM NO COVER

Tangent Cafe
2095 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

Steve Kaldestad Trio

Steve Kaldestad – Saxophone
CHris Gestrin – Organ
Jesse Cahill – Drums

Tuesday May 7th 8:00 PM NO COVER

Cory Weeds Cellar Jazz Club
3611 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC

And while I have your attention here’s a photo I took of Steve Kaldestad and a very nice old Sony microphone: