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At the East Coast Summit, I had what was for me a new and liberating experience. I’ve done quite a bit of improvisational music, but this was uncharted territory. I found myself onstage with not one, not two, but three incredibly gifted performers – guys I had literally just met. It was a very high and memorable moment.
Meeting and working with Wes Carroll, whose wonderful ethic of “I serve the music” was a healthy gust of fresh air. The guy is intense, completely dialed in, dedicated, sophisticated, and rhythmically righteous. We tossed a few ideas around on Friday afternoon, did a sound check to make sure we weren’t stepping on each other’s toes, sonically speaking (and kudos to Marty Gasper for deftly and painlessly making it so), and then bam! We were in front of an audience with nothing but the gauziest idea of where we were headed. It was like being on a trapeze with no net. I haven’t heard the concert recording, and I don’t remember what we did, but whatever we did, it sure was fun. My only regret is that we both decided to wear jackets, so after ten minutes we were dripping sweat. That was a mistake we didn’t repeat in subsequent performances.
Saturday night was, as my kids say, mad fun. Maybe berserk fun would be more accurate. Earlier in the day, in the overheated classroom that served as our dressing room/holding pen, I had met Yoyo Beatz and Adam Matta, a couple of stank genius originals who had more cool stuff going on between them when they jammed than a boatload of gonzo clowns. They were doing some kind of out stuff when I kind of casually insinuated myself into the mix. Being big of spirit, they welcomed me, opening up a little space in their musical weave for me to play too, and lo, it grooved. The only reason we stopped was because we ended up laughing - excessive joy will do that to you.
So right before the Saturday night show, I asked Adam and Yoyo if they’d jam with Wes and me. They were down. I told them what I had in mind, a simple theme and variations with staggered entrances. The rest was up for grabs. Five minutes later we were all onstage together, making stuff up and getting buzzed on the organized mayhem we were creating. We were partying up there; I was having the greatest time just laying down some silly stuff on the bottom and listening to these monsters crank.
Thanks, guys. You rawk.
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