A small piece of a cool book collection.
(June 18, 2012) NASHVILLE, TN — Today was a very, very good day. It included cowboy swing, vegan Jamaican food, some very deep hangs, and lots of good music, both live and recorded.
I started the day interviewing Denis Solee, one of Nashville’s top woodwind players and woodwind repair technicians and a person with more than 30 years on the local scene. He’s played on recordings by everyone, including Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Louis Bellson, Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Vaughn, Aretha Franklin and many more. And for all that, Denis was as humble and gracious as you could imagine.
I spent much of the rest of the day and night in the company of Jeff Coffin. You may know Jeff from the indie outfit he plays with called the Dave Matthews Band. Or you might know him from his years with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Or from his own band, the Mu’tet. Here’s another guy who could have an enormous chip on his shoulder if he wanted to. Instead, he’s incredibly kind and generous and open.
Saxophonist Evan Cobb and I met Jeff for lunch at this great place called Jamaicaway that had very tasty vegan Jamaican food. They had non-vegan options, too, for you weirdos. And how great a name is “Jamaicaway”? I couldn’t resist using it as the title of this post.
Then it was back home so Evan could practice and I could do some tour work. It’s incredible just how much work it takes to be a jazz hobo and wandering poet. Setting up places to stay. Booking interviews. Scheduling poetry readings. Figuring out bus schedules. I feel like I’m as busy as I’ve been in a long time. Luckily, I had an office partner with me most of the day. That’s him up above.
My next stop was a performance by the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, in which Evan plays.
The NJO is big band led by trumpeter Jim Williamson. The band sounded great tonight — tight ensembles and solid soloing. A full house of very enthusiastic fans encouraged every solo and every high note in the trumpet section. You’ll find the NJO every Monday at the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt’s Commodore Grille from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
I had to step out of the show for a few minutes to do a live radio interview (by phone) with WFSK, Fisk University’s radio station. The interview was conducted by Ron Wynn, who also wrote a piece on my tour that appeared in the Nashville Scene. Ron did a great job with the interview — he asked smart questions and knew about the tour, which made everything flow very smoothly.
One thing I’ve noticed on this tour is that I need to be more careful about how I’m eating. Visiting people usually means going out to restaurants, which I can’t afford financially and don’t want to do for health reasons. Today Evan and I went to The Produce Place, a market in Nashville with great fruits and veggies and nuts and granola. You get the picture. We got stuff for salad and also for guacamole. Then Evan, Jeff and I had a nice dinner (seen above). It was the first meal I’ve cooked since leaving New York, and I think only the third home-cooked meal I’ve eaten in that time.
For me, as for many people, Nashville means country music. I knew before I got here that I wanted to see some bluegrass if possible and some good country. At the jam session yesterday, one of the musicians suggested The Time Jumpers, a band of first-call session players who play cowboy swing a la Bob Wills. Country superstar Vince Gill plays in the band, too, which in part precipitated their move to a larger venue — from the Station Inn to 3rd And Lindsley.
The Time Jumpers were phenomenal. They swung so hard! Individually they were brilliant musicians and collectively they put a lot of big bands to shame. Their feel and precision and pure joy were infectious. They passed around song-calling duties and played a bunch of classics and a few more recent country tunes. For several songs, they were joined by drummer and singer Duffy Jackson, who’s played with Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and many others. His time feel was rock-solid and swinging and his vocals were hilarious. The Time Jumpers don’t need my help to promote their band, but I’ll do it anyway. Go see them on Monday nights.
Before going to The Time Jumpers show, I was at Jeff Coffin’s house for a bit. We got to talking about Ornette Coleman, and Jeff played me a recording he’d made of a conversation between Ornette and Roy “Future Man” Wooten. It was a deep conversation about what it means to be human and how we know we’re alive. I heard just a portion of it and also a few minutes of Ornette and Roy jamming. They sounded so good together.
When I got back to Jeff’s after The Time Jumpers show, Roy was there. I’m so glad he was. I’d like to spend several weeks with him, just hanging out and talking. The conversation tonight began with a project Roy is working on and eventually encompassed James Joyce, Joseph Campbell, Fibonacci sequences, Wagner, Schopenhauer, knuckleball pitching, listening to music in the dark … and more than I can possibly remember. It was yet another of those experiences on this tour that just can’t be had in any other way. Oh, and did I mention that Stevie Wonder’s music was playing in the background the entire time?
At about midnight, Jeff and I went out on his back deck and recorded our interview. I felt like my brain was mush by that point, but Jeff said he enjoyed it, so here’s hoping it sounds OK.
Tomorrow I’m going back to the Nashville Jazz Workshop to interview the folks who run it. I’m also going to the W.O. Smith School, a community music school that’s attracted national attention for its positive work in Nashville. And I’m going to attend a session that Jeff is playing with Roy, his brother Victor Wooten, and the pianist Chris Walters. Then tomorrow night we’re going to see The Doyle And Debbie Show, a loving parody of classic country acts. I’m going to interview Evan tomorrow, too. Another brain-melter of a day.
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