TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT! The Wonderous Flame-O-Phone makes its professional world premier in the dazzling circus fueled performance of The Wonderneath at the House of Yes.
The Flame-O-Phone has been getting a fair amount of traction on the web. The saxophone forums have erupted with both pride and derision towards our inventive protagonist. Friends and family have weighed in with admiration and fear. “Don’t inhale!” is a common refrain.
The biggest piece of evidence of the horn’s virility (viral-ness?) (contagion?) is that the initial video of Stefan trying out the horn for the first time on the Lower East Side has been formally licensed by “Epic Win FTW” and is racking up votes as we speak… Vote here!
If you’re a jazz head you’re already thinking about Steve Bernstein. Ok. I hear ya. And good for Steve for taking something unwieldy and obscure and making it synonymous with his name. If you see me playing bass clarinet and name drop Matt Lavelle, I’m gonna just smile and say. “Wild man, heavy.”
If all this just goes right over your head and you’re thinking “What a cute little baby trombone. What is that?” then we’re on the same team. This thing is a mystery to me too. Clifton, a man with quite an instrument collection, lent me his mini-trombone about 5 months ago and I’ve just managed to start using it performance in the last month. It’s an unwieldy and slurpy but a very fun little monster. Of course, when it came time to create the music for The Wonderneath, and I learned that A) I had the option of decking out one of my horns in Swarovski crystals and B) that I would be playing the horn on stage surrounded by trapeze artists, fire dancers and circus performers, I immediately thought of the baby bone.
So now I really have to learn how to play the damn thing. Maybe even in tune. So, I’m taking a break for my lip’s sake right now to write this but then back to shedding. As with many theater pieces with multiple vocalists, the songs wind up being in strange keys and I am learning some old spirituals and dance numbers in the hellish C#. Oh god of the baby bone! Hear my prayer! Give me the strength and silliness to play kinda sorta in tune!
If there is a god of the baby bone he is wearing a diaper.
Been listening to and looking at a lot of Led Zeppelin over the last few days. Clifton lent me the “Led Zeppelin” DVD that came out in 2003 as well as the “How’s The West Was Won” CD’s that came out in the same year. Turns out that over saturation of Zep is a fine cure for the bout of food poisoning that I recently experienced.
Of course, being a diligent and earnest teen, I was very familiar with the catalogue. I remember learning to play the riff from Stairway to Heaven on the guitar as a kid. I remember one time at high school. It was the last day of the year and everyone had left. I had the dorm entirely to myself as I waited for my dad to pick me up. I CRANKED the Zep as loud as I could and positively, unabashedly, danced around my room to the song “Rock and Roll.” Looking back, I’m happy that this was not videoed but also happy to remember letting myself go so completely.
Hearing this music again in a new setting was fresh and fun and I got a chance to re-examine my attraction to this sound. I always knew they RULED! but maybe that’s kind of a juvenile, emotional response. What really makes me like it?
Well first of all. Bonham RULES!! Holy 28inch Ludwig. Fucking Hell! The band is so elastic and solid at the same time. He’s so over the top and stretchy with the time and yet so clear and so connected with Jones and Page that there is never any feel of sloppy.
There are two things that I feel affect me directly right now. Robert Plant’s singing. Sure, he can get screechy and annoying. Yes he’s stealing from the masters. All those things. One thing is for sure – he is taking risks in every single moment. He does not care about getting it right. His interest is in generating emotional drama in every second that he sings. If you heard a slight in-tune bend on the studio album, when he does it live he’s gonna take that bend and go as high as he can go regardless of the key just because its startling. If you are expecting a certain phrasing cause that’s what he did on the record, he ain’t gonna do it again. In every live track that I heard he deviates from the recorded version over and over again – sometimes even on the hooks. That’s cool. I respect that. I resonate with that. It’s not safe. Go Robert Plant. Live on the edge. Go with what you don’t know yet.
Second lesson from Zep: On the studio albums there are so many intertwined guitar tracks and overdubs. When they do these songs live they just strip it down to a quartet and do them anyway. The essential part of the tune remains. Everyone recognizes the tune anyway. Because we’ve heard the studio version so many times, our imaginative ear fills in the blank. I see so many bloated concerts these days. Everyone is touring with 12 musicians on stage because it just isn’t the song without that third guitar part or that accordion fill. That’s just poor song writing. The melody, harmony and riffs are so solid in their music that the overdubs are a delightful ornament and awesome on the headphones but they aren’t really needed live. Strip it down. Play with the players that you created the music with and rock out. That’s how you maintain the magical vibe without diluting with session players and “pro’s”
Some of the music is pretentious and no one really needs to hear a 14 minute drum solo or hear Jimmy Page play Bach riffs more than once but none of the music comes of dated. It is rocking so hard and is so unique and just slammin. OK -maybe you could tell where this was going. LED ZEPPELIN RULES! Yeah, I said it.
This week at Googie’sPart three of our continuing series on our residency at this well-trafficked venue. A truly wonderful thing happened again at Googie’s on Friday night. We invited the wonderful Clem Waldmann play our second set with us. I know you are at least a little familiar with our music and presentation. We put a lot of work into getting some tight arrangements that have some sudden and dazzling twists and turns, hairpin mood shifts, and expressive use of tempo. Having a drummer sit in with us is fraught with peril. Either they will just miss certain changes or they will railroad the beat into something that suits their style but isn’t the groove or feeling that the rest of the band is going for.
Enter Clem Waldmann. This guy’s playing was so joyous and seamless. The bass drum wasn’t too persistent. The shuffle was impeccable. The accents were in the right places. The groove was buoyant and light when needed and thick and swampy when required. He didn’t not miss a single cue, transition or feel! Frankly, and this is going to sound strange, Stefan and I FORGOT THAT HE WAS EVEN THERE. It was such a good accompaniment and so obviously supportive of what was going on that it allowed us to focus all our attention on being in the moment and maintaining the connection with the audience. It’s hard to tell a story when you’re looking over shoulder trying to accomodate the new guy. In this case is was the opposite. Even with the very first few sounds he made, he just built confident gesture and agreement on to every moment of the music. Every once in a while he would add something delicious and fun and I would remember that we had this whole extra layer to what we were doing. It’s like when you’re walking, after the first few steps you really don’t have to think about your feet. It’s only when things get shaky would you need to concern yourself with balance. Clem was as solid as possible in that regard.
Stefan said so to Clem right after the gig while we were still on stage.
“I forgot you were there.” The truly terrific part is that Clem understood the HUGE compliment in this comment and rejoiced in it.
He clutched is hands and pumped them over his head with a huge smile like he just won a prize. Clifton reports that over at the Blue Man Group theater (where they have worked together for a few years already) Clem told another drummer how excited he was to receive that feedback and they both high-fived about it!
I think that might be the sign of a drummer that I want to be working with. They place a very high value on time-keeping, solidity, confidence, and taste and are confident enough to not be so concerned with being noticed for flashy playing. Clem, you nailed. Thanks! Listen for Clem on our next record. We start recording in March.
Another first to note at this gig. The deliciously talented Katie Hasty sang a few songs with us on this gig. She managed to sing the material without falling into the obvious tropes of female jazz singing that we tend to avoid. She brought all her personality, wit and sauce into the mix. Her stage presence made standing next to her a joy. It was really fun. She tore it up. More please.
Some members of the audience were commenting after the show that Tin Pan is a pretty male, testosterone-driven experience. We all are gruff and going for it with boatloads of Yang energy. Katie’s presence on stage (even for justa few songs) helped members of the audience feel more comfortable and assured by balancing out the vibe. It also drew a sharper contrast making for a more compelling show. And there you have it. Thanks for the feedback.
And while we’re talking aesthetics: Clem reflected after the gig that he felt like Baby Hands and I come off like trained musicians who have too much sauce to sound like school and just want to rock-out. Clifton and Zoo on the other hand come across as rockers who somehow wound up with an acoustic guitar or a clarinet in their hands and are making the best of it.
As I stepped through the doorway of Curry Hill’s famous Kalustyan’s I came face to face with an enormous wall of bitters.
What Delight!
What a Rarity!
What Beauty!
What a trove of delicious flavors!
A seemingly endless variety was placed in front of my eyes:
Rhubarb bitters, Celery bitters, Peach bitters, Clover bitters, Lemon bitters, Grapefruit bitters, Chilean bitters, German bitters, even Bitter bitters…
I couldn’t help but notice the lone, empty aisle where the Trinidadian classic, Angostura bitters normally resides…but alas, I shall survive the drought with my own personal stash!
I grabbed a bottle of the New Orleans stalwart, Peychoud’s as well as Regan’s Orange #6 (quite a hard one to find!) and then reached up and took the last bottle of the German Bitter Truth Aromatic bitters…this is quite a find! Coming in at 3 times the price of the others this is one of the most sought after bottles by mixologists in our fair city. Supposedly it is the Aromatic that the famous Angostura was modeled after yet has never had distribution outside of Deustchland…
It’s midnight. We’ve already played two gigs today. We get to the radio station at around 1am and thank heavens there is food for us. We go down the long hallway past all the great photos of FDR on WOR and of broadcasts from Yankee Stadium in the 1930’s. In the office part with the cubicles there is a serving tray of ziti and a serving tray of chicken. When I step up to fill my plate a friendly old guy asks me my name and we get to in a very affable conversation. I know I recognize him from somewhere. He introduces himself as Kreskin. In my mind I hear myself say, “yeah, that Kreskin” How many Kreskin’s could there possibly be. This is mentalist Kreskin the great. Sweet guy! He didn’t pull anything as far as I can tell. (ROOSTER, rooster, RoOster, RRRRRooostterrrr)… where was I?
The show went great and I can tell from the CD they gave us afterwards. Joey is such a power house talker that I’ve felt a little steamrolled and anxious the last times. This time, to the contrary, I felt fun and confident and we wound up talking about all the things that I had hoped to address. We talked about The Wonderneath, The Flame-o-phone, and we performed our new song “Out Drinking.” The song went over well. Soon, I promise, I’ll get a version of this song to you. Better yet, come out and see us live and yell it out and we’ll play. Come by tonight!
After the show, Kreskin came into the booth with a big smile and congratulated us. He posed for a photo where he had his hands on my forehead in some mysterious brain-reading gesture. It was fun. We might have a monthly spot over there now. It was a damn good time.
About a month ago we met the formidable Ali Schmitz who impressed us with her huge spirit, imaginative ideas, clear headed administrative capabilities, and her articulate and intelligent mind. She had some wild schemes but had a plan and the experience to back it up.
So we started to work together on her new piece, “The Wonderneath” Basically, she wanted us to use Tin Pan music to underscore and enrich the entire show. Most performers are acrobats, fire dancers, aerialists etc… so there is next to no dialogue. It’s the wonderful experience for us of scoring a live silent-film! We used songs from our repertoire and adjusted them and moved some lyrics around to make everything fit the story. How would I describe it? … a metropolitan, turn-of-the-century, Alice in Wonderland tale with killer music and fire breathing saxophone. I am proud to say that Ali gravitated to many of my original songs: For those of you in the know “Brooklyn of Old,” “Dandelion” and “Blue Nature” all made it into the final staging. It’s a trip to hear one of your songs performed by a fire-dancing spider oracle! and another one sung while under the threat of decapitation!
Ali’s been wonderful throughout and she has the rare and delightful quality of being able to say “Yes” to any idea – and people have been throwing out some pretty creative and seemingly impossible stuff. Appropriately, the theater we are using is “The House of Yes.” It’s all coming together and peaking just at the right time. Last night was another rehearsal. Next week are the tech and dress and preview runs and then opening night is February 26th. The show runs through March 6th.
The Flame-O-Phone: the only saxophone that I’m aware of that spews up to 5 feet of flames out of its bell. Activated by a simple keyboard sustain pedal, 3 cans of propane, 2 9V batteries, and a whole mess of plumbing equipment, this vintage Noblet bari sax is totally…. hot? wow.
This idea has been brewing for about 4 or 5 years, when I was on tour with the Pontani Sisters. Their 14-piece troupe included the fire-breathing, sword swallowing MC, Tyler Fyre. He was an absolute trip to be on tour with, and we spent many hours talking about how to make something like the Flame-O-Phone an actuality. Though he was a genuine Fire Breather, and knew his way around the basic flamables, he was by no means a fire ARTIST.
Needless to say, the Flame-O-Phone stuck in my head for several years, and every once-in-a-while I would bring it up in random conversations. I always got that look I seem to know so well at this point, which said: “You’re crazy.”
A few months ago, Tin Pan was asked to provide a live soundtrack to the alternative play, The Wonderneath. They include fire art in the play, and were open to extreme and crazy suggestions from the band : I told them of my long dream to create a fire-breathing saxophone. Ali introduced me to Claire. Claire introduced me to Ben. Ben Bartelle is an absolute Fire-Art specialist. One of those guys who makes giant flying creatures that spew fire out of 9 spots on their gilded wings or exposed endocrine system. Wild and crazy and brilliant stuff….. and he doesn’t catch the theater on fire while doing it. Which, by the way, is important.
We got to work right away, and within 2 weeks we had this first prototype that you see here. As far as I know, nobody’s done anything quite like this, though people have included small bits of pyro here and there throughout the youtube chronicles. But nothing that’s fully integrated, and can be triggered to, literally, accompany individual notes; cadences and nuances within the music; spontaneous and improvised fire-music improvisations.
I won’t go into the details of how it works here, but I’m not afraid to share the small bit of information I have. I hope you enjoy this video, and stay tuned for more extensive videos and demonstrations, as I become more comfortable on this new instrument, and perhaps even stream-line some of the mechanisms.
TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT! The Wonderous Flame-O-Phone makes its professional world premier in the dazzling circus fueled performance of The Wonderneath at the House of Yes.
If you’re a jazz head you’re already thinking about 
Welcome to day 18 of our month 28 day Blog-A-Thon. We’ve been bringing you highlights of 
It’s midnight. We’ve already played two gigs today. We get to the radio station at around 1am and thank heavens there is food for us. We go down the long hallway past all the great photos of FDR on WOR and of broadcasts from Yankee Stadium in the 1930’s. In the office part with the cubicles there is a serving tray of ziti and a serving tray of chicken. When I step up to fill my plate a friendly old guy asks me my name and we get to in a very affable conversation. I know I recognize him from somewhere. He introduces himself as Kreskin. In my mind I hear myself say, “yeah, that Kreskin” How many Kreskin’s could there possibly be. This is mentalist Kreskin the great. Sweet guy! He didn’t pull anything as far as I can tell. (ROOSTER, rooster, RoOster, RRRRRooostterrrr)… where was I?
