Session with Sonny Simmons/solo turntable gig
エリック・ドルフィーやエルビン・ジョーンズと共演したモダンジャズ奏者、ソニー・シモンズとのセッションと、私の2回目のソロ・ターンテーブルについて。
We played with Sonny Simmons on Friday, the 16th. Yes, he is the same Sonny Simmons who played with Eric Dolphy and Elvin Jones and he came to our apartment to have a session with us. Although it began disastrously, it ended up with nice feeling each other and great music was produced.
If our show with another legendary figure Marshall Allen is other worldly or other universely, this session is like the music between worlds or as Sonny described ”going beyond to the other side of eternity“ .
Jeff Shurdut set up this session and Ed and I had never met Sonny before the session. However, with great timing, our apartment elevator broke. So, we’re already nervous before we saw him. He showed up and we came downstairs to greet him. Oh, he was in a great mood, I mean, Oh, no… I would complain, too, if I had to walk up to the 6th floor unexpectedly, besides he is 73(72?) and a famous modern jazz musician. Finally he climbed up the stairs, but awkward moments continued. Sonny tried to relax a bit and took out his pot . But, since I was so upset and nervous, I put water on ashtray as I usually do for cigarettes!
Anyway, we started to play. For us who getting used to listen and play dense improvised music, it was really sparse. I almost felt like it was cold (especially, after the not so perfect first time meeting) since Sonny and my voice took turns for solos, but not played together. However, this was the first time together, so let’s see how it would sound for the 2nd set.
During the break, Sonny asked me if I understood English since I didn’t speak much. Another bomb. Later, I realized he meant his black accent, but for me, who has been struggling with English as a second language, it is a pretty sensitive spot. Somehow, during the second session, I thought “OK, we still have music as our common language” and more interactions happened. We all felt better afterwards.
We listened to the recording and we loved it. Both sessions. We kids thought it was too sparse or repetitive or reserved during the session. However, voila, the recording sounds great with professional focus. Sonny only played English horn very modally and it added a Middle Eastern flavor (and did some chanting in “French”,too). But somehow, combined with my wired siren voice(sometimes from far away) and toys, Jeff’s noise ambient guitar, Ed’s percussion (which he wisely took advantage of it as a non-percussion player) and laptop, it created the music of not within a world but between worlds.
Thanks Sonny for coming to our apartment and climbing up all the stairs and let us playing with you!! It was his last session in NY before he moved to Paris. Hope he’ll have a great music life there and we’d love to play with him again! And I’m sure we are able to enjoy his so-distinctive talk and style more!
On the next day, I had my second solo turntable gig at my friend Maria Chavez’s house concert series. Unfortunately, no audience (it was a too gorgeous evening to be inside) showed up, but Maria’s big smile and clapping was so warm and big and I had a great time. We had a nice rooftop picnic before the show (we were there after the show and had a nice talk). After my solo, Maria played solo, and then we played together. That was the best performance with her so far and we’re motivated to play again. I felt that I nailed down my solo performance completely, too and motivated to have another solo show!
And next day, we found our imaginary dream kayak in our apartment, two kitties included….. But that’d be a different story to tell…. See you then!
