Forgive me blogger, it's been 1 month since my last confession

And guess what!!!?

I've emerged out of my state of denial into another state! Fear of my Bari, fear of my sax. I was noodling around on my very entertaining little Bb Clarinet, a Penzel Muellar Artist, when I realized I could blow out Klezmer solos, bend all the notes, and sound like the Jew I am + Gypsy.

The way you can bend notes on a clarinet is obviously why it is commonly the first choice in Klezmer tunes. I've been studying to my favorite Klezmer band of all time : The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars. 

That Clarinet player is BOSS. (ON Manichalfwitz) my favorite record. What he can do on that clarinet I've rarely heard. Anyway, at our last Minor Mishap practice I brought the clarinet to play around, and to get a real clarinet play to assess its tone. Well, no clarinet players showed up that day.

...A clarinet solo was coming:: in our song Marigny, so I snuck over, got it, to to my surprise I blew out a little solo that sounded Jewish. And no one was expecting it.

Later, Datri called me on another solo - on the Bari - in another harmonic minor song - and I could NOT bend the notes, I could NOT sound so much like a Klezmer. I was hurt.

The Bari does not want to be something it is not. It wants to be a grandpa, a husky low end. The notes are far apart on it for my littleish hands, I can't move them that quickly for all the years I've studied sax, and the upper register left hand keys sound like crap. I can't stay in tune.

Alto, I love you. I think that you are cute, little alto, as you sit on your stand - so easy to hold, so easy to grab.

You Bari, you take more effort. More effort to hold, more effort to blow and manipulate. But you demand attention, and you get it. I thank you for that.

I need to figure this out...is it simply a matter of skill? Personality? Determination?

While in my first year of playing the bari, about 4 years ago, people used to ask, Is it SO HARD? I always said, NaH! It's like butter! I was cocky. I was in denial. I've hit a glass ceiling and I'm going to have to rehearse my way through it.

It could be fun. But most likely...

....Sigh....

I wish I were Black

I know it's not PC to say that. But walking the dogs through my neighborhood tonight DA EAST SIDE!!! there was a smokin' party going with full on DJ, bright lights, and rap music and people hanging out on the front porch. No white-ies.

The sound system was SO GOOD, the lights very funky, and I loved the rap song they played. I had no idea who it was. I wish I was more versed in new rap/hip hop music.

Something like...."things is on my mind, not be all the time, thinking sometime In MY CITY!" those weren't the words but the chorus was something like that. Very catchy.

Can't I be black instead of Jew? I could blow the soul out of my horn. I could BLOW BETTER! Have a fro, wear bright pink lipstick like Rhianna, wear big gold "ghetto" jewelry...EAAAWWWW I already do that.

I want to play sax for a rapper like that -  something good. Just putting it out there. And please be black if possible.

It reminds me that I missed Pharcyde this year by a pinch, at SXSW. Which has gotten SO HUGE that bands like Pharcyde were playing at a small club on Rainey Street.

Instead, who did I catch? Freaking Asher Roth the most hideous stupid overhyped whitest frattiest sorority induced rap I've ever heard. I hate his music. It an embarrassment to the mainstream.

That's who I caught. I was PISSED! HO well. BTW his show was terrible.

Minor Mishap is leading a procession to Stubbs where De La Soul is playing this halloween and I hope that gives us entry.

That will have to dooooo!

So tonight, on the way to a gig at the Continental Club with my dear Minor Mishap, I will blow the soul out of this white jew's Bari.

It will have to doooooo!