My AM church gig is running out of money, and thus the horn section was disbanded (at least through the end of the year). I'm back to improvising parts and filling in the gaps, which is kind of nice. I liked the parts aspect of playing within the section, but there wasn't any freedom. I played a lot of soprano this morning, which was a nice change pace.
Another cool thing about this morning was that I was positioned right smack in the middle of the band (piano across the front of us, drums behind me, bass to the left, acoustic guitar to the right), which meant that I could hear everything well. Matt was even generous enough to provide a monitor for me.
I think I played pretty well. Both my soprano and my tenor might have some leaks that need to be corrected. Maybe it's a mental issue, or a reed issue, or some combination of both.
After lunch, I took some time to investigate my new travel sax case, made by Battle Cases. The idea is that I would rather have a good case that I can put all my horns in and check (on a fly date) rather than try and carry three or four horns plus my laptop onto the plane. It's also a little more durable and roadworthy than the hardshell cases that come with new saxophones. Even on a road trip in the van/trailer, I think it's wise to have a good sturdy case. Pretty much any time someone other than you might be moving your gear.
I bought this case--it's a massive Pelican case with a custom foam interior. It holds alto, tenor, EWI, flute, a couple of sax stands, and accessories. The case has wheels. It's looks pretty huge, but I can still pick it up when it's fully loaded.
I have spoken to Delta on TWO different occasions, and they assure me that because it is an instrument, the size/weight restrictions are higher, and I will be able to check this just like it's another piece of luggage (no penalties). We shall see! I want to find something reassuring to print out and carry with me.
Anyway…
My PM church gig was OK. They seemed kind of surprised to see me. It felt like my soprano tuning was all over the place. Once again, is it the horn, the reed, or my head?
Lou Marini! How cool was that!
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