Friday: the final Yacht Rock Park Tavern show of the summer. We had a great, very appreciative (and not too drunk) crowd of around 800, so it wasn't too out of control. The band was relaxed and loose, so it made for a fun show. Plus, we had Kip manning the PA--everything sounded as good as it could. Even the weather was good. A nice night for an outdoor gig. Daniel (of the Schooner) subbed for Mark Cobb on drums.
A video!
Saturday: Yacht Rock played a wedding in Asheville, NC. It was on the grounds of the Biltmore, but we were in "the barn," which of course was not a barn…maybe once was a barn? It was a really pretty space for reception, though I wonder how loud we were out in front. Kip ran sound for us again, so it's safe to assume that it sounded good.
We did a few tunes we haven't touched in a while: Sara Smile and Kiss on My List by Hall and Oates, and Nicolette Larson's Lotta Love. Lotta Love is one of my favorites, as the hook is played on saxophone and then the solo is on flute. I really dig playing that one, and I think we do a great job on it. Sara Smile was also fun, though I really had to reach in and pull it out of my ass--I'd forgotten to review it during the week.
The set lists have gotten into a bit of a rut over the past month, so these were nice additions!
Sunday: we drove home and dispersed. The afternoon was daddy duty.
My PM church gig was super boring--I tried to force myself to play some different things, only to have one of the vocalists turn around and tell me I sounded tired. So much for that.
Peyton Manning is playing insanely well.
I'm still on a pretty big high from the Thursday night Sazerac gig, and it's led me back to chasing down Lenny Pickett stuff, who, along with David Sanborn, were two of my first major heroes back in the 80s. I went so far as to buy a grey fedora, copping the style of Lenny and the SNL Band.
Check out these two from Little Feat's Waiting for Columbus:
Lenny's solo begins at 3:22
Then there's this one with the insane gliss at the end. He's really doing that--it's no synth or whammy pedal or anything. Insanity! He ends on a super high E, almost an octave higher than I can play.
Lenny's solo is at 2:46.
There's also the dancing…
Which he evidently will still do by request…
This is considered perhaps his best solo (beginning at 1:40):
I could go on…he also plays a bad ass flute solo on Sparkling in the Sand (also from the same album). LP!
The Saturday Night Live stuff is also very important to me. I'd love to go see a taping of the show just to watch the band. One of my biggest influences as a saxophonist.
He also has one of the coolest/weirdest websites ever. Check it out: http://www.lennypickettmusic.com
The bubbles will play music if you click on them (it takes a second for them to load).
