Oktoberfest Memphis style
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 12:42 pm
The only German band musicianss around here are jazz and pop musicians who (sometime, years ago) said "yes" when an accordion player asked it they wanted to play a German gig.
All the accordion players are dead or don't play anymore (very old).
The best one was a guy I've told you about - an incredible musician, Bob Westbrook, who made his living booking engagements, playing gigs, and teaching pop vocalists (including teaching both Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears for several years - even after they "made it").
He was a great reader, but - even more - he had an amazing ear, and could listen to records, grab all the passing chords, and play all the correct bass lines. I learned a ton from him.
Today, we have to either read books... (A retired lead trombone player from the Navy Commodores - who also runs a big band in Memphis - has some books, and five or six jazz musicians are hired to read the books which seem to feature the most important parts.
...or a guy (named Jim Mahannah, who plays most brass and woodwind instruments - as well as keyboard, and used to work with me and Bob Westbrook) gets by with an accordion sound on the keyboard, and hires a jazz guitar player to keep the chords going - when he picks up a horn. Jim's wife (a church organist) plays electric bass (a "uke bass") and Jim's younger brother (primarily a bass player) plays drums...
We get by (sort of) without an accordion. Actually Jim's dad was a "sorta-OK" (and busy) accordionist, but mostly fronted a small jazz/dance band that played on the local riverboat dinner cruises. Jim himself is actually a pretty good accordionist, but (well...) he can't very well hold and accordion and pick up a sax, clarinet, flute, trumpet, or baritone horn while an accordion is strapped on.
Since Jim's wife plays bass, I'm mostly either playing melody or harmony on various 9-foot brass or trumpet, but I always bring a tuba, as it's just best for some things - and he always wants me to play the Clarinet Polka on the tuba (something Bob Westbrook had me to do).
It (well...sorta...) works, and the people like it.
Back when Bob was alive, (of course) the accordion could do the bass, and we had a drummer (also: now in his upper 80's) who was a really good singer...but not in great health, anymore (so we actually put out a really good product with only four musicians). Jim had a tumor removed from his throat several years ago, and no longer has a good singing voice - so I (sheesh) had to sing anything that needed to be sung. I've NEVER sung ANY of the German stuff before, and (quite a bit of it) I was getting the lyrics on my phone in JUST the nick of time before the second [vocal] chorus would come up in a song. Anyway, we're (no real German band traditions here, and plumb out of accordionists) trying to get by.
Oh yeah...There were only a few pair of fake lederhosen, so I didn't have one.
...the red sweatshirt...(??) I told them I was representing "The Hunt for Red Oktoberfest".
Jim rewrote a bunch of the polkas/waltzes (that we've played - over the years) in more guitar-friendly keys, and handed me a "book"...thus: the music stand. Schützenliesel was already in E, so...
All the accordion players are dead or don't play anymore (very old).
The best one was a guy I've told you about - an incredible musician, Bob Westbrook, who made his living booking engagements, playing gigs, and teaching pop vocalists (including teaching both Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears for several years - even after they "made it").
He was a great reader, but - even more - he had an amazing ear, and could listen to records, grab all the passing chords, and play all the correct bass lines. I learned a ton from him.
Today, we have to either read books... (A retired lead trombone player from the Navy Commodores - who also runs a big band in Memphis - has some books, and five or six jazz musicians are hired to read the books which seem to feature the most important parts.
...or a guy (named Jim Mahannah, who plays most brass and woodwind instruments - as well as keyboard, and used to work with me and Bob Westbrook) gets by with an accordion sound on the keyboard, and hires a jazz guitar player to keep the chords going - when he picks up a horn. Jim's wife (a church organist) plays electric bass (a "uke bass") and Jim's younger brother (primarily a bass player) plays drums...
We get by (sort of) without an accordion. Actually Jim's dad was a "sorta-OK" (and busy) accordionist, but mostly fronted a small jazz/dance band that played on the local riverboat dinner cruises. Jim himself is actually a pretty good accordionist, but (well...) he can't very well hold and accordion and pick up a sax, clarinet, flute, trumpet, or baritone horn while an accordion is strapped on.
Since Jim's wife plays bass, I'm mostly either playing melody or harmony on various 9-foot brass or trumpet, but I always bring a tuba, as it's just best for some things - and he always wants me to play the Clarinet Polka on the tuba (something Bob Westbrook had me to do).
It (well...sorta...) works, and the people like it.
Back when Bob was alive, (of course) the accordion could do the bass, and we had a drummer (also: now in his upper 80's) who was a really good singer...but not in great health, anymore (so we actually put out a really good product with only four musicians). Jim had a tumor removed from his throat several years ago, and no longer has a good singing voice - so I (sheesh) had to sing anything that needed to be sung. I've NEVER sung ANY of the German stuff before, and (quite a bit of it) I was getting the lyrics on my phone in JUST the nick of time before the second [vocal] chorus would come up in a song. Anyway, we're (no real German band traditions here, and plumb out of accordionists) trying to get by.
Oh yeah...There were only a few pair of fake lederhosen, so I didn't have one.
...the red sweatshirt...(??) I told them I was representing "The Hunt for Red Oktoberfest".
Jim rewrote a bunch of the polkas/waltzes (that we've played - over the years) in more guitar-friendly keys, and handed me a "book"...thus: the music stand. Schützenliesel was already in E, so...
