Yesterday I got together with a couple of my closest musical friends: Ray Myers and Art Panchishin. Ray, Art, and I decided that it would be fun to get together and jam over the Easter long weekend.
We’d never done this before. Usually it’s Ray and I getting together. Ray also decided to phone his drummer Dave, and next thing you know, we’ve got a 4 piece band.
We’ve got Ray on his Selmer Mark VII, with his Dukoff mouthpiece and Rico Plasticover reed.
I’m on Ray’s Mad Meg Cannonball, with my Dukoff and Fibracell reed.
Between the 2 of us, we were laying down some wicked horn lines and solos. Ray’s style just kills me every time. I’m doing my best to keep up, but he’s always just ahead of me. He is constantly inspiring me with what he pulls out of seemingly thin air.
Art was playing with his usual inspiring style. For him, this was the first time that he had been in Ray’s studio, and had heard and played with Ray’s tracks. He did a great job stretching is musical muscles. Art is truly a blues player, and the R&B tunes really stretched him musically. He really enjoyed himself.
Holding us all together was Ray’s regular drummer Dave. He did a fabulous job keeping us locked in.
Without a doubt, Ray and Art are the 2 musicians I have greatest amount of musical chemistry with. It was amazing to be able to play with both of these 2 great players together.
When we wrapped up around 5:30, it had been a great 4 hours of jamming to blues and R&B tunes. It had been a fun time for all of us. What a great way to wrap up a long weekend!
