Author Archive: mmelinger
Dead, from New York!
Years ago, in an early season of Saturday Night Live, there was a phony ad for a concert featuring Elvis Presley’s coat. ‘The King’ himself had recently passed away, but the announcer cheerfully invited folks out to see the coat that started it all. Like a lot of early SNL, it was irreverent, tasteless, and …
Babes in Bopsiland
One of the things I appreciate about the AJW project is how it encourages the presentation of types of music that may be outside my comfort zone as a player. I mean, we have done Monk, Gershwin, Jobim, Ellington, Rahsaan, etc. Now we’re doing Miles, which is to say four distinct musical movements as we …
I won’t dance…
Last week, I was in a classroom full of fourth graders playing sax and talking about jazz and Miles Davis, when a young man raised his hand and asked: “Do you have any power moves?” I paused for a moment, which gave him a chance to elaborate: “you know, like sliding across the stage on …
Musings on Miles
Next Wednesday is the 20th anniversary of Miles Davis’ death. I trust you have the altar in your home prepared, the candles ready for lighting. This year for Season Eighteen, the AJW is presenting Miles’ music for elementary school students. That’s a tough one on a variety of levels. I had some thoughts going in …
Serendipity & Second Chances
The path leading me to the life of a jazz musician was not without its twists. I always loved music, and began playing in middle school. But I dropped out of band in high school because I hated to march and didn’t see the point of playing yet another Percy Grainger air for wind ensemble. …
Zappa Preys Zappa
Last night was a great musical treat in our fair city–the return of Return to Forever. This edition was not the original edition that appeared at the Paramount Theater two years ago, but an all-star lineup nonetheless–the nucleus of Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White were joined by Jean-Luc Ponty and Frank Gambale in …
Working musician? Live in Austin? Join Local 433!
Every year on Labor Day, I reflect on what it means to belong to a labor union. Really, I think about it a lot more often than that. I think about it every time I read another headline about workers being laid off, about factories shutting down, about jobs being outsourced overseas. I think about …
To Shtick or Not To Shtick
Isn’t that always the question? I could lie and say that the reason we do comedy bits, costumes, signs, singalongs, whatever, in our shows–is solely because we want to make jazz performance kid-friendly. That is one reason, no doubt. But the truth is–I enjoy it too. There, I said it. I’m renouncing the Marsalis Oath …
Dances with Dinosaurs
I saw recently that my old junior high band director, Gene Stephenson, had come out of retirement and is teaching at Coastal Bend College in his native Beeville. I credit Mr. Stephenson with essentially handing me my livelihood. He must be somewhere in his mid-70’s by now. I’m glad to see he’s still musically active. …
Doing, Being, Creating, Becoming
Today I attended a press conference at Austin City Hall that brought together a handful of heavyweights–Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, City Manager Marc Ott, Austin ISD Superintendent Mariah Carstarphen, MindPop Executive Director Brent Hasty, and Darrell Ayers of the Kennedy Center–all assembled to announce that Austin is the seventh and newest partner city in the …
saxsalon 