Ned Rothenberg Solo

Last week Ned Rothenberg was in town performing and recording with James Falzone's "Renga Ensemble" - thankfully there was time for a Saturday afternoon solo concert.
Performing on Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, and Shakuhachi the set at Corbett vs Dempsey flew by - one piece on each horn and an encore on clarinet. I have only recently started getting into his work in the last 6-7 months - via some of his solo albums. I really enjoyed his playing here and with the Renga Ensemble (in fact for me, he was the standout in the group).

For the sax nerds..... his alto has been modified (or retro-fitted, if you like) - it now has two octave mechanisms (like the original saxes had) allowing him to by-pass the auto opening and closing of the upper and lower vents. Without going into much detail he said it helps with some of the techniques he uses. For some reason I didn't ask who did the modification.

Soprano?

Hearing Steve Lacy & Evan Parker in concert during the 1999 Wellington Jazz Festival wasn't the catalyst. I enjoyed both concerts - Parker's set in duo with Richard Nunns has since been released as 'Rangirua' on Leo Records. I added Lacy to my listening list (having only heard 'Evidence' at the time of the concert). Parker's music, whilst fascinating, seemed out of my reach at that time.

Anyway... I was well entrenched with the alto back then and didn't get a soprano until several years later when I found a used one for an excellent price. I dabbled here and there but eventually it found its way under the bed! There it stayed until one morning I woke having dreamt about playing the soprano. So out it came... I played it that day and had a bit of fun as I struggled away. Once again it retreated behind the alto.

I wasn't listening to much soprano then (I had listened to a fair bit of Lacy a couple of years before). Around that time I was listening a lot to Bill Payne (clarinet) & Connie Crothers (piano) duo album "Conversations" . Five or six months passed (October-ish 2010 at a guess) and I woke having experienced a very similar soprano dream - this time more intense; high contrast black & white, muted sound, but the physical sensation of playing was present. Out came the soprano - still a struggle but I was digging it. This time the horn stayed out and I started working on it in conjunction with the alto. Eventually the soprano starting getting more attention than the alto to the point that I didn't play the alto for a week, then only when I was teaching. Had I become a soprano player? Yes.