I recorded this three days ago for Charlie and I posted the following excerpt on Facebook. Charlie liked it a lot but also in the complete "Captain" style gave me a few more ideas to try. We lost an incredible musician and person today. I was very proud to be his friend and cherish the gigs and time we spent together on stages and vans. The following is from FB March 3rd.. "A few years ago thanks to Mark Hummel and his Blues Blow Off Tour, I got to play with a bunch of my heroes. The one I was most nervous to meet and play with was Charles Baty. After what felt like a few awkward hours in the van Charlie broke the Ice and asked me: "So what all have you been arrested for?" I instantly liked him even more. After that the conversation shifted to music and we decided on a few numbers to try in the evening. One Little Walter tune, an Ellington song he had somehow heard me do from my twenties and then we thought we might give the Django classic "Minor Swing" a shot. I was most excited and nervous about the Gypsy Jazz Django stuff. The song came out ok but Charlie's playing was so good on it that around the second gig or so I asked him something like: "Why don't my solo's sound as cool as yours?" Aside from the obvious years of experience, studied listening, dedication and other obvious attributes The Captain had on me I knew something was kinda wrong about the way I was approaching some of these changes and chords. Charlie told me nonchalantly to try taking out the b7's I was using and to stay tighter in the harmonic minor scale. He explained a couple of cool musical things that happen around certain chord changes and how not using that note would accentuate them in cool ways. I understood. b7's are blue notes so I was having a really hard time NOT playing them coming from my back ground, plus they don't sound bad really, they just take away from the ethnicity of this particular scale and thus the music as a whole. After a few hours practice, for a few days, I told Charlie I was having a really hard time not playing them and kept hitting 'em by accident especially when I tried to play fast. He said: "Then slow the fuck down". A few years later I feel OK dedicating this pass at Django Reinhardts "Blue Drag" to the Captain. Thank you for your music, friendship and occasional guidance. I've been practicing this stuff a lot lately for my upcoming work with JP Soars II and Anne Harris and any success I've had I owe much to you Sir. Please enjoy the video..."
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Last Edited by Moon Cat on Mar 06, 2020 6:02 PM
I'm sorry for the loss of this great musician.your performance is absolutely Sublime Jason.very moving tribute to a fine musician ---------- www.ted-burke.com
Last Edited by ted burke on Mar 06, 2020 11:31 PM
Your playing combined with your humble demeanor and thoughtful comments about your musical heroes is very inspiring.
Last Edited by sonvolt13 on Mar 07, 2020 6:15 AM
One of my FB friends PM'd me a tweet that Bruce Iglauer from Alligator Records announcing Charlie's passing. It totally shook up the entire blues world.
Jason, that was some pretty cool stuff! ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte