Audition or party game?

Every (good) job I've ever gotten has been through word of mouth, almost always when i wasn't particularly looking. One of the Windsong singers told me about a possible gig accompanying a gospel choir at Archwood UCC. I thought, why not see if it works out? I have had some experience faking the gospel style, and learning how to do something new never hurts.

So this past Thursday, I met with the gospel choir director to see how we would work together. He asked me to play Amazing Grace. Now, I already know how to jazz this one up. In the hymnbook, it's written out in that generic white-bread, 4-part harmony version, and I know that's not what he wants to hear. I was feeling a little cocky, so I said, "What key?" He picked a key I've never played it in before, but it didn't really throw me. Next was a peppy spiritual out of the hymnbook that I'd never seen or heard before, to see how I would jazz it up at sight. Again, no problem. This was fun!

Then he asked me if I could learn things from a recording by ear. Sure, I said. So he put in a tape in the boombox. The song was slow, in an R & B style with jazzy harmony (the kind of chords they don't teach you the names of in theory class), and to top it off, was in the key of Eb minor. 6 flats! But by the 2nd verse, I could pick out some of the chords and by the 2nd hearing, could play the whole verse--well, at least the harmony. The pastor had come in by then, and they both kept saying I was amazing. I was having a blast. It reminded me of that beloved party game of my youth, "Don't Look--What Chord Am I Playing?" But this time it resulted in a job. We will have rehearsals 2 Sundays a month in the early afternoon, and sing for the service on 4th Sundays. Looks like Sunday will be one of my fullest work days.

A new website for Cleveland artists just went up on April 15. Called Artistschair, it's a place for artists seeking work to put up their profiles and contact information. Here's mine. No nibbles yet, but it can't hurt.