I was able to render this video down to a manageable size and thought I should add this to my site. I mean, I call this blog “Bryan’s Adventures in Music” and this occasion was one of the most exhilarating musical moments in my life.

Here’s the background information. I was in Aberdeen, Scotland meeting up with Clyde Stubblefield, John ‘Jabo’ Starks and Fred Wesley of James Brown fame. Joining them in Scotland for the three-day Triptych Festival was Bernie Worrell, the longtime keyboardist and funky virtuoso from George Clinton’s Parliment and Funkadelic. Of course, I brought my horn on the trip, but I honestly just wanted to take in the experience of traveling with the band and enjoying their music. I didn’t have any expectation that I’d be asked to play with them!

This was their first show of the tour and I had just met everyone. During the sound check, Clyde introduced me to Fred, who asked me if I would like to play the encore, The JB’s classic “A Funky Good Time.” Uh, heck ya! So when the time came, Fred had the band vamp on the songs main groove and introduced to the packed house “the funkiest saxophonist in the world!” Ya, right….sooooo far from it, but thanks, Fred!

If you know “A Funky Good Time,” the sax solo takes off on a key change into the key of D….funky D…..down Deep….in D. And so I blew…and I blew…and kept blowing! Jim, our tour driver, used my camera to take this video. Maybe when I’m older and I’ve gone completely insane, I’ll need this video, but it’ll be a long time before I forget this experience. My favorite part of this video is not hearing what I played, but listening to Fred and Clyde in the background pushing me along…”alright!…do it, do it, do it!” It was awesome! Just thinking about it leaves me grinning from ear to ear!

A few weeks back the Isthmus hosted its annual Isthmus Jazz Fest, spotlighting some of Madison’s own finest international jazz secrets. This town, as great as it is, hides its jazz celebrities well behind its blues and college rock scene, but not on this day, Saturday, June 9. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon on the Union Terrace.

Alex Leong, of trombone expertise, and I met up with Roscoe Mitchell and Roscoe’s saxophone protege, Pawan Benjamin to enjoy the concert together.

Roscoe lit up the stage two nights prior with his power trio featuring Harrison Bankhead on bass and Vincent Davis on drums. That was an amazing show, despite the crazy weather that moved the gig indoors and nearly canceled it! Sadly, I have no photos. Roscoe transformed himself (as he always does) into an amazing saxophone monster, masterfully raining down streams of notes and pouring through his unique musical style. Harrison and Vincent equaled Roscoe’s intensity and consciousness. It was a great performance.

On Saturday, we and the rest of the appreciative crowd witnessed the legendary bassist, Richard Davis, frolic with one of Chicago’s best known jazz pianists, Willie Pickens, in a fun duo set. They both seemed to enjoy the gig, and how could anyone not enjoy playing on the Union stage that afternoon with Lake Mendota as a backdrop?

Finally, Hanah Jon Taylor flexed his woodwind and electric wind instrument chops. He really is Madison’s ambassador of jazz, seen here engaging the audience in discussion as if drawing them closer to the community’s jazz space that quietly thrives with its dedicated and appreciative local fans.

Many thanks to all the participating artists and the Isthmus for providing such a wonderful cultural event right here in our backyard!

I just downloaded photos from my camera and had to post this one. It’s from a gig we played a few weeks back in Elkhart Lake. After our sound check, a family came up to Clyde and introduced their son. He’s in 6th grade and has been playing drums for a few years now. I guess he’s really into it. He brought his snare drum, which Clyde signed (seen here). It was a cool moment, call it the “softer side” of Clyde. Really, anyone who knows Clyde understands that he’s that warm and friendly with everyone.

For the record, the son got to play Clyde’s kit, and darned if he didn’t do a great job keeping a steady funk beat! KEEP PLAYING!

This is a good source to get accurate information about the state of the MAMA’s organization. Rick Tvedt, MAMA’s Executive Director, shares much in this interview/article.

I thought it was worth sharing with this audience. Many thanks to Dane 101 for posting…

I don’t get a lot of comments (that aren’t disgusting spam mentions), but it seems the Isthmus and Groovology are forging cyber-recognition. Dig it! Now I gotta keep the content flowing. The good news is I have some great photos from Saturday afternoon’s Isthmus Jazz Fest (great job, Isthmus!). Expect some photos soon…

The Isthmus Week In Review, June 4-8, 2007

Wow! I just watched this great video clip on YouTube after Funky Dee (WSUM’s #1 funk DJ—check out her show!) mentioned she had just recently discovered this herself.

Here is a little background to the video’s making. Some students from the UW-Madison asked Clyde one week if they could interview him and shoot some video of our weekly Monday night gig at the King Club. Clyde said sure, and over the next few weeks a team of folks toting video and sound engineering gear recorded some of our shows and conducted some interviews with Clyde. That was a few months ago, back when it was still very cold outside. I never heard what resulted from the effort. Now at least some portion of the video has appeared on YouTube and can be enjoyed by all. Nice work, ya’ll!

Thank you for all your support and interest in The King Club and our Funky Mondays. It’s Madison’s best kept music secret and is a true labor of love. If you’ve never taken a moment to join us, please do. I’m sure you’ll love dancing to Clyde’s drumming almost as much as we enjoy making music with him in The Clyde Stubblefield Band.

Also, be sure to check us out at the Monona Terrace this Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for a free outdoor show.

Sometimes it’s easy to believe I’m writing these posts for preservation of personal memories, rather than for a genuine audience of readers. Every once and a while, though, I’ll get a reminder that people actually visit and make note of the content.

The Isthmus recently did a round up of bloggers who wrote about this year’s MAMA party at the Barrymore, where the Clyde Stubblefield Band received the Blues Artist of the Year award. To my surprise, this little ‘ole music blog was mentioned in the Isthmus Daily Page. Cool, and thanks for the shout out!

Much more significantly, much respect to all the local musicians who were nominated this year and in attendance at the Barrymore MAMA party. It was a great night for everyone!

Hey everyone, do you wish you could see the Clyde Stubblefield Band, but you rarely get the chance to go to the King Club on a Monday night? Do you wish there were earlier shows that better fit your busy schedule? Do you prefer seeing live music outdoors rather than inside a stuffy club? Are you on a tight budget and can only afford free shows at the moment?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then you should join the Clyde Stubblefield Band at the Monona Terrace roof top this Thursday, June 7th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for our annual free concert there. It’s always a fun show with a wonderful atmosphere and friendly all-ages crowd. You bring your groove shoes and we’ll make it funky for ya! See ya there!!!

Cheers,
The Clyde Stubblefield Band