New Year's Eve - C'est Chic

Today I am going up to Haliburton to play with Fever. It is a New Year's Eve bash so it's all about the covers tonight.

I am really happy about this job because:

First, 70% of the people on the project I consider family. These situations are always more enjoyable;

Second, I love many of the tunes that are being called. Again, it makes the situation more enjoyable;

Third, my wife and I will be taken out for dinner, along with the rest of the band. That's a nice touch which is motivating me to play well;

and Fourth, my wife are being housed at the Pine Stone Resort and Conference Center. From the pictures and reviews that I have seen, this is also motivating me to play well.

See you in the new year.

New Year's Eve - Ike and Tina, Simply The Best

New Years Eve is approaching fast and the hustle and bustle is now on to have everything ready for the three sets I am playing up in Haliburton. Having to learn so many songs for one event is similar to some events at my church but in this case it is so much more rewarding because I am brushing up on songs I've loved for my whole life, such as Proud Mary by Ike and Tina Turner.

The drummer and I were discussing this track before the rehearsal and we were wondering how we can find ourselves in situations where we can play more songs like this one. For those who need a reminder, or just don't know, here's what I'm talking about...

New Years Eve - Dancing Queen

For the New Year's gig I'm playing, I have to learn the song "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. I was doing just that when I discovered a sour bass note at 3:09. It was definitely a mistake (a very avoidable one) but it was kept in. I never noticed it until yesterday because though I've heard the song plenty of times over the years, yesterday was the first time I ever really listened to it.

But it got me thinking. The song was released in the summer of 1976, and that sour bass note has snuck it's way into countless clubs, parties, weddings, and millions of plays on the radio. If it was recorded today, some producer or engineer would have copied the previous chorus and replaced the mistake.

For a song that it still played as often as it is, that sour bass note is a treasure.

New Year's Eve, Marmalade Anyone?

This week I'll be blogging about the New Year's eve project I am involved with. Last night was our first get together and it went fairly well. One of the tunes we had to know prior to rehearsal was "Lady Marmalade" but the leader didn't specify which one. Half the band learned the old version by Labelle and the other half, which would include me, learned the Moulin Rouge version. I learned the Moulin Rouge version because I enjoy the arrangement so much more than the Labelle version. Here is Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliot, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink doing the Moulin Rouge version.

Christmas Album Countdown (#1)

1. Sunshine and Snowflakes - 40 Kids Singin' at Christmas (1972)

In 1972, Light records released a children's Christmas choir album. It was arranged by Clark Gassman and directed Jan Gassman. I don't know what Clark Gassman was on when he arranged this but even today, almost 40 years later, it still sounds like pure genius. The original songs are so great as well.

This album is a great mystery to me. There is barely any information online about the Gassmans or the record. The only pieces of information I found were that Clark was married to Jan, Clark died from cancer in the middle of 2006, there were actually three albums they have done, and all the recordings are out of print.

When I typed in Sunshine and Snowflakes in google, I was surprised to see how many people were still trying to get their hands on it. Fortunately I came across the website http://madphilosopher.ca/2004/12/sunshine-and-snowflakes/comment-page-5/. The "mad philosopher" has posted all the tracks available for download for free. I suggest that if you have kids, you take advantage of this. It's a fantastic recording.

Merry Christmas. Happy Birthday Jesus. See you all on Monday.

Christmas Album Countdown (#3 and #2)

3. Susan Aglukark: Christmas (1993)

Susan Aglukark is a Canadian singer who has the disctinction of being the only artist I know whose major label debut was a Christmas album. Whoever thought of this idea was a genius. It exposed the nation to her at a time where only Christmas music was being played, and because of Cancon regulations, it was pretty much a three-way battle between her, Rita MacNeil, and Anne Murray's Christmas offerings on Canadian adult contemporary radio stations.

Nonetheless, the CD is amazing and introduced me a little bit to Inuk culture. She sings a lot of the songs on the album in Inuktitut. To hear the Christmas classics such as "Joy to the World" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" in this language is an amazing listening experience.

2. Merry Axemas: A Guitar Christmas (1997)

I was sitting in Lerxst Sound one day and I was being told of an amazing Christmas album that was in the making. It was to feature some of the greatest guitarists that have graced this earth.

My first thought was "Holy crap, I can't wait to tell my dad, "Behold, I bring you news of great joy!!"" Then I was asked if I wanted to hear his dad's submission of "The Little Drummer Boy." All I can say is what an honour it was to hear it before the rest of the world got to. So I pre-ordered the record and was blown away.

The stacked lineup that delivered formidable tunes included Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Jeff Beck, Brian Setzer, Steve MorseJoe Perry (Aerosmith), Alex Lifeson (Rush), and Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi). One listen and you will understand it's number two ranking.

Tomorrow: who's number one.

Christmas Album Countdown (#4)

4. A LaFace Family Christmas (1993)

A LaFace Family Christmas was a way for Laface records to release an album that would showcase their up-and-coming roster. This is an interesting album because it introduced the world to some artists that would go on to become major international superstars.

Track 2 features an artist that LaFace introduced that same year named Toni Braxton. Her rendition of "The Christmas Song" was my favourite until Bootsy Collins released his in 2006.

Tracks 3 and 7 feature a group that was coming off a successful debut release but was nowhere near as big until after their sophomore effort that made them the most successful girl group in history. Below is the video for track 3, TLC's "Sleigh Ride."

Track 4 features a group that I believe was just put on the record to get exposure. The song is really good but barely references Christmas. This CD is their first feature recording on LaFace as their debut album would be released the next year. They would go on to be one of the top hip hop groups of our time, with their most successful single being called genius as it's not hip hop. Go figure. Here is Outkast's first ever single, "Player's Ball."

And finally, track 8 ("This Christmas") features an artist who would also release his debut album the next year. Though this album had some success. It wasn't until his second album "My Way," that Usher became an international star.

Come back tomorrow to see who's in the top 3.

Christmas Album Countdown (#5)

5. Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas (1993)

This is another album from my mother's collection. This album is probably his best, possibly due to the fact that I don't recognize any of his solo material outside of this record. The majority of us have heard these tracks in every department store at some point. The music on the record is a great mix of soft songs, swing, and toe tappers to give that warm "feel good" Christmas vibe. The clip below is taken from his TV Christmas special. The track is Louisiana Christmas Day.

Christmas Album Countdown (#7 and #6)

7. VP Records presents The Christmas Album (1997)

A wintry December day in 2002 found me strolling the streets of Ochos Rios. I wanted to pick up a CD from there that would enable me remember the fond times I had there. I went correct with "The Christmas Album." I figured this album would be excellent because of all the big names on it. Beres Hammond, Sanchez, Fiona, Freddie McGregor, Pam Hall, Wayne Wonder, and Lady Saw ensured that this album would be great even before I pressed play. But it was two artists I had never heard of which stole this record for me. Nikesha Lindo singing "Joy to the World" and Dean Fraser's "Holiday Medley" really captured what I wanted on this record.

6. Bootsy Collins: Christmas Is 4 Ever (2006)

From the years 2003-2007 I had a tradition that went on for almost five years before both our lives dictated otherwise, Christmas shopping with Stacey. Stacey is the oldest sister of an ex of mine but we still consider ourselves family, which meant every year we went shopping for my nieces and nephews together. The soundtrack of our 2006 shopping experience was this record. The grooves are so heavy that our heads were boppin' and the car was bouncin'. What a record. The video below (found on YouTube)was the first single off the record "Be-With-You." Unfortunately it makes me think of all the cow cheese I eat during the holiday season. Enough said.

Christmas Album Countdown (#9 and #8)

9. Jingle Bell Jazz (1985)

An old friend of mine I jam with on occasion hooked me up with a copy of this cd.

This CD is a compiled "best of" style collection of two Christmas compilations that appeared on vinyl, "Jingle Bell Jazz" (1962) and "God Rest Ye Merry Jazzmen" (1981). It is a fantastic compilation though I would love to get my hands on both of the complete original recordings.

The main reason it was given to me was because of track 5, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, by saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera. It is a duet with upright bass player John Miller. The vamps in this song are the first upright bass licks I ever learned.

8. Bruce Cockburn - Christmas (1993)

My mother owns this cd and it makes the list. This is one of the most honest sounding Christmas albums I've ever heard. When I play the CD, it sounds exactly how I would expect it to after looking at the cover art.

The guitar playing that opens and closes the album is great, and I don't know of any of my personal Christmas compilations that do not have the second last track, "Mary Had A Baby" on it. I love that song.

More to come on Monday. Have a great weekend.

Christmas Album Countdown (#10)

I'd just like to start by saying that these are my favorite full-length Christmas albums that I have enjoyed. There are Christmas songs I think are classics that will not be included on this list.
10. Christmas With The Chipmunks (1963, and countless re-issues)

When I was a wee lad, I wanted to be a rock star, just like Alvin and his chipmunk brothers. In my primary years I remember watching the episodes and singing along with "The Witchdoctor" for the first time at my cousins' place.

Naturally it would be no surprise that I would fall in love with their Christmas CD. It has now been re-issued with over 20 chipmunk classics. Last year my sister sent me this YouTube clip because she knew I would like it. Here's to good times this Christmas!!

Tomorrow I will continue down the list. Stay tuned.

Adventures with Ayah 6 - A Peace For Gaza

At the beginning of this year, Israel was bombing the crap out of Palestine. Ayah didn't like it very much so in February she decided to throw together a benefit called "A Peace For Gaza." When she called me it was a no brainer as I always play benefits for my people if I'm available.

It turned out that Zaki Ibrahim lent herself to this cause so I was fortunate enough to play with her that night too. A few years back, one of my best friends, for a pound of wings and a couple beers, gave me an extra ticket to go see the Roots with him at the Warehouse. It was a legendary show in which Zaki opened for them and was phenomenal. So of course I was excited to play with her. You can check out her site here.

I know I keep saying this but Ayah is serious and does not mess around. She put on a great night that had DJ Agile keep the floor busy when we weren't on. He plays the good stuff that I like so show him some love and download your free Agile mixtapes here.

The night was a success. This reel has a couple clips of Ayah and a clip of Zaki from their performances at "A Peace For Gaza."

Out of Print Christmas Vinyl/Why USB Turntables are Awesome!

This past Father's Day, my wife and I bought my father a USB turntable. There is so much material he has that is not easy to find on CD or MP3 that we decided this would make the perfect gift. He loved it but he is not the most technically inclined when it comes to computers. I think I'm going to have to hook it up tomorrow.

When we were growing up, my siblings and I used to listen to these great Christmas records. Today that means two things: vinyl, and out of print. But tomorrow I can record them for the family and we'll re-live good childhood memories. I love technology.

It's all about the people.

I played the cantata over the weekend. Like most events of this nature there were some great moments, and some not so great ones as well. But there was something really nice I noticed.

There were a lot of people in the audience last night, and they were LIVELY! Everyone on that stage can say that they don't care how many people show up, or that they don't care if people look disinterested during their performance but that is rubbish. The choir really fed off of the cheers and encouragement being delivered by the people in attendance. And to be honest, they deserve it. A lot of these volunteers care about this event and give a great effort so it was really nice to see so many people out for the second show.

When I play in the cantata, I'm usually off in the back corner and don't get a sense on how it is going on stage. So when I saw a full house for the second show, that made me feel good about how the first show went. Attendance for the second show can be influenced by word of mouth from the first. I also believe when the choir saw a full house for the second show it made them realize the same thing.

So I want to thank everyone that comes out to anything that I play, whether it be a church function, or at the Mod Club. It's you that can make an average event into a great one.

Cantata Day

Today is the cantata. After all the practicing and preparation it now comes down to execution. I was in a moment of reflection this morning and I needed a pick-me-up because after all, it's about Christmas and Jesus and all that. I should be happier, or at least more excited.

Then I was reminded of a church Christmas dinner I played in November of 2006.

This band I'm playing with in the following video clips played Friday nights at my church. The services were kickin' and we were packing the house each week. I'm assuming the church organizers wanted the same vibe for their Christmas dinner so we were asked to play. It was nice to watch this again and be brought back to a better time. Here are some clips from a homemade video of the event.



The more I watched of our performance that night, I realized reflection and memories can be a double edged sword. While the band has remained consistent up until now, so many other things have changed since that night. But the biggest change is that there was definitely a different vibe to the style of songs we played and sang back then.

The songs were of higher quality which allowed the band to cook. I love cooking.

The singers were of higher quality. I'm not only referring to skill and talent. If you watch this group of singers (especially the men), they are fist pumping musical shots, jumping, feeling the vibe, and setting the tone for praise. They exuded a spiritual quality I find lacking today so to be serving with these people was a real privilege. I won't get into what the band currently gets to work with but I'll give you a clue and say it's not this.

It seemed like we were going to praise until the congregants fell over dead, or we did, whomever died first. So I guess my Christmas gift from the Lord is that no matter how it goes tonight, He made me remember a time when it all went proper.

Special thanks go to Dave Brown for getting me this video.

Humber Mini Recitals

Today I played on a 9am recital for my friend's class at Humber College. Returning to that stage for the first time in four years made me remember my last mini recital on this stage..........

Throughout the Fall semester at Humber College, every advanced performance class student has to perform two mini recitals of approximately twenty minutes of music in their class. When I did it the first time, I used some classmates I didn't know and did very poorly. The teacher politely suggested to me to pick up the slack or else she'd fail me. So I enlisted Craig and Dionne from the year before as well as Kibwe and Shelkah. Kibwe came highly recommended by Dionne and my ears fell in love with Shelkah from her first solo in my Advanced Improvisation class.

I was battling arthritis, tendinitis, and a separation so I really wasn't in the mood for anything heavy. I asked these guys to play and not only did they do that, they gave some guy they barely knew their best effort and we vibed our way through it. Now as of this day, I still talk to all of them. To me it was very special and I still can't thank them enough.

Here is the ending of my second mini recital of that year. Thanks guys.

Adventures with Ayah 5 - A Rare Glimpse

After the successful show at the Revival and her subsequent tour through the northeastern United States, Ayah wanted to see if she could recreate her original mixtape, but with live instrumentation as opposed to the traditional DJ/Producer mixtape. So in January of 2009 we went into Thrysite's studio and started recreating "Problem Woman Live." As far as I know it never made it to completion. Ayah has had opportunities to move farther ahead of this project. She has a record out, "4:15", which can be purchased at Play De Record in Toronto, online at Itunes, or at her website. She also has a record with DJ Jazzy Jeff that has a planned release of sometime in 2010.



I found this footage of the early takes of us doing a runthrough before seriously recording the material. Ayah shot these clips on my digital camera and I was supposed to get these to her but by the time I had the chance to, this project was on the backburner. So here is some rare, exclusive never before seen footage (oooooooooooh, aaaaaaaaaaaah). The three songs in the clip are: Don't Mess With Me, Believe, and I Reminisce. Have I mentioned how much fun it is to play with her........

Oh What A Night (it will be)

This Friday and Sunday I am involved with the Church cantata/presentation called "Oh What a Night." I was looking forward to this cantata because last year's had serious script issues combined with poor marking and choreography. As the actors were volunteers from our church it went off the rails like the opening scene in "Unbreakable." But this year provided an opportunity to do a great cantata and bounce back, as they say, however, I am feeling completely embarrassed to be associated with this cantata. Let me explain.

People that know me are aware of my work ethic and commitment to presenting quality. That's why I play in this band. As a band we have high standards. We receive our music months in advance so we feel there are no excuses for anything less than quality. Unfortunately the Minister of Music always permits his friend, also a trumpet, to play with our band. I have two problems with this:

First, he is not prepared to play the songs. Last Sunday I felt sick to my stomach as I was listening to him practice his parts between services. The notes where sloppy and his pitch was all over the place. It sounded like a grade 7 band student trying to read the chart for the first time. We have had the music for months. Memo to the brass section: THE CANTATA IS THIS FRIDAY SO CAN YOU PLEASE GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER!!!!

Second, I cannot in good conscience invite anyone to this event. I will never request that anyone I love and respect drive all the way to Mississauga on a December evening to hear something that I myself would not attend.

I find this situation insulting and disrespectful to anyone that is making an effort to make this cantata great. How can the Minister of Music expect us to respect him in his role and take him seriously if he continually allows his friend to crap all over our hard work.

I think this is going to be my last cantata. I'm recently married and would like to focus on the careers of myself and my wife. I also have high standards and when I feel the people appointed to make musical decisions aren't doing it in the best interest of the music, it's just not worth it for me.

DUCA Financial Services appreciation dinner

Saturday "The Randall Hall Collective" played at the Thornhill Country Club for the DUCA Financial Services appreciation dinner. After talking to the CEO about what he was looking for I drafted together an idea of how I wanted to approach the event.

STEP ONE: THE PLAYERS
For the majority of the events I call people for, it is to play with me as a trio. This is for a variety of reasons but primarily because it is cheaper for the client. Fortunately God has blessed me with so many friends who are phenomenal players that the personnel decisions do not need to be based on talent. So I mainly go with location and availability to pick my players.

STEP TWO: THE MATERIAL
Once I have my players confirmed I draft up a song selection based on the playing attributes of my personnel, the repetoire they are already comfortable with, and most importantly, any requests that the client has regarding birthdays and other special music.
So after phone calls, meetings, and emails containing important information such as dress code, call time, and location of the event, we are ready to go.

The event was really a fun event to play. There was a pleasant vibe that was immediately picked up on by my players. A Christmas fake book magically appeared so our setlist grew larger. I can now tell people I played the Chipmunk Song on a gig. And I'm doing it again. The grand piano in the lobby was a unplanned treat that changed the quality of our cocktail set for the better. This meant that the keyboard could stay in one room and we didn't have to move it.

This picture is of us playing the dessert set to close out the evening. I would like to thank Chris Zegers (Marketing Manager, DUCA Financial Services and Credit Union) for getting me the picture very quick. I'm talking less than an hour after I emailed my contact. That is awesome service. To everyone at DUCA, have a Merry Christmas.

DUCA - Go Bank With Them.......

Tomorrow I have the priviledge of playing for the DUCA Financial Services Christmas dinner. I'm very excited about this for a number of reasons. The man who hired me is now the CEO of DUCA. It was with him that over 20 years ago that I first ever played in public on my bass. He was on guitar.

I will run into some people who work there that I have not seen in some time. I believe a long time friend of my brother works in the head office in the marketing department, as well as the many tellers that I deal with just by banking with them, or that I know who work in other branches. It will be nice to catch up and see what they're up to.

Accompanying me on drums will be one of my best friends. We have not played together since we were at Humber College where she held it down for my final recital and recordings that were done there. It is so nice to be playing with people I love and consider part of my family.

Also accompanying me will be another good friend of mine. We have served in the trenches together when no one else would, and though the battles and frustrations have taken it's toll, we're still standing and respresenting, and still playing.

My "trio" is named the Randall Hall Collective because that's what playing music is. We all have families, and lives to attend to so we all can't make every gig. Some days it can be a trio, other days a quartet. This way pieces can be moved in and out as needed and it's all part of the same team.

Have a great weekend and see you Monday.

Why I Decided To Propose To My Wife

Back when I was dating my wife (a fashion stylist, a real one), I was glad to play the role of supportive boyfriend. The first thing she asked me to accompany her to was Toronto Fashion Week in October of 2008 so I jumped at the chance. For those who don't know, and I was one of those, there are two Toronto Fashion Weeks a year. The one in October is the preview for what is hot for the spring and summer of the next year.

So off to Nathan Phillips Square we went. We were seated in the front row for the Aqua di Lara swimsuit show. I made sure I was armed with my camera for this one.

The premise of this event is that there were beautiful models aplenty, all decked out in customized swimwear, and I was supposed to look. I would just like everyone reading to know that I was a great boyfriend and paid attention extensively to every detail and look that Aqua di Lara had to offer that year.

Now I'm going to do my readership a service and talk more about my first Toronto Fashion Week experience to fill up space around the pictures. Though the event goes from Monday to Saturday, I only went on the Thursday. I would have went more but I had a hockey game to play, and I was also housesitting for Ms. No-Such-Nonsense and her husband. I would just like to add that Ms. N-S-N and her awesome cool dude husband were the first people I introduced my wife to. That's a big deal if you like someone.

It was also here that I first met Christopher Paunil. He is the gentleman that personally handcrafted the wedding dress my wife wore at our wedding. It's a thing of beauty.

We also bumped into Lily and Lilac Nguyen. They're hot stuff (yeah, I saw the Lara Croft Halloween picture. WOO WOO!!) and great photographers too. When Tricia and I were on our first date, we bumped into Lily walking along the street. So technically she was the first friend that I met outside of work. I met her sister Lilac at this event as well. Lots of firsts for me here. I think they're kind of a big deal. Check out the link and see for yourself.

This was the first event I ever accompanied my wife to and I must say it was well worth it. And you can see why I really had no choice but to marry her.

Adventures with Ayah 4 - Revival (Part II)

I have now watched Ayah's Pusha Man video and am extremely happy about what I can do on this song. Church practice went well, in part because I got to leave early to go pick up my wife for the gig.


We arrived at the Revival and headed up to the green room where the band and singers awaited us. It is there where I meet Slakah the Beatchild for the first time. He was filming the show for a video for one of Ayah's songs called "Believe" (see picture) which will be discussed in a future episode.



We eventually started and it wasn't until I played this set that I realized how much I loved playing soul, R&B, hip/hop, funk etc. I love playing for Ayah because she is very definitive in what she wants, but at the same time she lets me find me own direction in how to get there. It makes for a great playing situation.



So for the last tune of the night, she brought up Tona and we played "Pusha Man." A lot of people liked what I did that night seeing as I was just vibing to the track. Because Ayah posts her material on YouTube (ayahmusic) you can check some of the songs out there. Here is our live version of Pusha Man with Ayah and Tona.

I'm not a doctor but I play one on my blog.

I have been playing bass in churches for over 20 years and it's only been within the last 4 years that I've noticed an illness more people are catching. I don't know if there is a medical name for it but for the sake of explanation I'll name it:


"Ignorant-man-comes-up-on-the-altar-and-starts-playing-my-bass-without-asking-me-first-because-for-some-God-forsaken-reason-he-thinks-he-knows-how-to-play-it"-itis.

Last Sunday I was informed that someone had come down with this illness. I didn't actually see it but the evidence was there. It happened between first and second services because when I picked up my bass for second service, a nice heavenly crackling sound burst forth for the congregation to hear. Then, just like an episode of CSI Miami, the guilty party shows up out of nowhere.

It was our trumpet player. And then he has the nerve to say to me "There's something wrong with your cable." Wow.

But he was right about one thing, there's something wrong.

There's something wrong...
When the worst player on the roster starts picking up other instruments. Bro, seriously. Learn your own first before trying others.

There's something wrong...
When there doesn't seem to be a need to ask permission to handle my personal property. My parents taught me that I shouldn't touch other people's stuff without asking, all the way back in Kindergarten. Maybe it's a simple rule that's probably in some obscure part of the Bible he hasn't read so I guess he thought it was okay.

There's something wrong...
When the person who actually goes ahead with all this doesn't even put my stuff back in the condition they found it, and then tell me my stuff is broken. Really? So if I played a trumpet and blared some notes, is it broken or do I just suck really bad? Just saying.

Ask me how I really feel about it. I dare you.