My Old John Coltrane Tribute Recording.

[mattsmith]

One of my dad's students gave a surprise Christmas present today by editing some tracks from the Coltrane, Miles Davis tribute album I did just before I started the 9th grade, and added some text and pictures of my life in Romania back then to produce a youtube montage.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8EKCFFeSipU

It was odd to see all this from back then, but I enjoyed hearing the music, although as you know the youtube conversion takes away a lot of the sound quality. From July, 2004.

[aydee]

matt, how the hell do you do that when you're 12? or 14 or whatever? guess I'll never know. That was unreal. 'Few of my favorite things' was great...

[TopCat]

Anyone listening to this then should have known you were destined for bigger and better things. That's a really thoughtful gift, it's a shame youtube killed the quality a bit. It's interesting to hear how you have progressed when compared to your other recent recordings. I'm gonna have to plead ignorance here, but how did you come to live in Romania, if you don't mind me asking?

An early christmas present is worthy of an early season's greeting! Merry christmas Matt, all the best for 2008.

[mattsmith]

I'm gonna have to plead ignorance here, but how did you come to live in Romania, if you don't mind me asking?

An early christmas present is worthy of an early season's greeting! Merry christmas Matt, all the best for 2008.

My family was in the Fulbright Scholar Program back then and they appointed dad a Senior Fulbright Professor of music at the Conservatory in Bucharest. We were there straight through for 2 years where I attended the International School of Bucharest and mom taught English to preschool Turkish kids. Dad is kinda famous in that part of the world so I got to know a bunch of jazz musicians, and they all knew me because I always was in the jazz clubs.

As guys like you and Karl know, they're a lot more liberal about minors going into clubs in Europe then they are here in the US, as long as you don't go crazy. Besides, they all kept an eye on me anyway. When I went to this jazz place in the main area, the owner would clear a table and hand me a little Pepsi with a straw in it, and say "stay here." At Green Hours the owner once found out I had a bad report card and banned me from the place until I got my grades up. That's the way they handle things there. It's pretty old school.

It's was kinda of a downturn when I came back to America. For a long time I had no gigs at all. I wasn't allowed in clubs and none of the adults would play with me because they said they didn't want to play with a kid. So I was blocked out of good jazz for a long time, and that still mostly goes on. I was getting bored, so I listened to these recordings and felt I had a good feel and groove but my technique needed work. That's when I got really serious on the pad and spent the time I used to spend in clubs working on basics.

Merry Christmas to you too man. You're a great player.

[intooder]

matt, how the hell do you do that when you're 12? or 14 or whatever?
Matt's alter-ego is Elvin Williams - that's how! Great stuff, Matt! Subtle and tasteful.

[foursticks]

Good Lord, makes me wanna play myself. Great band, great music, great drummer. I saw on your website that Rashied Ali rang you up about this didn't he? Or something along those lines..?

[mattsmith]

I saw on your website that Rashied Ali rang you up about this didn't he? Or something along those lines..?

Yeah, it was an incredible shock. The CD was pretty much just passed around to different people, and supposedly what happened was that some jazz historian guy heard the Expression cut /the #2 song/ with the Pat Metheny style guitar, and asked Rashied Ali about it assuming he would know something, since he's the drummer on the original recording. I guess the historian thought it was like some famous guys who were really drunk or on drugs and not playing up to their usual levels, because I guess most regular guys don't want to cover songs like that. Then I guess Mr. Ali couldn't figure it out either, especially since I was copping him big time on that cut.

He then got his representative on it because the whole thing was driving him crazy. Then he found out it was this little kid who had just moved to Michigan from Romania, and I think that got him interested.

So they got my number, and I'm coming home from school and the phone rings and it's Rashied Ali. He was just great to me with the compliments, told me he thought the guitar was cool, although a lot of Coltrane hardcores hated that part, and that we should hook up sometime. Then we spent almost an hour talkin' about Coltrane. It was like a dream, and it came at the perfect time, because I was so bummed about not having guys to play with, no jazz band at my school, all that.

As fate would have it, Mr. Ali came to Flint a couple of months later to do a concert with Sonny Fortune. I introduced myself to him and it's like we're friends or something. He's told me to look him up if I ever decided to live in New York and I really do believe him. he seems like a straight up guy.

Anyway glad you liked it.

[foursticks]

Nice one man, any interesting stories he had to tell about Coltrane?

[mattsmith]

Nice one man, any interesting stories he had to tell about Coltrane?

No nothing controversial or anything, just really reinforcing all the stories we've always heard about Coltrane's unwavering routine and incredible practice habits. He says that 12 hours a day 7 days a week stuff was all true. I've often wondered if all that playing had as much to do with killing Coltrane than even all the bad habits when he was younger. I mean you get up, play 12 hours, go do a 4 hour gig where you're playing half hour solos, go to bed, get up, record 2 albums, repeat cycle. That has to take years off your life.

[foursticks]

True - the man's dedication was more obsession, but I think all that stress that can arise from practise and playing sometimes could have lead to his shocking death. The man was a true God amongst men. I can't help but wonder though - does all that practise actually help? I mean unless you have some super mind, your brain isn't going to be concentrating fully 100% on everything your playing for more than three hours, then from there it's more likely for distractions or your mind to wander off. Even with breaks, there's still a limit to how much the mind can cope with.

[BringoDingo]

"especially since I was copping him big time on that cut."



I don't hear any Ali on that. But that's just me, I guess. Lots of cymbal rolling and whatnot.




Practicing didn't lead to Trane's death. Lots of excess drinking did his liver in.

[mattsmith]

"especially since I was copping him big time on that cut."



I don't hear any Ali on that. But that's just me, I guess. Lots of cymbal rolling and whatnot.




Practicing didn't lead to Trane's death. Lots of excess drinking did his liver in.

Not to be rude here, but yeah it probably is just you. I'm going to assume that Rashied Ali knows what he sounds like. I admitedly stole a great deal of his stuff for that music, he recognized it, he commented on it. If it sounds like lots of cymbal rolling and what not to you then "oh well." I didn't say that stuff to prop myself up. If I had commented that I had been original, which I wasn't, then that would have been something else.

I also know all about the cirosis of the liver being the official cause of Coltrane's death as listed on his death certificate. We were merely generalizing about accelerating factors. A constant state of exhaustion accelerates any preexisting condition, or so I'm told.

Interesting man, in five posts you've implied the issues here, authoritatively concluded that traditional grip is unnatural to all, including those who state it feels that way to their own hands, and that most jazz is dead because of essentially too much education. I look forward to hearing your music.

[foursticks]

Is it just me or is bringodingo not just Erik Lund? He sure as hell reminds me of him...

[BringoDingo]

Whoa. not to start a pissing contest. from the limited Rashied I've heard - Interstellar, Touchin' On Trane (which got a crown from the Penguin Guide to Jazz, which is how I found out about him), and the Olatunji concert, I didn't make the same connection. doesn't mean it's bad. sheesh.

And as for the trad/matched thing - I was basically paraphrasing something from that Modern Drummer issue that dealt with the whole "vs" thing that made sense to me.

As for my own stuff, I haven't played out for 2 years, so if and when I have something to offer I would be glad to share it.

[aydee]

Is it just me or is bringodingo not just Erik Lund? He sure as hell reminds me of him...

Erik! Wink, if its you!

[BringoDingo]

Erik? Nope. close. Aaron. whoa the dolphins just won a football game just now.

your paraphrases make my posts sound very jerk-like. I guess I hope the original posts didn't come off as such. at the risk of joking, I would say you sound like my ex-girlfriend. Sarah! Wink, if it's you!

: )

[BringoDingo]

"and stay away from my mom."


you got it.

[Latin Groover]

Seems i missed this thread.

Hey Matt I really liked this. I honestly enjoyed this the most out of everything you've posted, mainly because your playing with a group, but i really liked the whole groups sound. I'd love to hear more playing with a group. Are you involved in any projects now? Whats going on?

[joeybeats]

Wow, Matt! Amazing accomplishments at such a young age. I can't wait to watch as you and some of the others here, reach and blast through to the very top of world of drumming.

I'm with Latin, I also would enjoy hearing what projects you are working on and what your goals over the next 12 months? Have a great 2008. Joey

[slingerland755]

Matt,
Great stuff! I really enjoyed that.