Low Eh!

I was scrolling through my Instagram feed today, and it dawned on me that Ed Lister’s The Prime Rib Big Band was in the studio recording its debut recording around this time in 2020. I checked out the dates, and it was five years to the day that we were laying down the final cuts for the recording that became Choice Cuts.

I remember that it was the first time that I had used my new Buffet Prestige bass clarinet on a recording session (unfortunately, the track I used it on didn’t make the cut), and that there was an excitement about finishing a big band recording. It seemed like it was time to release something – we had held our residency at Irene’s Pub on the first Wednesday of every month since March of 2017. It was also the first time that I had composed, arranged, AND recorded a piece for big band. Check out my composition, East Coast Sunset on the recording.

This big band has been the anchor of my gigging schedule for nearly eight years, from our residency, to the festival shows, to video shoots, and so much more. The music has grown to become more personal, the amount of writers has expanded to more members of the band, and even some outside of the band, and the ensemble playing gets more cohesive the longer we work together. It’s the main setting that I’ve gained my identity as a baritone saxophonist, and I love every gig.

Let’s hope that we can get back into the studio again, and make more music to share!