Klarinet Archive - Posting 000500.txt from 1998/05

From: WWQUINTET <WWQUINTET@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Toshiko Akiashi (spelling?)
Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 02:34:18 -0400

In a message dated 98-05-10 23:29:19 EDT, carlsche@-----.com writes:

<<
I'd like to know what equipment Toshiko's husband, Lou Tabakin plays so I
could make sure to avoid it! I think he must be practicing with a broken
metronome also. Too Bad! She's such a GOOD player/composer/arranger and
all of the other saxes were really great! I heard she divorced him and
married another sax player. I figured she must have gotten tired of hearing
him as well. By the way, I'm not sure that I spelled his name correctly
either. Apologies!

Carl Schexnayder >>

The correct spelling should be, Toshiko Akiyoshi - Lew Tabackin.
When their band was still based on the West coast, I used to attend many of
their local performances, and I even participated in a week long music camp
that Akiyoshi presented at Redlands University. At that time, Tabackin was
playing on what appeared to be an Otto Link, hardly a mouthpiece to avoid,
considering that many of the jazz greats have gotten along just fine with it's
colorful tonal attributes. However, what equipment Mr.Tabackin currently
performs with is up for grabs, as I haven't seen him in ten years.
Personal tastes aside, Tabackin is a gifted improviser. Tonally he's a cross
between Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas, and harmonically he can sometimes sound
quite Coltrane-ish. Admittedly this is a rather eclectic mix, but the
combination makes for a musical style of playing that is at times simply
astonishing. Concerning his sense of time, he sometimes favors a style,
depending on tempo, where eighth note patterns are often played not swung,
which creates an interesting tension and an almost declamatory way of stating
his lines. Other times he will favor a more traditional approach, and can
groove with the best of them. Either way, I have always thought his sense of
time was impeccable.

When it's all said and done, Tabackin will most likely be remembered as an
excellent jazz musician, which is more than can probably be said for the
majority of us on this list.

Dave

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