Mechanics of Music

The Mechanics of Music

Jo and I went to see “Black Lesbian Aftershave” tonight, at Melt, a bar down on Columbus. We arrived early, which is always fun as you see the individual musicians arrive – by bus, car, walking, whatever. The double bass player seems to live there. I’ve never been in when he wasn’t either at the bar or performing. The personnel changes, although there are a few mainstays, and I have my own nicknames for them. Tonight was a special night; they were on form. I wasn’t, sadly, and that took the edge off it. I was distracted, by all the things that are going on in my life at the moment. I’m coming to the end of a lot of things, and it’s having a bad effect on me. Although completing ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ is what I’ve been trying and training for over the last 9 months, finishing it leaves a void.

I retire in just a few weeks, and we will be leaving the beautiful city of San Francisco, my friends here, and my Triathlon High Performance team. I’m trying to come to terms with all of that as well as deal with the logistics of it all while also trying to focus on my triathlon training and racing, which is somewhat in the balance between a final glorious end to my stay in the USA and a whimpering, meaningless exit. At ‘Escape from Alctatraz’, having successfully taken on and beaten the demons of open water swimming, I think I qualified for the USA National Championships. According to the USA Triathlon website it is a qualifying race, and to qualify you have to finish in the top ten percent, which I did. But I’m not sure if I’ve missed something. In the UK you have to register as a candidate, which I haven’t done. Since this is my 4^th attempt at qualification, I’d be annoyed if I missed due to a technicality, particularly as I’m very careful in my preparation in general. The other uncertainty is that it’s listed as a sprint distance race, which it clearly isn’t, so I don’t know if the whole thing’s incorrect. If I haven’t qualified, then I’m not sure I can pick myself up again, and if I have I’m not sure if I can maintain my peak. ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ was my main focus for the season, and I peaked specifically for it. I got that right, but what that means is that I’m now over the top in terms of my race fitness.

Man without a mission

So – a quandary. I’ve asked USAT what the situation is but I’ve had no reply. I also asked UK Triathlon if I can wear the GB suit if I race the USA Nationals and they’ve said yes. Now that would be a good finish – wearing the GB suit in the US Nationals!

In the meantime I’m somewhat edgy, and a night out with ‘Black Lesbian Aftershave’ seemed like just the thing. ‘BLA’ as they are in shorthand, are good fun and they play lots of Miles Davis and a fair smattering of John Coltrane, my two favourite jazz musicians. I hate to admit it, but I don’t get the Black Lesbian Aftershave joke, and I’m embarrassed to ask as I suspect that everyone else does. I look for clues: they are all guys – no clue there; they are half black and half white (I mean overall, not individually) so that’s no help either. I know it’s a decent joke because there’s always a snigger when they announce themselves, but I’m not able to share it.

But back to the mechanics – as they get set up they start tuning up, cleaning out their instruments and so on. They play all weekend, at Melt and other places, so the sax and the trumpet in particular, get clogged up and have to be cleared out into the instrumental equivalent of a handkerchief. There’s blowing and spitting, tuning the strings, setting up the drum kit and the bongos, and getting the limited electronics to work. You start to observe small details, like the double bass player’s little add-ons to hold the bow and the sound pick-up, or the fact that the saxophonist has very small feet. You begin to appreciate how these 6 or 7 guys have to work around each other simply to fit into the small space they have available. The drummer and the bongo player are practically on the same stool, and when the saxophonist or trumpet player does a solo, the other has to take a step back to give him room. The piano has an exposed front so you can see the hammers rolling back and forth, it’s quite exciting, especially as you can’t see the player! 

So on Saturday I enjoyed a beer or three, while watching the guys set up. There’s an almost imperceptual change from the tune-up into the first tune itself, and I play a game of trying to spot it. I also try and spot the unspoken interchange between them as they flow through the set. There’s an obvious leader, who’s extremely cool, who calls the shots. He makes his sax stir up a groove and a rhythm, with spikes and drifts that run up and down your spine. When he’s on form, like he was on Saturday, he’s the best around these parts, but I’m not sure if he knows it. Maybe he doesn’t care. But he shares his music with us, and he leads the BLA band through the set and when he does a solo, he’s gone, lost in the mood. He carries the audience with him, but he doesn’t know we’re there. Great stuff, and a wonderful relief from triathlon.