November Newsletter - deeper practicing, new Larum album in the can, listening links, and the Enzoni!
Good Autumn to all,
Fall is here, and with it comes a familiar feeling: that post-summer bliss has dissipated, and I’m now left with the day-to-day rhythm of continuing to engage with my work—drilling down…the real work. I’m reminded of the words of art critic Jerry Saltz: “Artists: get deeper, not better.” Fall feels like the time when the real digging begins and the rewards of curious stick-to-it-ness start to reveal themselves. Not-so-spoiler alert: consistency is key.
Following my last newsletter, I received many warm responses from those of you curious about my daily practice routine. Well, the journey continues—with revelations! I continue to practice and compose for around 4.5 hours a day (6 hrs with breaks) using this practice quadrant and in twenty-five-minute intervals following the Pomodoro Technique. I’ve been contemplating what I practice, why I practice it, and how unique a position I’m in to practice so that I may be available to best serve the music when playing with others—preparing to improvise. Unlike most classical musicians who prepare pre-composed music, we improvisers have a lot of wrangling to do when it comes to deciding what and how to practice. I’m just starting to get glimpses of what it all means to me. Better late than never—and grateful for the opportunity to confront these questions through music.
Interestingly, many of my discoveries have come from the daily warmup portion of my practice. I say “interestingly” because this part of my routine tends to focus on sound development, and there’s not a lot of speed involved. Long tones and slow intervallic leaps—you know, saxophone stuff. Or so I thought. I’m beginning to learn that there are secrets in giving yourself the space to be in the presence of your own sound and allowing yourself the time to listen deeply and make choices based on your own aesthetics.
The specific exercise that has been most illuminating is the “Dewey Redman long tone exercise.” This is the simplest warmup I’ve ever played—or so I thought. When you give yourself twenty-five minutes to play every single note on your instrument for as long as you can, you’re faced with a deceptively simple set of questions: How does this sound? What should I change? Can I reproduce it? Unbeknownst to me, this “simple” exercise has started to create a blueprint of consideration for everything that I play, how I play it, and what I don’t play. Who knew that you could warm up your own taste—one note at a time! Thanks, Dewey.
Recent news:
I’m very happy to report that Micah Frank, my partner in the group Larum, and I have finished the two-year-long composing and production process of our latest album, yet to be named. We share a mild mutual obsession with Cormac McCarthy’s novel Blood Meridian and let various scenes guide the path of certain pieces on the album. In case you need a nudge to finally read it, it’s a truly great piece of American art—stark, elegant, brutal, existential, timeless. As McCarthy said, “If it doesn’t concern life and death, it’s not interesting.” Yikes.
Upcoming performance:
Nov 10 at 9pm – Lowlands, Brooklyn
Larum (Micah and I) invite alto saxophonist Tim Berne to join us for a set of improvisations based on a tone row he has mapped to his electronic instrument, the Ableton Push 3. I will be live-processing my woodwinds and the same tone row on cassette loops. The juxtaposition between Micah’s hi-res instrument, my degrading cassette loops, and the live woodwinds works beautifully. Previously, we spent much of our time performing the works of Hildegard von Bingen. Inspired by recent deep listening sessions of Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, we’ve decided to jump ahead 1,250 years for some new inspiration.
What I’ve been listening to & watching:
Zack Lober – So We Could Live
Miles Davis – Live at the Plugged Nickel
Ornette Coleman – Live at the Hillcrest
Ingrid Laubrock – Purposing the Air
David Liebman / Jeff Williams – In Duo
Wayne Shorter - Night Dreamer
Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
Video: Anthony Braxton Quartet - Live in Montreux 1975
Video: Ben Webster Documentary - Big Ben 1971
For anyone who is still drinking out there, this is The Enzoni! A deliciously simple gin and muddled red grape cocktail. It's a nice, fresh, herbaceous way to kick off a dinner. I think that it could also handle a sprig of rosemary and/or some orange zest. I'm strongly considering it for a round of cocktails to kick off Thanksgiving dinner.
Warmly,
Chet
September/October Newsletter - Gigs, Releases, Daily Practices, Listening & Pasta!
Hi friends,
Thank you so much for the incredible response and interest in signing up for my newsletter. It was heartwarming to see your names appear in the spreadsheet and to know that you’d like to stay up to date with me and my projects. I’m new to this, so please bear with me as I iron out the kinks. I’ll do my best to keep things succinct, but hopefully also warm, inviting and fun.
Upcoming Performances
Sept 25: LARUM at Public Records (supporting blankfor.ms release)
Oct 1: Chet Doxas Sextet – Ceremonial at Smalls NYC (6pm & 7:30pm)
Oct 8: Dave Scott Quintet at Smalls NYC (6pm & 7:30pm)
Oct 11: Chet Doxas Organ Trio at Bar Bayeux, Brooklyn
Oct 22–24: Visiting Lecturer at Capilano University, Vancouver BC
Oct 25: Saxophone Summit Concert at Capilano University, Vancouver BC
News
LARUM (with Micah Frank & Taylor Deupree) has released a new album, Treatise – Cornelius Cardew, on 12k Records. The album was recorded live in New York City at two different performances: Public Records in Brooklyn and The Fridman Gallery on the Bowery. The recordings are our interpretations of English composer Cornelius Cardew’s iconic graphic scores. Some thoughtful words from a recent review: “It’s tempting to say Larum play Cardew, but that misses the point: they inhabit him, walk through his shapes like rooms, and leave their fingerprints on the walls. The result is music that is both rigorous and free, logic wrapped in intuition.” – chaindlk.com
Live in Brooklyn: This release grew out of a beautiful musical meeting between new and old friends. Jacob Sacks (piano) and Vinnie Sperrazza (drums) were among the very first musicians I met upon moving to NYC just over ten years ago, and every chance I get to play with them is something I deeply treasure. When we secured the date at iBeam, Vinnie reached out to the incomparable bassist, composer, and improviser Mark Helias to see if he might like to join us. Since then, we’ve played several gigs together, and I’m happy to report that a genuine musical and personal friendship continues to grow. This album was also a fun DIY experiment. I brought some remote recording gear to the venue, and Mark mixed and mastered the session, and Jacob designed the artwork, which is now available on Helias’ own online label.
Daily Practice
Lately, I’ve been settling into a new (and improved) practice and writing routine: about 4–4.5 hours of saxophone/clarinet practice and 1 hour of composing each day — all in 25-minute intervals, using the Pomodoro technique. The last time I practiced this much was in my late teens and college years. These days, while progress is a little slower, I find it far more productive and meaningful. These daily sessions have quickly become a sacred space for me. A big part of that is a mantra shared by my friend Nick Law, a celebrated designer and creative business leader: “Produce more than you consume.” At first glance it seems simple, but it’s been transformative for my mindset. I’ve started to recognize that distraction, negative thought cycles, and even non-constructive conversations are forms of “consumption.” Shifting my focus to creating instead has not only improved my practice but also changed the way I improvise — I notice myself leaving more space, which feels like growth.
Listening Lately
Here are 10'ish albums I’ve been enjoying recently. The common threads among much of the music I gravitate toward are imagination, risk, presence, sincerity, and love. I actually keep a running list on my phone of musicians who embody these traits — maybe I’ll share more about that in a future newsletter. All of the titles below should link to their respective recordings. Enjoy!
2. Richard Strauss - Selections from Salome
3. John Coltrane - Live in Japan… bonus interviews at the end
4. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - self-titled
5. John Abercrombie & Vince Mendoza - Animato
7. Emerson String Quartet - Beethoven: The Late String Quartets
8. Mary Halvorson - About Ghosts
10. Baikida E.J. Carroll - Orange Fish Tears
11. Dimitri Shostakovich - Ashkenazy: 24 Prelude & Fugues, Op. 87
12. First Place Again - Paul Desmond with the beautiful rhythm section of Jim Hall, Percy Heath and Connie Kay
BONUS
Dig this simple and delicious pasta recipe. I whipped it up for friends over Labor Day weekend in Montauk while we were standing around trying to think of what to make for dinner;) It’s a keeper!