Welcome to Jay's Photo Emporium
The left column has various slides of Jay's latest adventures. The slides on the right column are older pictures. Futher down the page we have "Jay's Grand Night of Sushi" a hilarious and insightful account of a day on tour with his Japanese friends. Even further down there are more pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Note: Japan Tour April 2006 begins cycling below when the page loads. Click on the links below and the other slide shows will begin.
- Japan Tour April 2006
- Atsushi Ikeda visits Jay in Seattle
- Wataru Hamazaki and Jay in Seattle
Photo Gallery
» Slide #1:On the Road with Jay
» Slide #4: “Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra”
» Slide #6: “Continued in the UnderGround Jazz Orchestra”
Jay's Grand Night Of Sushi
please enjoy reading one of Jay's most recent adventures from his travels to Japan
Hi from the recently educated sushi aficionado…first of all yesterday was a blast we got up late…me earlier than the rest of the gang…but after a nice little breakfast prepared by Atsushi and Harumi we headed to Ishimori's legendary saxophone winds shop….I met the man himself…the famous Ishimori who has bought most of the mint MK VI tenors from the U.S. Kohama was getting a saxophone that had been adjusted by Yamanaka San ….we got to Ishimori's and my cork fell off my saxophone ….and I swear I got the best new cork job ever…usually in the US it is a five minute job….not these guys…they took the mouthpiece asked me where it tuned best to better get the thickness just right…and after 40 minutes I have a cork that is actually perfect…
I tried mouthpieces and ligatures for an hour or so ….someone would bring them into a room on a tray….also various saxophones….well for a sax junkie like myself , Kohama and Atsushi it was heaven on earth….anyway, one of the guys who could have stepped out of a Samurai movie was Mr. Ishimori….he got a present of "Easy Does It" and as the repair guys who were just like machines labored away. "Easy does It" was playing…there is a performance center in the basement of the building and Ishimori showed it to me…I hope maybe to get a gig there sometime….I have a picture of Ishimori and myself in front of his sign for his shop…actually Atsushi took it but it will be a simple matter to get it…then I will write Ishimori and say what a pleasure etc. Well after dinking around most of the afternoon it was off to B flato ….for a sound check and little rehearsal…We played three of Jim Knapp's arrangements and the band all collectively dug into them with glee. Jim's charts, even for Sextet, are the best! They had a very good sound man at this club also so all in all we were primed for a great gig.
After a relaxed rehearsal where we worked the bugs out of a few things we went to a soba place very close by and had a light repast…. We figured out some good sets pacing wise and the gig really was a ball and we all sounded good…I was especially happy with the blend of the horns and my trumpet was easy to play and the sax sounded good also. When you are really playing hard it can really be draining so even though it was a great gig I was fairly spent after the gig…and very hungry…after packing up it had been about six hours since the last meal.
Now here is where the fun begins…we were caravanning thru throngs of cars all vying for position and Atsushi was driving like it was the Indianapolis plus an obstacle course Well I was very tired but this was keeping me up at least…we were driving for a long time and cell phones were blazing! Anyway we ended up in kind of a ware house looking district and then I thought ah ha fish market….well it was not the famous Ueno fish market but another equally famous one by the Ginza…it was kind of wild because the workers were out waiting for the trucks for the next day….some of them looked like rather hard characters….well we found the area and that was part of the hurdle….Harumi found a parking spot but Atshushi was really trying to keep his cool after circling for another fifteen or twenty minutes with the constant problem of being cycled into the wrong traffic patterns causing strange double backs and more labor intensive avoidance of large trucks and merry late night, possibly slightly inebriated, Japanese drivers…..after more cell phone action it turns out that Harumi knows where there is a spot….and next thing we know she comes running up after crossing a busy street and we pile out while Harumi takes Atshushi to the spot….
Well we are walking down these little alleys and like an oasis we come upon the restaurant…its wild because they are just tucked in the market with virtually no access….well we entered the place and it had several floors and it was packed with people on the first floor but we were escorted upstairs and there was a long row of tables and we took our seats. These tables were around sunken areas so I, thank god, did not have to sit cross legged…I forgot to mention that there were lockers before you went into the dining area where you stowed your shoes.
About this time was when I had a little drama going….I had been very tired but instantly came back to life when I felt for my wallet and it was not there….woops…. then I remembered I had taken it out of my pocket and left it in the back band room at the club….well I told Kohama and he kind of shook his head and then asked me how much was in it…well I have not been paid for much so it was not a huge loss…but I racked my brains and thought that I remembered picking it up after the gig….hmmm maybe the trumpet case of legendary inner pockets and nooks and crannies or I also had a blue bag with sax stand, tooth brush, etc. Well so be it…. we sat down and after the food arrived I just went with the flow….I had all kinds of stuff I have not had before….we had geoduck from Seattle even….some of the Salmon sushi was prepared so delicious it was beyond words….
Well we ate dinner and laughed and then Kohama started in on I guess what is kind of a ritual which is basically 'show and tell stuff about growing up and slightly racy stuff about being ten years old and the neighbor girl etc." I think there is an actual name for this kind of talk it was fairly hilarious and pretty light hearted fun…
Well after a couple of hours we headed back to the car and after ransacking thru my stuff I found my wallet…they was kind a collective sigh of relief…all was well and I promptly fell asleep in the car and we were back at Atsushi's I don't even know how late… It's a quarter past one right now and still no sign of life so it tells me probably early morning….We were planning on driving to the next gig today at 2:00 ….in fact they were discussing the kinds of things they were going to do before leaving for the gig! So concludes my great sushi adventure.
This morning I took a walk and went to Starbucks and watched a whole parade of pets and their owners out for a stroll. I should have been a reporter…this is kind fun.... ---Jay Thomas---
This was a band featuring Buddy Catlett on bass....Buddy played for years with Count Basie and recorded with Coleman Hawkins and is on a " Tough Tenors" disc with Johnny Griffin and Eddie Lockjaw Davis....he also toured extensively with Louis Armstrong...
Brian Kirk is on drums...Brian lived and played in New york for years...Brian toured with Lou donaldson and Brother Jack McDuff and the Pointer sisters and others
John Hansen on piano....John is my long time collaborater....John is on the Jim Knapp band and has been a part of the inner jazz scene in the NW for many years ...he has a very special melodic gift that is fresh but rooted.
Thomas Marriott is on Trumpet...thomas won the Carmine Caruso trumpet competition a few years ago and recently put out a cd featuring Joe Locke on vibes...Thomas is a member of the SRJO orchestra and a latin band named Tumbao
yours truly on baritone saxophone....
this band just performed at Tulas jazz club tonight performing the music of Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams
We had a lot of fun as you can see from the pictures!...
Ive been playing with Buddy on and off for 25 years...I have been wotrking with John since 1989...thomas I have been playing with since he was a teenager...about 13 or 14 years now!
Brian and i have been great friends for the last 10years ..since he moved to Seattle from NY... It's great to play with friends that you know and like...there is a loving and forgiving atmosphere that communicates a relaxed feeling that audiences can appreciate and get behind!
