SHOEBOX

NYSQ tour Entry 5

Another amazingly tiny club is Kichijoji's Strings. This place is even smaller than Jazz Spot Bob in Ube, I am told, since Bob can manage 28 people when filled to overflowing capacity, and Strings can only hold 25. There's something very enjoyable about playing in such a small space. It reminds me of my days back at Augies in New York, playing in the bands of Joel Frahm or Scott Wendholt, where the drummer's ride cymbal cast a shadow over the lower half of my Fender Rhodes. On a large stage you sometimes have to make an effort to hear people--the sound of the ride cymbal feels like it's bouncing off the wall behind you, the bass notes get lost occasionally in the mix. When you are packed together like sardines onstage, you don't make any effort, you just hear everyone clearly. You hear your own sound inside of everyone else's, your comp inside the drummer's ride cymbal, your lines over the bassist's quarter note. Playing in tiny clubs taught me how to play in a rhythm section. The only problem is where to go on the break since there isn't any room to sit other than the piano bench. Fortunately I solved that by heading next door for a dry chicken curry. Anyone finding himself hungry in Kichijoji should head straight to the Cafe Montana (really...right now if possible. It's THAT good.)