![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.anthologysd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/sound-observations.jpg\" "\\"sound-observations\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As a musical instrument, the trombone doesn\u2019t get the credit it deserves.<\/p>\n As bass clef instruments go, it is easier to carry than a double bass or piano or tuba and its nature allows players to be melodic and rhythmic at the same time.<\/p>\n Big Sam of Big Sam\u2019s Funky Nation agrees with this premise.<\/p>\n \u201cTrombones not only can be melodic, but they got that \u2018sli-i-i-de\u2019 thing going on that other instruments just can\u2019t duplicate,\u201d Big Sam said recently.<\/p>\n But Big Sam wasn\u2019t born playing the instrument. In fact, despite growing up in New Orleans, a place where the trombone was one of the building blocks of jazz, he had never heard of it before junior high.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was in middle school, I was a big guy,\u201d he said. \u201cI was too big to play basketball, but they wouldn\u2019t let me play with the older kids so I decided to join marching band.\u201d<\/p>\n On his first day, the band director asked Big Sam if he wanted to play the \u2018bone.<\/p>\n \u201cI hadn\u2019t heard of it, but I said, \u2018Sure, whatever you need.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Although Big Sam was well aware of his home town\u2019s musical heritage, he didn\u2019t realize the trombone\u2019s importance in it until he started playing it and discovered the \u201csecond line\u201d tradition of jazz music.<\/p>\n In traditional brass band parades in N\u2019Awlins, the “main line” is the main section of the parade, or the members of the actual club with the parading permit; those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the \u201csecond line.\u201d Traditionally, the second line music is where the funky polyrhythms of Crescent City music originated.<\/p>\n Amazingly, one of the music\u2019s pioneers, Buddy Bolden, is Big Sam\u2019s great-grandfather, a fact that he didn\u2019t realize until a few years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI was definitely into live music, but I didn\u2019t even pick up jazz until I discovered the Dirty Dozen Brass Band,\u201d he said. \u201cI loved them.\u201d<\/p>\n That love was reciprocated. Big Sam was a member of the respected jazz group for many years before striking out on his own with a more funkified combo that still pays respect to the Big Easy\u2019s great music.<\/p>\n So does Big Sam.<\/p>\n Even when we\u2019re on tour, we try to get back home every 10 days to run errands,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s important to go back to the roots\u201d<\/p>\n New Orleans provides musical inspiration for Big Sam \u2013 who has a recurring role on the HBO series, \u201cTreme\u201d \u2013 but it\u2019s not his only source.<\/p>\n \u201cI listen to everything,\u201d he said. \u201cFor instance, when we come to San Diego on August 27, we may listen to some of the Mexican stations on the way in. I also can get influenced by a painting, but even the architecture of a city can affect a song.\u201d<\/p>\n Big Sam\u2019s latest album is \u201cKing of the Party\u201d and that\u2019s what he promises in concert. But be careful where you stand in relation to him.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because while the trombone can do musical things that other instruments can\u2019t do, that\u2019s not always an advantage.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes when you\u2019re trying to get a real deep note, your slide falls off into the crowd,\u201d he admitted. \u201cThe crowd loves it, but I don\u2019t. That\u2019s happened about five times.<\/p>\n \u201cOne time about four years ago, a friend named Allison was dancing nearby. I was doing a solo with my eyes closed and the end of my slide hit her in the face. I\u2019m lucky I knew her because the next day she had a black eye and posted the picture online.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n WHAT: Big Sam’s Funky Nation<\/strong> By David Moye As a musical instrument, the trombone doesn\u2019t get the credit it deserves. As bass clef instruments go, it is easier to carry than a double bass or piano or tuba and its nature allows players to be melodic and rhythmic at the same time. Big Sam of Big Sam\u2019s Funky Nation agrees […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[893,17],"tags":[878,876,693,102,877,91],"class_list":["post-2723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","category-past-shows","tag-big-sam","tag-big-sams-funky-nation","tag-david-moye","tag-funk","tag-rrock","tag-soul"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2723"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2819,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2723\/revisions\/2819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.anthologysd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/l_9d8ede1d689444b3aa02397aa8dab4ba.jpg\" "\\"l_9d8ede1d689444b3aa02397aa8dab4ba\\"")
By David Moye<\/cite><\/p>\n
\nWHEN: Friday, August 27th, 2010, 9:30pm<\/strong>
\nTICKETS: $7 – $24 BUY TICKETS<\/a><\/strong>
\nMORE INFO: Artist Profile<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"