Tell me a little about your early years and how you got started in the music business.

I was born in Detroit Michigan. My mother bought me an Alto Sax at age 9. Private lessons came with the horn, and I started performing professionally at 15 years old with The Fabulous Counts, one of Detroit’s many legendary R&B funk bands. We recorded one of our largest albums “What’s Up Front that Counts” here in Toronto…some years after that I decided to make my home here.

While living in Toronto I’ve been able to have relative success as a musician, writer, composer, performer and actor.

What are some of your proudest accomplishments so far in your career?

Well, too many to mention here , but I must say the proudest accomplishment thus far in my career has been my musical collaborations with Mr. Stan Fomin. For the past 6 years now we’ve been writing, recording, producing performing and promoting our ever growing catalog of songs found at catesfomin.com

I was rather surprised to hear that you have IBM. When were you diagnosed with it and how did/has it affected your career?

It was quite a drag when I first found out. I had been an actor in the Toronto Production of The Lion King from 2000-2004. It had been a very physical show and we all had our share of injuries.

Around 2006, what I had thought was reoccurring injuries from the show turned out to be a rare muscle disease, Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM).

At the present it has only affected my career slightly. It slowly takes over the outer lengths of the limbs. It causes atrophy to forearms which causes the loss of the grip and atrophy to the quad and calve muscles of the legs which affects balance and coordination.

I am still playing my horns although I’ve had to continually build up the height of the keys which I play with the inside palm knuckle of my fingers. I have 60% of my grip thus far, I can still push those buttons.. Maybe not as fast , but I try to make up for it with emotion both from horn and vocal.

What kind of advice do you have for others who develop say any kind of disability that might prevent them from pursuing their interests?

Well, as I had mentioned, it was a drag when I first got diagnosed. But I’m growing to learn the benefits of a positive attitude. I know we always hear that stuff but the reality of it is this, when I think thoughts and see visions of myself sick or getting worse, I get worried, which makes me feel terrible mentally and physically.

But when I make myself see visions of me accomplishing my goals and stick to these visions… I feel better emotionally. I become calmer, in turn I think better and make better decisions…does that make any sense? It’s like you have a purpose…a destination. The way to get there may change…a detour may cause a change of course. But the destination, the purpose, hasn’t changed at all. So give it your all to stay positively focused.

Let’s talk about your current projects. What are you involved with right now?

Stan and I are promoting our latest EP Music For Your Soul. On this disc you’ll find the piano sax-driven opener and new single, “Dancing Waters” to be bright and addicting, “Just Fine” to be an engaging old-school R&B tune that features Demo’s sparkling vocal work, plus the Latin-flavored delight “Rain Man, some bluesy retro-funk on “Blue Cat,” and a piece of delicious smooth jazz ear candy titled “Barefoot.” Music For Your Soul is top-notch smooth jazz, R&B sultry soul from world class artists.

Finally, what do you have in store for the future, music wise?

We also have our next EP just about ready we don’t have a name for it yet (maybe “Music for Your Soul 2″)

but the songs are all chosen and are being prepared. I can say we are pretty excited about it. One favorite of mine is called “Hotel Brasilito”, an up-tempo Latin tune we will probably feature steel drums on this one also a couple of real sweet vocals. We’ll have that ready for early next year.

To answer your question as to how the project came about, we came to the decision that it was too expensive to produce a 10-12 song CD. The problem wasn’t providing material it was the cost of production and mastering. So we chose to do a series of EPs to promote our expanding catalog of original songs.

We are now capable of doing all productions in house including mastering if we choose to. The paradigm shift of the music biz has been somewhat more favorable now for the independent artist. The main focus now is getting more listeners to our music. And also finding good management and a good booking agent.

The challenge is choosing the right direction to take and then doing it. We our very hopeful. Hope is always a great anchor for the future.

More about The Cates Formin Project:

Demo Cates: Singer, sax player, composer and actor. Some of Cates’ writing credits include music and lyrics for the animated television series “The Busy World of Richard Scary”, “The New Adventures of Paddington Bear” and “Caillou”.Cates has earned the respect of Jazz musicians at home and abroad with his visionary method and superlative talents.

Grown and developed in Detroit, Michigan but exposed and revered in Toronto, Cates is a mature musician and vocalist who in his words, plays on emotions and allows the sax and his voice to translate inspiration in smooth and sensuous sounds’.

In 2005 Cates released “Smooth…Try Something New”. The single “I’ll Try Something New” reached and stayed No.1 on the Wave 94.7 Smooth Jazz Charts for two weeks. The CD was nominated for the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards that year as well as Cates for vocalist and instrumentalist of the year.

Stan Fomin: Born in Ukraine, classically trained in piano, music theory and composition. Upon arriving in Canada, he rounded up his education by studying contemporary film scoring and production with Glenn Morley at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has scored music for Alliance Atlantis, CBC Nelvana, YTV, Barna-Alper Productions.

His orchestrating and arranging work includes CD “Classics Go Pop” for Parry Music ( BMG), two musicals “The Forest Song’ and “Little Prince” for Nazarov National Theatre in Moscow, Broadway Songs book published by Hal Leonard. In 2005, Stan released his first CD Smooth Session, showcasing as a composer, arranger and performer. The track Flight 111 made it to number one on the Wave 94.7 Smooth Jazz Charts for 3 weeks.

Stan was nominated in the “keyboardist of the year” category at the 2006 Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. Now, once again combining their talents, Demo Cates and Stan Fomin capture the listener’s attention with their new single,” Rain Man”, and guides them on a musical journey that touches the heart and lets emotion flow freely.

The album “Christmas Wishes” is my contribution to the Christmas season. It’s packed with twelve Christmas classics and two new originals.

The instrumentation varies and the arrangements range from traditional to anything but traditional. For example, Jingle Bells has been transformed into a jazz waltz featuring, no surprise, the jazz guitar. A Latin Rockesque treatment is taken on another song while four acoustic guitars provide the texture on still another track. Virtually every song has a different sound and a different twist.

In the spirit of the season, I’d like to give you the entire album as a free download.

Click “14 Tracks – Get it Now” and enter your E mail.The link to the download will be sent to you.

Click the link in the email, and it takes you to my store page. Click the Big Blue download button to receive your free tracks.

I hope you enjoy the music and the spirit behind the music.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Music is divided into two large categories: Vocal and Instrumental. If you have a strong preference for either category, that’s a place to start. My personal preference has always been Instrumental. This explains to a degree why I’ve always been drawn to Jazz and Classical. I have never personally been interested in Broadway or Opera or Pop or Folk or …

This, of course, has nothing to do with your preferences. If you are interested in Vocal music, lyrics mean something to you. In that case, get a copy of the lyrics and follow them as you listen. You’d be surprised how many listeners misunderstand the words and therefore, miss the meaning of a song. Lyrics can be viewed as a story or as poetry or as symbols. It’s fascinating to unravel words and their meaning. Don’t be surprised if someone else has an entirely different take on the “meaning” of the lyrics. That’s the creative side of listening.

On the other hand, if you’re fascinated by abstraction, you’re a good candidate for Instrumental music. In music without words, you have only the title to give you a hint about the music. And even with a title, it is still often ambiguous. Since there are no words to guide you, draw mental pictures and stories about what you hear. Don’t think too hard, Just let your intuition and imagination run free. The Instrumental song is about what you feel it’s about. I never liked lyrics telling me what the story was about. Mental pictures, images and thoughts can flow easily as you listen. Don’t block yourself!

Keep listening and don’t be reluctant to listen a wide range of music. There is something in every kind of music to enjoy!

Jazz guitarists have never had a way to organize the subject of rhythm in a way that would systematically benefit their solos and their comping. Modular Phonetic Rhythm offers a solution.

The concept of rhythm is simple. It’s the duration of a note, a chord or a pattern. Rhythm is integrated into every facet of music. A melody is a sequence of pitches with rhythm. A chord progression is a sequence of chords with rhythm. Rhythm impacts Melody, Harmony and even Lyrics. It’s also a subject in and of itself. Rhythm is so intuitive, that it’s often overlooked as an independent topic of study.

The difficulty in the study of rhythm has always been its abstract nature – and its mathematical approach. Rhythm has traditionally been taught as a function of math, particularly fractions. Though accurate, this approach has missed one of the most fundamental facts of rhythm. Rhythm is a sonic language and is, as such, phonetic not mathematical in nature. The average student exposed to the math orientation of rhythm has rarely absorbed the essence of rhythm. He or she rarely becomes proficient at sight reading or using rhythm effectively. This often remains a lifetime barrier to the developing musician.

Though rhythm can be explained in mathematical terms, this approach does not give you a practical command of the sounds of the rhythms. Rhythm is a series of sounds! How can these sounds be organized?

“The Modular Phonetic Rhythm represents a fresh and innovative approach that helps bring the abstract into focus, examining the core of the real, linguistically aligned processes actually involved in reading, understanding, interpreting, and executing rhythm.”
Arthur Bernstein, Head of Music Department, Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts

This approach to rhythm is based on the concept of Modular Phonetics. Modular refers to the interchangeability of rhythm syllables and Phonetics refers to the sound of the rhythm syllables. Phonics has always been the key to sound in language. Without phonics, we could not pronounce words. We could not hear the sound of the words. Without Modular Phonetics, we can not hear the sound of rhythm. Without the sound of rhythm, it is difficult to use.

There is a strong correlation between the ability to spell and strong fundamentals in phonics. Phonetic skills allow us to “sound out” words, even words that we’ve never seen before! We understand the principle of sound as it applies to phonetic combinations. The “sight” of the letter combination triggers a reflexive “sound” reaction. If rhythm could be broken down into a system of phonetic units similar to the syllables of language, then rhythm would become an easily recognized and applied aural language.

To illustrate, take the word umbrella. This word could be expressed as 8 letters or as 3 syllables. Treating the word as 8 letters is similar to traditional rhythm teaching. A rhythm pattern could be described as a note lasting one half beat followed by a note lasting one beat followed by a note lasting one half beat. The “sound” of the rhythm is not part of this equation. But using the syllable parallel (umbrella has 3 syllables), the rhythm can be grouped into a phonetic syllable that does have a sound. Now, rhythm can be reproduced in the preferable “eye-ear-hand reflex” – the eye sees it – the ear hears it – the hands execute it!

Modular Phonetic Rhythm is based on 24 basic rhythm syllables. These rhythm syllables vary in length from 1 note to 6 notes and from 1 beat to 4 beats. The system is divided into 4 levels based on the subdivision of the beat. Level I does not subdivide the beat. This is the level in which all notes are struck only on the downbeat. Level II divides the beat into 2 parts. Level III divides the beat into 3 parts. Level IV divides the beat into 4 parts. The levels do not express progressive difficulty, just progressive subdivisions of the beat.

As you begin to use this material, you will find an expansive, new vocabulary which you can then apply directly to your jazz guitar improvisation, your composition and to your accompaniment.

This ten track CD will be called “Images for Two Jazz Guitars” Our process is to create the themes, then the structure, then the instrumentation and finally, the arrangements. The themes will provide the foundation of each piece and then Jimmy and I will do what we have done for so many years – we’ll improvise.

The music will be an amalgam of our experiences and the music we love. We’re having a great time working on this project. Jimmy is a fantastic musical partner and a great collaborator. I’ve never heard two guitars work so well together.

Recently, we sat down and started to play. We had no theme, no charts, no idea of a direction. What happened was magical. Luckily, we captured it on “tape” and you can download it now for free! Just enter your email and we’ll send you details (plus other free goodies if you’re new to our email list!)

While the seminal group Grateful Dead were originally categorized as psychedelic rock, by the 1990s the term “jam band” was used for groups playing a variety of genres, including those outside of rock such as funk, progressive bluegrass, and jazz fusion.

Stylistic origins: Folk, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country

Virtually, all American forms of popular music are fair game for a jam band.

Cultural origins: United States 1960s with The Grateful Dead

Continuing into the 1990s and beyond with bands like Phish, Umphrey’s McGee, Bela Fleck, Modeski, Martin and Wood among many others. Each group has unique inflections, stylistic influences and performing styles that help to create a loyal fan base, merchandise and an identifiable brand.

Instrumentation: Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards – Guitar Dominant

Characteristics of Jam Bands:

1. Jam bands may be vocal , instrumental or a combination of both. The “jam” part is instrumental and improvisational. It is typically dominated by guitar.

2. Taping, collecting and trading was pioneered by the Grateful Dead. This culture contributed to the popularity of the Dead and led the way for the jam bands of the future. This was so encouraged that direct feeds from the sound board were provided for “tapers” who wanted to archive the shows.

3. Medleys, that is the stringing of songs together as a continuous song was typical.

4. Song Quotation is the use of a small section of a famous song in the beginning, middle or end of another song.

5. Theme – Extended Improvisation – Theme is not only the format of jam bands but as I’ll point out, characteristic of all types of musical styles and contemporary performing groups.

6. Jam bands can exhibit one particular style or a fusion of different styles. This explains in part why there is such diversity among jam bands.

Each characteristic of a jam band is shared with a jazz group like my own. Jazz itself along with Blues is the original “jam band” music. An early example was jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and his “All Star Jam Band”. In a very real way, the word “jam” is a synonym for extended improvisational jazz.

What often differentiates one “jam band” style from another is the sophistication of the chord progressions, melodies and improvisational excursions used in live shows. Virtuosity of soloists is typical though not essential.

Jazz, particularly guitar jazz, mirrors the approach of the jam band. Long extended improvisation is the rule not the exception. Perhaps the connection between jazz and jam bands has been blurred because so much of traditional jazz has been dominated by horns and piano.

I’m constantly discussing about my own belief in the jazz guitar as a market in and of itself. It’s not necessarily a subset of jazz. The guitar has its own market and legion of followers.

I hope that jam band followers will take a listen to guitar jazz a little closer then they would in the past – they just might hear the same spirit of freedom that they hear and feel in the jam band.

Too often cut time is thought of as having two beats in a measure. There are not two beats in a measure of cut time – there are four beats in a measure of cut time. So what makes this different than common time i.e. four beats in the measure?

The confusion all centers on understanding the difference between the concepts of beats and pulses. It certainly doesn’t help that virtually everyone who counts off cut time does so with a 1 – 2  1 – 2 count. The confusion about the beats is understandable, especially with this misleading counting convention. The 1 -2  1-2 is accounting for the two pulses in the measure, not two beats.

In traditional common time, each beat is represented by a foot tap. Four beats in a measure – four taps of the foot. If you don’t tap your foot, think of a metronome which clicks on each of the four beats.

When you play in cut time, the beat will feel slower but it’s an illusion. The beat itself is exactly the same speed as it was in common time. It’s your foot or the pulse that’s moving half as fast.

Think of a measure of four in two equal halves. Beats one and two represent the first half of the measure and beats three and four represent the second half of the measure. The first half of the measure gets the first tap or click. The second half of the measure gets the second tap or click – two pulses to the measure.

Here’s a simple example: Four quarter notes in a measure of common time. The foot tap or click occurs on each quarter note. If the quarter notes were to be read in cut time, the foot would now tap on beats one and three. The speed of the quarter notes would remain the same as if being read in common time.

Since the foot now taps on beats one and three, the “feel” of cut time is established. Although I’ve never heard anyone do it, I always felt that the count off for cut time should be 1 – 3  1 – 3 not 1 – 2  1 – 2.

When is cut time used? Broadway music, sambas, polkas, bluegrass, classical, many ethnic forms and anytime the tempo gets so fast that it would be unwieldy to count and tap in four. In the case of a runaway tempo, the cut time is used as a convenience, sometimes a self defense. In all the other situations, it is intended to produce a definite and distinctive feel.

When chords are being played in cut time on piano, the root is played on the left hand on beat one, the chord on the right hand on beat two, the fifth on the left hand on beat three and the chord on the right hand on beat four. The bass notes on beat one and on beat three create a strong stress that is responsible for the “two” feel of cut time. A guitar player hits a bass note on one,  a chord on two, an alternate bass note on three and a chord on four. These are all down strokes and produce the characteristic “Boom – Chuck’ sound. These piano and  guitar applications are both in the accompaniment role not the reading melody role.

Cut time is not as difficult as it seems. Play melodies in four and then in cut time so that you can see and feel the difference and similarities between them. You’ll find that they’re not as incompatible or as difficult as you feared!

In reality, this art form is simply spontaneous conversation between friends. A listener no more has to understand the intricacies behind it, than they have to understand the details of brush strokes to appreciate a painting.

Just listen to what the music is saying. It’s saying something different to each person. Unlike songs with lyrics, instrumental jazz allows the listener to form unique images, feelings and stories. Listen and enjoy!

Blues can be typically described as a 12 bar song structure based on the I, IV and V chords. These fundamental chords appear at specific locations within the 12 bar format. The function of the I chord occupies bars 1 through 4. Bars 5 and 6 introduce the IV chord. The I chord is again brought back to cover bars 7 and 8. The V chord makes its first appearance in bars 9 and 10. Bars 11 and 12 reintroduce the I chord and function as a turnback or turnaround.

Jazz Blues follows this same format but introduces substitutions and links between the critical chord functions. This discussion is based on the harmonic structures within Blues not the melodic or rhythmic aspects of it.

As Wes Montgomery said – “Blues is responsible for the fire in jazz” I couldn’t agree more!!!

Examples of this style of jazz blues can be found in my “Blues for Chris” from The Vintage Tracks CD and “Aqua Blue” from the Angel Blue – A Tour of Jazz CD.

www.ChuckAndersonGuitar.com

Al was strong, creative, encouraging and rock solid. That not only describes his music but also his character. He was always ready for something new but also valued tradition. His ability to respond musically to the moment was legendary. Whatever I played, he had a spontaneous musical reaction to it. He was the proverbial team player and yet a completely original voice.

Al taught for me at my school Modern Music Studios in Berwyn, PA for 5 years. Every night after teaching, we would go to a local pub where he would eat a roast beef sandwich and drink a couple of beers. My weakness leaned toward ham sandwiches and birch beer. Late into the night, we would talk music, sports or anything else two friends would talk about.

Al kept a distinct line between his musical life and his personal life. I realized that after he was gone, that I knew nothing about his personal life. I didn’t know where he lived except in a very general way. I didn’t know much about his family or his life outside our music. I didn’t know where he went school or where and how he trained musically. Despite this, I always felt that we were remarkably close.

I’m always disappointed that when I see any mention of Al in print, that it never mentions our collaboration. We did concerts, taught together and recorded for 5 years at a critical point in my musical development. Fortunately, our work continues on through the recording, The Vintage Tracks.

I owe a great debt to Al for his support of my music.

Chuck Anderson