It must have been something like 15 years ago. It was a beautiful summer's day in Guelph. Around 7:30AM, the phone ran. I thought to myself that it must be my then mother-in-law as NO ONE ELSE would call us at such an early hour! As it turned out, it was Gap Mangione. I had worked on and off for him, usually in big band settings, on and off since the early 90s. he said " I'm recording in Rochester today, how soon can you get here?" I estimated that, if the border was relatively smooth, I could be there by noon. He then mentioned that Steve Gadd was supposed to record with him, but couldn't because he had developed kidney stones. ( Gadd, by then had moved back to his hometown of Rochester, and was around when he wasn't touring the world with the likes of Eric Clapton etc.) So, I wolfed done breakfast, grabbed some gear and got to NY state as quickly as I could. Ironically, when I got to the studio I ran into local Toronto bassist Neil Swainson, who was there for the session as well! ( Gap like his Canadians) Anyway, the session went fine, and if I remember correctly, I was on some of it, and Mr. Gadd played on some of it at a later date.
I met Steve Gadd several years later when he performed at Humber! he played with an ascetic Jazz combo, and electric jazz combo, and a big band! What a treat to hear how he navigated all these different styles. When i talked to him, i mentioned that I came and played when he couldn't make it and he thanked me graciously. It things like these that remind me of how small the music world actually is, and how it's important for us to play our best, but also be the best humans we can be.
Ta-ta for now…...
Very cool story, and a nice summation Ted.
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