Ernie Krivda at the Cleveland Public Library
10-13-05
Thursday began another day in Cleveland, Ohio as I awoke to attend my day job working as a software developer for the bank. My current schedule of four-tens (along with adjunct teaching at the tech school) was about to achieve “weekend” status if I could only make it through this Thursday. My current project is like others, working to make the lives of bankers easier (along with making the wallets of suits fatter). There’s always the idealistic world toward which to strive (like teaching or music) and one example was upon me later that evening.
I read in the local Seven Hills newspaper that one Ernie Krivda was appearing at the Cuyahoga County Public Library branch in Independence. I thought perhaps I’d heard the name, or at least confused it with other jazz greats like Gene Kupra, but I soon learned that Ernie was (as they say in France) a Copperman (like myself).
I signed up a couple weeks ago for free jazz at the library, and as a few minutes free time made themselves available on this Thursday, I surfed the web to find out more about this guy they called Mr. Krivda.
It seemed as though his bill for his local Internet Service Provider was overdue, so erniekrivda.com was out of commission. I was able to soak up the “official” story by utilizing some Google cached pages, but found lots more outside the sanctioned web site out of Lakewood, Ohio.
Through Google and the wikipedia, I found that this Krivda character had played with many of the modern jazz greats including two of my favorites, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. In addition, his picture on Allmusic.com showed him playing a tenor sax with the peculiar, yet un-mistakable octave device only seen on the King Super 20. I myself, being a fan of the vintage King horns was immediately intrigued. There’s no sound like the fatness of a King. It just so happens that the company was from the town in which I currently live (and Ernie’s birthplace and current home), Cleveland, Ohio.
It seems that even though opportunity has been a knockin with the sweet temptation of New York City, Los Angeles, and the like, Ernie found his home to be in good old Cleveland (ranked only in the last couple weeks by the Economist as America’s most “liveable city”).
I’d grown up in Pittsburgh and always had a hankering to move on. Moving forward to me was moving out. Then, I hit up Cleveland. Once again, I’m happy with my life and things are nice, but I have that itch to move on. Then, I take a look at guys like Ernie Krivda, who could have pretty much done what they wanted in terms of living in the city of their choice, but chose to stick around the old hometown in the Midwest/northeast zone that is known anywhere between the “mistake on the lake” and the “rock and roll capital of the world.”
On this night, the scene was like few concert’s I’d been to in years. The featured musician’s mother was only one row in front of me, and an old-timer that lived in Ernie’s neighborhood introduced me to her. It almost felt like I was in high-school again, and my family and neighbors came to see me in jazz band, performing as the lead saxophonist with the band. Only, this time, the lead player was a famous jazz musician.
The four-piece came out. It consisted of Ernie on tenor sax, a keyboardist, upright bassist, and a rhythm guitarist. The rhythm guitarist was a seasoned professional trained in the art of quarter notes and jazz chords. Ernie referred to him as the “last rhythm guitarist” out there. On the Casio keys was a man that I can only describe as “precise” in the way that he pretty much nailed every single note he set out to hit. Maybe a little stiff on the groove, but make no mistake, if the groove could be mathematically divided, this was the guy that could do it.
On the upright bass was the youngest guy of the bunch. He may very well have been the one guy in the room studying harder than I was at that moment. He’d hit up the rhythm parts in line with the guitarist, but just when you thought he was tamed, he’d slip into some off beat chromatics that threw you for a loop.
Ernie had the crowd in his grasp. Between setting up the grooves by singing into his horn and throwing out wise-cracks between songs, he pretty much had the room in the palm of his hand. It was definitely what I would call “entertainment.”
As if the small talk wasn’t enough, the main event began with the rich fat sounds of the Super 20. Beyond laying it on thick, Ernie was able to precisely spit out overtones and altissimo notes that your average saxophonist would only toy with in rehearsal. He had full control of his embouchure, throat, and tongue as he made each note as full and rich as possible.
I had a moment to meet him between sets as we discussed the virtues of vintage King saxophones. He mentioned that he pretty much has offers to exclusively play modern horns with technological advances and ergonomic niceties, but still prefers his old King Super 20 Silver-Sonic. This guy is truly a man of principals. Who else would stick to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to play a FREE set at the public library on his vintage King over collecting royalties for playing some other sax in a trendy New York City bistro???
And, yes, it is confirmed, he even gives lessons… Giddy up!!!
Thursday began another day in Cleveland, Ohio as I awoke to attend my day job working as a software developer for the bank. My current schedule of four-tens (along with adjunct teaching at the tech school) was about to achieve “weekend” status if I could only make it through this Thursday. My current project is like others, working to make the lives of bankers easier (along with making the wallets of suits fatter). There’s always the idealistic world toward which to strive (like teaching or music) and one example was upon me later that evening.
I read in the local Seven Hills newspaper that one Ernie Krivda was appearing at the Cuyahoga County Public Library branch in Independence. I thought perhaps I’d heard the name, or at least confused it with other jazz greats like Gene Kupra, but I soon learned that Ernie was (as they say in France) a Copperman (like myself).
I signed up a couple weeks ago for free jazz at the library, and as a few minutes free time made themselves available on this Thursday, I surfed the web to find out more about this guy they called Mr. Krivda.
It seemed as though his bill for his local Internet Service Provider was overdue, so erniekrivda.com was out of commission. I was able to soak up the “official” story by utilizing some Google cached pages, but found lots more outside the sanctioned web site out of Lakewood, Ohio.
Through Google and the wikipedia, I found that this Krivda character had played with many of the modern jazz greats including two of my favorites, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. In addition, his picture on Allmusic.com showed him playing a tenor sax with the peculiar, yet un-mistakable octave device only seen on the King Super 20. I myself, being a fan of the vintage King horns was immediately intrigued. There’s no sound like the fatness of a King. It just so happens that the company was from the town in which I currently live (and Ernie’s birthplace and current home), Cleveland, Ohio.
It seems that even though opportunity has been a knockin with the sweet temptation of New York City, Los Angeles, and the like, Ernie found his home to be in good old Cleveland (ranked only in the last couple weeks by the Economist as America’s most “liveable city”).
I’d grown up in Pittsburgh and always had a hankering to move on. Moving forward to me was moving out. Then, I hit up Cleveland. Once again, I’m happy with my life and things are nice, but I have that itch to move on. Then, I take a look at guys like Ernie Krivda, who could have pretty much done what they wanted in terms of living in the city of their choice, but chose to stick around the old hometown in the Midwest/northeast zone that is known anywhere between the “mistake on the lake” and the “rock and roll capital of the world.”
On this night, the scene was like few concert’s I’d been to in years. The featured musician’s mother was only one row in front of me, and an old-timer that lived in Ernie’s neighborhood introduced me to her. It almost felt like I was in high-school again, and my family and neighbors came to see me in jazz band, performing as the lead saxophonist with the band. Only, this time, the lead player was a famous jazz musician.
The four-piece came out. It consisted of Ernie on tenor sax, a keyboardist, upright bassist, and a rhythm guitarist. The rhythm guitarist was a seasoned professional trained in the art of quarter notes and jazz chords. Ernie referred to him as the “last rhythm guitarist” out there. On the Casio keys was a man that I can only describe as “precise” in the way that he pretty much nailed every single note he set out to hit. Maybe a little stiff on the groove, but make no mistake, if the groove could be mathematically divided, this was the guy that could do it.
On the upright bass was the youngest guy of the bunch. He may very well have been the one guy in the room studying harder than I was at that moment. He’d hit up the rhythm parts in line with the guitarist, but just when you thought he was tamed, he’d slip into some off beat chromatics that threw you for a loop.
Ernie had the crowd in his grasp. Between setting up the grooves by singing into his horn and throwing out wise-cracks between songs, he pretty much had the room in the palm of his hand. It was definitely what I would call “entertainment.”
As if the small talk wasn’t enough, the main event began with the rich fat sounds of the Super 20. Beyond laying it on thick, Ernie was able to precisely spit out overtones and altissimo notes that your average saxophonist would only toy with in rehearsal. He had full control of his embouchure, throat, and tongue as he made each note as full and rich as possible.
I had a moment to meet him between sets as we discussed the virtues of vintage King saxophones. He mentioned that he pretty much has offers to exclusively play modern horns with technological advances and ergonomic niceties, but still prefers his old King Super 20 Silver-Sonic. This guy is truly a man of principals. Who else would stick to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio to play a FREE set at the public library on his vintage King over collecting royalties for playing some other sax in a trendy New York City bistro???
And, yes, it is confirmed, he even gives lessons… Giddy up!!!
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