Quiet But Effective
eating my way through distractions
broken beyond failed returns
a small wronged sense, undecided
brilliant to see and to hide
forced, lost, crept into silence
last left felt and unclothed
fairly inept, unassumed
quiet, effective, I cried
splintered wood
pulling chords
bleached and summer, to start
forty four and so on
plus after drinks
a piped return
twice lost
first told
boardroom mirth
ninth let down
now no more
replaced with corn
almost there
but not such yet
eaten
broken
splintered
quiet
but effective
for more words
Michael Faherty put music to these words listen to the results under Songs on the audio page. |
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by David Chiu, Chronicle Contributor 10/29/2009
It was a miserable, rainy Saturday night outside of the Waltz-Astoria, a café and performance space on Ditmars Boulevard. But inside the intimate venue, jazz combo Short Memory was entertaining the patrons with the smooth sounds of live music.
Led by saxophone player David Aaron, 43, Short Memory’s music that night was mostly in the vein of traditional, old-school jazz, yet also sounded contemporary. It was evident that the band’s members were in a groove highlighted by Spencer Katzman’s graceful guitar licks and John Frederick’s sharp bass lines.
Aaron, with his warm-sounding sax-playing, is the focal point of the group. In addition to having appeared at venues such as Lincoln Center, the Knitting Factory and the Bitter End, the Toronto native, who now resides in Ozone Park, has recorded seven albums since 1995. But jazz wasn’t always on Aaron’s trajectory. He grew up listening to rock ‘n’ roll and R&B.
“It wasn’t until I hit my 20s that I started listening to more jazz,” Aaron said. “Now I love jazz — post-bop and a lot of 50s and 60s — but I didn’t grow up listening to it from a young age. When I started composing I kind of felt it was more jazz than anything else.”
Before arriving in New York, Aaron ran a music store in Toronto. He said that he had performed music just for fun and jammed with blues and rock groups. Once he settled in the Big Apple, he came across an advertisement in The Village Voice in which Roy Nathanson, the saxophonist and leader of the group the Jazz Passengers, was offering music lessons.
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