T. Lavitz Still Plays...

[jazzpiano88]

I wish Future hadn't killed off the Keyboard website, as my synth soloing column on him (with extra transcriptions) has gone the way of the web-dodo bird.

 

I would bet everyone on this forum would agree with you on this. Heck, we are blessed just to have MPN up and running. Lost it once, but like the Phoenix ...

 

I remember the 45 vinyl pull-outs? So cool to have that to go along with the descriptions.

One of the first I enjoyed was Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin.

[jerrythek]

I didn't mean to derail this thread to be about Keyboard Magazine, let's return to celebrating and talking about T Lavitz!!

[jerrythek]

So let me help bring this back to T by sharing a story. One time when we were hanging out, long after T had come to prominence with the Dregs he related a time they shared a double-bill with the Pat Metheny Group. T said he was just blown away by how Lyle built his solos and how they progressed so naturally/organically, and how they were always different from the recordings. T was a very strong player, as we all know, but he said that he felt his soloing was a little more "constructed": He would work out things that fit the tune and would use this structure pretty consistently. He looked up to Lyle for his ability to just play "in the moment".

 

Now, I think that came from the fact that the Dregs were very much the compositional vehicle of Steve Morse, and the majority of the parts were composed/arranged by him (with input from the other players), with only the solos really being up to each musician. I can say this, as I saw the gestation of the band back when we were all at the U of Miami together, and the band started as the U of M Rock Ensemble - a credited "course" that students had to do - create an ensemble, write or arrange some music and then record it. The original version of the band had two drummers (yes, they played some Allman Bros) and the original bass player was Hiram Bullock! Andy West came down to the school in their second year to join Steve. They went through a few keyboard players (a fellow student Frank Joseph was the first), and even used a second guitar player (Randall Dollohan) rather than keys for a while. They played covers like Peaches and Regalia (Zappa), and did a wonderful version of March From A Clockwork Orange (Ninth Symphony, Fourth Movement, Abridged) by Beethoven. But Steve was already writing, and their first recording (The Great Spectacular - recorded at the university's Gusman Hall in 1975) had 10 Morse originals that I heard them play many times at gigs around the campus. The music was always very well-arranged and consistent - this was no jam band!

 

So the musical environment that T played in for a long time was very structured, and he developed things that worked and stuck with them. I found his observation/reaction interesting, as I thought he played with good variety and flow, but he was motivated by and perhaps striving for a goal that he felt was still beyond his reach. I share this because we all deal with this. We can (and should) hold T up on high for his great musicianship, but he was always looking a little beyond his reach - the sign of a ever-growing artist. I often wonder where his playing would have developed to had he lived. Had he not had his demons that sometimes set him back. Go look for his later releases like Boston Tea Party (2006) and School Of The Arts (2007) and see how he was still developing. He's an important player that shouldn't be forgotten. Rest In Love T.

[Iconoclast]

Bummed that the one time I met T he was hammered and kind of a dismissive jerk. I seriously don"t hold it against him as many could say the same about me only I never had his chops.

 

Steve Morse himself will tell you that he was a bit of a band nazi in his younger days. The last couple Dreggs tours he did with T he made a point of letting them all do some of their own tunes. I can"t remember which T Lavitz song they did but I remember they did a Mahavishnu when Jerry Goodman played last with them.

[jerrythek]

I can"t remember which T Lavitz song they did but I remember they did a Mahavishnu when Jerry Goodman played last with them.

 

Right, I should have also mentioned MO - they used to cover a few of their tunes in those early days.

[jerrythek]

Steve Morse himself will tell you that he was a bit of a band nazi in his younger days.

 

Yeah, but he had a strong vision for his music, and the band was his vehicle. From the first time I heard him he sounded like... Steve Morse. Sure he got better, and his gear improved, but he was already fully his own man. And I"m talking about 1974-75. It"s sort of like Zappa - he knew himself and what he wanted.

 

BTW: sorry you had a bad encounter with T - he was such a funny, self-deprecating guy.

[Iconoclast]

I've met Steve many times and he's always sober as a judge, always so gracious and giving of his time. At that particular show (SMB/Dreggs show...can't remember the year, maybe 03?) we were backstage and met everyone in the band and they were all so nice, Rod was especially talkative. I seriously don't hold anything against an artist when meeting his fans, it's tough to be "on" 100% of the time.

[sherry]

So, I'm playing this place in Chicago called Beginnings. Place owned by the drummer of the band Chicago. Maybe it's the mid 70's. Fresh out of high school for me. Find out my band is opening up for some Dixieland band. I'm thinking, what the hell. Got there for sound check, saw a bunch of great keyboards lined up and ready to play. Didn't see anybody so I decided to sit down and play a few notes on the keys. All of a sudden some guy comes out of the back and says, "Uh, what do you think you're doing???" I looked at him, didn't say a word, and just went back stage with my band members. We did the show, I thought we did GREAT. Crowd was awesome. I thought, this Dixie band doesn't stand a chance after our set. Five minutes into the Dixie band's set, I was absolutely blown away by each and every member. That guy that came out and said what do you think you're doing was T. Lavitz. It sure as hell was no dixieland band. It was the friggin Dregs. After watching their show, I don't think I touched a keyboard for six months. I really thought why bother when there are players like T. I've been a fan of the Dregs since then, what, some 40 years??? Was devastated when I heard of T's passing. Such a talent. That was my first initial meeting with T.

[jerrythek]

What a great story - dixieland band?

 

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Jerry

 

 

So, I'm playing this place in Chicago called Beginnings. Place owned by the drummer of the band Chicago. Maybe it's the mid 70's. Fresh out of high school for me. Find out my band is opening up for some Dixieland band. I'm thinking, what the hell. Got there for sound check, saw a bunch of great keyboards lined up and ready to play. Didn't see anybody so I decided to sit down and play a few notes on the keys. All of a sudden some guy comes out of the back and says, "Uh, what do you think you're doing???" I looked at him, didn't say a word, and just went back stage with my band members. We did the show, I thought we did GREAT. Crowd was awesome. I thought, this Dixie band doesn't stand a chance after our set. Five minutes into the Dixie band's set, I was absolutely blown away by each and every member. That guy that came out and said what do you think you're doing was T. Lavitz. It sure as hell was no dixieland band. It was the friggin Dregs. After watching their show, I don't think I touched a keyboard for six months. I really thought why bother when there are players like T. I've been a fan of the Dregs since then, what, some 40 years??? Was devastated when I heard of T's passing. Such a talent. That was my first initial meeting with T.