I’m a TO DO list idealist. I like to fill up a college ruled page early in the morning with things I hope to accomplish in the next twenty-four hours. This is usually followed up by an “Oh shit” around noon when I realize I’m nowhere close to getting past item number three.*
Today, number one on the list is COFFEE and number two is INTERVIEW MIKE NOORDZY.
Remember that movie Cocoon from the eighties where aliens wore human costumes and underneath the skin was this overpoweringly blinding light? A big burst of kinetic energy under a calm exterior: that’s Mike Noordzy. I’ve not asked if his dermal layer comes off and even broaching the subject might strain our relationship so I’ll just leave it there. (Damn it! Now I’m having Steve Guttenberg flashbacks.)
Mike doesn’t bullshit you about his plans for the future in music. He tells you about an eight hour wedding gig littered with Lady Gaga tunes the same way he tells you about a free jazz gig in Brooklyn. He plays music. And plays it. And plays it. And plays it well.
Mike has a perspective that more folks in the industry should have. I doubt he would turn down a high profile gig with fresh fruit in the green room, but it’s all about the music in the end. He wouldn’t live his life gig after gig after gig if that weren’t the case. Everything is in the moment and you can tell he loves it.
The whole shoot was flawless, but filming the bass segments were my favorite. Solid, adventurous and beautiful. We were talking about Charlie Haden a few minutes before recording and I could really hear it in Mike’s playing. He wasn’t forcing out something from The Shape of Jazz To Come, but hints of Haden were there in a most respectful way. Class act, that Mike Noordzy.
After grabbing tons of great footage, we went north to record his afternoon session with guitarist, Dave Ross. Maybe it was the excellent chocolate cake that Mike’s girlfriend Karen gave us. Maybe it was aged mead we drank. Whatever the muse, it was a stellar night of playing.
Dave Ross was superb.
Mike was astounding.
I forgot to focus the camera.
At the end of the day with a sugar crash about to take hold, I sized up my TO DO list. I crossed out all items after two and penciled in: SLEEP. It was a full and perfect day.
*It’s important to note that I am not a lazy person.
The Metro Edition 