Gimme some more of those Green Onions

I’m one of those crazy cats that downloads multiple versions of the same song. I do indeed in my iTunes have several versions of “Watermelon Man” a song that my High School Band and Jazz Band loved to play ( Actually, my jazz group almost got kicked out of an event for that song…it was too “loud.”), two versions of Janis Joplin of “Piece of My Heart” both performed by Janis herself and Melissa Etheridge, about 5 versions of “Chameleon” my personal favorite being by Buddy Rich, 6 versions of Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” which is my personal favorite jazz piece to play, two versions of “Harlem Nocturne” and the song that I am currently listening to: “Green Onions” played by King Curtis on sax.

Now, this song Green Onions holds a very dear space in my heart. It was the first jazz song that I not only learned to play…but feel. It has a very bluesy feel to it. Booker T wrote it, but the version that King Curtis plays is the way we played it when I was a freshman in High School. This song expanded my playing abilities. Here I was at the ripe age of 14, trumpet in hand…completely lost in the up beats of the song. Do you know how hard it was going from playing down beats to playing before the beat? Then the soloing! These cats I played with could play! Maybe I was just awe struck, maybe I was too young, maybe I was just so damn confused…but something inside of me stirred. Sure, the first time I played the piece I totally destroyed the 4th trumpet part. Annoyed looks came my way, I felt embarrassed but soon that feeling, you know that bluesy, jazzy feeling bit me. And it bit me hard. So hard that after 4 years in that Jazz Band, I begged to perform the piece in my final year. I wanted to go out, knowing that I improved on what I was in freshman year.

I will always love “Green Onions” because in a way, it gave me my first break in jazz music. I can honestly remember, standing on stage for my first Jazz Band gig. I was so small, the smallest trumpet player there. I was this scrawny little girl, barely 5’2 standing next to cats who were taller, bigger, and could blow better on any piece of music. My best friend in that band happened to be a 6 foot tall trombone playing girl, so you could just imagine the size difference when we stood next to each other, analyzing music. I can clearly remember her telling me

“MB, just relax…let it take care of you.” I can also remember her saying

“You got any problems with the rhythms you just come to me…let me take care of you.”

With these words of wisdom of my tall, trombone blasting Kate, I let the music take care of me. I let “Green Onions” take care of me. So now you had this scrawny, barely 5’2 trumpet playing girl bobbing and dancing to the music on the platforms that we trumpet cats had to stand on. Once I let Christina on guitar lead me with her up beats, I was a jazz playing, non stopping trumpet playing gal. And I haven’t stop to this very day.

So yes, I’m one of those crazy cats who downloads several versions of a song because I want to learn, and I want to compare. And I’m always looking for that version that brings me back to my early days of playing, to the days of my freshman Jazz Band. Those cats were the meanest playing cats I’ve met in my life. And King Curtis’ “Green Onions” never fails to bring me back, smiling like a scrawny, barely 5’2 trumpet playing cat.