5th Annual Musical Saw Players Convention
The musical saw players festival in NYC is certainly growing from year to year – we had 19 saw players playing in the ‘Chorus of the Saws’ (all musical saw players playing together) and 16 musical saw players from NY, NJ, PA, CA and MO who played solos.
It was an honor to have Mr. Chen, a musical saw player from China, as our guest of honor this year.
I would like to thank the Greater Astoria Historical Society for letting us use their space.
Special thanks to Bob Heliger who brought everyone a copy of the 1979 booklet ‘How to Play the Musical Saw’ by Rene Bogart, and also exhibited Rene’s musical saw and the walking cane he used to play it with!
Another special thanks to Mr. Chen’s family for bringing the Poster of Mr. Chen’s article to hang in the musical saw paintings exhibit.
Thank you, Jackson, for being the go-between me and the Chens (and thank you for the beautiful ‘magic saw’ t-shirt!!!)
I gave all the musical saw players a free copy of my CD, but Ivan gave me a copy of his CD – thank you, Ivan! I am looking forward to listening to it!
And last but not least – thank you to all the musical saw players who came from far and near and graced us with their beautiful music! It was so nice to see again those of you who have attended previous gatherings and to meet those of you who attended for the first time.
Thank you, Handel and Mad Soundman for the photos!
If anybody has photos from the Musical Saw Convention – I would very much appreciate it if you could send them to me, please.
Here are some responses I got for the Musical Saw Players Convention:
An Awesome Saturday!
Hey Luv!
It’s me, the mad sound guy and his crazy hair…
It was truly was an incredible afternoon, and I feel privileged to have been there! My friend actually cried during one of the performances she thought it was so beautiful…
beautiful performances yesterday! it was a lot of fun watching the saw chorus 🙂
Angelica
If you are not on my invite e-mail list for the Annual Musical Saw Players Conventions and you would like to participate as a musical saw player or as a member of the audience, please send me your name, e-mail address and whether you are a musical saw player or not.
See you in the 6th Musical Saw Players Convention – July 2008 🙂
Oh, I’m glad it was a good convention! I wish I could have been there, but this life of mine has been a tad hectic. I do hope I will be able to join you next year! I have yet to meet other saw players, so such a thing would be interesting.
Be well!
natalia, i’m glad it went well….i would have loved to have made it up there, but my 18 month old has been running me ragged (in a good way, of course!)
i’ve finished the first of a series of short preludes for saw and guitar i was hoping you’d take a look at for me by the way, who wrote the piece you have on your page? i love the melody!
take care,
jay
I too wish that I could have been there!!! I will be sure to say hello next time I make it out to NY. I hope that you get a well deserved rest soon.
All the best,
Michael
Thank you for the saw convention. I’d like to come to perform next year. It was great to see that many saw players. I knew only few players in my life. If you have chance to come to Boston let me know.
Kenji
I remember you telling me about the saw players convention.. It’s really awesome, you get to see how everybody plays, especially since all/most of them learn on their own.
Is there a piano sheet for Delancey street rag? I love that song so much…
Thank you all for your enthusiasm!
One day soon I should write a post about the Musical Saw Players Gathering I organized in Israel last April… I even have a video from that event, which I would like to share with you.
Jay said:
who wrote the piece you have on your page? i love the melody!
Thank you, Jay! Scott Munson, my husband wrote that piece (as well as all the tracks on my EP).
We’re hoping to get in the recording studio to complete the album (all Scott’s songs) by the end of the year.
Kenji – it would be wonderful to have you join us with your saw next year! I will put you on the invite list for sure.
Monique – thank you for your enthusiasm about ‘Delancey Street Rag’! I’ll tell Scott, it will make him very happy to hear you like it. I don’t think he has the sheet music for it typed up… I’ll suggest to him that he should do it.
Hello Saw Lady.
I discovered your blog through JMB on her Nothing Important blog in Vancouver. I thought I would visit and say hello.
I shall create a link from my blog to yours so that I can hear about music in the NY subway.
Regards
Eurodog
One of the Musical Saw Players Gathering is for sure something to see, to listen to and to live. But a video would already be something… A dvd maybe ?
I wish you now nice holidays or days of rest, with the ones you love under a beautiful summer sky.
Take care Natalia The Great,
Your music and your simplicity make the saw, the music and the subway, magical.
Natalia,
Yes, sorry I was not present. I don’t play the old saw as much as I used to, so I’m pretty rusty.
I’ll seek you underground.
Al
Hi Natalia!! I’m glad that all was going great with the festival!!! I had you always in my mind!!! Now i’m in Cairo, visiting my family. i am trying to make some connections with local musicians here, i wish you have some rest for a while and enjoy the summer. bye bye from the hot CAIRO
Oh I would have loved to have played with all of you!!! Perhaps next year!
🙂
Hi Natalia,
Thank you so much for organizing the New York Saw Player’s convention. I’m delighted to hear that it was such a success–it looks like it was a lot of fun. I really do hope to make it next year, so definitely keep me posted! Take care,
–adam
Aaaxch Natalia I wish I couldve been there, sounds like great fun! Next tiome I can afford a ticket to New York… aye x x
Hi Glad the saw convention went well. It would have been amazing to be there. It must have sounded incredible.
Woweee.
XX
Natalia,
I wish I coulda been there! Frontier Ruckus was in new york just the week prior, but we had to leave to play in Toledo and Ann Arbor on the 28th and the 29th. Kept an eye for you busking, but never saw you…next year I hope!
Hi Natalia. I am sorry I couldn’t attend your musical saw conference. It sounds like it was great. I had my first busking experience last Thursday, and it was a lot of fun. Thanks for your advice.
(What’s the sum of 10 + 7? Ok, I’ll guess)
Hi Natalia!
I’m glad you dug the snaps! It was such a wonderful happening and I had to constantly remind myself to enjoy the moment even as I wanted snaps to remember it by …
Thanks again. Stay gold –
Hi Natalia, it sounds like the Saw-a-thon was a blast. Sorry I couldn’t be there – things a little hectic here at present – not least because of School summer holidays and mad child to entertain. Lets keep making this humble, yet extraordinary, unearthly, beautiful intrument heard.
Have a fantastic summer,
John X
Hi John,
“Saw-a-thon” – that’s brilliant! It describes the event perfacly – one saw player after another, after another, after another, performing – it is like a saw marathon.
I love it!
Sounds fantastic and the photo looks great. I wish I could have been there. Thanks for keeping me updated. Kidd