When I recorded an EP of songs I’d written, I was looking for a cello player to play a solo on one of the tracks. There was a college with a pretty good music program near me, so I emailed them asking for a recommendation for a cellist who could play in a rock/pop setting. They gave me the name of a recent grad who played cello in the local symphony.

When the cellist and I got together to rehearse the solo, he said he had experience playing in backing string sections for rock bands and for church praise bands. (It turns out he’d played at a show I’d been to — a band called Sleeping At Last.) And that if I was interested, he could not only play the solo I’d written and transcribed for him, but also improvise a cello part for the rest of the song off a chord sheet. Of course I said yes.

Working with him over the next hour was one of the most revelatory experiences I’ve had a musician, watching this guy weave together these gorgeous cello lines on the spot. I gave him a few notes to fine tune things, but what ended up on the album when we went into the studio later was mostly his first passes from that practice session.

I was so impressed that I had him play on another track on the EP without much rehearsing beforehand — I sent him the stems, we went over things in the studio, and he did two perfect takes on the track. Done.

In conclusion, a classical musician who can play off a chord chart is one of the most amazing musicians you’ll ever meet.

we’ll see if I can be a lil distraction to the home team foul shots.

Make us proud BJ! (I’m worried you could watch a lot of FTs from Embiid tonight…)

When is Flynn ready?

He’s available tonight, let’s see if Thibs will give him some minutes…

I’ve been a Mitch fanboy for a long time but from what I’ve seen in Hartenstein, I wouldn’t put Mitch in my starting 5. Hartenstein is protecting the rim like Mitch, crashing the boards like Mitch, but he has a greater than zero post game and is a much better passer/facilitator.

How do we handle an Embiid? This is a tough test for iHart. Embiid is playing on a bum leg.

This is a big game.
When is Flynn ready?