24 — Friday, january 16, 1998 — North Shore News Dylan Cramer: Suicides shape life's path From pare 19 Cramer recalls growing, up ina communal cnviron- ment in two houses and a geodesic dome on 6th Avenue in False Creek. “Everybody who came in through the Straight would come into the houses ~ horrible and beautiful peo- ple. [ lived in a party.” The scene drove him into the arms of art. “The idea of going to work at some straight job... 1 was tuo twisted already.” His father’s death fueled Dylan’s passion for the saxo- phone. From age 13 on he practiced four hours a day. “{ had to do something to replace him. He was irre- placeable. [t wasn’t just los- ing your father. He was my best friend.” Six years later L.A. based saxophonist Sonny Criss, Dylan Cramer’s musical teacher and friend, took his “Everybody who came in through the Straight would come into the houses — horrible and beautiful peo- ple. I lived ina party.” - Dylan Cramer life in 1977. Criss had been living with stomach cancer, “Tonly had him for eght months but 1’m still deating with him everyday. Those kind of guys leave an impression on you.” Cramer was turned on to Criss when he was 17. “My best friend gave me_ this record and said, *You gotta hear this record.” As soon as T heard the record that was ir.” Dylan was exposed ta a lot of jazz growing up at home. But when he heard Sonny, he experienced some- thing more than music. “It was the combination of his soul. He was teiiing you everything abont his feel- ings.” They say the three things shor. make a musician of the est calibre are quality of sound, virtuose technique and interpretation. Sonny had them in spades, said Dylan. “IT was totally enamored with his sound. It was unbelievabh:. | emade my mind up J was going to go to LA. and study with him.” Initially Criss, an alto-sax player, was tough to con- wince (0 agree to taking on re young man as a student. Dylan's: persisterice paid off. Sonny was intense, “If he locked ae you you coulda’t look away. When we met in b AL for che first time at his place, in fee min ures he had the whose story of my father ou. “He sac down with me and he looked at me and said, “What's wrong with you?” He just: stared at me. We just loved cach other after that.” He was not oa formal teacher, he taught litt. He'd tell Dylan abeut Charlie Parker all day. The big thing he taught his student was that to really play a song vou have to knew it. “You have to know the story inside out. Be totally committed to what you are doing. Commitment was so important to him.” He threw Dylan out of a lesson ence because Dylan didn’t know the words to a song. “He said, *If you don’t know the words, voir don't know nothing boy.” He was so real that way.” Once he ed Dylan, “You gota girlfriend, boy?” “U said, *No.’ He said, ‘Well what do you do?” He said, ‘Your horn is your lady boy, your hern is your lady.’ Ive thought about it. You know, I’m married, I don’t need girlfriends. When I find new melodies that’s fike a new girlfriend to me. I fall in leve with the horn and it’s a rocal commitment and it’s a relationship. That's what he taught me.” Love fuels the music on The First One, a CY record: ed by the Dylan Cramer Quartet. The 10 tracks represent songs either written or recorded by Sonny Criss. Dylan on alto sax is joined tor the project by Ron Johnston on piano, John Nolan on drums and 69-year-old jazz veteran Leroy Vinnegar on bass. Vinnegar, 4 Portland res- ident, has played with most of the greats including Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Criss. “Leroy has made over 800 records. I phoned him up and T was a nobody and he said yes because of Sonny. “When he came up here he said, ‘Man you guys are making me ery, playing all this beautiful old stuff thac 1 used to play with all my friends who are dead now.’ He was really touched and he played his ass off. He raised every body's intensi- ty.” ” The dise is available a Virgin, HMV Robson, Black Swan, Adagio, The Magic Flute, Dylan has pve boys who Know alt about Sonny. Riley is 7 and Solan is 4. They are growing up with the rusic. When Dylan was a kid, he used ta listen to his ‘ather’s Sinatra records. “Tm playing il these tunes now and Pye memo rized them years ago with oureven trying. Uhey're just in there. That's what Pm hoping with these guys,” he says af his sons. NORTH Vancouver alto sax player Dylan Cramer pays tribute to saxophonist Sonny Criss on Tire First One with the Dylan Cramer Quartet. The parents. teachers und children of Ridgeway Annex School wuld like tv extend their most sincere appreciation to the following merchants jor their jsvnerius dunations in support ¢) aur mast successful Christmas raffle. Prior Snowboards Trident Performance Sports BC Rail Adventure Fitness North Shore Taekwondo Bishop’s Jewellers MeWines the Winemaker Kiddie Kobbler Save-On Foods Canada Trust IGA Lonsdal Safeway White Spot Restiaurint Goady’s Cleaners Macey & Rogers Sports Re: Tel Cinzen’s Bank Avon - Dorahy Many Vancouver Flosprtal Roustenaisters Manor House f kur Salon West Vancouver Yacht Club Royal Pank Viramin House Purdy’. House Hatz Phau Destin North Shore Bee Centre Gator Pir Second Cup pn 106 Gangster Pi La Zugy Elyana’s Esthe tes Salon North Shoe Bowl Beach Buniay’s Pinning Salon Quack Cobbler Thanderbird Lanes Bapct St. Cafe Serenity Shop To the thousands of St. John Ambulance Volunteers: St.John Ambulance you cre interasted hn becoming oO St. Jonn Ambulonce volunteer please contact your iocal $t. Jobn Amouionce branch, totage Wine storage, is the key in ensuring ‘hat a wine has the chance to show itself to best effect, paniculariv if it is intended for extended ageing, Generally, white wines ~ sweet wines and champagne above all ~ are more frail than reds. Grape variety can also make a ditierence. However, alwavs rmunimizing the pvolved in bottle storage - ht, back of humidity and movement - is the wisest Photo Phillip Chin Temperature. The ideal cellar i SSP F-V8Cs, ihounh vous ve salely store wine within a degree of two of freezing bough tthe ¥ ine does treeze it wilbespand and pope its cork’ or up ip GBF L0C+, recognizing that wine matures much core rapidly at higher teraperatures, Constant temperature OT is near la i as posobles is the kev. tight Suniight and uluavialet fight ate ae bad Tor Wine as cessive heat. but are problems esualls much easter to overs ome, Placcag Wines Is areas aeay trom light or covering them with a blanket is Wes, Humidity. Some degree of humidity as beneticial to ensure that the exposed end af the cork does not dry out and allow in oxygen. Thus, beware air conditioners that suck moisture out of the air. Ideally, ret humidity should be between 60 75%. Above that, the problem hecomes libel deterioration, making choosing vour wine a game ot roulene. Movement, Wire does nat take well ta confiant movement and Sibration -particulariy of there 1s sediment presents, thus a secure storage space is pecessary. Secure storage shoula also mean stoning the bortles horizontally, allowing constant contact of the wine with the cork and preventing it from drying out aod letting air in, It's that sunple Grape Guide CLEARANCE SALE 100’s of new plants ts choose from . ‘ ~ Assorted 2°-5' oo = Tropicals ....° de>, FREE SURPRISE GIVEAWAYS (while sugplies fast.) : (watch or uproming , ; a Grape G tori: Large assortment of used rape Guide Advertorial “On Premise Wine & Toor Making” Authored Bey Reng dealer S alley > i Oo PCE CS 202 Lonsdale Ave No Va OBAMAS TS free parking at rear Open 7 dave a week 9/98 Ltd i Mon.-Fri. Jam-5pm » Cash or Cheques t (Sorry, no Visa or M/C accepted) url pean tues, Weeds Chun oH j