MetaFilter posts tagged with jazz

What's the word - have you heard?

madamjujujive — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:01:59 -0800

A long-awaited new recording from Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here - will be released in February. Video interview and report by BBC's Stephen Smith. Hear a sample: Where Did the Night Go?. Check out this awesome prior post: Happy Birthday Gil! (via Undercover Black Man)

The 12 Days of Christmas

LordSludge — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:02:43 -0800

The Twelve Days of Christmas (SLYT)

The Wow of Now; Word Jazz with Pictures

louche mustachio — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:27:53 -0800

About Me: an octogenarian curiosity, the originator of word jazz back in the1950s, in love with the wow of now. Ken Nordine's Youtube channel, featuring mainly abstract visuals accompanying Word Jazz. Examples: Immunological Systems- Truth Mute- C'est La Vie- Fibonacci Numbers

it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing?

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:07:57 -0800

With his whimsically biting number from 1988 entitled Jazz Police, ol' Lenny Cohen has shown himself to be a prophet once again: Jazzer drop your axe it's jazz police! disclaimer: Larry Ochs, the offending saxophonist if question, is an old friend of mine, but his stature in the music world and the newsworthyness of the episode will, I hope, override any accusations of friend-linkery...

A loving look back on Dixieland Jazz

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:08:16 -0800

"Men working on the river would move in time to the beat of the music. It was everywhere: on the street, in the church. In the tonks and barrelhouses where people went to be together. Like the beating of a big heart. It gave everyone a good feeling." The Cradle is Rocking is a delightful 12-minute film that, though somewhat damaged (Folkstreams has found what may be the only surviving print), is highly recommended viewing for anyone interested in American roots music: in this case, New Orleans jazz. The film's thoughtful and affable narrator is trumpeter George "Kid Sheik" Cola, who can be heard along with Captain John Handy serving up some fine old-school Dixieland jazz here and here.

For Domu / Umod / Sonar Circle / Bakura (etc), This really is The End ...

filthy light thief — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:46:43 -0800

The story starts in 1992 or so, when the 14 year old Brit, Dominic Stanton, bought turntables and started spinning early drum'n'bass. He transitioned from DJ to producer, made demo tracks, and got signed by age 17. He went on to produce broken beat* and jazzy downtempo*, even into the realm of disco edits. Then about two weeks ago, the 31 year old musician called it quits.

The point is that I am no longer Domu. He is a character, always has been, and as of Friday 13th November 2009, he no longer exists. Neither does Umod, Sonar Circle, Bakura, Yotoko, Rima, Zoltar, Blue Monkeys, Realside or any of the other names I put out music under. I am cancelling all my gigs and not taking any more. My hotmail is closed, my Twitter is closed and my Facebook is closed.

Furthermore, his website is closed and the original post of his farewell message is lost, though you can still view the cached version or find it copied elsewhere. Domu's website now simply states This really is The End . . . Step inside for an abbreviated journey. Dominic Stanton's musical interests were first hip-hop and acid house and techno. From there, he followed the early days of jungle and drum'n'bass as a DJ, later producing some tracks and sending demos around, eventually signing with Dennis 'Dego' McFarlane and Mark 'Marc Mac' Clair on their label, Reinforced Records. For the first recording on Reinforced, Stanton joined two other guys and formed Static Imprints for one single, released in 1996. Then the trio became a duo, known as Sonar Circle, and they released their first three singles in 1997, including Devient Concept / Keep My Sanity. The duo released another single in 1998, and the only Sonar Circle album, Radius, came out in 1999. The duo became a solo artist, with Stanton becoming the only person behind the name. He released two more singles and two EPs by 2003, but had largely moved onto other projects. Dominic Stanton's most prolific profile started in 1999, when the Domu single Dressed to Ill was released on the 2000 Black label, a broken beat/ future jazz/ deep house imprint of the drum'n'bass focused Reinforced Records label. In 2000, Domu released his first single on the Italian Archive label, where he later released two albums (2001, 2005). In 2007, Domu produced an album for Pete Simpson on the Papa Records label. And this past summer, Tru Throughts released a compilation of what Stanton considered the most important works of his from the last 10 years. Stanton's two other solo projects were Umod and Zoltar. The former was more sample-based than his other work, and as Umod he released an album and a single in 2004, another single in 2006, plus some odd tracks. Zoltar was more of a one-off personality, and is credited for a 2004 single and a remix of a Umod track. The rest of his musical creations were collaborations. There were at least 10 profiles for these joint efforts, ranging from the one offs as Kudu (one single in 2000) and Blue Monkeys (one single in 2001), to the longer lasting Bakura, which produced an album in 2005 and a few singles. Another group was Legends of the Underground, a multimedia performance group based on music created by Stanton, Mark De Clive-Lowe and Paul "Seiji" Dolby (the trio had earlier collaborated as Kudu). The soundtrack was released on Kindred Spirits in Amsterdam in 2005. Live shows merged music, dance, and an animated 3D world (3D glasses supplied). Along with production and DJing, Dominic Stanton started the online label TrembleO, focusing on digital distribution of new and old tracks of his own creation, as well as other artists and a few releases on CD and vinyl. The official site was taken down, but the MySpace page is still public. In the wake of the announcement, there was much discussion on blogs and forums, and much use of the twitter tag 'weloveyouDomu'. Tribute mixes a-plenty were posted, highlighting the history of Dominic Stanton. People pulled out past mixes from Domu, letting the man speak for himself. He might return, or maybe find something else to fill his life. Until then, there is a vibrant past to re-live. Audio/Video clips 1997- Sonar Circle - Devient Concept (6:04), from Devient Concept/Keep My Sanity 2001- Sonar Circle - Havoc (5:59), from the Havoc EP 2001- Aardvarck - ReSpoken (Domu's Broken Dialect Mix) (6:21), from the Re Spoken 12" 2003- Bakura - Thinking About (Domu Mix) (5:34), from the Veya Veya / Thinking About 12" 2005- Domu - Quarantine (6:20), from The Electric Institute compilation 2007- Domu presents Pete Simpson - Coming Back Around video (4:29) and Play This Song (4:41), from the album Look a Little Further 2007- Domu presents Pete Simpson - Look A Little Further (The Muthafunkaz 12" Vocal Mix) (7:00), from the Look a Little Further single 2007- Making of Swell Session video (3:02), from Swell Communications featuring Domu and Elsa Esmeralda 2008- Broke'n'£nglish - Take It Low (Domu Remix) (5:09), from the Take It Low 12" 2008- Replife - Put It Down (Domu Remix) (4:41), from Put It Down / R U Ready 7" 2009- Domu & Yannah Valdevit - City Madness (A&D's 4 The Summer Mix) (2:25), sample from the City Madness / Info People single 2009- Tortured Soul - Home To You (Domu Remix) (5:17), from the Home To You remixes 2009- Interview in Paris (3:23), posted after his announcement to retire but recorded in the months prior Mixes by Domu 2004- Interview and mixset for Red Bull Music Academy Feb 22, 2005- Live from CSUF (scroll down for the link to the mix, read more on his profile) October 2007- Exclusive Domu guest mix for Urban Landscapes [dates unknown]- TrembelO Radio Show, showcasing Domu and a rotating cast of extras including Shifty, Marin, and Soza.

Live Recordings from the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival

Kattullus — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:57:33 -0800

27 live recordings from the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival can be streamed for free at Wolfgang's Vault. Here's a few of the musicians you can listen to: Count Basie & His Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Oscar Peterson Trio and Thelonious Monk. Registration is required but it's oh so worth it. The New York Times has the backstory of how these recordings ended up at Wolfgang's Vault.

The shape of jazz gone by

kenko — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:42:53 -0800

NPR's jazz blog A Blog Supreme recently concluded a series in which they asked jazz bloggers to "name five albums you would recommend to somebody looking to get into modern jazz". The results are now up in the category Jazz Now; the intro has the index, including reactions elsewhere. Destination: Out had some pricklier suggestions—see also their best of the 90s list (and their own nominations). Some related reading: An interview with Henry Threadgill. (Some tracks from his new album.) An interview with Tootie Heath. An interview with Julius Hemphill. Evan Parker on John Coltrane.

Jazz in Azerbaijan

netbros — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:53:16 -0800

Jazz in Azerbaijan Before the turn of the 19th century, Baku Azerbaijan was already known for its oil. Europeans gravitated to this city on the shores of the Caspian, and together with local entrepreneurs, they succeeded in producing more than 51 percent of the world's supply of oil. At about the same time, America was giving birth to a new musical form-jazz. This mesmerizing new sound which originated in the restaurants and back alleys of New Orleans and Chicago drew upon many different cultural traditions, including African rhythms, Asian improvisations and abstract thinking, European classical music and even symbols borrowed from Native American tribes. Soon afterward, this new musical synthesis found its way to other cities all over the world, including Baku. Newspaper archives indicate that bands were performing jazz in Baku restaurants. It's very possible that Robert Nobel and his brothers, Ludwig and Alfred, listened to jazz in Baku.

Louis Armstrong's Collages

Joe Beese — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:28:35 -0800

When not pressing the valves on his trumpet or the record button on his tape recorder, Armstrong’s fingers found other arts with which to occupy themselves. One of them was collage, which became a visual outlet for his improvisational genius. ... These little stories, illuminating and entertaining syntheses of Armstrong’s passions, now reside in the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College in Flushing, New York. The collages are collected in Satchmo: The Wonderful World and Art of Louis Armstrong. You could look at them while listening to Armstrong's cover version of Pharaoh Sanders and eating his recipe for red beans and rice.

Images of the Jazz Age

yegga — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:21:44 -0800

Images of the Jazz Age

Creed Taylor International

The Card Cheat — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:17:38 -0800

The CTI never sleeps. A collection of LPs from Creed Taylor's CTI and Kudu labels, as compiled by Doug Payne.

In Mem'ry of that Caravan

filthy light thief — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:11:19 -0800

Duke Ellington recalled "... that's one of those things Tizol came up with. See, it wasn't in tempo, he stood [and played it] sort of ad lib. He played it, [the] first ten bars, we took it and worked out the rest of it." That thing was Caravan, and the instigator was Juan Tizol, who was a trombonist in Duke Ellington's orchestra. The track, originally recorded in 1936, became a jazz standard. The lyrics were penned in 1936 by publisher and manager Irving Mills, adding to the exotic feeling and romance of what is considered by many to be the first Latin jazz piece, before the late swing era and first decade of bebop when Latin Jazz (also called Afro-Cuban Jazz) came into prominence. The track didn't cross into other genres until Les Paul created his version of the track in 1948, which lead to other covers, and eventually a successful cover by The Ventures (source). The Covers Project only lists 9 versions and Second Hand Songs lists 42 versions, but Instro-Rock Classics raises the bar and has collected 69 versions from 1936-1946, and an additional 55 from 1965 to 2002. The majority of Juan Tizol's credits on Discogs are for Caravan, though this list doesn't show the artists who played the songs. If you're interested in jazz covers, here are reviews of at Jazz.com Older jazz and swing versions Duke Ellington and his Orchestra in 1952 (4:14) Valaida Snow (vocal, trumpet) And Her Orchestra, 1939 (3:30) The Mills Brothers all voice version of the "instrumental" track (2:43) Modern jazz versions Quick fingerwork of Scotty Anderson (3:16) Yoshiaki Miyanoue Super Quartet, including a guitarist (6:12) Rosenberg Trio, live in Belgrade (4:30) Hot Club of Phoenix with guitar and upright bass (4:17) Oscar Peterson tearing up a piano version with an amazing solo intro (5:15) Art Blakey (9:52), from his album of the same name Jonathan Russell, (jazz violin prodigy), Bucky Pizzarelli, John Bunch, and Phil Flanigan (5:31) Wynton Marsalis in 1988 (7:23) An older Wynton at The House of Tribes (3:46) Errol Garner, Wyatt Ruther, and Eugene "Fats" Heard jazz trio (7:14) Kenny Dre Jr., Michael Formanek, and Clarence Penn jazz trio (8:01) Arturo Sandoval With the Boston Pop Orchestra in 1993 (5:41) Non-jazz versions Les Paul and Chet Atkins with others, year not listed (3:27) Les Paul and two others in 1991(4:51) The Ventures in 1962 (2:10) The Ventures, live in 1965 on their Japanese tour (10:05) The Ventures, live in 2008: part 1 (2:18), part 2 (9:05) Mister Jack in 2004, with electric guitar and bass, and a harmonica Brian Setzer Orchestra, as recorded from the audience (2:56) Miranda Sex Garden (Amazon.com sample) Amon Tobin's Drummin' Caravan Mix (49:02) - a free mix of only drums and versions of caravan Fun fact: during the 60's, The Ventures outsold the Beatles in Japan two to one. Their peak of fandom in Japan was covered in the 1965 film Beloved Invaders: The Ventures.

Lester Young Centennial

ism — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:26:14 -0800

Lester Young (Aug. 27, 1909–March 15, 1959) is given not just a memorial, but extensive musicological criticism and contextual information in this ten-chapter series by jazz pianist and blogger Ethan Iverson of The Bad Plus. Solo transcriptions and analyses, interviews with Lee Konitz, Tootie and Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, an essay on Young's influence on Miles Davis, a discographic primer and more. (Previously.) For more of Iverson's top-notch jazz blogging, here's Do the Math's table of contents. A lot of this deserves to be published outside of the blogosphere.

"...A Fourth of July picnic, a Sunday Best church revival, an urban rock concert and a rural civil rights rally"

Miko — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:15:26 -0800

There was a historic music festival in the summer of 1969. But it's not the one that took place in Bethel, NY. The Harlem Cultural Festival ran from June 29 to August 24 that summer, presenting a concert every Sunday afternoon in Mount Morris Park (known today as Marcus Garvey Park). Three hundred thousand people turned out for the six free concerts, hearing acts like Nina Simone , Sly & the Family Stone (the only act to play both Woodstock and the "black Woodstock"), Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, The 5th Dimension, Moms Mabley and. Speakers included Jesse Jackson and "blue-eyed soul brother" Mayor John Lindsay. Security was courtesy of the Black Panthers, since the NYC police refused to provide it. Filmmaker Hal Tulchin recorded over 50 hours of concert footage, which has remained unreleased. Historic Films seems to hold the footage; it was supposed to be made into a movie to premiere at Sundance 2007, but its release seems to be continually delayed for reasons unclear. There are a couple of other concerts that also get called the "Black Woodstock," though they took place well after 1969 -- this is a good way to confound researchers in the oughts. They are: Zaire 74, and WattStax.

Ahmet Ertegun profiled by George W. S. Trow in 1978

Kattullus — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:42:39 -0800

Ahmet Ertegun was profiled by George W. S. Trow in The New Yorker in a classic piece back in 1978. Ertegun was the son of the Turkish ambassador to the US and he remained behind in D.C. studying medieval philosophy at Georgetown. Instead of devoting himself to his studies he founded Atlantic Records with his friend Herb Abramson. Trow charted how Ertegun moved from tramping through muddy, Louisiana fields in search of hot new sounds to the whirl of Studio 54. Below the cut are links to the songs mentioned in the article, as best as I could find, in the order in which they appear. Hugues Panassié, Le Jazz Hot (performed by Julie Andrews). I couldn't find any online versions of Dirty Mother for You but here's Roosevelt Sykes rippin' it up on Swedish TV in 1972. Couldn't find Ruth Brown singing A - You're Adorable, so here's the Sesame Street version. Ivory Joe Hunter, Since I Met You Baby. I couldn't find any footage or recordings of Bob Howard and His Rhythm, who recorded Button Up Your Overcoat and Memories of You for Atlantic Records, but here's Ruth Etting's 1929 version of the former and Sinatra's 1956 take on the latter. Here's a performance by Boyd Raeburn and His Orchestra who recorded The Lady is a Tramp and How High the Moon for Atlantic, here's Jaye P. Morgan doing the former and Les Paul and Mary Ford the latter. Sticks McGhee and His Buddies, Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee. Couldn't find Clovers' version of Skylark, so here's Bette Midler. I couldn't find a version of Don't You Know I Love You online. Joe Turner, Chains of Love. Ruth Brown, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean. Joe Turner, Shake, Rattle and Roll. Clyde McPhatter and The Drifters, Money Honey. The Coasters, Searchin'/Young Blood. I couldn't find Chuck Willis' Hang Up My Rock n' Roll Shoes, but here's Bruce Springsteen covering the song and another song by Chuck Willis, What You Gonna Do When Your Baby Leaves You. Bobby Darin, Splish Splash. Ray Charles, What'd I Say? and I Got a Woman. The Rolling Stones, Street Fighting Man, Satisfaction and Love in Vain. Stevie Wonder, Happy Birthday and Uptight/Satisfaction (with The Rolling Stones). Muddy Waters, Hoochie Coochie Man. Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. Professor Longhair, Tipitina (with The Meters). I can't figure out what that Trammps song is that's referenced, but here they're performing Shout. It's impossible to know what Johnny Dodds song Ahmet Ertegun is da da dooing along with, so here's some random Johnny Dodds. I couldn't find Brown Skin Man by Lovie Austin and Her Blues Serenaders, but here's Charleston Mad (Priscilla Steward singing). Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, King Porter. Tampa Red and Georgia Tom, You Can't Get That Stuff No More. Fred Astaire, Puttin' on the Ritz. I didn't find The Jealous Kind online. If I missed anything, please add a link.

Les Paul, 1915-2009

mrg — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:05:59 -0800

Les Paul, musician, pioneer of multitrack recording, and creator of one of the most successful and recognizable guitars in history, passed at the age of 94. Known to guitarists around the world through the guitar that bears his name (built initially using a hunk of 4"x4" lumber), Les Paul also is credited with being the first to develop multitrack recording in 1955 to overcome the noise problem of using the overdubbing technique used at the time. Aside from releasing many popular jazz guitar albums throughout the 40s and 50s, he had a radio program and a short TV show with his wife, Mary Ford, in the early fifties. He won two Grammys for his 2005 album American Made World Played (bringing his total to 7), and even recently played regularly at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York. He has left a lasting influence on American music and culture.

Rashied Ali

idiopath — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:37:24 -0800

Jazz pioneer Rashied Ali Has died. He leaves behind him a lifetime of collaborations in out jazz, with artists like Ayler, Coltrane, Cherry, Haino, Laswell, Bley, Sanders, and Ulmer. He was born Robert Patterson, on 1 July 1935. Ali's hyperactive and textural style was a revolution in free jazz, and one of Coltrane's biggest breaks with jazz tradition was making Ali his drummer. Rashied Ali continued to experiment and explore later in his life, collaborating with a new generation of Jazz innovators, people like Bill Laswell, Keiji Haino, William Parker and Charles Gayle.

Jazz hands

klangklangston — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:48:08 -0800

Audio archive from Small's Jazz Club, searchable by instrument, then performer, then date, starting with September 27, 2007. Hours and hours and hours and hours of the some of the best jazz from New York's downtown scene. Stream and snap your fingers, man.

Is this what they mean by "differently abled?"

Mr. Anthropomorphism — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:34:11 -0800

Melody Gardot was a New York fashion student, until a hit-and-run driver left her disabled and in need of therapy—musical therapy. The 19 year old had been a piano player, but a broken pelvis made sitting at the piano impossible. Undeterred, she learned to play the guitar and began to write and sing. What began as a way to reconstruct the topology of her brain culminated in an EP. Now 22, despite being unable to walk without a cane, sit without a special chair, view bright light without dark glasses, or manage pain without a TENS device, she has recorded two full-length albums of beautiful, soulful music.

His name was Albert Ayler

Joe Beese — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:25:57 -0800

One of the giants of free jazz, Albert Ayler was also one of the most controversial. His huge tone and wide vibrato were difficult to ignore, and his 1966 group sounded like a runaway New Orleans brass band from 1910. - AllMusic Albert Ayler's greatest studio recording was Spiritual Unity (1964).

Old Style Jazz

paisley henosis — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:49:59 -0800

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is made up of Chicago Jazz man Phil Cohran's 8 sons on horns and an (unrelated) drummer. The band sold 300,000 units of their first CD while playing on the streets, which they followed with a second home-made album and a live album. They have since preformed their tight, up-tempo, rhythm driven jazz with Mos Def with whom they have a project in the works, and Erykah Badu. They have turned down contracts with Def Jam and Atlantic, but released a self-titled album as well as a number of singles on vinyl on Honest Jon's records. Their now out of print albums have sell for a significant premium on eBay, but their main releases are all available to download on both Amazon and iTunes. They were also the subject of a recent profile in The New Yorker. A few YouTube links: 1 2 3a 3b 3c

I see dots

pyramid termite — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:27:15 -0800

Giant Steps by John Coltrane, note by note. (slyt)

Now I Wanna Be Your Insightful, Respectable Rock Icon

Jon_Evil — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:57:42 -0800

You wouldn't expect Iggy Pop to be the poster boy for rock stars who age gracefully, but he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it. At the age of 62, he's released Preliminaires, an album steeped in French Literature and containing jazz standards, hardscrabble blues, and the Louis-Armstrong-meets-Tom-Waits hit, King of the Dogs. NPR's Fresh Air has this interview with a thoughtful, avuncular Iggy Pop

クレイジーケンバンド!

ardgedee — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:25:56 -0800

The Crazy Ken Band! Cool and Hot! Swinging horns! Groovy chicks! Fast cars! Danger! Crazy! CRAZY! Respect! Otosan A fan's Apple iTunes commercial parody, plus a cat jumping out of an orange For a dozen years they've been mining rich veins of rockabilly, jumping jive, Henry Mancini's jazz soundtracks, Detroit muscle cars and trad Japanese music. But nevermind that right now. Even their product endorsements are cool: Hallelujah Xmas! Hemi Hemi Dodge Cruising! Crazy Ken even digs hip-hop: m-flo loves Nomiya Maki & Crazy Ken Band Cosmic Night Run! (and again, live!) Apologies for my not knowing the slightest bit of Japanese. Hover over the links for whatever info I could make up.