He's got something to say
Man, Nicholas Payton sure knows how to rile people up…
By Any Other Name…
Posted in Words
Acquisitions- 35,000ft Edition
Flying back to L.A. from Boston, using my Macbook to review three albums I bought on iTunes and listen to on my iPhone. I really hope Apple can keep it up without Mr. Jobs.
Posted in acquisitions
Tagged Brad Mehldau, charlie haden, Dave Douglas, James Farm, Lee Konitz, paul motian
Big Day at the Yard Sale
Rolling around the neighborhood the other day and I see a yard sale with, quite literally, hundreds of records scattered around a front lawn. A couple hours scouring the piles yielded 12 records for the low, low price of $1/each.
Posted in acquisitions
Oh, the Technology
Lots of buzz about a couple of new internet music services, Spotify and Turntable.fm. End of the world? Brave New World? Party time, excellent? I investigate…
Posted in Words
Acquisitions- Past, Present, Future
Writing about music took a back seat to writing new music for a while, but here’s a rundown of some recent purchases.
Posted in Uncategorized
Miles at (19)85
Seeing as this is a jazz blog, and I am (occasionally) a jazz blogger, I am required by the JJA bylaws to write a post concerning Miles Davis’ birthday. I wasn’t really sure that I had anything to add to the conversation, but this post by Ted Panken, with a really great Marcus Miller interview, got me thinking about 1980s Miles and how his music from that decade impacted his legacy.
JazzFest 2011- Weekend One
A few days in New Orleans can really set the soul straight. I was in town for five days over the first weekend of this year’s Jazz and Heritage Festival and saw more good music in those five days than I have in the last year in Los Angeles. Granted, L.A. is a cultural wasteland, but the disparity between the two was startling and enough to make me consider missing my flight back.
Posted in Gigs
Tagged ahmad jamal, anat cohen, jazzfest, kidd jordan, renard poche, ron carter, terrence higgins
Acquisitions- Still Digital
I’m lazy. Converting all of the vinyl I’ve been buying to digital is labor-intensive and requires more patience than I have right now. So, here’s some new music I’ve purchased on CD and/or download.
On Record Store Day…
This Saturday will be the 4th Annual Record Store Day, an international celebration of independent music retailers. The festivities are highlighted by in-store performances and special releases of limited edition music, mostly on vinyl. Independent record stores? Collectible vinyl? This sounds like a holiday for jazz fans!
Except there are no jazz artists participating. None. No re-issues of classic records on weirdly-colored 180g wax, no limited edition 7″ singles of today’s up and coming artists, no one-time-only collaborations between living legends. There’s indie rock, classic rock, punk, pop, metal, hip-hop…but no jazz at all.
This shouldn’t keep you away from your local shop on RSD. Most stores are running great deals all day long, so even if none of the special releases interest you you might be able to find something good. Really, when is it not a good idea to hit up your local record store?
What it should make you do is question who the hell is running the marketing departments for our favorite jazz labels. An international event, steadily growing in popularity, taylor-made for jazz fans and artists…that sound like something a jazz marketer might want to jump all over, maybe make sure his established artists are featured, make sure his up-and-coming artists are playing in-stores in front of fans and potential fans on what is becoming the single biggest day for independent music retailers of the entire year.
Just saying, the next time you hear someone bemoaning declining jazz sales, maybe remember Record Store Day and wonder how many other opportunities are they missing?
Dammit JazzFest
What the hell, JazzFest? I stick up for you when people question your line-up, saying it isn’t jazz enough, and you re-pay me by putting Jimmy Buffet on your poster? What about Jimmy Buffet is “New Orleans” or “Jazz” or “Heritage”? Since 1995, when Jazzfest posters started featuring portraits of musicians, every artist featured was a New Orleanian. The only stretch was in 2007 when Jerry Lee Lewis was featured, but he was at least from Louisiana. Which of the following does not belong: Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, The Neville Brothers, Jimmy Buffet?
Posted in Uncategorized
