The always-interesting Ronan Guilfoye has a great anti-pop music screed up today over at his site, Mostly Music. The gist:
This music... this sticky treacly manufactured international pop goo, whose sticky effusions have polluted the entire planet, springs from no culture other than money. It represents only the international corporate business behemoth that has taken the name ‘music’ into its title, despite having no interest in the concept of what music really is. It is unprecedented in human musical history – a music without any culture. A music without any message. And ultimately a music without any true humanity.
Tell us what you really think, Ronan!Seriously, though--although I have a great fondness for this kind of crotchetiness, and I don't like most of the music he's talking about either, I have three objections to this critique:
This stuff is immensely popular and important to millions of (mostly) young people and serves as the anthems of their generation the same way that the popular music of your generation or mine did for us. YES, it's shoved down their throats by multimedia conglomerates, but the fact is that people have access to a whole world of music, and a great plurality if not majority of them are choosing to listen to this, because it resonates with them. To deny the music's humanity is to deny theirs, I think. And I would say there are millions of fully human, vibrant, intelligent young people in the world who nonetheless have crappy taste in music. (If you disagree, read this guy's blog for a while. He writes incredibly intelligently about what does not, to my untrained ears, seem to be especially intelligent music. But that makes me think twice about writing it off!)
I'm pretty sure the major purveyors of music, art, and literature throughout history have pretty much never cared about quality as much as they have about capital (at least since the end of the patronage system). Singling out today's pablum for special condemnation smacks of end-times-ism.
In spite of the incredibly annoying production values of most of today's top 40, there are still plenty of catchy tunes out there being written by actual human beings. It makes me angry sometimes, since they're so annoying, but I defy you to not get something like this stuck in your head. (And it even has a repeating modulation! Suck it, Jerome Kern!)
All that said, I really do think Auto-tune is going to ruin peoples' ears for real singing, and I do think the globalization of pop is going to continue to weaken a lot of regional music (as globalization has in every other aspect of culture, as inexorable as that is).Thinking about all this did make me think of my dad, however, who likes to respond to any overheard pop, hiphop, etc. by saying, "they've finally come up with music for people who don't like music." This from a guy who listens to Schoenberg!
Ah, summertime by the Bay--the cold, the rain, the rock-hard peaches. Hope you're all making the most of it. I wanted to drop a line to let you know about some exciting shows coming up in the next month--many of them free!As you may know, and as my wife likes to say, "Ian ran off and joined the circus!" Specifically, I'm playing with the Circus Bella All-Star Band, which accompanies the local independent circus of the same name as they go about their Death-Defying feats of Derring-Do. The band is led by composer/accordionist extraordinaire Rob Reich, and features a fine cast of Bay Area perennials (including the amazing multi-instrumentalist wizard Ralph Carney). The music is an eclectic (I know, but in this case it's true) mix of early jazz, brass band, Balkan, Gypsy, and indie rock influences, chock full of improvisation and surprises.You can catch Circus Bella (& yours truly) at the following dates & places during their 2011 Circus in the Parks series, beginning THIS WEEK! (All free, unless otherwise noted.)
Thurs 6/30, 5:30pm: Outside Revolution Cafe, West Oakland (preview show)
The band has also recorded a fine new album (click here to sample or purchase) featuring an expanded version of the group, and will be having a CD release show on July 24th (Happy Birthday to me!) at Berkeley's Freight & Salvage at 8pm. There may even be assorted juggling and other unexpected circusness!Finally, with the assistance of my lawyers, I will close by saying, Come one, Come all,one of you should come, all of you should come, to the Greatest Show on Earth!to a very good show on this planet!
Ted Panken (who I used to listen to on WKCR all the time) has a great new blog, which has already featured some gems–among them, this classic interview with Kenny G, in which Mr. G advances the curious claim that Charlie Parker was nicknamed "Bird" because his reed squeaked. The jazz Twitterverse jumped on this with a vengeance, and has since been abuzz with hundreds of other surprising #kennygjazzfacts. Arcane jazz-nerdery meets humorous lists? I'm there!
My contributions (so far) to the fact-fiesta:
They called Louis Armstrong "Pops" because he founded the Boston Pops, and ate Corn Pops, and had so many children.
They called the album "Kind of Blue" because Miles was suffering from hypothermia.
"Birdland" was actually named after the movie "The Birds" and Harold Land.
They call it the saxophone because the first one was actually made out of a phone.
"Take The A Train" was supposed to be either "Take The Train" or "Take A Train," not both!
Few people know that "Songbird" was actually a reharmonization of "Ascension."
Who knew that jazz would grow from its beginnings in David Lee Roth's "Just a Gigolo" to become a worldwide phenomenon?
No family has done more for jazz than the Jones brothers--Elvin, Thad, Hank, Tom, James Earl, and Barnaby.
Coltrane called his tune "Giant Steps" in honor of Wilt Chamberlain's feet.
Chick Webb was an inspiration to every chick with with webbed feet who dreamed of playing jazz.
Few people know that Herbie Hancock got his nickname because he Goes Bananas.
Jazz evolved in the late 1800s when rustic field hollers began to incorporate synth bass, DX-7s, and QuadraVerb.
WC Handy was such a big sports fan that he named his most famous composition after his favorite hockey team.
The word "jazz" was a common American slang term meaning "as exciting as basketball in Utah.”
I used to think Charlie Parker was great, until I found out he was just reading all those solos out of the Omnibook.
Jelly Roll Morton changed his name because "Croissant Morton" sounded too fancy.
Coltrane took such long solos because he had lockjaw, which is how he got the nickname Eddie "Lockjaw" Coltrane.
King Oliver's nickname came from his favorite movie, "Oliver!"
Joe Henderson wrote "Inner Urge" after waiting in an especially long line for the mens' room.
Everyone knows Kenny G invented jazz, but few remember Wynton Marsalis invented classical music.
More of my questionable attempts at internet humor can be found here.
UPDATE: Some of my favorites from other folks:
Is that the "Jazz Masters Cemetery" up ahead? Good–pull over. I gotta pee. (@AtmosTrio)
Tina Brooks is a huge influence on me, both as a saxophone player and as someone who constantly gets mistaken for a woman. (@keithflentge)
Trumpeter Booker Little was not only a librarian but a dwarf as well. His real name remains a mystery. (@peterhum)
And I'm grateful to WBGO for giving a shout out to this list! (I'd be even more grateful if they'd give my CD a spin.)
**No really, why have I had more luck getting attention on the web by being funny than by playing jazz? Is the universe trying to tell me something?
Last winter, in lieu of a "Best of" year-end list, I wrote a "New to Me" Top 10--the idea being that these days we're all introduced to music through a wide variety of sources including radio, blogs, YouTube, live shows, word of mouth, dudes shouting on street corners, etc., and albums which jump up on my radar these days are less likely to be "new releases" as such. "New to Me" means exactly that--an album may have been around for years or decades, but I'm sharing it because it's new to me. I also promised to make this a regular series, which I've been less than diligent about. Until now!Here are a few artists and albums which have lately been getting a lot of play around my house, car, ears, subconscious. (Two of them are even literally new!)Ambrose Akinmusire - "When the Heart Emerges Glistening" (2011), "Prelude (to Cora)" (2008): Ambrose grew up around here and has been known to frequent the same jam sessions I go to when he's in town, so it's just bad luck I haven't heard him live yet--but his recent media firestorm is well-deserved. I'd been looking forward to checking out "When the Heart" since his Blue Note deal was announced, and was even more interested after reading some interviews. A few things he said actually blew my mind a little--for example: "I can sound like the most articulate trumpet player... But at the other side, I want to be able to sound like a beginning trumpet player. I want to be able to sound like I can't play. I'm thinking of that spectrum." For a jazz musician, this is kind of a shocking statement--it shouldn't be, since that whole unpolished, raw quality has been part of the music since its earliest days--but I think players devote so much (necessary) time and energy to becoming masters of technique (playing the "right notes," having a clean sound and execution, etc.) that they don't often give themselves permission to be messy and raw (and play some clams if necessary). I recently wrote that I really enjoyed David Smith's playing due to the unapologetic "trumpety-ness" of it, and Ambrose really takes this ball and runs with it. Obviously he's not the first player to combine that fondness for the messier side of the horn with solid chops (I think Dizzy, Don Cherry, Lester Bowie, Dave Douglas, and early Wynton are probably all in his artistic genealogy somewhere--he might like my hero Shake Keane too), but the adventurous unpredictability of his ideas is what really makes it stand out for me. I really enjoyed "Heart," which is pretty evenly happening (although the production sometimes gets a little weird, like when overenthusiastic use of panning gives the impression Ambrose is flying around the studio on a wire)--so I also checked out "Cora," which I think I might like even better, since it comes across as having even less studio-polish (despite a fair amount of synths) and the fearless blowing comes to the fore.Clare Fischer - "First Time Out" (1962), "Surging Ahead" (1963): Fischer first cropped up on my radar in college, when my arranging teacher Mike Mossman touted his big band charts. But I never really checked out his piano playing until recently, when I found a $5 LP of "First Time Out" after doing a gig at Bird & Beckett's and was inspired to dig deeper. So I managed to track down a used copy of "Mosaic Select: The Pacific Jazz Trios," which includes the complete tracks from "First Time," "Surging," and some unreleased odds and ends from Fischer's early 60s trio featuring the young Gary Peacock, plus other great material from West Coast pianists Russ Freeman, Richard Twardzick, and Jimmy Rowles. Fischer comes across on these albums as a really interesting improviser, tons of chops (his octave lines alone should win over the bopheads), melodicism, with an arranger's ear for harmony and plenty of daring. Highlights include "Free Too Long," a brisk free-blowing tune (over steady time) which is an interesting comparison to Peacock's (slightly) later work with Paul Bley, or Keith Jarrett's early trio albums; a burning version of "Lennie's Pennies" (Fischer was obviously working his way through Tristano's language and finds interesting, personal things to extrapolate from it); plus straightahead smokers like "Without a Song" and intricate originals like "Strayhorn," heard below:Fischer is still very active and I look forward to checking out more of his work from the past 40 years; I also came across a great podcast which includes plenty of his early playing and arranging work--check it out here: Extension: Clare Fischer in the 1960s.Avishai Cohen - "Introducing Triveni" (2010): Another strong record from a young(ish) trumpeter. Cohen has lately been playing with the SFJAZZ Collective--don't be confused by the name, the group's only connection to San Francisco is the address on their W-2s--but I hadn't really checked him out before I picked up this disc in Vancouver. (Canadian CD stores are a lot better for jazz than American stores.) (But not even close to Japanese stores.) My first band out of college was a trumpet/bass/drums trio, so I can appreciate how challenging it can be for the chops, but I remember it also encouraged interesting, less chord-dependent writing, and that's certainly the case here. The band is swinging, loose, and sound like they're really enjoying themselves. Cohen's playing is impressive and imaginative throughout (and like Akinmusire, full of raspiness, vocalizations and other effects). Highlights for me were a great version of Don Cherry's "Art Deco" and an absolutely killing live track called "October 25th." With Cohen and Akinmusire, plus other folks like Kirk Knuffke, Jason Palmer and David Smith (not to mention the badasses here in the Bay Area!), it's become clear to me that there are entirely too many happening young trumpeters out there. May be time to switch to the mellophone or something. (Nope, too late.)Well that does it for this installment of "New to Me"--those are three artists which have been floating my boat lately, and maybe they'll float yours, too. On a final cheesy note, why not take a second and Like my Facebook page? It's quick, painless, and I swear I will never fall for any of those click-through viruses which flood your wall with posts about working from home. (I mean never fall for any of them AGAIN.)
Hi folks, thanks to everyone who came out to recent shows in Berkeley and Oakland. I've got another show coming up in Berkeley at Caffe Trieste, home of an array of strange and wonderful coffeemakers worthy of Frankenstein's lab. I'll be joining bassist Noah Schenker and friends for an evening of straightahead cookin' on standards, jazz classics, some originals and other rarities.What: The Noah Schenker QuartetWho: Noah Schenker, bass; Ian Carey, trumpet; Adam Shulman, piano; TBA, drums (but you know it'll be somebody good).When: Tuesday, May 10, 7-10pmWhere: Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., BerkeleyHow Much: Free!Also, for those of you who weren't able to make it to Takoyaki 3's inaugural show at the Actual Jazz Series last month, series founder Jacob Zimmerman and Theo Padouvas were kind enough to video the entire show, so I thought I'd share two tunes. The first is our take on "How Deep is the Ocean":Next up is our impromptu closer (when we realized our set was running short)--"All Seven Things" (apologies to Jerome Kern):
Hi folks, hope everyone's swinging through spring and enjoying the weather while avoiding giant villainous clouds of pollen. I wanted to let you know about a couple of shows this week, plus give you a few musical snippets to hopefully whet your appetites.First up is a show Tuesday in Berkeley with some longtime musical pals--we'll be playing a variety of tunes old & new to a steady accompaniment of espresso grinding and milk frothing:What: Noah Schenker Quartet Who: Noah Schenker, Adam Shulman, Jon Arkin, Ian Carey Where: Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley When: Tuesday, April 12, 7-10pmNext up, this Sunday will be the premiere of my new group, Takoyaki 3, as part of Jacob Zimmerman's Actual Jazz Series right here in Oakland. For some reason, I described the group this way:
Takoyaki 3 is a streamlined, street-food-style version of Ian Carey’s successful quintet, featuring longtime collaborators Adam Shulman on Hammond B3 organ and Bryan Bowman on drums. The recipe begins with a delicious batter of original composition and improvisation, adds meaty chunks of the jazz tradition, cooks til golden brown, then tops with a generous handful of experimentation and plenty of mayonnaise.
We'll be sharing the bill with the amazing vocaphonist Lorin Benedict who is the curator for the evening and was kind enough to invite us along:What: Actual Jazz Series featuring Lorin Benedict/Sam Ospovat Duo and Ian Carey's Takoyaki 3 Where: Actual Cafe, Oakland When: Sunday, April 17, 5-7pm (My group's going on first.)Believe it or not, both shows have NO COVER! So please come out to either or both of them and support live music. It's what our founding fathers would have wanted!Now as promised, here are a couple of little audio tidbits for your perusal--first, a tune of mine from Takoyaki 3's rehearsal today. In the spirit of adventure, it's not a complete take but gives you a taste of what the group is sounding like:
And for the real die-hards, here's an interesting Tristano-esque experiment I did recently--I took a playalong of "Cherokee" in a weird key, slowed it to half-time, recorded myself playing over it, then sped the recording back up to normal tempo. The result is strange and kind of interesting and might be a glance at what I could be sounding like some time in the future. Here you go:
The always-interesting Ronan Guilfoye has a great anti-pop music screed up today over at his site, Mostly Music. The gist:
