Must Have "Jazz for Barack Obama" Button Based on "Blue Train"

If you are voting for the Barack Obama / Joe Biden ticket in the coming weeks, then be sure to snag one of these awesome "Jazz for Barack Obama" buttons from Democratic Stuff based on John Coltrane's "Blue Train" cover  -- or find me on one of my upcoming gigs and ask for one -- I've got 20 on the way! If you're looking to support the other ticket, you're out of luck: after some digging around, the only real mention of "Jazz for McCain" was someone laughing at the concept. Better luck next time!

Update on 2008-10-18 04:54 by David Marriott, Jr.

Yippee! My buttons showed up! If you spot me out and about, ask for one!

Forest Whitaker to Star in Louis Armstrong Biopic

Forest Whitaker may end up being the only person in history to portray not one but TWO famous jazzmen on the big screen. We all remember his wonderful performance as Charlie Parker in Clint Eastwood's "Bird" -- say what you will about the movie, but his acting was superb -- and now he will be taking on the role of Louis Armstrong in a the film,"What a Wonderful World".  Whitaker will also direct the film, which is being produced by Paris-based Legende and co-executive produced by Oscar Cohen, executive of the Armstrong estate and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. With seemingly little action going on in the "jazz film" world, this new production will start shooting new summer in Louisiana. Maybe Buddy Catlett will get a cameo!

Watch Video of the Solo J. J. Johnson Called "The Most Articulate Trombone Performance I've Ever Heard"

I clipped this article from the March 1988 Downbeat magazine many years ago while doing my studies at the University of Washington:

 

I remember seeing this video on TV, but I guess I didn't make it to this part of the program -- after all, I was only 14 years old when this would have been on TV, and probably had to go to bed early on a school night. I've thought of this video off and on for many years, and nobody I talked to ever seemed to have a copy.  I got an itch to search for it again, and found it -- of course -- on YouTube. Someone had posted the whole concert in pieces, so I snagged Slide Hampton's solo, and edited it up for your viewing pleasure. Behold: the solo that J. J. Johnson called "The Most Articulate Trombone Performance I've Ever Heard": (click here if you can't see the video)

In The Beginning There Was a Bass

Forwarded to me by Steve Korn, this is the introduction to bassist Tony Levin's book, "Beyond the Bass Clef: The Life and Art of Bass Playing". It is a great take on the creation story ala bass clef:

In the beginning there was a bass. It was a Fender, probably a Precision, but it could have been a Jazz - nobody knows. Anyway, it was very old ... definitely pre-C.B.S.

And God looked down upon it and saw that it was good. He saw that it was very good in fact, and couldn't be improved on at all (though men would later try.) And so He let it be and He created a man to play the bass.

And lo the man looked upon the bass, which was a beautiful 'sunburst' red, and he loved it. He played upon the open E string and the note rang through the earth and reverberated throughout the firmaments (thus reverb came to be.) And it was good. And God heard that it was good and He smiled at his handiwork.

Then in the course of time, the man came to slap upon the bass. And lo it was funky.

And God heard this funkiness and He said, "Go man, go." And it was good.

And more time passed, and, having little else to do, the man came to practice upon the bass. And lo, the man came to have upon him a great set of chops. And he did play faster and faster until the notes rippled like a breeze through the heavens.

And God heard this sound which sounded something like the wind, which He had created earlier. It also sounded something like the movement of furniture, which He hadn't even created yet, and He was not so pleased. And He spoke to the man, saying "Don't do that!"

Now the man heard the voice of God, but he was so excited about his new ability that he slapped upon the bass a blizzard of funky notes. And the heavens shook with the sound, and the Angels ran about in confusion. (Some of the Angels started to dance, but that's another story.)

And God heard this - how could He miss it - and lo He became Bugged. And He spoke to the man, and He said, "Listen man, if I wanted Jimi Hendrix I would have created the guitar. Stick to the bass parts."

And the man heard the voice of God, and he knew not to mess with it. But now he had upon him a passion for playing fast and high. The man took the frets off of the bass which God had created. And the man did slide his fingers upon the fretless fingerboard and play melodies high upon the neck. And, in his excitement, the man did forget the commandment of the Lord, and he played a frenzy of high melodies and blindingly fast licks. And the heavens rocked with the assault and the earth shook, rattled and rolled.

Low God's wrath was great. And His voice was thunder as He spoke to the man.

And He said, "O.K. for you, pal. You have not heeded My word. Lo, I shall create an soprano saxophone and it shall play higher than you can even think of."

"And from out of the chaos I shall bring forth the drums. And they shall play so many notes thine head shall ache, and I shall make you to always stand next to the drummer."

"You think you're loud? I shall create a stack of Marshall guitar amps to make thine ears bleed. And I shall send down upon the earth other instruments, and lo, they shall all be able to play higher and faster than the bass."

"And for all the days of man, your curse shall be this; that all the other musicians shall look to you, the bass player, for the low notes. And if you play too high or fast all the other musicians shall say "Wow" but really they shall hate it. And they shall tell you you're ready for your solo career, and find other bass players for their bands. And for all your days if you want to play your fancy licks you shall have to sneak them in like a thief in the night."

"And if you finally do get to play a solo, everyone shall leave the bandstand and go to the bar for a drink."

And it was so.

Marc Fendel's 21 Jazz Recordings from Which I Learned

Marc Fendel sent me a great list to put on the blog a while back, and I'm just now getting to posting it. The list is the twenty-one recordings that Marc learned from as a young student of jazz music in his first eight years of playing. You'd be hard pressed to find another list that provides such a solid foundation for becoming a jazz improvisor.

Marc Fendel's 21 Jazz Recordings from Which I Learned:

• Cannonball Adderley “What Is This Thing Called Soul”
• Cannonball Adderley “and Nancy Wilson”
• Cannonball Adderley “In New York”
• Cannonball Adderley “Nippon Soul”
• Cannonball Adderley “Just Friends”
• Cannonball Adderley “Know What I Mean”
• John Coltrane “Blue Train”
• John Coltrane “Giant Steps”
• Miles Davis “Miles and Coltrane”
• Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”
• Kenny Dorham “Quiet Kenny”
• Dexter Gordon “Go”
• Dexter Gordon “Great Encounters”
• Dexter Gordon “Manhattan Symphonie”
• Dexter Gordon “The Jumpin Blues”
• Gerry Mulligan "with Chet Baker"
  
• Art Pepper “Meets the Rhythm Section”
• Sonny Rollins “Live In Denmark vol. 1 & vol.2”
• Sonny Rollins “Sonny Side Up”
• Sonny Rollins “Worktime”
• Sonny Stitt “Sits In with Oscar Peterson Trio”

Your Brain on Jazz: MRI Research into Jazz Musicians' Brains at John Hopkins

A good friend recently e-mailed me this press release from Johns Hopkins Medicine, discussing new MRI research into the brain activity of jazz musicians during the act of improvisation. Here are a few snipets from the article:

A pair of Johns Hopkins and government scientists have discovered that when jazz musicians improvise, their brains turn off areas linked to self-censoring and inhibition, and turn on those that let self-expression flow.

The joint research, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, and musician volunteers from the Johns Hopkins University's Peabody Institute sheds light on the creative improvisation that artists and non-artists use in everyday life, the investigators say.

It appears, they conclude, that jazz musicians create their unique improvised riffs by turning off inhibition and turning up creativity.

This is quite fascinating research, so be sure to read the entire article. After you've finished that, start to think about that research in terms of this new technology, where they are now able to do real-time scanning of your brain.  I would love to see the brain changing in real time as the data from the first article would suggest.  Enjoy this video from TED regarding real-time brain scanning:

Trombone Jokes

More good humor sent to me by trumpet player Andy Omdahl:

What's the difference between a bass trombone and a chain saw?
1. Vibrato, though you can minimize this difference by holding the chain saw very still.
2. It's easier to improvise on a chainsaw.

How can you make a French horn sound like a trombone?
1. Take your hand out of the bell and lose all sense of taste.
2. Take your hand out of the bell and miss all of the notes!

How do you know when a trombone player is at your door?
The doorbell drags.

What is a gentleman?
Somebody who knows how to play the trombone, but doesn't.

What do you call a trombonist with a beeper and a cellular telephone?
An optimist.

What is the difference between a dead trombone player lying in the road, and a dead squirrel lying in the road?
The squirrel might have been on his way to a gig.

How many trombonists does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one, but he'll do it too loudly

How do you know when there's a trombonist at your door?
His hat says 'Domino's Pizza'

How do you improve the aerodynamics of a trombonist's car?
Take the Domino's Pizza sign off the roof.

What kind of calendar does a trombonist use for his gigs?
'Year-At-A-Glance.'

How can you tell which kid on a playground is the child of a trombonist?
He doesn't know how to use the slide, and he can't swing.

What is the dynamic range of the bass trombone?
On or off.

Musician Quotes

Thanks to trumpet player Andy Omdahl for send these my way:

 "Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them."
Richard Strauss

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
Aldous Huxley

"The drummer drives. Everybody else rides!"
Panama Francis

"Some days you get up and put the horn to your chops and it sounds pretty good and you win. Some days you try and nothing works and the horn wins. This goes on and on and then you die and the horn wins."
Dizzy Gillespie, on playing the trumpet

"Jazz is the only music in which the same note can be played night after night but differently each time."
Omette Coleman

"We never play anything the same way once. "
Shelly Manne's definition of jazz musicians

"Someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't."
AI Cohn's definition of a gentleman

"To be a musician is a curse. To NOT be one is even worse."
Jack Daney

"I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve."
Xavier Cugat

"Flint must be an extremely wealthy town: I see that each of you bought two or three seats."
Victor Borge, playing to a half-filled house in Flint, Michigan

"Critics can't even make music by rubbing their back legs together."
Mel Brooks

"Wagner's music is better than it sounds."
Mark Twain

"Berlioz s ays nothing in his music, but he says it magnificently."
James Gibbons Hunekar

"God tells me how the music should sound, but you stand in the way. "
Arturo Toscanini, to a trumpet player

"Already too loud! "
Bruno Walter at his first rehearsal with an American orchestra, on seeing the players reaching for their instruments

"When she started to play, Steinway himself came down personally and rubbed his name off the piano. "
Bob Hope, on comedienne Phyllis DilIer

"In opera, there is always too much singing."
Claude Debussy

"I think popular music in this country is one of the few things in the twentieth century that has made giant strides in reverse."
Bing Crosby

"The bottom line of any country is, what did we contribute to the world? We contributed Louis Armstrong."
Tony Bennett

Help Me Pick My New Albums' Theme

I'm using the power of the Internet to select the theme for my next recording with my band, Septology. I started this band with the idea of using a septet to perform seven part suites, and started with the seven days of creation, which was released on the album, In the Beginning. I've also written and performed suites based on Jonathan Lethem's seven short story collection The Wall of the Sky, The Wall of the Eye and H.P. Blavatsky's seven principles of man.

I'm getting ready to start working on a new recording with the group, and am trying to pick the next theme, but am having a tough time -- I need your help! I've narrowed the list down to seven that I'd really like to do, but can't pick one, and I'd like to hear from you.  I'll also take any suggestions you might have that aren't on the list, but I'll mention only that I'd like to stay away from a biblical theme, Jonathan Lethem, or a philosophical concept -- things I've already done. So here is the list of seven sevens:

• Seven Lucky Gods exist in Japanese mythology
• The number of basic principles of the bushido
• In Guaraní mythology, the number of prominent legendary monsters
• Seven Articles of the Constitution
• Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
  
• Harlan Ellison's short story collection I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
• Seven Archangels - more from occult/magic information than Judeo-Christian background

Let me know -- post a comment! I won't make a decision until my Cabaret gigs are over in a couple weeks, so give me your feedback, and thank you!

Playing "Cabaret" in San Jose

Lots to talk about! Sorry to have been away from the blog so long, but I keep needing to take breaks and reinvent this thing. I've yet to officially launch the site as "completed", but it's coming soon, I promise -- almost there! I've been playing trombone and tuba in a three-ctiy production of "Cabaret" for the last month and going through the middle of May, and I'm having a great time on a great gig. I've met many talented people -- all of whom I hope to stay in contact with for many years to come. I've also had a great time documenting the process.  With my T-Mobile Dash and Kodak C813 for stills and video, I was armed at all times -- although I will admit in hindsight that I missed some great moments, only because I was too busy enjoying them! I'll be posting many more detailed posts about this gig in the coming weeks, but to wet your appetite, you can check out all my photos on Flickr, and here is a video of me doing my make-up:

www.flickr.com RedRaspus' Cabaret - San Jose photoset