Filipino actor and comedian
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On this episode, Marc talks with Jonathan Grasse, author of “Jazz Revolutionary: The Life and Music of Eric Dolphy,” due out on October 15. It's a thorough history of the legendary jazz multi-instrumentalist, who produced an impressive body of work both on his own and in groups led by John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson, and many more, before his tragic death in 1964 at age 36. Grasse crafts the first truly comprehensive biography of Dolphy by tracing nearly every step of his music career, as well as delving deep into the releases he appeared on. As he writes, “Jazz Revolutionary approaches the artist's recordings as essential cultured artifacts, as primary texts..[Dophy had] a warrior-monk dedication to exploring diverse musical resources beyond what the extant jazz vocabulary provided.”We hope you enjoy Marcs conversation with Jonathon Grasse!
*APOLOGIES FOR AUDIO QUALITY* Kayleigh is live and in-person with Laura in order to delve into a fresh batch of weird news stories that have them questioning their sanity and the world. Ep 161 stories discussed: 1. Missing? Check The Roof 2. Everybody Loves Streamers 3. Bad Dolphin
George Russell was one of the foremost composer/arrangers in Modern Jazz and always a forward thinker. He recorded under his own name in the mid-50's but didn't form an actual working band until 1960 when he put together his Sextet. He recorded for Decca and the independent label, Riverside Records and until he left the US for Europe in the mid-60's. it was a golden and productive period for Russell. This is a very special album and the only one where the great Eric Dolphy who is heard here on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, was a member of Russell's Sextet. The album was recorded on May 8,1961 in New York for Riverside and titled "Ezz-Thetics". The personnel of the band includes Don Ellis on trumpet, Dave Baker on trombone, Dolphy, bassist Steve Swallow, drummer Joe Hunt and Russell on piano. George Russell arranged all the tunes and composed 4 of the 7 tunes here. Two unique interpretations are included here and scored by Russell they are: Miles Davis' "Nardis" and Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight". This is a special album as are all of Russell's recordings with the Sextet but the presence of Eric Dolphy makes this one extra special. "Ezz-Thetics" is the Jazz Feature tonight.
This classic album is tonight's Jazz Feature recorded 64 years ago on April 1, 1960 at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio for Prestige/New Jazz Records. It was Eric's first album under his name and leadership. Dolphy, who was from Los Angeles had moved to New York and after working in L.A. for many years came to New York as a member of drummer Chico Hamilton's Quintet. After leaving Hamilton and settling in the big city, Eric began working with Charles Mingus in early 1960 and recorded this album with his room mate, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. Eric wisely selected veteran drummer Roy Haynes and a strong bassist named George Tucker plus piano giant Jaki Byard who he met in the Mingus band. They formed a very cohesive band for this date and it sounds like a working band. The date is a classic and marked the real beginning of Eric's short but eventful career. His unique compositions are heard here as well as his alto saxophone, bass clarinet and flute. Eric sadly died at age 36 in Germany from undiagnosed diabetes. "Outward Bound" stands as a great early milestone to Eric's life and music. It's tonight's Jazz Feature.
Start the new year off on the right foot! Our friends Mike and Russ from The Adult Music Podcast join us on this episode of Same Difference to review the Jazz standard "You Don't Know What Love Is"! Tune in as FOUR Jazz fans listen to and discuss versions by Dinah Washington, Miles Davis, George Benson, Eric Dolphy, Sinne Eeg, and the John Hicks Trio.
TED CURSON - TEARS FOR DOLPHY - Paris, France, August 1, 1964 East 6th Street, Tears for Dolphy, Quicksand (1,2) Ted Curson (tp,pocket tp-1) Bill Barron (ts,cl-2) Herb Bushler (b) Dick Berk (d) unknown (perc-3) CLAIRE DALY / GEORGE GARZONE - VUVU FOR FRANCES - New York, October 7 & 8, 2021 All the way, Sweet Georgia bright, The very thought of you George Garzone (ts) Claire Daly (bar,vcl) Jon Davis (p) Dave Hofstra (b) David F. Gibson (d) DOXAS BROTHERS - KINDRED - Pointe-Claire, Québec March 2022 Two's a Crowd, Caledon East, Dancing on the Roof Chet Doxas (ts) Marc Copland (p) Adrian Vedady (b) Jim Doxas (d)
If Eric Dolphy's music were a school of painting it would be analytical cubism: planar and angular, multi-directional and austere, But it's not abstract. It's showing us something we know; we are simply experiencing it in a completely new way. His work, in its frame, becomes an entire reality unto itself. It's endless. So what happens when you place this masterly museum piece in a sweaty nightclub? Does it shine? Does it wilt? Does Dolphy change his approach? Few have examined Dolphy more closely than saxophonist/bandleader/poet/professor Roy Nathanson but we don't know if even Roy has heard the recordings from the WKCR archives that we'll play on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus this Monday (8/21) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time. It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/ Did you know that you can find out more about Deep Focus and research past episodes here? https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ Photo credit: fair use. #WKCR #DeepFocus #JazzAlternatives #RoyNathanson #EricDolphy #MitchGoldman #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast
If Eric Dolphy's music were a school of painting it would be analytical cubism: planar and angular, multi-directional and austere, But it's not abstract. It's showing us something we know; we are simply experiencing it in a completely new way. His work, in its frame, becomes an entire reality unto itself. It's endless. So what happens when you place this masterly museum piece in a sweaty nightclub? Does it shine? Does it wilt? Does Dolphy change his approach? Few have examined Dolphy more closely than saxophonist/bandleader/poet/professor Roy Nathanson but we don't know if even Roy has heard the recordings from the WKCR archives that we'll play on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus this Monday (8/21) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time. It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/ Did you know that you can find out more about Deep Focus and research past episodes here? https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ Photo credit: photographer unknown. #WKCR #DeepFocus #JazzAlternatives #RoyNathanson #EricDolphy #MitchGoldman #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast
If Eric Dolphy's music were a school of painting it would be analytical cubism: planar and angular, multi-directional and austere, But it's not abstract. It's showing us something we know; we are simply experiencing it in a completely new way. His work, in its frame, becomes an entire reality unto itself. It's endless. So what happens when you place this masterly museum piece in a sweaty nightclub? Does it shine? Does it wilt? Does Dolphy change his approach? Few have examined Dolphy more closely than saxophonist/bandleader/poet/professor Roy Nathanson but we don't know if even Roy has heard the recordings from the WKCR archives that we'll play on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus this Monday (8/21) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time. It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/ Did you know that you can find out more about Deep Focus and research past episodes here? https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ Photo credit: Eric Dolphy courtesy of Prestige Records. #WKCR #DeepFocus #JazzAlternatives #RoyNathanson #EricDolphy #MitchGoldman #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast
Maggie speaks with Grammy-winning music historian, journalist, producer, and educator Ashley Kahn about Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. In 1961, the John Coltrane Quintet played an engagement at the legendary Village Gate in Greenwich Village, New York. Coltrane's Classic Quartet was not as fully established as it would soon become and there was a meteoric fifth member of Coltrane's group those nights— visionary multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. Ninety minutes of never-before-heard music from this group were recently discovered at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, offering a glimpse into a powerful musical partnership that ended much too soon. In addition to some well-known Coltrane material (“My Favorite Things”, “Impressions”, “Greensleeves”), there is a breathtaking feature for Dolphy's bass clarinet on “When Lights Are Low” and the only known non-studio recording of Coltrane's composition “Africa”, from the Africa/Brass album. This recording represents a very special moment in John Coltrane's journey—the summer of 1961—when his signature, ecstatic live sound, commonly associated his Classic Quartet of '62 to '65, was first maturing and when he was drawing inspiration from deep, African sources— and experimenting with the two-bass idea both in the studio (Olé) and on stage. This truly rare recording of "Africa" captures his expansive vision at the time.Ashley Kahn is a Grammy-winning American music historian, journalist, producer, and professor. He teaches at New York University's Clive Davis Institute for Recorded Music, and has written books on two legendary recordings—Kind of Blue by Miles Davis and A Love Supreme by John Coltrane—as well as one book on a legendary record label: The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records. He also co-authored the Carlos Santana autobiography The Universal Tone, and edited Rolling Stone: The Seventies, a 70-essay overview of that pivotal decade. His latest book is entitled George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters. Source: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/evenings-at-the-village-gate-john-coltrane-impulse-records__14009Source: https://www.impulserecords.com/#/Source: https://tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/clive-davis-institute/1417614318Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.Support the show
Esta semana, en una nueva sesión de Rebelión Sónica, los invitamos a escuchar el viejo/nuevo disco “Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy”, grabación que documenta un raro encuentro entre estos dos gigantes del jazz, ambos fallecidos muy jóvenes. Editado el recién pasado 14 de julio el sello Impulse!, el álbum en vivo nunca antes escuchado fue registrado durante la residencia de Coltrane en el club Village Gate de Nueva York durante el verano de 1961. El registro consta de 80 minutos de música inédita con los dos vientistas acompañados por el pianista McCoy Tyner, el bajista Reggie Workman y el baterista Elvin Jones. Dolphy murió tres años después, y esta grabación tiene la importancia histórica de ser el único documento en vivo de estas presentaciones en el Village Gate. Además de material de Coltrane bien conocido (‘My Favorite Things’, ‘Impressions’ y ‘Greensleeves’), Dolphy aporta una sección ampliada de clarinete bajo en ‘When Lights Are Low’, mientras que el conjunto también incluye la única grabación conocida fuera de estudio de la composición de Coltrane, ‘Africa’, que cuenta en esta versión con el bajista Art Davis. Las cintas de la reveladora grabación fueron descubiertas recientemente en la Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York, en una grabación hecha por el ingeniero Rich Alderson, que realizó como parte de una prueba del nuevo sistema de sonido del club. El lanzamiento además incluirá ensayos de dos participantes de esas noches en Village Gate: el bajista Reggie Workman y el ingeniero Rich Alderson, así como de la historiadora de jazz Ashley Kahn y de los saxofonistas Branford Marsalis y Lakecia Benjamin, todos ofreciendo valiosos y perspicaces artículos sobre las grabaciones.
durée : 00:54:29 - John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy - par : Alex Dutilh - Sortie annoncée chez Impulse / Universal, le 14 juillet, des enregistrements inédits du quartet de John Coltrane rejoint par Eric Dolphy au Village Gate de New York à l'été 1961. Solaire et bouleversant.
durée : 00:54:29 - John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy - par : Alex Dutilh - Sortie annoncée chez Impulse / Universal, le 14 juillet, des enregistrements inédits du quartet de John Coltrane rejoint par Eric Dolphy au Village Gate de New York à l'été 1961. Solaire et bouleversant.
Dolphy Day 2023 - Le Moyne College Le Moyne College's annual Dolphy Day celebration was a resounding success this year as the dolphins finally got to frolic amidst the unseasonably warm temperatures. The late day in April saw temperatures soaring to the upper 80s, providing the perfect setting for students to take their traditional ditch day and enjoy a day of fun and festivities with friends. Since 1971, Dolphy Day has been a beloved tradition at Le Moyne College, named in honour of the late Eric Dolphy, a renowned jazz musician who passed away in 1964 at the young age of 36. The campus was buzzing with activity as students engaged in a range of activities such as frisbee, lacrosse, and spirited partying, all set to the backdrop of music blasting across the quad. Whether you're a student looking to unwind after a long semester or a visitor keen on experiencing the vibrant campus culture at Le Moyne College, Dolphy Day is an event you don't want to miss. So mark your calendars and join in the festivities as the dolphins finally frolic once again. --- This episode is sponsored by Mays Tropical Sea Moss. Juice your day up with their fruit-infused sea moss drinks and gel. Also, check them out on Instagram @maystropicalseamoss https://www.instagram.com/maystropicalseamoss/ The order form can also be found here: https://buzzinenterprise.co/maystropicalseamoss --- Check Out The Podcast: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5jlLjI_vyavlC1V2RxMBVg Anchor: https://anchor.fm/everythingandanythingpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zaktcxIuyq0DgZZW3OF7H Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everything-and-anything-podcast/id1552668252?uo=4 Google Podcast: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80NzdjNjcyMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/392653c8-2432-4111-b68c-c3ebd089560d/everything-and-anything-podcast --- Social Media and Website: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/buzzinenterprise Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingandanythingpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/eandapod Website: https://buzzinenterprise.co --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/everythingandanythingpod/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/everythingandanythingpod/support
Noticias, ideas y trucos sobre WordPress, Gutenberg, Full Site Editing y más. Este vídeo se publicó originalmente en Blogpocket.com el 14 de abril de 2023. 00:00 - Presentación. 00:43 - WordPress 6.2 se lanzó el 29 de marzo de 2023 con el apodo "Dolphy", en honor del músico de jazz Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. 01:57 - Como sabes, en Blogpocket mantenemos una infografía y una lista de reproducción con todos los músicos de jazz de las versiones de WordPress. 03:12 - Hemos empezado a utilizar en Blogpocket.com el tipo de letra Libre Baskerbille. 03:39 - El cambio de fuente en Blogpocket fue inspirado por el blog de Johaness Ernst 04:09 - El nuevo experimento en Blogpocket se llama Feditopia y consiste en mostrar la conversación en Mastodon de una selección de activistas. 06:34 - Herramienta recomendada: SEO IA en Pootlepress de Jamie Marsland. 08:06 - Artículo recomendado: Cómo usar bien ChatGPT. Con el método explicado en este artículo, generamos un nuevo cuento para Siempre Irrelevante. 10:01 - Ejemplo práctico de nuevas funciones de WordPress 6.2: cómo poner una línea vertical entre dos columnas. Más información: 10 novedades de WordPress 6.2 que debes conocer. 14:28 - La frase inspiradora de la semana de la mano de Lisa Simpson y Victor Hugo. 15:02 - Despedida
Named after the multi-instrumentalist Eric Allan Dolphy Jr., WordPress 6.2 "Dolphy"'s high notes are riffed on by WordPress's Executive Director, Josepha Haden Chomphosy, in this 53rd episode of the WordPress Briefing.
Dolphy is the jazzy code name for the first major WordPress release of 2023, version 6.2. As the foundation of our tech stack (and maybe even our entire business) it's important to keep up with what's happening with WordPress and what parent company Automatic has planned.
Dolphy is the jazzy code name for the first major WordPress release of 2023, version 6.2. As the foundation of our tech stack (and maybe even our entire business) it's important to keep up with what's happening with WordPress and what parent company Automatic has planned.
After a time formatting bug caused a 24-hour delay, WordPress 6.2, code-named “Dolphy”, was released on March 29th. According to core contributor Jean-Baptiste Audras, 607 people from at least 50 countries were part of the release squad.Perhaps the biggest development in 6.2 is that the “beta” label has been removed from the Site Editor. The feature was first added in WordPress 5.9 and has undergone steady improvements. A new interface has been implemented this time around.Other enhancements include a revamped UI for both the Block Inserter and individual block controls. Direct access to Openverse media has also been added, allowing users to search, download, and insert openly-licensed content into their sites.For a rundown of key features, check out a handy guide from GoDaddy's Courtney Robertson. Links You Shouldn't MissWordPress.com alerted users that its access to the Twitter API was suspended on April 4. No specific reason was provided by Twitter. As Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports, the API powers Jetpack's Social Sharing feature. The situation was in limbo for a few hours, but service was eventually restored. During the outage, users couldn't automatically tweet out new content from their websites. Ironically (or not), Twitter recently announced a “new era of transparency” at the company.WordPress core contributor Mario Santos recently posted a proposal outlining the Interactivity API. This would enable developers to build blocks that are interactive on the front end. Santos notes examples including the ability to “heart” a post and performing an instant search. The project is currently experimental. A plugin is available for testing.The makers of Beaver Builder have announced the launch of Assistant Pro. It's a cloud storage and community template platform. Free page builder templates available for download. In addition, a marketplace allows users to both buy and sell. Templates can also be stored in the cloud and shared with team members.A couple of popular commercial plugins have released critical security fixes. Elementor Pro patched a vulnerability that impacted sites running the page builder in conjunction with WooCommerce. Meanwhile, Advanced Custom Fields PRO patched a PHP object injection vulnerability. If you use either plugin, be sure to update to the latest version.The name iThemes has long been recognizable in the WordPress ecosystem. The maker of popular plugins like BackupBuddy and iThemes Security Pro has undergone a name change. In order to better reflect their products, the company has announced a rebrand to SolidWP. iThemes customers shouldn't notice any pricing changes or support disruption during the transition.Links You Shouldn't MissWordPress.com alerted users that its access to the Twitter API was suspended on April 4. No specific reason was provided by Twitter. As Sarah Gooding of WP Tavern reports, the API powers Jetpack's Social Sharing feature. The situation was in limbo for a few hours, but service was eventually restored. During the outage, users couldn't automatically tweet out new content from their websites. Ironically (or not), Twitter recently announced a “new era of transparency” at the company.WordPress core contributor Mario Santos recently posted a proposal outlining the Interactivity API. This would enable developers to build blocks that are interactive on the front end. Santos notes examples including the ability to “heart” a post and performing an instant search. The project is currently experimental. A plugin is available for testing.The makers of Beaver Builder have announced the launch of Assistant Pro. It's a cloud storage and community template platform. Free page builder templates available for download. In addition, a marketplace allows users to both buy and sell. Templates can also be stored in the cloud and shared with team members.A couple of popular commercial plugins have released critical security fixes. Elementor Pro patched a vulnerability that impacted sites running the page builder in conjunction with WooCommerce. Meanwhile, Advanced Custom Fields PRO patched a PHP object injection vulnerability. If you use either plugin, be sure to update to the latest version.The name iThemes has long been recognizable in the WordPress ecosystem. The maker of popular plugins like BackupBuddy and iThemes Security Pro has undergone a name change. In order to better reflect their products, the company has announced a rebrand to SolidWP. iThemes customers shouldn't notice any pricing changes or support disruption during the transition. ★ Support this podcast ★
Episode 164 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at "White Light/White Heat" and the career of the Velvet Underground. This is a long one, lasting three hours and twenty minutes. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-three minute bonus episode available, on "Why Don't You Smile Now?" by the Downliners Sect. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Errata I say the Velvet Underground didn't play New York for the rest of the sixties after 1966. They played at least one gig there in 1967, but did generally avoid the city. Also, I refer to Cale and Conrad as the other surviving members of the Theater of Eternal Music. Sadly Conrad died in 2016. Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by the Velvet Underground, and some of the avant-garde pieces excerpted run to six hours or more. I used a lot of resources for this one. Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground Story by Victor Bockris and Gerard Malanga is the best book on the group as a group. I also used Joe Harvard's 33 1/3 book on The Velvet Underground and Nico. Bockris also wrote one of the two biographies of Reed I referred to, Transformer. The other was Lou Reed by Anthony DeCurtis. Information on Cale mostly came from Sedition and Alchemy by Tim Mitchell. Information on Nico came from Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon by Richard Witts. I used Draw a Straight Line and Follow it by Jeremy Grimshaw as my main source for La Monte Young, The Roaring Silence by David Revill for John Cage, and Warhol: A Life as Art by Blake Gopnik for Warhol. I also referred to the Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of the 2021 documentary The Velvet Underground. The definitive collection of the Velvet Underground's music is the sadly out-of-print box set Peel Slowly and See, which contains the four albums the group made with Reed in full, plus demos, outtakes, and live recordings. Note that the digital version of the album as sold by Amazon for some reason doesn't include the last disc -- if you want the full box set you have to buy a physical copy. All four studio albums have also been released and rereleased many times over in different configurations with different numbers of CDs at different price points -- I have used the "45th Anniversary Super-Deluxe" versions for this episode, but for most people the standard CD versions will be fine. Sadly there are no good shorter compilation overviews of the group -- they tend to emphasise either the group's "pop" mode or its "avant-garde" mode to the exclusion of the other. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Before I begin this episode, there are a few things to say. This introductory section is going to be longer than normal because, as you will hear, this episode is also going to be longer than normal. Firstly, I try to warn people about potentially upsetting material in these episodes. But this is the first episode for 1968, and as you will see there is a *profound* increase in the amount of upsetting and disturbing material covered as we go through 1968 and 1969. The story is going to be in a much darker place for the next twenty or thirty episodes. And this episode is no exception. As always, I try to deal with everything as sensitively as possible, but you should be aware that the list of warnings for this one is so long I am very likely to have missed some. Among the topics touched on in this episode are mental illness, drug addiction, gun violence, racism, societal and medical homophobia, medical mistreatment of mental illness, domestic abuse, rape, and more. If you find discussion of any of those subjects upsetting, you might want to read the transcript. Also, I use the term "queer" freely in this episode. In the past I have received some pushback for this, because of a belief among some that "queer" is a slur. The following explanation will seem redundant to many of my listeners, but as with many of the things I discuss in the podcast I am dealing with multiple different audiences with different levels of awareness and understanding of issues, so I'd like to beg those people's indulgence a moment. The term "queer" has certainly been used as a slur in the past, but so have terms like "lesbian", "gay", "homosexual" and others. In all those cases, the term has gone from a term used as a self-identifier, to a slur, to a reclaimed slur, and back again many times. The reason for using that word, specifically, here is because the vast majority of people in this story have sexualities or genders that don't match the societal norms of their times, but used labels for themselves that have shifted in meaning over the years. There are at least two men in the story, for example, who are now dead and referred to themselves as "homosexual", but were in multiple long-term sexually-active relationships with women. Would those men now refer to themselves as "bisexual" or "pansexual" -- terms not in widespread use at the time -- or would they, in the relatively more tolerant society we live in now, only have been in same-gender relationships? We can't know. But in our current context using the word "homosexual" for those men would lead to incorrect assumptions about their behaviour. The labels people use change over time, and the definitions of them blur and shift. I have discussed this issue with many, many, friends who fall under the queer umbrella, and while not all of them are comfortable with "queer" as a personal label because of how it's been used against them in the past, there is near-unanimity from them that it's the correct word to use in this situation. Anyway, now that that rather lengthy set of disclaimers is over, let's get into the story proper, as we look at "White Light, White Heat" by the Velvet Underground: [Excerpt: The Velvet Underground, "White Light, White Heat"] And that look will start with... a disclaimer about length. This episode is going to be a long one. Not as long as episode one hundred and fifty, but almost certainly the longest episode I'll do this year, by some way. And there's a reason for that. One of the questions I've been asked repeatedly over the years about the podcast is why almost all the acts I've covered have been extremely commercially successful ones. "Where are the underground bands? The alternative bands? The little niche acts?" The answer to that is simple. Until the mid-sixties, the idea of an underground or alternative band made no sense at all in rock, pop, rock and roll, R&B, or soul. The idea would have been completely counterintuitive to the vast majority of the people we've discussed in the podcast. Those musics were commercial musics, made by people who wanted to make money and to get the largest audiences possible. That doesn't mean that they had no artistic merit, or that there was no artistic intent behind them, but the artists making that music were *commercial* artists. They knew if they wanted to make another record, they had to sell enough copies of the last record for the record company to make another, and that if they wanted to keep eating, they had to draw enough of an audience to their gigs for promoters to keep booking them. There was no space in this worldview for what we might think of as cult success. If your record only sold a thousand copies, then you had failed in your goal, even if the thousand people who bought your record really loved it. Even less commercially successful artists we've covered to this point, like the Mothers of Invention or Love, were *trying* for commercial success, even if they made the decision not to compromise as much as others do. This started to change a tiny bit in the mid-sixties as the influence of jazz and folk in the US, and the British blues scene, started to be felt in rock music. But this influence, at first, was a one-way thing -- people who had been in the folk and jazz worlds deciding to modify their music to be more commercial. And that was followed by already massively commercial musicians, like the Beatles, taking on some of those influences and bringing their audience with them. But that started to change around the time that "rock" started to differentiate itself from "rock and roll" and "pop", in mid 1967. So in this episode and the next, we're going to look at two bands who in different ways provided a model for how to be an alternative band. Both of them still *wanted* commercial success, but neither achieved it, at least not at first and not in the conventional way. And both, when they started out, went by the name The Warlocks. But we have to take a rather circuitous route to get to this week's band, because we're now properly introducing a strand of music that has been there in the background for a while -- avant-garde art music. So before we go any further, let's have a listen to a thirty-second clip of the most famous piece of avant-garde music ever, and I'll be performing it myself: [Excerpt, Andrew Hickey "4'33 (Cage)"] Obviously that won't give the full effect, you have to listen to the whole piece to get that. That is of course a section of "4'33" by John Cage, a piece of music that is often incorrectly described as being four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence. As I've mentioned before, though, in the episode on "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", it isn't that at all. The whole point of the piece is that there is no such thing as silence, and it's intended to make the listener appreciate all the normal ambient sounds as music, every bit as much as any piece by Bach or Beethoven. John Cage, the composer of "4'33", is possibly the single most influential avant-garde artist of the mid twentieth century, so as we're properly introducing the ideas of avant-garde music into the story here, we need to talk about him a little. Cage was, from an early age, torn between three great vocations, all of which in some fashion would shape his work for decades to come. One of these was architecture, and for a time he intended to become an architect. Another was the religious ministry, and he very seriously considered becoming a minister as a young man, and religion -- though not the religious faith of his youth -- was to be a massive factor in his work as he grew older. He started studying music from an early age, though he never had any facility as a performer -- though he did, when he discovered the work of Grieg, think that might change. He later said “For a while I played nothing else. I even imagined devoting my life to the performance of his works alone, for they did not seem to me to be too difficult, and I loved them.” [Excerpt: Grieg piano concerto in A minor] But he soon realised that he didn't have some of the basic skills that would be required to be a performer -- he never actually thought of himself as very musical -- and so he decided to move into composition, and he later talked about putting his musical limits to good use in being more inventive. From his very first pieces, Cage was trying to expand the definition of what a performance of a piece of music actually was. One of his friends, Harry Hay, who took part in the first documented performance of a piece by Cage, described how Cage's father, an inventor, had "devised a fluorescent light source over which Sample" -- Don Sample, Cage's boyfriend at the time -- "laid a piece of vellum painted with designs in oils. The blankets I was wearing were white, and a sort of lampshade shone coloured patterns onto me. It looked very good. The thing got so hot the designs began to run, but that only made it better.” Apparently the audience for this light show -- one that predated the light shows used by rock bands by a good thirty years -- were not impressed, though that may be more because the Santa Monica Women's Club in the early 1930s was not the vanguard of the avant-garde. Or maybe it was. Certainly the housewives of Santa Monica seemed more willing than one might expect to sign up for another of Cage's ideas. In 1933 he went door to door asking women if they would be interested in signing up to a lecture course from him on modern art and music. He told them that if they signed up for $2.50, he would give them ten lectures, and somewhere between twenty and forty of them signed up, even though, as he said later, “I explained to the housewives that I didn't know anything about either subject but that I was enthusiastic about both of them. I promised to learn faithfully enough about each subject so as to be able to give a talk an hour long each week.” And he did just that, going to the library every day and spending all week preparing an hour-long talk for them. History does not relate whether he ended these lectures by telling the housewives to tell just one friend about them. He said later “I came out of these lectures, with a devotion to the painting of Mondrian, on the one hand, and the music of Schoenberg on the other.” [Excerpt: Schoenberg, "Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte"] Schoenberg was one of the two most widely-respected composers in the world at that point, the other being Stravinsky, but the two had very different attitudes to composition. Schoenberg's great innovation was the creation and popularisation of the twelve-tone technique, and I should probably explain that a little before I go any further. Most Western music is based on an eight-note scale -- do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do -- with the eighth note being an octave up from the first. So in the key of C major that would be C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C: [demonstrates] And when you hear notes from that scale, if your ears are accustomed to basically any Western music written before about 1920, or any Western popular music written since then, you expect the melody to lead back to C, and you know to expect that because it only uses those notes -- there are differing intervals between them, some having a tone between them and some having a semitone, and you recognise the pattern. But of course there are other notes between the notes of that scale. There are actually an infinite number of these, but in conventional Western music we only look at a few more -- C# (or D flat), D# (or E flat), F# (or G flat), G# (or A flat) and A# (or B flat). If you add in all those notes you get this: [demonstrates] There's no clear beginning or end, no do for it to come back to. And Schoenberg's great innovation, which he was only starting to promote widely around this time, was to insist that all twelve notes should be equal -- his melodies would use all twelve of the notes the exact same number of times, and so if he used say a B flat, he would have to use all eleven other notes before he used B flat again in the piece. This was a radical new idea, but Schoenberg had only started advancing it after first winning great acclaim for earlier pieces, like his "Three Pieces for Piano", a work which wasn't properly twelve-tone, but did try to do without the idea of having any one note be more important than any other: [Excerpt: Schoenberg, "Three Pieces for Piano"] At this point, that work had only been performed in the US by one performer, Richard Buhlig, and hadn't been released as a recording yet. Cage was so eager to hear it that he'd found Buhlig's phone number and called him, asking him to play the piece, but Buhlig put the phone down on him. Now he was doing these lectures, though, he had to do one on Schoenberg, and he wasn't a competent enough pianist to play Schoenberg's pieces himself, and there were still no recordings of them. Cage hitch-hiked from Santa Monica to LA, where Buhlig lived, to try to get him to come and visit his class and play some of Schoenberg's pieces for them. Buhlig wasn't in, and Cage hung around in his garden hoping for him to come back -- he pulled the leaves off a bough from one of Buhlig's trees, going "He'll come back, he won't come back, he'll come back..." and the leaves said he'd be back. Buhlig arrived back at midnight, and quite understandably told the strange twenty-one-year-old who'd spent twelve hours in his garden pulling the leaves off his trees that no, he would not come to Santa Monica and give a free performance. But he did agree that if Cage brought some of his own compositions he'd give them a look over. Buhlig started giving Cage some proper lessons in composition, although he stressed that he was a performer, not a composer. Around this time Cage wrote his Sonata for Clarinet: [Excerpt: John Cage, "Sonata For Clarinet"] Buhlig suggested that Cage send that to Henry Cowell, the composer we heard about in the episode on "Good Vibrations" who was friends with Lev Termen and who created music by playing the strings inside a piano: [Excerpt: Henry Cowell, "Aeolian Harp and Sinister Resonance"] Cowell offered to take Cage on as an assistant, in return for which Cowell would teach him for a semester, as would Adolph Weiss, a pupil of Schoenberg's. But the goal, which Cowell suggested, was always to have Cage study with Schoenberg himself. Schoenberg at first refused, saying that Cage couldn't afford his price, but eventually took Cage on as a student having been assured that he would devote his entire life to music -- a promise Cage kept. Cage started writing pieces for percussion, something that had been very rare up to that point -- only a handful of composers, most notably Edgard Varese, had written pieces for percussion alone, but Cage was: [Excerpt: John Cage, "Trio"] This is often portrayed as a break from the ideals of his teacher Schoenberg, but in fact there's a clear continuity there, once you see what Cage was taking from Schoenberg. Schoenberg's work is, in some senses, about equality, about all notes being equal. Or to put it another way, it's about fairness. About erasing arbitrary distinctions. What Cage was doing was erasing the arbitrary distinction between the more and less prominent instruments. Why should there be pieces for solo violin or string quartet, but not for multiple percussion players? That said, Schoenberg was not exactly the most encouraging of teachers. When Cage invited Schoenberg to go to a concert of Cage's percussion work, Schoenberg told him he was busy that night. When Cage offered to arrange another concert for a date Schoenberg wasn't busy, the reply came "No, I will not be free at any time". Despite this, Cage later said “Schoenberg was a magnificent teacher, who always gave the impression that he was putting us in touch with musical principles,” and said "I literally worshipped him" -- a strong statement from someone who took religious matters as seriously as Cage. Cage was so devoted to Schoenberg's music that when a concert of music by Stravinsky was promoted as "music of the world's greatest living composer", Cage stormed into the promoter's office angrily, confronting the promoter and making it very clear that such things should not be said in the city where Schoenberg lived. Schoenberg clearly didn't think much of Cage's attempts at composition, thinking -- correctly -- that Cage had no ear for harmony. And his reportedly aggressive and confrontational teaching style didn't sit well with Cage -- though it seems very similar to a lot of the teaching techniques of the Zen masters he would later go on to respect. The two eventually parted ways, although Cage always spoke highly of Schoenberg. Schoenberg later gave Cage a compliment of sorts, when asked if any of his students had gone on to do anything interesting. At first he replied that none had, but then he mentioned Cage and said “Of course he's not a composer, but an inventor—of genius.” Cage was at this point very worried if there was any point to being a composer at all. He said later “I'd read Cowell's New Musical Resources and . . . The Theory of Rhythm. I had also read Chavez's Towards a New Music. Both works gave me the feeling that everything that was possible in music had already happened. So I thought I could never compose socially important music. Only if I could invent something new, then would I be useful to society. But that seemed unlikely then.” [Excerpt: John Cage, "Totem Ancestor"] Part of the solution came when he was asked to compose music for an abstract animation by the filmmaker Oskar Fischinger, and also to work as Fischinger's assistant when making the film. He was fascinated by the stop-motion process, and by the results of the film, which he described as "a beautiful film in which these squares, triangles and circles and other things moved and changed colour.” But more than that he was overwhelmed by a comment by Fischinger, who told him “Everything in the world has its own spirit, and this spirit becomes audible by setting it into vibration.” Cage later said “That set me on fire. He started me on a path of exploration of the world around me which has never stopped—of hitting and stretching and scraping and rubbing everything.” Cage now took his ideas further. His compositions for percussion had been about, if you like, giving the underdog a chance -- percussion was always in the background, why should it not be in the spotlight? Now he realised that there were other things getting excluded in conventional music -- the sounds that we characterise as noise. Why should composers work to exclude those sounds, but work to *include* other sounds? Surely that was... well, a little unfair? Eventually this would lead to pieces like his 1952 piece "Water Music", later expanded and retitled "Water Walk", which can be heard here in his 1959 appearance on the TV show "I've Got a Secret". It's a piece for, amongst other things, a flowerpot full of flowers, a bathtub, a watering can, a pipe, a duck call, a blender full of ice cubes, and five unplugged radios: [Excerpt: John Cage "Water Walk"] As he was now avoiding pitch and harmony as organising principles for his music, he turned to time. But note -- not to rhythm. He said “There's none of this boom, boom, boom, business in my music . . . a measure is taken as a strict measure of time—not a one two three four—which I fill with various sounds.” He came up with a system he referred to as “micro-macrocosmic rhythmic structure,” what we would now call fractals, though that word hadn't yet been invented, where the structure of the whole piece was reflected in the smallest part of it. For a time he started moving away from the term music, preferring to refer to the "art of noise" or to "organised sound" -- though he later received a telegram from Edgard Varese, one of his musical heroes and one of the few other people writing works purely for percussion, asking him not to use that phrase, which Varese used for his own work. After meeting with Varese and his wife, he later became convinced that it was Varese's wife who had initiated the telegram, as she explained to Cage's wife "we didn't want your husband's work confused with my husband's work, any more than you'd want some . . . any artist's work confused with that of a cartoonist.” While there is a humour to Cage's work, I don't really hear much qualitative difference between a Cage piece like the one we just heard and a Varese piece like Ionisation: [Excerpt: Edgard Varese, "Ionisation"] But it was in 1952, the year of "Water Music" that John Cage made his two biggest impacts on the cultural world, though the full force of those impacts wasn't felt for some years. To understand Cage's 1952 work, you first have to understand that he had become heavily influenced by Zen, which at that time was very little known in the Western world. Indeed he had studied with Daisetsu Suzuki, who is credited with introducing Zen to the West, and said later “I didn't study music with just anybody; I studied with Schoenberg, I didn't study Zen with just anybody; I studied with Suzuki. I've always gone, insofar as I could, to the president of the company.” Cage's whole worldview was profoundly affected by Zen, but he was also naturally sympathetic to it, and his work after learning about Zen is mostly a continuation of trends we can already see. In particular, he became convinced that the point of music isn't to communicate anything between two people, rather its point is merely to be experienced. I'm far from an expert on Buddhism, but one way of thinking about its central lessons is that one should experience things as they are, experiencing the thing itself rather than one's thoughts or preconceptions about it. And so at Black Mountain college came Theatre Piece Number 1: [Excerpt: Edith Piaf, "La Vie En Rose" ] In this piece, Cage had set the audience on all sides, so they'd be facing each other. He stood on a stepladder, as colleagues danced in and around the audience, another colleague played the piano, two more took turns to stand on another stepladder to recite poetry, different films and slides were projected, seemingly at random, onto the walls, and the painter Robert Rauschenberg played scratchy Edith Piaf records on a wind-up gramophone. The audience were included in the performance, and it was meant to be experienced as a gestalt, as a whole, to be what we would now call an immersive experience. One of Cage's students around this time was the artist Allan Kaprow, and he would be inspired by Theatre Piece Number 1 to put on several similar events in the late fifties. Those events he called "happenings", because the point of them was that you were meant to experience an event as it was happening rather than bring preconceptions of form and structure to them. Those happenings were the inspiration for events like The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, and the term "happening" became such an integral part of the counterculture that by 1967 there were comedy films being released about them, including one just called The Happening with a title track by the Supremes that made number one: [Excerpt: The Supremes, "The Happening"] Theatre Piece Number 1 was retrospectively considered the first happening, and as such its influence is incalculable. But one part I didn't mention about Theatre Piece Number 1 is that as well as Rauschenberg playing Edith Piaf's records, he also displayed some of his paintings. These paintings were totally white -- at a glance, they looked like blank canvases, but as one inspected them more clearly, it became apparent that Rauschenberg had painted them with white paint, with visible brushstrokes. These paintings, along with a visit to an anechoic chamber in which Cage discovered that even in total silence one can still hear one's own blood and nervous system, so will never experience total silence, were the final key to something Cage had been working towards -- if music had minimised percussion, and excluded noise, how much more had it excluded silence? As Cage said in 1958 “Curiously enough, the twelve-tone system has no zero in it.” And so came 4'33, the piece that we heard an excerpt of near the start of this episode. That piece was the something new he'd been looking for that could be useful to society. It took the sounds the audience could already hear, and without changing them even slightly gave them a new context and made the audience hear them as they were. Simply by saying "this is music", it caused the ambient noise to be perceived as music. This idea, of recontextualising existing material, was one that had already been done in the art world -- Marcel Duchamp, in 1917, had exhibited a urinal as a sculpture titled "Fountain" -- but even Duchamp had talked about his work as "everyday objects raised to the dignity of a work of art by the artist's act of choice". The artist was *raising* the object to art. What Cage was saying was "the object is already art". This was all massively influential to a young painter who had seen Cage give lectures many times, and while at art school had with friends prepared a piano in the same way Cage did for his own experimental compositions, dampening the strings with different objects. [Excerpt: Dana Gillespie, "Andy Warhol (live)"] Duchamp and Rauschenberg were both big influences on Andy Warhol, but he would say in the early sixties "John Cage is really so responsible for so much that's going on," and would for the rest of his life cite Cage as one of the two or three prime influences of his career. Warhol is a difficult figure to discuss, because his work is very intellectual but he was not very articulate -- which is one reason I've led up to him by discussing Cage in such detail, because Cage was always eager to talk at great length about the theoretical basis of his work, while Warhol would say very few words about anything at all. Probably the person who knew him best was his business partner and collaborator Paul Morrissey, and Morrissey's descriptions of Warhol have shaped my own view of his life, but it's very worth noting that Morrissey is an extremely right-wing moralist who wishes to see a Catholic theocracy imposed to do away with the scourges of sexual immorality, drug use, hedonism, and liberalism, so his view of Warhol, a queer drug using progressive whose worldview seems to have been totally opposed to Morrissey's in every way, might be a little distorted. Warhol came from an impoverished background, and so, as many people who grew up poor do, he was, throughout his life, very eager to make money. He studied art at university, and got decent but not exceptional grades -- he was a competent draughtsman, but not a great one, and most importantly as far as success in the art world goes he didn't have what is known as his own "line" -- with most successful artists, you can look at a handful of lines they've drawn and see something of their own personality in it. You couldn't with Warhol. His drawings looked like mediocre imitations of other people's work. Perfectly competent, but nothing that stood out. So Warhol came up with a technique to make his drawings stand out -- blotting. He would do a normal drawing, then go over it with a lot of wet ink. He'd lower a piece of paper on to the wet drawing, and the new paper would soak up the ink, and that second piece of paper would become the finished work. The lines would be fractured and smeared, broken in places where the ink didn't get picked up, and thick in others where it had pooled. With this mechanical process, Warhol had managed to create an individual style, and he became an extremely successful commercial artist. In the early 1950s photography was still seen as a somewhat low-class way of advertising things. If you wanted to sell to a rich audience, you needed to use drawings or paintings. By 1955 Warhol was making about twelve thousand dollars a year -- somewhere close to a hundred and thirty thousand a year in today's money -- drawing shoes for advertisements. He also had a sideline in doing record covers for people like Count Basie: [Excerpt: Count Basie, "Seventh Avenue Express"] For most of the 1950s he also tried to put on shows of his more serious artistic work -- often with homoerotic themes -- but to little success. The dominant art style of the time was the abstract expressionism of people like Jackson Pollock, whose art was visceral, emotional, and macho. The term "action paintings" which was coined for the work of people like Pollock, sums it up. This was manly art for manly men having manly emotions and expressing them loudly. It was very male and very straight, and even the gay artists who were prominent at the time tended to be very conformist and look down on anything they considered flamboyant or effeminate. Warhol was a rather effeminate, very reserved man, who strongly disliked showing his emotions, and whose tastes ran firmly to the camp. Camp as an aesthetic of finding joy in the flamboyant or trashy, as opposed to merely a descriptive term for men who behaved in a way considered effeminate, was only just starting to be codified at this time -- it wouldn't really become a fully-formed recognisable thing until Susan Sontag's essay "Notes on Camp" in 1964 -- but of course just because something hasn't been recognised doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and Warhol's aesthetic was always very camp, and in the 1950s in the US that was frowned upon even in gay culture, where the mainstream opinion was that the best way to acceptance was through assimilation. Abstract expressionism was all about expressing the self, and that was something Warhol never wanted to do -- in fact he made some pronouncements at times which suggested he didn't think of himself as *having* a self in the conventional sense. The combination of not wanting to express himself and of wanting to work more efficiently as a commercial artist led to some interesting results. For example, he was commissioned in 1957 to do a cover for an album by Moondog, the blind street musician whose name Alan Freed had once stolen: [Excerpt: Moondog, "Gloving It"] For that cover, Warhol got his mother, Julia Warhola, to just write out the liner notes for the album in her rather ornamental cursive script, and that became the front cover, leading to an award for graphic design going that year to "Andy Warhol's mother". (Incidentally, my copy of the current CD issue of that album, complete with Julia Warhola's cover, is put out by Pickwick Records...) But towards the end of the fifties, the work for commercial artists started to dry up. If you wanted to advertise shoes, now, you just took a photo of the shoes rather than get Andy Warhol to draw a picture of them. The money started to disappear, and Warhol started to panic. If there was no room for him in graphic design any more, he had to make his living in the fine arts, which he'd been totally unsuccessful in. But luckily for Warhol, there was a new movement that was starting to form -- Pop Art. Pop Art started in England, and had originally been intended, at least in part, as a critique of American consumerist capitalism. Pieces like "Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?" by Richard Hamilton (who went on to design the Beatles' White Album cover) are collages of found images, almost all from American sources, recontextualised and juxtaposed in interesting ways, so a bodybuilder poses in a room that's taken from an advert in Ladies' Home Journal, while on the wall, instead of a painting, hangs a blown-up cover of a Jack Kirby romance comic. Pop Art changed slightly when it got taken up in America, and there it became something rather different, something closer to Duchamp, taking those found images and displaying them as art with no juxtaposition. Where Richard Hamilton created collage art which *showed* a comic cover by Jack Kirby as a painting in the background, Roy Lichtenstein would take a panel of comic art by Kirby, or Russ Heath or Irv Novick or a dozen other comic artists, and redraw it at the size of a normal painting. So Warhol took Cage's idea that the object is already art, and brought that into painting, starting by doing paintings of Campbell's soup cans, in which he tried as far as possible to make the cans look exactly like actual soup cans. The paintings were controversial, inciting fury in some and laughter in others and causing almost everyone to question whether they were art. Warhol would embrace an aesthetic in which things considered unimportant or trash or pop culture detritus were the greatest art of all. For example pretty much every profile of him written in the mid sixties talks about him obsessively playing "Sally Go Round the Roses", a girl-group single by the one-hit wonders the Jaynettes: [Excerpt: The Jaynettes, "Sally Go Round the Roses"] After his paintings of Campbell's soup cans, and some rather controversial but less commercially successful paintings of photographs of horrors and catastrophes taken from newspapers, Warhol abandoned painting in the conventional sense altogether, instead creating brightly coloured screen prints -- a form of stencilling -- based on photographs of celebrities like Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor and, most famously, Marilyn Monroe. That way he could produce images which could be mass-produced, without his active involvement, and which supposedly had none of his personality in them, though of course his personality pervades the work anyway. He put on exhibitions of wooden boxes, silk-screen printed to look exactly like shipping cartons of Brillo pads. Images we see everywhere -- in newspapers, in supermarkets -- were art. And Warhol even briefly formed a band. The Druds were a garage band formed to play at a show at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, the opening night of an exhibition that featured a silkscreen by Warhol of 210 identical bottles of Coca-Cola, as well as paintings by Rauschenberg and others. That opening night featured a happening by Claes Oldenburg, and a performance by Cage -- Cage gave a live lecture while three recordings of his own voice also played. The Druds were also meant to perform, but they fell apart after only a few rehearsals. Some recordings apparently exist, but they don't seem to circulate, but they'd be fascinating to hear as almost the entire band were non-musician artists like Warhol, Jasper Johns, and the sculptor Walter de Maria. Warhol said of the group “It didn't go too well, but if we had just stayed on it it would have been great.” On the other hand, the one actual musician in the group said “It was kind of ridiculous, so I quit after the second rehearsal". That musician was La Monte Young: [Excerpt: La Monte Young, "The Well-Tuned Piano"] That's an excerpt from what is generally considered Young's masterwork, "The Well-Tuned Piano". It's six and a half hours long. If Warhol is a difficult figure to write about, Young is almost impossible. He's a musician with a career stretching sixty years, who is arguably the most influential musician from the classical tradition in that time period. He's generally considered the father of minimalism, and he's also been called by Brian Eno "the daddy of us all" -- without Young you simply *do not* get art rock at all. Without Young there is no Velvet Underground, no David Bowie, no Eno, no New York punk scene, no Yoko Ono. Anywhere that the fine arts or conceptual art have intersected with popular music in the last fifty or more years has been influenced in one way or another by Young's work. BUT... he only rarely publishes his scores. He very, very rarely allows recordings of his work to be released -- there are four recordings on his bandcamp, plus a handful of recordings of his older, published, pieces, and very little else. He doesn't allow his music to be performed live without his supervision. There *are* bootleg recordings of his music, but even those are not easily obtainable -- Young is vigorous in enforcing his copyrights and issues takedown notices against anywhere that hosts them. So other than that handful of legitimately available recordings -- plus a recording by Young's Theater of Eternal Music, the legality of which is still disputed, and an off-air recording of a 1971 radio programme I've managed to track down, the only way to experience Young's music unless you're willing to travel to one of his rare live performances or installations is second-hand, by reading about it. Except that the one book that deals solely with Young and his music is not only a dense and difficult book to read, it's also one that Young vehemently disagreed with and considered extremely inaccurate, to the point he refused to allow permissions to quote his work in the book. Young did apparently prepare a list of corrections for the book, but he wouldn't tell the author what they were without payment. So please assume that anything I say about Young is wrong, but also accept that the short section of this episode about Young has required more work to *try* to get it right than pretty much anything else this year. Young's musical career actually started out in a relatively straightforward manner. He didn't grow up in the most loving of homes -- he's talked about his father beating him as a child because he had been told that young La Monte was clever -- but his father did buy him a saxophone and teach him the rudiments of the instrument, and as a child he was most influenced by the music of the big band saxophone player Jimmy Dorsey: [Excerpt: Jimmy Dorsey, “It's the Dreamer in Me”] The family, who were Mormon farmers, relocated several times in Young's childhood, from Idaho first to California and then to Utah, but everywhere they went La Monte seemed to find musical inspiration, whether from an uncle who had been part of the Kansas City jazz scene, a classmate who was a musical prodigy who had played with Perez Prado in his early teens, or a teacher who took the class to see a performance of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra: [Excerpt: Bartok, "Concerto for Orchestra"] After leaving high school, Young went to Los Angeles City College to study music under Leonard Stein, who had been Schoenberg's assistant when Schoenberg had taught at UCLA, and there he became part of the thriving jazz scene based around Central Avenue, studying and performing with musicians like Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, and Eric Dolphy -- Young once beat Dolphy in an audition for a place in the City College dance band, and the two would apparently substitute for each other on their regular gigs when one couldn't make it. During this time, Young's musical tastes became much more adventurous. He was a particular fan of the work of John Coltrane, and also got inspired by City of Glass, an album by Stan Kenton that attempted to combine jazz and modern classical music: [Excerpt: Stan Kenton's Innovations Orchestra, "City of Glass: The Structures"] His other major musical discovery in the mid-fifties was one we've talked about on several previous occasions -- the album Music of India, Morning and Evening Ragas by Ali Akhbar Khan: [Excerpt: Ali Akhbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] Young's music at this point was becoming increasingly modal, and equally influenced by the blues and Indian music. But he was also becoming interested in serialism. Serialism is an extension and generalisation of twelve-tone music, inspired by mathematical set theory. In serialism, you choose a set of musical elements -- in twelve-tone music that's the twelve notes in the twelve-tone scale, but it can also be a set of tonal relations, a chord, or any other set of elements. You then define all the possible ways you can permute those elements, a defined set of operations you can perform on them -- so you could play a scale forwards, play it backwards, play all the notes in the scale simultaneously, and so on. You then go through all the possible permutations, exactly once, and that's your piece of music. Young was particularly influenced by the works of Anton Webern, one of the earliest serialists: [Excerpt: Anton Webern, "Cantata number 1 for Soprano, Mixed Chorus, and Orchestra"] That piece we just heard, Webern's "Cantata number 1", was the subject of some of the earliest theoretical discussion of serialism, and in particular led to some discussion of the next step on from serialism. If serialism was all about going through every single permutation of a set, what if you *didn't* permute every element? There was a lot of discussion in the late fifties in music-theoretical circles about the idea of invariance. Normally in music, the interesting thing is what gets changed. To use a very simple example, you might change a melody from a major key to a minor one to make it sound sadder. What theorists at this point were starting to discuss is what happens if you leave something the same, but change the surrounding context, so the thing you *don't* vary sounds different because of the changed context. And going further, what if you don't change the context at all, and merely *imply* a changed context? These ideas were some of those which inspired Young's first major work, his Trio For Strings from 1958, a complex, palindromic, serial piece which is now credited as the first work of minimalism, because the notes in it change so infrequently: [Excerpt: La Monte Young, "Trio for Strings"] Though I should point out that Young never considers his works truly finished, and constantly rewrites them, and what we just heard is an excerpt from the only recording of the trio ever officially released, which is of the 2015 version. So I can't state for certain how close what we just heard is to the piece he wrote in 1958, except that it sounds very like the written descriptions of it I've read. After writing the Trio For Strings, Young moved to Germany to study with the modernist composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. While studying with Stockhausen, he became interested in the work of John Cage, and started up a correspondence with Cage. On his return to New York he studied with Cage and started writing pieces inspired by Cage, of which the most musical is probably Composition 1960 #7: [Excerpt: La Monte Young, "Composition 1960 #7"] The score for that piece is a stave on which is drawn a treble clef, the notes B and F#, and the words "To be held for a long Time". Other of his compositions from 1960 -- which are among the few of his compositions which have been published -- include composition 1960 #10 ("To Bob Morris"), the score for which is just the instruction "Draw a straight line and follow it.", and Piano Piece for David Tudor #1, the score for which reads "Bring a bale of hay and a bucket of water onto the stage for the piano to eat and drink. The performer may then feed the piano or leave it to eat by itself. If the former, the piece is over after the piano has been fed. If the latter, it is over after the piano eats or decides not to". Most of these compositions were performed as part of a loose New York art collective called Fluxus, all of whom were influenced by Cage and the Dadaists. This collective, led by George Maciunas, sometimes involved Cage himself, but also involved people like Henry Flynt, the inventor of conceptual art, who later became a campaigner against art itself, and who also much to Young's bemusement abandoned abstract music in the mid-sixties to form a garage band with Walter de Maria (who had played drums with the Druds): [Excerpt: Henry Flynt and the Insurrections, "I Don't Wanna"] Much of Young's work was performed at Fluxus concerts given in a New York loft belonging to another member of the collective, Yoko Ono, who co-curated the concerts with Young. One of Ono's mid-sixties pieces, her "Four Pieces for Orchestra" is dedicated to Young, and consists of such instructions as "Count all the stars of that night by heart. The piece ends when all the orchestra members finish counting the stars, or when it dawns. This can be done with windows instead of stars." But while these conceptual ideas remained a huge part of Young's thinking, he soon became interested in two other ideas. The first was the idea of just intonation -- tuning instruments and voices to perfect harmonics, rather than using the subtly-off tuning that is used in Western music. I'm sure I've explained that before in a previous episode, but to put it simply when you're tuning an instrument with fixed pitches like a piano, you have a choice -- you can either tune it so that the notes in one key are perfectly in tune with each other, but then when you change key things go very out of tune, or you can choose to make *everything* a tiny bit, almost unnoticeably, out of tune, but equally so. For the last several hundred years, musicians as a community have chosen the latter course, which was among other things promoted by Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of compositions which shows how the different keys work together: [Excerpt: Bach (Glenn Gould), "The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II: Fugue in F-sharp minor, BWV 883"] Young, by contrast, has his own esoteric tuning system, which he uses in his own work The Well-Tuned Piano: [Excerpt: La Monte Young, "The Well-Tuned Piano"] The other idea that Young took on was from Indian music, the idea of the drone. One of the four recordings of Young's music that is available from his Bandcamp, a 1982 recording titled The Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath, consists of one hour, thirteen minutes, and fifty-eight seconds of this: [Excerpt: La Monte Young, "The Tamburas of Pandit Pran Nath"] Yes, I have listened to the whole piece. No, nothing else happens. The minimalist composer Terry Riley describes the recording as "a singularly rare contribution that far outshines any other attempts to capture this instrument in recorded media". In 1962, Young started writing pieces based on what he called the "dream chord", a chord consisting of a root, fourth, sharpened fourth, and fifth: [dream chord] That chord had already appeared in his Trio for Strings, but now it would become the focus of much of his work, in pieces like his 1962 piece The Second Dream of the High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer, heard here in a 1982 revision: [Excerpt: La Monte Young, "The Second Dream of the High-Tension Line Stepdown Transformer"] That was part of a series of works titled The Four Dreams of China, and Young began to plan an installation work titled Dream House, which would eventually be created, and which currently exists in Tribeca, New York, where it's been in continuous "performance" for thirty years -- and which consists of thirty-two different pure sine wave tones all played continuously, plus purple lighting by Young's wife Marian Zazeela. But as an initial step towards creating this, Young formed a collective called Theatre of Eternal Music, which some of the members -- though never Young himself -- always claim also went by the alternative name The Dream Syndicate. According to John Cale, a member of the group, that name came about because the group tuned their instruments to the 60hz hum of the fridge in Young's apartment, which Cale called "the key of Western civilisation". According to Cale, that meant the fundamental of the chords they played was 10hz, the frequency of alpha waves when dreaming -- hence the name. The group initially consisted of Young, Zazeela, the photographer Billy Name, and percussionist Angus MacLise, but by this recording in 1964 the lineup was Young, Zazeela, MacLise, Tony Conrad and John Cale: [Excerpt: "Cale, Conrad, Maclise, Young, Zazeela - The Dream Syndicate 2 IV 64-4"] That recording, like any others that have leaked by the 1960s version of the Theatre of Eternal Music or Dream Syndicate, is of disputed legality, because Young and Zazeela claim to this day that what the group performed were La Monte Young's compositions, while the other two surviving members, Cale and Conrad, claim that their performances were improvisational collaborations and should be equally credited to all the members, and so there have been lawsuits and countersuits any time anyone has released the recordings. John Cale, the youngest member of the group, was also the only one who wasn't American. He'd been born in Wales in 1942, and had had the kind of childhood that, in retrospect, seems guaranteed to lead to eccentricity. He was the product of a mixed-language marriage -- his father, William, was an English speaker while his mother, Margaret, spoke Welsh, but the couple had moved in on their marriage with Margaret's mother, who insisted that only Welsh could be spoken in her house. William didn't speak Welsh, and while he eventually picked up the basics from spending all his life surrounded by Welsh-speakers, he refused on principle to capitulate to his mother-in-law, and so remained silent in the house. John, meanwhile, grew up a monolingual Welsh speaker, and didn't start to learn English until he went to school when he was seven, and so couldn't speak to his father until then even though they lived together. Young John was extremely unwell for most of his childhood, both physically -- he had bronchial problems for which he had to take a cough mixture that was largely opium to help him sleep at night -- and mentally. He was hospitalised when he was sixteen with what was at first thought to be meningitis, but turned out to be a psychosomatic condition, the result of what he has described as a nervous breakdown. That breakdown is probably connected to the fact that during his teenage years he was sexually assaulted by two adults in positions of authority -- a vicar and a music teacher -- and felt unable to talk to anyone about this. He was, though, a child prodigy and was playing viola with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales from the age of thirteen, and listening to music by Schoenberg, Webern, and Stravinsky. He was so talented a multi-instrumentalist that at school he was the only person other than one of the music teachers and the headmaster who was allowed to use the piano -- which led to a prank on his very last day at school. The headmaster would, on the last day, hit a low G on the piano to cue the assembly to stand up, and Cale had placed a comb on the string, muting it and stopping the note from sounding -- in much the same way that his near-namesake John Cage was "preparing" pianos for his own compositions in the USA. Cale went on to Goldsmith's College to study music and composition, under Humphrey Searle, one of Britain's greatest proponents of serialism who had himself studied under Webern. Cale's main instrument was the viola, but he insisted on also playing pieces written for the violin, because they required more technical skill. For his final exam he chose to play Hindemith's notoriously difficult Viola Sonata: [Excerpt: Hindemith Viola Sonata] While at Goldsmith's, Cale became friendly with Cornelius Cardew, a composer and cellist who had studied with Stockhausen and at the time was a great admirer of and advocate for the works of Cage and Young (though by the mid-seventies Cardew rejected their work as counter-revolutionary bourgeois imperialism). Through Cardew, Cale started to correspond with Cage, and with George Maciunas and other members of Fluxus. In July 1963, just after he'd finished his studies at Goldsmith's, Cale presented a festival there consisting of an afternoon and an evening show. These shows included the first British performances of several works including Cardew's Autumn '60 for Orchestra -- a piece in which the musicians were given blank staves on which to write whatever part they wanted to play, but a separate set of instructions in *how* to play the parts they'd written. Another piece Cale presented in its British premiere at that show was Cage's "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra": [Excerpt: John Cage, "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"] In the evening show, they performed Two Pieces For String Quartet by George Brecht (in which the musicians polish their instruments with dusters, making scraping sounds as they clean them), and two new pieces by Cale, one of which involved a plant being put on the stage, and then the performer, Robin Page, screaming from the balcony at the plant that it would die, then running down, through the audience, and onto the stage, screaming abuse and threats at the plant. The final piece in the show was a performance by Cale (the first one in Britain) of La Monte Young's "X For Henry Flynt". For this piece, Cale put his hands together and then smashed both his arms onto the keyboard as hard as he could, over and over. After five minutes some of the audience stormed the stage and tried to drag the piano away from him. Cale followed the piano on his knees, continuing to bang the keys, and eventually the audience gave up in defeat and Cale the performer won. After this Cale moved to the USA, to further study composition, this time with Iannis Xenakis, the modernist composer who had also taught Mickey Baker orchestration after Baker left Mickey and Sylvia, and who composed such works as "Orient Occident": [Excerpt: Iannis Xenakis, "Orient Occident"] Cale had been recommended to Xenakis as a student by Aaron Copland, who thought the young man was probably a genius. But Cale's musical ambitions were rather too great for Tanglewood, Massachusetts -- he discovered that the institute had eighty-eight pianos, the same number as there are keys on a piano keyboard, and thought it would be great if for a piece he could take all eighty-eight pianos, put them all on different boats, sail the boats out onto a lake, and have eighty-eight different musicians each play one note on each piano, while the boats sank with the pianos on board. For some reason, Cale wasn't allowed to perform this composition, and instead had to make do with one where he pulled an axe out of a single piano and slammed it down on a table. Hardly the same, I'm sure you'll agree. From Tanglewood, Cale moved on to New York, where he soon became part of the artistic circles surrounding John Cage and La Monte Young. It was at this time that he joined Young's Theatre of Eternal Music, and also took part in a performance with Cage that would get Cale his first television exposure: [Excerpt: John Cale playing Erik Satie's "Vexations" on "I've Got a Secret"] That's Cale playing through "Vexations", a piece by Erik Satie that wasn't published until after Satie's death, and that remained in obscurity until Cage popularised -- if that's the word -- the piece. The piece, which Cage had found while studying Satie's notes, seems to be written as an exercise and has the inscription (in French) "In order to play the motif 840 times in succession, it would be advisable to prepare oneself beforehand, and in the deepest silence, by serious immobilities." Cage interpreted that, possibly correctly, as an instruction that the piece should be played eight hundred and forty times straight through, and so he put together a performance of the piece, the first one ever, by a group he called the Pocket Theatre Piano Relay Team, which included Cage himself, Cale, Joshua Rifkin, and several other notable musical figures, who took it in turns playing the piece. For that performance, which ended up lasting eighteen hours, there was an entry fee of five dollars, and there was a time-clock in the lobby. Audience members punched in and punched out, and got a refund of five cents for every twenty minutes they'd spent listening to the music. Supposedly, at the end, one audience member yelled "Encore!" A week later, Cale appeared on "I've Got a Secret", a popular game-show in which celebrities tried to guess people's secrets (and which is where that performance of Cage's "Water Walk" we heard earlier comes from): [Excerpt: John Cale on I've Got a Secret] For a while, Cale lived with a friend of La Monte Young's, Terry Jennings, before moving in to a flat with Tony Conrad, one of the other members of the Theatre of Eternal Music. Angus MacLise lived in another flat in the same building. As there was not much money to be made in avant-garde music, Cale also worked in a bookshop -- a job Cage had found him -- and had a sideline in dealing drugs. But rents were so cheap at this time that Cale and Conrad only had to work part-time, and could spend much of their time working on the music they were making with Young. Both were string players -- Conrad violin, Cale viola -- and they soon modified their instruments. Conrad merely attached pickups to his so it could be amplified, but Cale went much further. He filed down the viola's bridge so he could play three strings at once, and he replaced the normal viola strings with thicker, heavier, guitar and mandolin strings. This created a sound so loud that it sounded like a distorted electric guitar -- though in late 1963 and early 1964 there were very few people who even knew what a distorted guitar sounded like. Cale and Conrad were also starting to become interested in rock and roll music, to which neither of them had previously paid much attention, because John Cage's music had taught them to listen for music in sounds they previously dismissed. In particular, Cale became fascinated with the harmonies of the Everly Brothers, hearing in them the same just intonation that Young advocated for: [Excerpt: The Everly Brothers, "All I Have to Do is Dream"] And it was with this newfound interest in rock and roll that Cale and Conrad suddenly found themselves members of a manufactured pop band. The two men had been invited to a party on the Lower East Side, and there they'd been introduced to Terry Phillips of Pickwick Records. Phillips had seen their long hair and asked if they were musicians, so they'd answered "yes". He asked if they were in a band, and they said yes. He asked if that band had a drummer, and again they said yes. By this point they realised that he had assumed they were rock guitarists, rather than experimental avant-garde string players, but they decided to play along and see where this was going. Phillips told them that if they brought along their drummer to Pickwick's studios the next day, he had a job for them. The two of them went along with Walter de Maria, who did play the drums a little in between his conceptual art work, and there they were played a record: [Excerpt: The Primitives, "The Ostrich"] It was explained to them that Pickwick made knock-off records -- soundalikes of big hits, and their own records in the style of those hits, all played by a bunch of session musicians and put out under different band names. This one, by "the Primitives", they thought had a shot at being an actual hit, even though it was a dance-craze song about a dance where one partner lays on the floor and the other stamps on their head. But if it was going to be a hit, they needed an actual band to go out and perform it, backing the singer. How would Cale, Conrad, and de Maria like to be three quarters of the Primitives? It sounded fun, but of course they weren't actually guitarists. But as it turned out, that wasn't going to be a problem. They were told that the guitars on the track had all been tuned to one note -- not even to an open chord, like we talked about Steve Cropper doing last episode, but all the strings to one note. Cale and Conrad were astonished -- that was exactly the kind of thing they'd been doing in their drone experiments with La Monte Young. Who was this person who was independently inventing the most advanced ideas in experimental music but applying them to pop songs? And that was how they met Lou Reed: [Excerpt: The Primitives, "The Ostrich"] Where Cale and Conrad were avant-gardeists who had only just started paying attention to rock and roll music, rock and roll was in Lou Reed's blood, but there were a few striking similarities between him and Cale, even though at a glance their backgrounds could not have seemed more different. Reed had been brought up in a comfortably middle-class home in Long Island, but despised the suburban conformity that surrounded him from a very early age, and by his teens was starting to rebel against it very strongly. According to one classmate “Lou was always more advanced than the rest of us. The drinking age was eighteen back then, so we all started drinking at around sixteen. We were drinking quarts of beer, but Lou was smoking joints. He didn't do that in front of many people, but I knew he was doing it. While we were looking at girls in Playboy, Lou was reading Story of O. He was reading the Marquis de Sade, stuff that I wouldn't even have thought about or known how to find.” But one way in which Reed was a typical teenager of the period was his love for rock and roll, especially doo-wop. He'd got himself a guitar, but only had one lesson -- according to the story he would tell on numerous occasions, he turned up with a copy of "Blue Suede Shoes" and told the teacher he only wanted to know how to play the chords for that, and he'd work out the rest himself. Reed and two schoolfriends, Alan Walters and Phil Harris, put together a doo-wop trio they called The Shades, because they wore sunglasses, and a neighbour introduced them to Bob Shad, who had been an A&R man for Mercury Records and was starting his own new label. He renamed them the Jades and took them into the studio with some of the best New York session players, and at fourteen years old Lou Reed was writing songs and singing them backed by Mickey Baker and King Curtis: [Excerpt: The Jades, "Leave Her For Me"] Sadly the Jades' single was a flop -- the closest it came to success was being played on Murray the K's radio show, but on a day when Murray the K was off ill and someone else was filling in for him, much to Reed's disappointment. Phil Harris, the lead singer of the group, got to record some solo sessions after that, but the Jades split up and it would be several years before Reed made any more records. Partly this was because of Reed's mental health, and here's where things get disputed and rather messy. What we know is that in his late teens, just after he'd gone off to New
When there's work to be done before the setting sun...(Dolphy vs. Owls vw. Hafiz Cemal Bey)El Cencerro Shingaling - Ricardo Ray and Bobby CruzSebastiana - Gal CostaMi Son Maracaibo - Rene Touzet y su OrchestraTaieiras - Ely CamargoI Come From Jamaica - Chris Powell and his Five Blue FlamesThe Wailer - Sonny CoxI Don't Know How (Don't Walk Away) - The SuperlativesFlight to Cuba - FireMidnight Mambo - Tommy Turrentine/Sonny ClarkTurkish Bath - Weldon IrvineOnwu Dinjo - The People StarOye Ka Bara Kignan - Amadou Ballake et le Super VoltaUgali - Tony Benson SextetColour TV (a DB weh) - Joe Gibbs and the ProfessionalsWe Are Praying - Bongo Herman, Les and BunnySoulful Music - The Invaders/Soul VendorsStill in Pressure - Larry Marshall/King Tubbys(Humpback vs. Owl vs....)KFSR ARCHIVE: Returning to the Unfinished Part
Juan Carlos Pichardo, Ñonguito, Dolphy Pelaez, Harold Diaz, Oscar Carrasquillo Zamantha Diaz Y Katherin Amesty
Juan Carlos Pichardo, Ñonguito, Dolphy Pelaez, Harold Diaz, Oscar Carrasquillo Zamantha Diaz Y Katherin Amesty
A master is someone who teaches, a master is someone who sacrifices and loves themselves. To master is knowing how to access your native gifts. As far as my guest is concerned that translates out to being one of the most in demand, highly respected, versatile bassists in the world. He was raised by his musical elders like Richard Davis who had been a guest twice on this show. The Pisces swimming upstream downstream always adapting, always churning, overcoming. Astrology aside my guest has played with The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin for the last 50 years. That was in between studying and watching Mingus dual with Dolphy in some mob run club. Lock the groove, play free, play a blues before the word funk even came into the lexicon. He's played and recorded with King Curtis, Jim Pepper, Duane and Gregg Allman, Eddie Harris, Gil Scott Heron, The Voices of East Harlem and Shirley Scott. A master gives back like Ali Akbar Kahn and Jerry Wexler and Dizzy Gillespie. Knowing their instrument, knowing their strengths like Chuck Rainey or Bernard Purdie or the late great Richard Tee.......my guest today is giving back on multiple levels including mixing live iconic music with youth baseball. Something only Jackie Robinson would have dreamed off.... Jerry Jemmott welcome to the JFS
Think you've seen every Batman movie? Think again as we dive into the MULTIPLE Batman films made in the Philippines: Alyas Batman at Robin- the Batman spoof that predates the Adam West Batman series! James Batman- a teamup of Batman and James Bond, both played by the Filipino King of Comedy, Dolphy. The epic mashup of Batman Fights Dracula! The Batwoman and Robin trilogy of the 1970s! Fight Batman Fight, where Batman goes to Hell to fight Satan. And Alyas Batman en Robin, the musical comedy almost shut down by WB lawyers! Big thanks to our research assistant Dan Yamat for contributing his insights into Filipino cinema as well as the visuals to this YouTube experience. Dan also provided QC, chapter time codes, and the thumbnail for this episode. Become a part of the Shasta Army on our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/superhousepodcast SuperheroStuffPod on iTunes: https://apple.co/3ctz4lN SuperheroStuffPod on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2yq3Kpo INSTAGRAM: @superherostuffpod TWITTER: Twitter.com/SuperhousePod FACEBOOK: Facebook.com/SuperHousePod YOUTUBE: YouTube.com/c/SuperHousePodcast Please email us at: SuperHousePodcast@gmail.com ANDREW'S CHANNEL/WEBSITE: IG: ThunderWolfDrew Twitter: ThunderWolfDrew YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thunderwolflives Website: www.thunderwolfdrew.com/ BEN'S CHANNEL/WEBSITE: http://www.benwanwriter.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6nG7A354pour2CUw0co3Ug http://earl-e-bird.com ZACHARY BROWN'S WEBSITE: IG: @zacharyjacksonbrownart https://www.zacharyjacksonbrownart.com/ Home Page with Show Notes and more!: www.SuperheroStuffPod.com SUPERHOUSE MERCH: http://superhousepod.redbubble.com/ https://www.superherostuffpod.com/shop (affiliates)
The Jazz Session No.253 from RaidersBroadcast.com as aired in April 2022, featuring Quincy Jones' “Big Band Bossa Nova” extravaganza from 1963. TRACK LISTING: Sohia - Magma; Stratus - Billy Cobham; Soul Eyes - John Coltrane; Cascades - Oliver Nelson, w. Evans, Haynes, Dolphy, Hubbard; Se E Tarde Me Perdoa (Forgive Me If I'm Late) - Quincy Jones; Serenata - Quincy Jones; Blues in Thirds - Carlo Kramer's Chicagoans; Moon Dreams - Miles Davis; Black Nile - Hideyasu Terakawa Quartet ft. Hiroshi Fujii; Burning Cloud - Ryojiro Kurasawa Quartet; I Concentrate on You - Brad Mehldau; Seamless - John Serry; Grandpa's Spells - Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers; Lambeth Walk - La Quintette Du Hot Club De France; Lalo Bossa Nova - Quincy Jones; Chega De Saudade - Quincy Jones; Attune - Alfa Mist; But Beautiful - Chick Corea Trio; Little Train - George Benson; Do You Hear the Voices that you Left Behind? - John McLaughlin.
Session 2: Welcome to Dolphy's Cove Part 2As the Uncles approach the strange abandoned theme park and dusk descends, shadows cast far and deep into the hollow. They know not what they truly face, but they will. GM – CrazonUncles:Adam – Frank Buttress “Doodles” (The Wronged)Chris – Branson Martin (The Flake) The post Actual Play – MOTW – The Uncles of Penny Dreadmill – EP 2 appeared first on The Roleplaying Exchange.
Replenishing with Emile Pandolphi Do you sometimes suffer from low level creative energy? In this episode, I'll be talking with Emile Pandolphi about his approach to keeping his creative energy at a high level to fuel his professional career. Now, even if you are not a professional. This conversation is going to help you maintain and improve your creative energy by taking note of what a professional does to maintain their output. Biography Emile Pondolphi Emile Pandolfi is a professional pianist and entertainer with over 40 years of performance experience. One of the top-selling pianists in the music industry, he has recorded and released over 30 albums, including one with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic). Since his first release in 1991, Emile has sold over 4.5 million copies nationally and reached more than 750 million collective streams online. Throughout his career, Emile has performed hundreds of concerts with thousands of fans in attendance, including performances at St. Mark's Square in Venice, the Catherine Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Liverpool Cathedral, and Sydney Opera House in Australia. While intricate arrangements of Broadway and pop standards make up the majority of his performance repertoire, his influences remain more classical than pop. It is his subjective layering of classical style, which he infuses into the broad palette of his performance selections, that continues to resonate with audiences everywhere. Although serious about his playing, Emile is never serious about himself and believes that every moment at the piano should be one of joy. While his audience is treated to a brilliant musical performance, they are also entertained by Emile's charming, light-hearted sense of humor and outgoing personality. From his early performances on cruise ships, in piano lounges, and in the recording studio to his current solo performance career in concert halls, Emile has used his music to create an intimate and powerful emotional connection for those listening. Today, Emile continues to write original songs and arrangements for his fans to stream. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with his wife Judy. Topics Covered Knowing When to Replenish Your Creative Energy Why it is important to replace your creative energy The Impact of using negative sources for creative energy Taming inner critic Links To Emile Pandolphi Emile Pandolphi Website Emile Pandolphi YouTube Site Reaching Out To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Transcripts of the Show CAP Conversation Replenishing Your Creative Energy with Emile Pandolphi Tim: Create art podcast conversations, replenishing your creative energy with a Emile Pandolphi hello friends. This is Timothy Kimo. Brian, your head instigator for create art podcast where I use my 20 years of experience in the arts and education world. To help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume. Do you sometimes suffer from low level creative energy? In this episode, I'll be talking with Emile Pandolphi about his approach to keeping his creative energy at a high level to fuel his professional career. Now, even if you are not a professional. This conversation is going to help you maintain and improve your creative energy by taking note of what a professional does to maintain their output. Now, as an amateur artist, like many of you will listen to this podcast life, get in the way of my practice. Now you couple that with my recent diagnosis of Ms. In 2021 and being a father of twins and having a full time job energy is at a premium. So how do you refuel your creative tank and create the art that you were meant to create? Well, for Marie, for me, I read a lot of magazines and newsletters to get inspired for projects. I listened to podcasts about art that I've shared with you in previous episodes. And on Friday nights after I put my girls to sleep, I go out to local poetry readings and occasionally read poems, but mostly I go there to support other artists on their journey, which reminds me of my journey. Now, sometimes you must expend energy to get energy. And that's how I maintain my energy levels. Does it always work? And then not every time. Like you, my life has different poles on my energy and different priorities demand my attention. Let's talk about my guest this week for a moment before we go into the conversation now in meal with more than a half billion streams across platforms, including Pandora, Spotify, and apple. Is among America's most popular piano artists. Although majority of his performance performance rep RT are lush, intricate arrangements of Broadway and pop standards. His influences are in fact more classical than pop. It is this subjective layering of classical style, which pen Dolphy infuses into the broad palette of his performance selections that continues to resonate with audiences everywhere. Recording since 1991, the pianist's albums of familiar music have sold over three and a half million seats. Nationally, this has earned a meal. The distinction of being one of the top selling pianists in the music industry distributed online as well as in specialty. Gifts and bookshops across the nation. Now with 30 plus albums, most major online retailers also carry a meals, music for download, and it's streamed to thousands of times daily on Spotify, Pandora and other streaming platforms. Now I present to you, the conversation that we had about replenishing your creative energy. So, thank you all for listening into CRE podcast, where today we're going to be talking about replenishing your creative energy. And with me today you heard the intro before we started this conversation. I do have a meal with me here to give me the professional view of what that looks like for us and mail. How are you doing today? Emile: Great. Oh, we had here in South Carolina and we had some chilly weather and it's a nice change. Tim: Absolutely. It is. Absolutely. And I know it's taken us a little time to get together because I had a power outage Emile: for five days. It's Tim: okay. It was nice, quiet time away from podcasting, away from everything, you know, when your kids, kids Emile: like the hotel, kids love Tim: the hotel. Absolute. Absolutely. And, and I'm glad I have you on here today because you know, you're a professional. You do this for a living and I think it's going to be really important for our listeners. That are, you know, delving into, you know, making art either on a professional level or, you know, as their side hustle, but for you as a professional, how do you know when that creative energy needs to be replaced? Emile: Okay. To be honest, it almost, I almost never deal with that. It's because I love every time I get up in the morning and go to the studio and I start playing something or other, but if it does need to be replenished, let's say I have a deadline of playing these particular pieces of music. I just go to something that I already liked to play. What I do. I try to surround myself with beautiful things artwork. I'm not an artist. I'm not a visual artist, but I, I love paintings and I love watching a ballet. If I need to get inspired, I might turn on river dance and watch these amazing athletes dancers do what they do. And it doesn't take long before something kind of. Just clicks. In, in my case, I often have deadlines. I have to do a particular piece of music, whether I want to or not, but I take some, I think that it's worthwhile for me to take some time away from that and play. I feel like playing some Chopin or something that inspires me and I just get all excited about it. And then I say, okay, I'll go over here and do what I need to do again, because I'm doing it for a profession. But I think if you just. Go to other forms of artwork, literature, or poetry, or a famous paintings, or go to a museum. I think all those things seep into your consciousness. You don't do it with the, with the desire to be inspired. You just do it and then you get inspired Tim: and that's true. And it's really enjoyable to go through an art gallery and, you know, to take that time away from everything else and let that subconscious part of your mind. Figure out whatever issue that you're having, you know, we'll say you're working on a piece by Chopin and you just can't quite get that certain section step away. Go look at some art. Emile: Yeah. It's it has always worked for me. It's odd to discuss how to do it when you're in the doldrums, because I'm almost never there. I'm happy to say it's just part of my personality. It's just unlike you. I'm a one trick pony. I play piano and that's it. But I surround myself with other, other kinds of art. I love seeing people do I, it could be, it could be athletes or gymnasts or circus performers who do amazing things. And you say, oh my gosh, how did they do it? And that kind of gives it a. Good deal. Good deal. There's a silly country song title. It's I see something like that, that somebody does something extraordinary. And the guy says, I don't know whether to kill myself or go bowling. I always choose bowling. Tim: And today's brought to you by. So what bill you've talked about, you know, how do different ways that you, you know, you replenish that, that inspiration and and, and that energy for yourself, how important is it for you to have the, the, the high level of creative energy that you have in your profession? Emile: Well, I think the most important thing in for any artist is authenticity. And so rather than now you do your studying and you get your technique and the discipline that you're in, whether it be dancing or playing the piano or singing or whatever it is. So you have to. Given that you have your technique to whatever degree it is. That's a separate thing. But as far as having that creative energy going, I think if. If you were, if you were stuck and don't know what to do, I say, step outside yourself and look at yourself. What is your default place like? Who are you actually artistically when from a piano's viewpoint. If I am going in and I'm in a piano shop or I was in a place and there has a piano there and I have to touch it, what do I do? Do I start in the middle? Do I start at both ends? Do I play. Just junk things or play melodious things, because my default is what I just naturally default to tells me who I am musically and all of my piano in my profession. They're all piano arrangements, solo, piano arrangements of tunes that have been written by somebody else. They're all cover tunes. So why do they sound like me? Because I'm authentically me. I mean, whether people like it or not, I can't, I have no control over, but. I don't do something that is not authentically me and some people sometimes I think people are not sure how to find. What's authentically, then we'll look at yourself, see what you do. How do you like living with me? I talk with my hands all the time. Some people don't, some people I I talk enthusiastically, maybe some people are very slow talking and that's who you are. And that's what you should do with your art. Tim: I agree entirely. Absolutely. Now I was going to ask you about what's the overall impact for replenishing your creative energy from negative sources. Cause I, I read your book on play it, like you mean it and you had talked about you know, you had overcome smoking, which is something that I'm overcoming right now to get that out of my my thing. And now, you know, I I'm talking with my hands too with my, you know, famous quotes, but I've relied on that as a in the past, as a creative energy source. What's the impact of, you know, those negative. Sources of creative energy. Emile: Well, I think that what I have done over time is remove from my day, those things that I don't like, you can't remove everything, but removing those things that I don't like to do and I'm left with what I do want to do. And as far as the the, I'm not exactly sure what the question is, how do I use negative things to, to turn it to a positive. Well, Tim: actually what, what's the impact of using negative sources of energy on on your craft, maybe that you, you know, not that you do, but maybe that you've seen other people. Emile: Okay. I can say there, there are many times in my career where I'm doing, I'll just call it, work for hire. I have to play a certain song for a certain event. Right. And I don't even like the song. I don't want to do it, you know, and I keep finding other things to do besides work. Thanks. But then I think it comes down to, in my book, I call it digging a ditch. You start working on like, just disinterest in thinking about your day at the beach, but you're playing the notes and you're reading the notes on the page and you got to go through humdrum. I think, and because at sometime this has happened to me many times I was a piece of music that I didn't. I could even do like maybe a Michael Jackson tune or something that is not me at all. Even though, even if I love the song or, or I admire the artist. I discover, wow. I actually could do something with that. And because the work, the job has made me do it, otherwise I wouldn't have touched it, but because which is, to me, that's a kind of a negative, I, I, I avoid music that I don't like, but if I have to play it for a deadline, because it's my profession, it shows me. You know, you got to think outside your box and we all know that as a phrase, but you actually have to do it. And the more, excuse me, the more I do the busy work of going through it while I'm thinking about being at the beach, all of a sudden something clicks. And I say, so that's how they get that sound. And, and I've discovered something new that I never would have discovered if I had my druthers. Tim: Absolutely. Now my tagline for create art podcast. As everyone knows, is taming your inner critics in creating more than you consume? Emile: love that. Tim: Well, I got to credit my wife for that cause she's she's fantastic with one-liners she's married to me. So obviously she has to be good with one-liners, but for you, how do you. How do you tame that inner critic that we all have? You know, obviously we don't necessarily want to get rid of it because it does have some benefit to us, but how do you tame that inner critic in your practice? Emile: That's a good one. I guess I don't, I don't, it's a funny, I'm not having an answer for that. How do I tame that inner critic? I guess I don't, I just, I leave it. I let it be. And I, and I it's part of my process of learning. It's I say, okay. If I really don't like that. Meticulously looking at it. Just take it apart. What is it? I really don't like, because I think the inner critic says you don't play Michael Jackson tunes because that's not who you are. Well, okay. That's a big generality. So what part of it is actually happening? It's kind of like, I can't play. Piece of Chopin, but what I really can't play is those two bars, the rest of it I could get away with or I could play. And so I think when I Michael Jackson is a good example because I love his music, but it's nothing, whatever, like me is not in my background. My whole background is classical. It's just completely different and he's a wonderful artist, but I start examining it closely, closely. How did he get that sound? What, and I, it becomes a detective work. Did it and, and I come away learning some technique in my case, F the piano to imitate. The rhythm that he has in that piece of music I'm working on, on his tune bad right now. And it's not, it's not a penalty in any way, but it's, but you can do it. And I will have to discover how they it's just like when I'm playing my classical, I'm used to really intensely looking at how did they make that sound? I mean, from nothing, they got that. And so I, I do the same with. Pieces of music that I'm not familiar with or that I feel like I cannot do. And I think, I think meticulous investigation is what works for me. So Tim: for you, what's the next thing coming up for you? I obviously you are an accomplished And you have this wonderful book out, which everyone should go grab a copy of. I know I got a copy of it. I'm very happy that I did play it. Like you mean it, and it's not just for folks that are, are musicians. I found a lot of things that I could relate to other art forms with that book, but for you, what's next on the road for. Emile: For me I'm I have been kind of away from, I've never stepped away from classical music, but I haven't done classical performances in a very, very long time. My whole career is my arrangements of movie themes and musicals and that's, that's my, that's my thrust. That's what I love doing. And it's also. My career, but for now I'm backing off on public concerts to like put together a classical performance. That for me, I'm always, I always have the listener in mind, so I'm not trying to play for the Juilliard crowd. I'm trying to play for you and me and plays on the classical pieces that I'm playing or those that are probably like Clair de Lune a constellation by list trauma. I mean, I think there are things that. Even if people don't know them there, pop songs has some things, you know, that you can do excuse me. And it for me, because I don't do classical on a regular basis, it's going to take a lot of months. So that's my next goal. And it's just for my own pleasure, really. I'll keep doing my other things. Tim: Gotcha. And for those for our listeners out there, You know it might be a good idea. It let's say you're a painter or a dancer or something like that to pick up a meals book and take a look through it because I found I've got three pages of notes. I, I gotta say single-spaced times new Roman eight point font from from from. Where you do talk a lot about creativity. You do, you, yes. Your main thrust is the piano, but you do talk a lot about our creativity and, and how we can do better with it. And one of the things that I really liked, and that was back in chapter 19 when you're talking about the doldrums and the whole the whole ditch digging candidate. And can you elaborate a little bit more on that? Because that's, that's one of the things that really resounded with me is you know, when we're doing the things that we have to do for for money for pay, but then, you know, I putting it into that whole ditch story that, Emile: yeah, for me that that's a very accurate metaphor because and, and by the way, Elaborate on what's in the book. I say, you, you, you've got this hundred foot ditch to dig, but you've, you've got a dull shovel and you're starting on a hard ground and you just give up, you've got a dent going and, and so it can be very frustrating and disappointing and everything else when I have. Do that with music. I put the sheet music in front of me. I on purpose that's one time I do not play it. Like, I mean, it, I don't be authentic. I don't be anything I'm just saying, oh, that notes to see that notes would be, this is or whatever. I'm honestly, I could be daydreaming, but part of my attention has to be looking at the sheet so that I can play the notes there on the sheet. I'm just going through it mindlessly like a robot. And I do that through the entire piece of music and I go back and do it some more. And I still, and I don't judge myself. That's what inner critic. That's not a no time for judging. This is a time for letting some of these notes get into. Consciousness. And before long I have I find something about it, one measure or a couple of measures or phrase that appeals to me and I can I can say, oh, that's kinda cool. I wonder what that's about it. And it, it actually gets my interest going. I actually think. Oh, that's fascinating. The way they did that. I mean, that's, this is a real process. Would that really happens? I'm not, it's not a theoretical thing. You have to do it. So you start by first. You have to get rid of that. Oh God, I have to do this and get rid of that. And you just say, just do it mindlessly, just mindlessly. Do it. Eventually some part of it is going to strike a cord to use a metaphor. And and you'll say that was that interested me, or may not even like it, but I think this is music that I've never liked. It sure is interesting how they create it because every artist is different. And, and I know my, I know myself really well. I know what I do artistically. I, I know I sit at the piano instantly. I come out cause that's who I am and I've known that most of my life pardon me, but so anyway, that's, that's my, as much as I can think of at the moment about that. You start doing it and eventually it takes hold. Tim: Excellent. Excellent. And everybody go at it's chapter 19, marketing the book, get the highlighter out for them. Cause that's a really important chapter. Give me, was there anything that I haven't asked you yet that you really wanted me to dive into with you today? Emile: I think I would like to elaborate a little bit more on an artist, particularly an artists who are beginning. Career, not about the business end of it yet, but not knowing some people say, I don't know who I am artistically or what are they try this, they try that. And that's fun. This is great. Try all these different things. But I really think that something that the most. Obvious thing is to watch yourself how you interact with people at a party. Are you the life of the party? Are you the wallflower? What are you? And if you're here's a good one, if your friends were going to impersonate you, what would they do with these start shouting and ranting? Or would they be very quiet? Would they be a good listener? Would they be, would they make fun of how you always do this thing with your head? I mean, you know, If you really, really look at it, it's easy to find out who you are, artistically and then whatever your discipline is, whether it be painting or music or dancing, you go for that. Either you go for ballet or you go for modern, you go for Rafael or you go for Jackson, Pollock. It's just, what are you drawn to? And I think, I think in art, you have to find your default place and that is who you are. You may think I want to play jazz? Well, if you're not a jazz, if that's not, what a, if that's not your authentic thrust, then that's probably not for you. Tim: It's new. One thing that I, I I've noticed is that because I have kids and I have a 20 21 year old steps on is that, you know, with, with people's day jobs, careers, stuff like that. And a lot of people are focused on, okay, what's going to get me the most fans. What's going to get me the most money, but the most successful artists. They take the risks. I'm thinking of Bob Dylan, when he went electric you brought up oh, the the, a painter polling Jackson, Pollock Jackson, Pollock, you know, he didn't start with the drip paintings. He started a different way, and then he decided to change and you know, and we're still talking about him today, here in 2020. Not the works that he does. And you know, I, I think it's important what you said about being your authentic self, and that will come across to the audience naturally. You won't have to force it. And like me, I love jazz. Don't think I can play it to save my soul, but I enjoy supporting new jazz musicians, you know, buying their records. And attending their concerts. For me to go and pick up a jazz bass, not going to happen today. Emile: You know, it's interesting because all my life I've been surrounded by classical music. I have sisters who are in classical and it is the most natural thing in the world. Part of it is being Italian because I grew up in an Italian household and every male Italian thinks he's Pavarotti and opera music is like pop tunes and it it's, it was the most natural, comfortable thing. And, and if I were, if I were painting, I would try to paint like the the rough, the Raphael's. I would not try to paint like Jackson Pollock. I would end up being a very poor Jackson Pollock. But if I were, if I were to if I were a dancer, I've always, as a matter of fact, I've played for ballet classes in the past. I would take ballet if I had any gift for it, which I do not, but I wouldn't take it. I might even take ballroom dancing, but I mean, those are the things I'm drawn to naturally. And and I, and I think, I think it's a very simple thing. If you just really look at yourself and don't go into a lot of psychology things psychological down a rabbit hole, I think you just. Look at me. Well, this is what do I do? What do I do all day? Do I sit in front of a computer? Do I let my active? And, and I think sometimes the most obvious things elude us just because we didn't take the trouble to have a look. Tim: That's true. That's true. Well, thank you so much for that. Is there one thought you'd like to leave the listeners with. You know, replenishing their creative energy or just creativity in general. Emile: Yeah. Every single person is creative. I mean, there, from the time you were a little tiny child, you made a bracelet out of grass or you played dandelions and you tried to catch the dental. Fluff the freeway and you did it your way. And if you look at how you approach the simplest tasks, when you, when you're doing the dishes, do you do them a very orderly way or do you do very chaotic? And I think that you find a, a discipline that appeals to you again, whether it be visual arts or music or dancing or gymnastics or whatever I think you've actually, you shouldn't, you shouldn't think of that. Some people are creative and I'm not, no, everybody is some it's just like everybody. Excuse me. Everybody can write a sentence, but some of us are great authors. So it's, I think it has to be taken out of the special category and put it in the normal category. Everyone is an artist to some degree and some are good and some suck. Tim: Well, I've done. I paint like a four-year-old on crack. I can tell you that, but it's, it's the enjoyment of doing it. And it's one of my ways to, you know, get that creative energy, you know, replenish that when, you know, I work nine to five with the federal government and that can get to be a whole lot of fun, but then I can, you know, sit back with with my kids. Do some crazy paintings and put them up on the wall, on them. You laugh at them years later. Emile: Yeah, I think, I think by the way, the creative, sometimes things to be creative, you have to be really good at it. No, no, you're just creative. I mean, I can just do a stick drawing of something and it gives me pleasure. It's never going to be in an art gallery, but it's, it's a creative impulse and I can do it. No, but don't stop yourself because you're not the best. Tim: Exactly. We, you know, we, we, we, you know, we need our, you know, number one folks to up there and to be up there and do their do their do their art. But we also need everybody to feel comfortable in, in doing that. Maybe you make a career out of it, maybe you don't. But I know at the end of the day you know, the bookcases that I had behind me, it have a lot of authors behind them then have, you know, thousands of years of experience. But I also have four of my books up on there to go. I can do that too. Maybe not with the success that they've had, but I can put something out into the world like that. And it does my heart. Emile: Good. Tim: Excellent. Well, again, thank you so much for joining us here today on a create our podcast. And we definitely are going to look forward to new things coming out by you and everyone should go grab the book and go on to YouTube and watch this fine gentleman. Tickle those Ivory's. Thank you so much for joining Emile: us. I mean, as a guest, I really appreciate it's Timothy, you got it. Tim: Thank you for listening to create art podcast and this episode on how to replenish your creative energy. You know, it was a real pleasure talking with a meal about his practice. And understanding his approach to replenishing his creative energy. Take a look at his book and look him up on his website and musical platforms. I'd like to hear from you on how you replenish your creative energy. Or if you have questions on how you can add this to your practice, reach out to. Timothy@createartpodcast.com and let's have that conversation. Now, if you've got something under this episode, I'd like you to share it with a friend as fellow artists, when we sometimes need to help each other out and share the information we find and incorporate it into our practice, you can subscribe to this podcast at the website, create art podcast.com and links to this discussion will be in the show notes. So you can learn from. Now go out there and tame that inner critic and create more than you consume. Go out there and make art for somebody you love yourself. This has been a production of gaggle pod, east studios at gaggle pod. We have been helping creatives tell their story through podcasting since 2017, go to gaggle pod.com to listen to all of our network shows and reach out to us so we can help you tell your story through podcasting.
The Jazz Session No.241 from RaidersBroadcast.com as aired in Jan 2022, featuring some cool tracks from Jazz Islands pianist Alain Jean - Marie. TRACK LISTING: Mirage - Tubby Hayes; Paradox - Sonny Rollins Quartet; La Fiesta [live] - Chick Corea; Also Sprach Zarathustra - Deodato; Biguine the Be - Bop - Alain Jean-Marie; Lezarde - Alain Jean-Marie; Lullaby of Birdland - Dexter Gordon; Easy Swing - Wardell Gray Quartet; Let's Cool One - Thelonius Monk; Pockets - John Serry; Silent Feet - Eberhard Weber; On Such Short Notice - Sebastian Spanache; Somethin' Like Bags - Wes Montgomery; Too Close for Comfort - Jim Hall; Nathalie - Alain Jean-Marie; Serenade - Alain Jean-Marie; Coal Cart Blues - Louis Armstrong; Zu Zu Man - Dr. John; The Eyes Have It - Dave Holland Quintet; Teenie's Blues - Oliver Nelson, w. Evans, Haynes, Dolphy, Hubbard.
大阪 吹田の音楽スタジオ「Tule music Lab.」（トゥーレ・ミュージック・ラボ）がお届けする30分番組。 （今回は12分延長しております。） vol.19：旧ベース講師：二宮 史温さん、旧ドラム講師：澤井 遥菜さん 【トークテーマ】
Episode one hundred and thirty-nine of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds, and the influence of jazz and Indian music on psychedelic rock. This is a long one... Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Winchester Cathedral" by the New Vaudeville Band. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this time, as there were multiple artists with too many songs. Information on John Coltrane came from Coltrane by Ben Ratliffe, while information on Ravi Shankar came from Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar by Oliver Craske. For information on the Byrds, I relied mostly on Timeless Flight Revisited by Johnny Rogan, with some information from Chris Hillman's autobiography. This dissertation looks at the influence of Slonimsky on Coltrane. All Coltrane's music is worth getting, but this 5-CD set containing Impressions is the most relevant cheap selection of his material for these purposes. This collection has the Shankar material released in the West up to 1962. And this three-CD set is a reasonable way of getting most of the Byrds' important recordings. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript This episode is the second part of a loose trilogy of episodes set in LA in 1966. We're going to be spending a *lot* of time around LA and Hollywood for the next few months -- seven of the next thirteen episodes are based there, and there'll be more after that. But it's going to take a while to get there. This is going to be an absurdly long episode, because in order to get to LA in 1966 again, we're going to have to start off in the 1940s in New York, and take a brief detour to India. Because in order to explain this: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] We're first going to have to explain this: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India (#3)"] Before we begin this, I just want to say something. This episode runs long, and covers a *lot* of musical ground, and as part of that it covers several of the most important musicians of the twentieth century -- but musicians in the fields of jazz, which is a music I know something about, but am not an expert in, and Hindustani classical music, which is very much not even close to my area of expertise. It also contains a chunk of music theory, which again, I know a little about -- but only really enough to know how much I don't know. I am going to try to get the information about these musicians right, but I want to emphasise that at times I will be straying *vastly* out of my lane, in ways that may well seem like they're minimising these musicians. I am trying to give just enough information about them to tell the story, and I would urge anyone who becomes interested in the music I talk about in the early parts of this episode to go out and find more expert sources to fill in the gap. And conversely, if you know more about these musics than I do, please forgive any inaccuracies. I am going to do my best to get all of this right, because accuracy is important, but I suspect that every single sentence in the first hour or so of this episode could be footnoted with something pointing out all the places where what I've said is only somewhat true. Also, I apologise if I mispronounce any names or words in this episode, though I've tried my best to get it right -- I've been unable to find recordings of some words and names being spoken, while with others I've heard multiple versions. To tell today's story, we're going to have to go right back to some things we looked at in the first episode, on "Flying Home". For those of you who don't remember -- which is fair enough, since that episode was more than three years ago -- in that episode we looked at a jazz record by the Benny Goodman Sextet, which was one of the earliest popular recordings to feature electric guitar: [Excerpt: The Benny Goodman Sextet, "Flying Home"] Now, we talked about quite a lot of things in that episode which have played out in later episodes, but one thing we only mentioned in passing, there or later, was a style of music called bebop. We did talk about how Charlie Christian, the guitarist on that record, was one of the innovators of that style, but we didn't really go into what it was properly. Indeed, I deliberately did not mention in that episode something that I was saving until now, because we actually heard *two* hugely influential bebop musicians in that episode, and I was leaving the other one to talk about here. In that episode we saw how Lionel Hampton, the Benny Goodman band's vibraphone player, went on to form his own band, and how that band became one of the foundational influences for the genres that became known as jump blues and R&B. And we especially noted the saxophone solo on Hampton's remake of "Flying Home", played by Illinois Jacquet: [Excerpt: Lionel Hampton, "Flying Home"] We mentioned in that episode how Illinois Jacquet's saxophone solo there set the template for all tenor sax playing in R&B and rock and roll music for decades to come -- his honking style became quite simply how you play rock and roll or R&B saxophone, and without that solo you don't have any of the records by Fats Domino, Little Richard, the Coasters, or a dozen other acts that we discussed. But what we didn't look at in that episode is that that is a big band record, so of course there is more than just one saxophone player on it. And one of the other saxophone players on that recording is Dexter Gordon, a musician who was originally from LA. Those of you with long memories will remember that back in the first year or so of the podcast we talked a lot about the music programme at Jefferson High School in LA, and about Samuel Browne, the music teacher whose music programme gave the world the Coasters, the Penguins, the Platters, Etta James, Art Farmer, Richard Berry, Big Jay McNeely, Barry White, and more other important musicians than I can possibly name here. Gordon was yet another of Browne's students -- one who Browne regularly gave detention to, just to make him practice his scales. Gordon didn't get much chance to shine in the Lionel Hampton band, because he was only second tenor, with Jacquet taking many of the solos. But he was learning from playing in a band with Jacquet, and while Gordon didn't ever develop a honk like Jacquet's, he did adopt some of Jacquet's full tone in his own sound. There aren't many recordings of Gordon playing solos in his early years, because they coincided with the American Federation of Musicians' recording strike that we talked about in those early episodes, but he did record a few sessions in 1943 for a label small enough not to be covered by the ban, and you can hear something of Jacquet's tone in those recordings, along with the influence of Lester Young, who influenced all tenor sax players at this time: [Excerpt: Nat "King" Cole with Dexter Gordon, "I've Found a New Baby"] The piano player on that session, incidentally, is Nat "King" Cole, when he was still one of the most respected jazz pianists on the scene, before he switched primarily to vocals. And Gordon took this Jacquet-influenced tone, and used it to become the second great saxophone hero of bebop music, after Charlie Parker -- and the first great tenor sax hero of the music. I've mentioned bebop before on several occasions, but never really got into it in detail. It was a style that developed in New York in the mid to late forties, and a lot of the earliest examples of it went unrecorded thanks to that musicians' strike, but the style emphasised small groups improvising together, and expanding their sense of melody and harmony. The music prized virtuosity and musical intelligence over everything else, and was fast and jittery-sounding. The musicians would go on long, extended, improvisations, incorporating ideas both from the blues and from the modern classical music of people like Bartok and Stravinsky, which challenged conventional tonality. In particular, one aspect which became prominent in bebop music was a type of scale known as the bebop scale. In most of the music we've looked at in this podcast to this point, the scales used have been seven-note scales -- do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti- which make an octave with a second, higher, do tone. So in the scale of C major we have C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and then another C: [demonstrates] Bebop scales, on the other hand, would generally have an extra note in, making an eight-note scale, by adding in what is called a chromatic passing note. For example, a typical bebop C major scale might add in the note G#, so the scale would go C,D,E,F,G,G#, A, B, C: [demonstrates] You'd play this extra note for the most part, when moving between the two notes it's between, so in that scale you'd mostly use it when moving from G to A, or from A to G. Now I'm far from a bebop player, so this won't sound like bebop, but I can demonstrate the kind of thing if I first noodle a little scalar melody in the key of C major: [demonstrates] And then play the same thing, but adding in a G# every time I go between the G and the A in either direction: [demonstrates] That is not bebop music, but I hope you can see what a difference that chromatic passing tone makes to the melody. But again, that's not bebop, because I'm not a bebop player. Dexter Gordon, though, *was* a bebop player. He moved to New York while playing with Louis Armstrong's band, and soon became part of the bebop scene, which at the time centred around Charlie Christian, the trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie, and the alto sax player Charlie Parker, sometimes nicknamed "bird" or "Yardbird", who is often regarded as the greatest of them all. Gillespie, Parker, and Gordon also played in Billy Eckstine's big band, which gave many of the leading bebop musicians the opportunity to play in what was still the most popular idiom at the time -- you can hear Gordon have a saxophone battle with Gene Ammons on "Blowing the Blues Away" in a lineup of the band that also included Art Blakey on drums and Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet: [Excerpt: Billy Eckstine, "Blowing the Blues Away"] But Gordon was soon leading his own small band sessions, and making records for labels like Savoy, on which you can definitely hear the influence of Illinois Jacquet on his tone, even as he's playing music that's more melodically experimental by far than the jump band music of the Hampton band: [Excerpt: Dexter Gordon, "Dexter Digs In"] Basically, in the late 1940s, if you were wanting to play bebop on the saxophone, you had two models to follow -- Charlie Parker, the great alto saxophonist with his angular, atonal, melodic sense and fast, virtuosic, playing, or Dexter Gordon, the tenor saxophonist, whose style had more R&B grease and wit to it, who would quote popular melodies in his own improvisations. And John Coltrane followed both. Coltrane's first instrument was the alto sax, and when he was primarily an alto player he would copy Charlie Parker's style. When he switched to being primarily a tenor player -- though he would always continue playing both instruments, and later in his career would also play soprano sax -- he took up much of Gordon's mellower tone, though he was also influenced by other tenor players, like Lester Young, the great player with Count Basie's band, and Johnny Hodges, who played with Duke Ellington. Now, it is important to note here that John Coltrane is a very, very, big deal. Depending on your opinion of Ornette Coleman's playing, Coltrane is by most accounts either the last or penultimate truly great innovator in jazz saxophone, and arguably the single foremost figure in the music in the last half of the twentieth century. In this podcast I'm only able to tell you enough about him to give you the information you need to understand the material about the Byrds, but were I to do a similar history of jazz in five hundred songs, Coltrane would have a similar position to someone like the Beatles -- he's such a major figure that he is literally venerated as a saint by the African Orthodox Church, and a couple of other Episcopal churches have at least made the case for his sainthood. So anything I say here about him is not even beginning to scratch the surface of his towering importance to jazz music, but it will, I hope, give some idea of his importance to the development of the Byrds -- a group of whom he was almost certainly totally unaware. Coltrane started out playing as a teenager, and his earliest recordings were when he was nineteen and in the armed forces, just after the end of World War II. At that time, he was very much a beginner, although a talented one, and on his early amateur recordings you can hear him trying to imitate Parker without really knowing what it was that Parker was doing that made him so great. But as well as having some natural talent, he had one big attribute that made him stand out -- his utter devotion to his music. He was so uninterested in anything other than mastering his instrument that one day a friend was telling him about a baseball game he'd watched, and all Coltrane could do was ask in confusion "Who's Willie Mays?" Coltrane would regularly practice his saxophone until his reed was red with blood, but he would also study other musicians. And not just in jazz. He knew that Charlie Parker had intensely studied Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, and so Coltrane would study that too: [Excerpt: Stravinsky, "Firebird Suite"] Coltrane joined the band of Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, who was one of those figures like Johnny Otis, with whom Vinson would later perform for many years, who straddled the worlds of jazz and R&B. Vinson was a blues shouter in the style of Big Joe Turner, but he was also a bebop sax player, and what he wanted was a tenor sax player who could play tenor the way Charlie Parker played alto, but do it in an R&B setting. Coltrane switched from alto to tenor, and spent a year or so playing with Vinson's band. No recordings exist of Coltrane with Vinson that I'm aware of, but you can get an idea of what he sounded like from his next band. By this point, Dizzy Gillespie had graduated from small bebop groups to leading a big band, and he got Coltrane in as one of his alto players, though Coltrane would often also play tenor with Gillespie, as on this recording from 1951, which has Coltrane on tenor, Gillespie on trumpet, with Kenny Burrell and two of the future Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson and Percy Heath, showing that the roots of modern jazz were not very far at all from the roots of rock and roll: [Excerpt: Dizzy Gillespie, "We Love to Boogie"] After leaving Gillespie's band, Coltrane played with a lot of important musicians over the next four or five years, like Johnny Hodges, Earl Bostic, and Jimmy Smith, and occasionally sat in with Miles Davis, but at this point he was still not a major musician in the genre. He was a competent, working, sideman, but he was also struggling with alcohol and heroin, and hadn't really found his own voice. But then Miles Davis asked Coltrane to join his band full-time. Coltrane was actually Davis' second choice -- he really wanted Sonny Rollins, who was widely considered the best new tenor player around, but he was eventually persuaded to take Coltrane. During his first period with Davis, Coltrane grew rapidly as a musician, and also played on a *lot* of other people's sessions. In a three year period Coltrane went from Davis to Thelonius Monk's group then back to Davis' group, and also recorded as both a sideman and a band leader on a ton of sessions. You can get a box set of his recordings from May 1956 through December 1958 that comes to nineteen CDs -- and that's not counting the recordings with Miles Davis, which aren't included on that set. Unsurprisingly, just through playing this much, Coltrane had grown enormously as a player, and he was particularly fascinated by harmonics, playing with the notes of a chord, in arpeggios, and pushing music to its harmonic limits, as you can hear in his solo on Davis' "Straight, No Chaser", which pushes the limits of the jazz solo as far as they'd gone to that point: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Straight, No Chaser"] But on the same album as that, "Milestones", we also have the first appearance of a new style, modal jazz. Now, to explain this, we have to go back to the scales again. We looked at the normal Western scale, do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do, but you can start a scale on any of those notes, and which note you start on creates what is called a different mode. The modes are given Greek names, and each mode has a different feel to it. If you start on do, we call this the major scale or the Ionian mode. This is the normal scale we heard before -- C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C: [demonstrates] Most music – about seventy percent of the melodies you're likely to have heard, uses that mode. If you start on re, it would go re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-re, or D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D, the Dorian mode: [demonstrates] Melodies with this mode tend to have a sort of wistful feel, like "Scarborough Fair": [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "Scarborough Fair"] or many of George Harrison's songs: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Me Mine"] Starting on mi, you have the Phrygian mode, mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-re-mi: [demonstrates] The Phrygian mode is not especially widely used, but does turn up in some popular works like Barber's Adagio for Strings: [Excerpt: Barber, "Adagio for Strings"] Then there's the Lydian mode, fa-so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa: [demonstrates] This mode isn't used much at all in pop music -- the most prominent example I can think of is "Pretty Ballerina" by the Left Banke: [Excerpt: The Left Banke, "Pretty Ballerina"] Starting on so, we have so-la-ti-do-re-mi-fa-so -- the Mixolydian mode: [demonstrates] That mode has a sort of bluesy or folky tone to it, and you also find it in a lot of traditional tunes, like "She Moves Through the Fair": [Excerpt: Davey Graham, "She Moved Thru' The Bizarre/Blue Raga"] And in things like "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Norwegian Wood"] Though that goes into Dorian for the middle section. Starting on la, we have the Aeolian mode, which is also known as the natural minor scale, and is often just talked about as “the minor scale”: [demonstrates] That's obviously used in innumerable songs, for example "Losing My Religion" by REM: [Excerpt: REM, "Losing My Religion"] And finally you have the Locrian mode ti-do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti: [demonstrates] That basically doesn't get used, unless someone wants to show off that they know the Locrian mode. The only vaguely familiar example I can think of is "Army of Me" by Bjork: [Excerpt: Bjork, "Army of Me"] I hope that brief excursion through the seven most common modes in Western diatonic music gives you some idea of the difference that musical modes can make to a piece. Anyway, as I was saying, on the "Milestones" album, we get some of the first examples of a form that became known as modal jazz. Now, the ideas of modal jazz had been around for a few years at that point -- oddly, it seems to be one of the first types of popular music to have existed in theory before existing in practice. George Russell, an acquaintance of Davis who was a self-taught music theorist, had written a book in 1953 titled The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. That book argues that rather than looking at the diatonic scale as the basis for music, one should instead look at a chord progression called the circle of fifths. The circle of fifths is exactly what it sounds like -- you change chords to one a fifth away from it, and then do that again and again, either going up, so you'd have chords with the roots C-G-D-A-E-B-F# and so on: [demonstrates] Or, more commonly, going down, though usually when going downwards you tend to cheat a bit and sharpen one of the notes so you can stay in one key, so you'd get chords with roots C-F-B-E-A-D-G, usually the chords C, F, B diminished, Em, Am, Dm, G: [demonstrates] That descending cycle of fifths is used in all sorts of music, everything from "You Never Give Me Your Money" by the Beatles: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "You Never Give Me Your Money"] to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor: [Excerpt: Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive"] But what Russell pointed out is that if you do the upwards cycle of fifths, and you *don't* change any of the notes, the first seven root notes you get are the same seven notes you'd find in the Lydian mode, just reordered -- C-D-E-F#-G-A-B . Russell then argued that much of the way harmony and melody work in jazz could be thought of as people experimenting with the way the Lydian mode works, and the way the cycle of fifths leads you further and further away from the tonal centre. Now, you could probably do an entire podcast series as long as this one on the implications of this, and I am honestly just trying to summarise enough information here that you can get a vague gist, but Russell's book had a profound effect on how jazz musicians started to think about harmony and melody. Instead of improvising around the chord changes to songs, they were now basing improvisations and compositions around modes and the notes in them. Rather than having a lot of chord changes, you might just play a single root note that stays the same throughout, or only changes a couple of times in the whole piece, and just imply changes with the clash between the root note and whatever modal note the solo instrument is playing. The track "Milestones" on the Milestones album shows this kind of thinking in full effect -- the song consists of a section in G Dorian, followed by a section in A Aeolian (or E Phrygian depending on how you look at it). Each section has only one implied chord -- a Gm7 for the G Dorian section, and an Am7(b13) for the A Aeolian section -- over which Davis, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax, and Coltrane on tenor, all solo: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "Milestones"] (For the pedants among you, that track was originally titled "Miles" on the first pressings of the album, but it was retitled "Milestones" on subsequent pressings). The modal form would be taken even further on Davis' next album to be recorded, Porgy and Bess, which featured much fuller orchestrations and didn't have Coltrane on it. Davis later said that when the arranger Gil Evans wrote the arrangements for that album, he didn't write any chords at all, just a scale, which Davis could improvise around. But it was on the album after that, Kind of Blue, which again featured Coltrane on saxophone, that modal jazz made its big breakthrough to becoming the dominant form of jazz music. As with what Evans had done on Porgy and Bess, Davis gave the other instrumentalists modes to play, rather than a chord sequence to improvise over or a melody line to play with. He explained his thinking behind this in an interview with Nat Hentoff, saying "When you're based on chords, you know at the end of 32 bars that the chords have run out and there's nothing to do but repeat what you've just done—with variations. I think a movement in jazz is beginning away from the conventional string of chords ... there will be fewer chords but infinite possibilities as to what to do with them." This style shows up in "So What", the opening track on the album, which is in some ways a very conventional song structure -- it's a thirty-two bar AABA structure. But instead of a chord sequence, it's based on modes in two keys -- the A section is in D Dorian, while the B section is in E-flat Dorian: [Excerpt: Miles Davis, "So What"] Kind of Blue would become one of the contenders for greatest jazz album of all time, and one of the most influential records ever made in any genre -- and it could be argued that that track we just heard, "So What", inspired a whole other genre we'll be looking at in a future episode -- but Coltrane still felt the need to explore more ideas, and to branch out on his own. In particular, while he was interested in modal music, he was also interested in exploring more kinds of scales than just modes, and to do this he had to, at least for the moment, reintroduce chord changes into what he was doing. He was inspired in particular by reading Nicolas Slonimsky's classic Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns. Coltrane had recently signed a new contract as a solo artist with Atlantic Records, and recorded what is generally considered his first true masterpiece album as a solo artist, Giant Steps, with several members of the Davis band, just two weeks after recording Kind of Blue. The title track to Giant Steps is the most prominent example of what are known in jazz as the Coltrane changes -- a cycle of thirds, similar to the cycle of fifths we talked about earlier. The track itself seems to have two sources. The first is the bridge of the old standard "Have You Met Miss Jones?", as famously played by Coleman Hawkins: [Excerpt: Coleman Hawkins, "Have You Met Miss Jones?" And the second is an exercise from Slonimsky's book: [Excerpt: Pattern #286 from Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns] Coltrane combined these ideas to come up with "Giant Steps", which is based entirely around these cycles of thirds, and Slonimsky's example: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Giant Steps"] Now, I realise that this is meant to be a history of rock music, not jazz musicology theory time, so I promise you I am just hitting the high points here. And only the points that affect Coltrane's development as far as it influenced the music we're looking at in this episode. And so we're actually going to skip over Coltrane's commercial high-point, My Favourite Things, and most of the rest of his work for Atlantic, even though that music is some of the most important jazz music ever recorded. Instead, I'm going to summarise a whole lot of very important music by simply saying that while Coltrane was very interested in this musical idea of the cycle of thirds, he did not like being tied to precise chord changes, and liked the freedom that modal jazz gave to him. By 1960, when his contract with Atlantic was ending and his contract with Impulse was beginning, and he recorded the two albums Olé and Africa/Brass pretty much back to back, he had hit on a new style with the help of Eric Dolphy, a flute, clarinet, and alto sax player who would become an important figure in Coltrane's life. Dolphy died far too young -- he went into a diabetic coma and doctors assumed that because he was a Black jazz musician he must have overdosed, even though he was actually a teetotal abstainer, so he didn't get the treatment he needed -- but he made such a profound influence on Coltrane's life that Coltrane would carry Dolphy's picture with him after his death. Dolphy was even more of a theorist than Coltrane, and another devotee of Slonimsky's book, and he was someone who had studied a great deal of twentieth-century classical music, particularly people like Bartok, Messiaen, Stravinsky, Charles Ives, and Edgard Varese. Dolphy even performed Varese's piece Density 21.5 in concert, an extremely demanding piece for solo flute. I don't know of a recording of Dolphy performing it, sadly, but this version should give some idea: [Excerpt: Edgard Varese, "Density 21.5"] Encouraged by Dolphy, Coltrane started making music based around no changes at all, with any changes being implied by the melody. The title song of Africa/Brass, "Africa", takes up an entire side of one album, and doesn't have a single actual chord change on it, with Dolphy and pianist McCoy Tyner coming up with a brass-heavy arrangement for Coltrane to improvise over a single chord: [Excerpt: The John Coltrane Quartet: "Africa"] This was a return to the idea of modal jazz, based on scales rather than chord changes, but by implying chord changes, often changes based on thirds, Coltrane was often using different scales than the modes that had been used in modal jazz. And while, as the title suggested, "Africa" was inspired by the music of Africa, the use of a single drone chord underneath solos based on a scale was inspired by the music of another continent altogether. Since at least the mid-1950s, both Coltrane and Dolphy had been interested in Indian music. They appear to have first become interested in a record released by Folkways, Music Of India, Morning And Evening Ragas by Ali Akbar Khan: [Excerpt: Ali Akbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] But the musician they ended up being most inspired by was a friend of Khan's, Ravi Shankar, who like Khan had been taught by the great sarod player Alauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan's father. The elder Khan, who was generally known as "Baba", meaning "father", was possibly *the* most influential Indian musician of the first half of the twentieth century, and was a big part of the revitalisation of Indian music that went hand in hand with the growth of Indian nationalism. He was an ascetic who lived for music and nothing else, and would write five to ten new compositions every day, telling Shankar "Do one thing well and you can achieve everything. Do everything and you achieve nothing". Alauddin Khan was a very religious Muslim, but one who saw music as the ultimate way to God and could find truths in other faiths. When Shankar first got to know him, they were both touring as musicians in a dance troupe run by Shankar's elder brother, which was promoting Indian arts in the West, and he talked about taking Khan to hear the organ playing at Notre Dame cathedral, and Khan bursting into tears and saying "here is God". Khan was not alone in this view. The classical music of Northern India, the music that Khan played and taught, had been very influenced by Sufism, which was for most of Muslim history the dominant intellectual and theological tradition in Islam. Now, I am going to sum up a thousand years of theology and practice, of a religion I don't belong to, in a couple of sentences here, so just assume that what I'm saying is wrong, and *please* don't take offence if you are Sufi yourself and believe I am misrepresenting you. But my understanding of Sufism is that Sufis are extremely devoted to attaining knowledge and understanding of God, and believe that strict adherence to Muslim law is the best way to attain that knowledge -- that it is the way that God himself has prescribed for humans to know him -- but that such knowledge can be reached by people of other faiths if they approach their own traditions with enough devotion. Sufi ideas infuse much of Northern Indian classical music, and so for example it has been considered acceptable for Muslims to sing Hindu religious music and Hindus to sing songs of praise to Allah. So while Ravi Shankar was Hindu and Alauddin Khan was Muslim, Khan was able to become Shankar's guru in what both men regarded as a religious observance, and even to marry Khan's daughter. Khan was a famously cruel disciplinarian -- once hospitalising a student after hitting him with a tuning hammer -- but he earned the devotion of his students by enforcing the same discipline on himself. He abstained from sex so he could put all his energies into music, and was known to tie his hair to the ceiling while he practiced, so he could not fall asleep no matter how long he kept playing. Both Khan and his son Ali Akhbar Khan played the sarod, while Shankar played the sitar, but they all played the same kind of music, which is based on the concept of the raga. Now, in some ways, a raga can be considered equivalent to a mode in Western music: [Excerpt: Ali Akbar Khan, "Rag Sindhi Bhairavi"] But a raga is not *just* a mode -- it sits somewhere between Western conceptions of a mode and a melody. It has a scale, like a mode, but it can have different scales going up or down, and rules about which notes can be moved to from which other notes. So for example (and using Western tones so as not to confuse things further), a raga might say that it's possible to move up from the note G to D, but not down from D to G. Ragas are essentially a very restrictive set of rules which allow the musician playing them to improvise freely within those rules. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the violinist Yehudi Mehuin, at the time the most well-known classical musician in the world, had become fascinated by Indian music as part of a wider programme of his to learn more music outside what he regarded as the overly-constricting scope of the Western classical tradition in which he had been trained. He had become a particular fan of Shankar, and had invited him over to the US to perform. Shankar had refused to come at that point, sending his brother-in-law Ali Akbar Khan over, as he was in the middle of a difficult divorce, and that had been when Khan had recorded that album which had fascinated Coltrane and Dolphy. But Shankar soon followed himself, and made his own records: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Hamsadhwani"] The music that both Khan and Shankar played was a particular style of Hindustani classical music, which has three elements -- there's a melody instrument, in Shankar's case the sitar and in Khan's the sarod, both of them fretted stringed instruments which have additional strings that resonate along with the main melody string, giving their unique sound. These are the most distinctive Indian instruments, but the melody can be played on all sorts of other instruments, whether Indian instruments like the bansuri and shehnai, which are very similar to the flute and oboe respectively, or Western instruments like the violin. Historically, the melody has also often been sung rather than played, but Indian instrumental music has had much more influence on Western popular music than Indian vocal music has, so we're mostly looking at that here. Along with the melody instrument there's a percussion instrument, usually the tabla, which is a pair of hand drums. Rather than keep a steady, simple, beat like the drum kit in rock music, the percussion has its own patterns and cycles, called talas, which like ragas are heavily formalised but leave a great amount of room for improvisation. The percussion and the melody are in a sort of dialogue with each other, and play off each other in a variety of ways. And finally there's the drone instrument, usually a stringed instrument called a tamboura. The drone is what it sounds like -- a single note, sustained and repeated throughout the piece, providing a harmonic grounding for the improvisations of the melody instrument. Sometimes, rather than just a single root note, it will be a root and fifth, providing a single chord to improvise over, but as often it will be just one note. Often that note will be doubled at the octave, so you might have a drone on both low E and high E. The result provides a very strict, precise, formal, structure for an infinitely varied form of expression, and Shankar was a master of it: [Excerpt: Ravi Shankar, "Raga Hamsadhwani"] Dolphy and, especially, Coltrane became fascinated by Indian music, and Coltrane desperately wanted to record with Shankar -- he even later named his son Ravi in honour of the great musician. It wasn't just the music as music, but music as spiritual practice, that Coltrane was engaged with. He was a deeply religious man but one who was open to multiple faith traditions -- he had been brought up as a Methodist, and both his grandfathers were ministers in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, but his first wife, Naima, who inspired his personal favourite of his own compositions, was a Muslim, while his second wife, Swamini Turiyasangitananda (who he married after leaving Naima in 1963 and who continued to perform as Alice Coltrane even after she took that name, and was herself an extraordinarily accomplished jazz musician on both piano and harp), was a Hindu, and both of them profoundly influenced Coltrane's own spirituality. Some have even suggested that Coltrane's fascination with a cycle of thirds came from the idea that the third could represent both the Christian Trinity and the Hindu trimurti -- the three major forms of Brahman in Hinduism, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. So a music which was a religious discipline for more than one religion, and which worked well with the harmonic and melodic ideas that Coltrane had been exploring in jazz and learning about through his studies of modern classical music, was bound to appeal to Coltrane, and he started using the idea of having two basses provide an octave drone similar to that of the tamboura, leading to tracks like "Africa" and "Olé": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "Olé"] Several sources have stated that that song was an influence on "Light My Fire" by the Doors, and I can sort of see that, though most of the interviews I've seen with Ray Manzarek have him talking about Coltrane's earlier version of "My Favourite Things" as the main influence there. Coltrane finally managed to meet with Shankar in December 1961, and spent a lot of time with him -- the two discussed recording an album together with McCoy Tyner, though nothing came of it. Shankar said of their several meetings that month: "The music was fantastic. I was much impressed, but one thing distressed me. There was turbulence in the music that gave me a negative feeling at times, but I could not quite put my finger on the trouble … Here was a creative person who had become a vegetarian, who was studying yoga, and reading the Bhagavad-Gita, yet in whose music I still heard much turmoil. I could not understand it." Coltrane said in turn "I like Ravi Shankar very much. When I hear his music, I want to copy it – not note for note of course, but in his spirit. What brings me closest to Ravi is the modal aspect of his art. Currently, at the particular stage I find myself in, I seem to be going through a modal phase … There's a lot of modal music that is played every day throughout the world. It is particularly evident in Africa, but if you look at Spain or Scotland, India or China, you'll discover this again in each case … It's this universal aspect of music that interests me and attracts me; that's what I'm aiming for." And the month before Coltrane met Shankar, Coltrane had had a now-legendary residency at the Village Vanguard in New York with his band, including Dolphy, which had resulted not only in the famous Live at the Village Vanguard album, but in two tracks on Coltrane's studio album Impressions. Those shows were among the most controversial in the history of jazz, though the Village Vanguard album is now often included in lists of the most important records in jazz. Downbeat magazine, the leading magazine for jazz fans at the time, described those shows as "musical nonsense" and "a horrifying demonstration of what appears to be a growing anti-jazz trend" -- though by the time Impressions came out in 1963, that opinion had been revised somewhat. Harvey Pekar, the comic writer and jazz critic, also writing in DownBeat, gave Impressions five stars, saying "Not all the music on this album is excellent (which is what a five-star rating signifies,) but some is more than excellent". And while among Coltrane fans the piece from these Village Vanguard shows that is of most interest is the extended blues masterpiece "Chasin' the Trane" which takes up a whole side of the Village Vanguard LP, for our purposes we're most interested in one of the two tracks that was held over for Impressions. This was another of Coltrane's experiments in using the drones he'd found in Indian musical forms, like "Africa" and "Olé". This time it was also inspired by a specific piece of music, though not an instrumental one. Rather it was a vocal performance -- a recording on a Folkways album of Pandita Ramji Shastri Dravida chanting one of the Vedas, the religious texts which are among the oldest texts sacred to any surviving religion: [Excerpt: Pandita Ramji Shastri Dravida, "Vedic Chanting"] Coltrane took that basic melodic idea, and combined it with his own modal approach to jazz, and the inspiration he was taking from Shankar's music, and came up with a piece called "India": [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India"] Which is where we came in, isn't it? [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] So now, finally, we get to the Byrds. Even before "Mr. Tambourine Man" went to number one in the charts, the Byrds were facing problems with their sound being co-opted as the latest hip thing. Their location in LA, at the centre of the entertainment world, was obviously a huge advantage to them in many ways, but it also made them incredibly visible to people who wanted to hop onto a bandwagon. The group built up much of their fanbase playing at Ciro's -- the nightclub on the Sunset Strip that we mentioned in the previous episode which later reopened as It's Boss -- and among those in the crowd were Sonny and Cher. And Sonny brought along his tape recorder. The Byrds' follow-up single to "Mr. Tambourine Man", released while that song was still going up the charts, was another Dylan song, "All I Really Want to Do". But it had to contend with this: [Excerpt: Cher, "All I Really Want to Do"] Cher's single, produced by Sonny, was her first solo single since the duo had become successful, and came out before the Byrds' version, and the Byrds were convinced that elements of the arrangement, especially the guitar part, came from the version they'd been performing live – though of course Sonny was no stranger to jangly guitars himself, having co-written “Needles and Pins”, the song that pretty much invented the jangle. Cher made number fifteen on the charts, while the Byrds only made number forty. Their version did beat Cher's in the UK charts, though. The record company was so worried about the competition that for a while they started promoting the B-side as the A-side. That B-side was an original by Gene Clark, though one that very clearly showed the group's debt to the Searchers: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better"] While it was very obviously derived from the Searchers' version of "Needles and Pins", especially the riff, it was still a very strong, original, piece of work in its own right. It was the song that convinced the group's producer, Terry Melcher, that they were a serious proposition as artists in their own right, rather than just as performers of Dylan's material, and it was also a favourite of the group's co-manager, Jim Dickson, who picked out Clark's use of the word "probably" in the chorus as particularly telling -- the singer thinks he will feel better when the subject of the song is gone, but only probably. He's not certain. "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better", after being promoted as the A-side for a short time, reached number one hundred and two on the charts, but the label quickly decided to re-flip it and concentrate on promoting the Dylan song as the single. The group themselves weren't too bothered about their thunder having been stolen by Sonny and Cher, but their new publicist was incandescent. Derek Taylor had been a journalist for the Daily Express, which at that time was a respectable enough newspaper (though that is very much no longer the case). He'd become involved in the music industry after writing an early profile on the Beatles, at which point he had been taken on by the Beatles' organisation first to ghostwrite George Harrison's newspaper column and Brian Epstein's autobiography, and then as their full-time publicist and liner-note writer. He'd left the organisation at the end of 1964, and had moved to the US, where he had set up as an independent music publicist, working for the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and various other acts in their overlapping social circles, such as Paul Revere and the Raiders. Taylor was absolutely furious on the group's behalf, saying "I was not only disappointed, I was disgusted. Sonny and Cher went to Ciro's and ripped off the Byrds and, being obsessive, I could not get this out of my mind that Sonny and Cher had done this terrible thing. I didn't know that much about the record business and, in my experience with the Beatles, cover versions didn't make any difference. But by covering the Byrds, it seemed that you could knock them off the perch. And Sonny and Cher, in my opinion, stole that song at Ciro's and interfered with the Byrds' career and very nearly blew them out of the game." But while the single was a comparative flop, the Mr. Tambourine Man album, which came out shortly after, was much more successful. It contained the A and B sides of both the group's first two singles, although a different vocal take of "All I Really Want to Do" was used from the single release, along with two more Dylan covers, and a couple more originals -- five of the twelve songs on the album were original in total, three of them Gene Clark solo compositions and the other two co-written by Clark and Roger McGuinn. To round it out there was a version of the 1939 song "We'll Meet Again", made famous by Vera Lynn, which you may remember us discussing in episode ninety as an example of early synthesiser use, but which had recently become popular in a rerecorded version from the 1950s, thanks to its use at the end of Dr. Strangelove; there was a song written by Jackie DeShannon; and "The Bells of Rhymney", a song in which Pete Seeger set a poem about a mining disaster in Wales to music. So a fairly standard repertoire for early folk-rock, though slightly heavier on Dylan than most. While the group's Hollywood notoriety caused them problems like the Sonny and Cher one, it did also give them advantages. For example, they got to play at the fourth of July party hosted by Jane Fonda, to guests including her father Henry and brother Peter, Louis Jordan, Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, and Sidney Poitier. Derek Taylor, who was used to the Beatles' formal dress and politeness at important events, imposed on them by Brian Epstein, was shocked when the Byrds turned up informally dressed, and even more shocked when Vito Paulekas and Carl Franzoni showed up. Vito (who was always known by his first name) and Franzoni are both important but marginal figures in the LA scene. Neither were musicians, though Vito did make one record, produced by Kim Fowley: [Excerpt: Vito and the Hands, "Vito and the Hands"] Rather Vito was a sculptor in his fifties, who had become part of the rock and roll scene and had gathered around him a dance troupe consisting largely of much younger women, and also of himself and Franzoni. Their circle, which also included Arthur Lee and Bryan MacLean, who weren't part of their dance troupe but were definitely part of their crowd, will be talked about much more in future episodes, but for now we'll just say that they are often considered proto-hippies, though they would have disputed that characterisation themselves quite vigorously; that they were regular dancers at Ciro's and became regular parts of the act of both the Byrds and the Mothers of Invention; and we'll give this rather explicit description of their performances from Frank Zappa: "The high point of the performance was Carl Franzoni, our 'go-go boy.' He was wearing ballet tights, frugging violently. Carl has testicles which are bigger than a breadbox. Much bigger than a breadbox. The looks on the faces of the Baptist teens experiencing their grandeur is a treasured memory." Paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? So you can possibly imagine why Derek Taylor later said "When Carl Franzoni and Vito came, I got into a terrible panic". But Jim Dickson explained to him that it was Hollywood and people were used to that kind of thing, and even though Taylor described seeing Henry Fonda and his wife pinned against the wall by the writhing Franzoni and the other dancers, apparently everyone had a good time. And then the next month, the group went on their first UK tour. On which nobody had a good time: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Eight Miles High"] Even before the tour, Derek Taylor had reservations. Obviously the Byrds should tour the UK -- London, in particular, was the centre of the cultural world at that time, and Taylor wanted the group to meet his old friends the Beatles and visit Carnaby Street. But at the same time, there seemed to be something a little... off... about the promoters they were dealing with, Joe Collins, the father of Joan and Jackie Collins, and a man named Mervyn Conn. As Taylor said later "All I did know was that the correspondence from Mervyn Conn didn't assure me. I kept expressing doubts about the contents of the letters. There was something about the grammar. You know, 'I'll give you a deal', and 'We'll get you some good gigs'. The whole thing was very much showbusiness. Almost pantomime showbusiness." But still, it seemed like it was worth making the trip, even when Musicians Union problems nearly derailed the whole thing. We've talked previously about how disagreements between the unions in the US and UK meant that musicians from one country couldn't tour the other for decades, and about how that slightly changed in the late fifties. But the new system required a one-in, one-out system where tours had to be set up as exchanges so nobody was taking anyone's job, and nobody had bothered to find a five-piece group of equivalent popularity to the Byrds to tour America in return. Luckily, the Dave Clark Five stepped into the breach, and were able to do a US tour on short notice, so that problem was solved. And then, as soon as they landed, the group were confronted with a lawsuit. From the Birds: [Excerpt: The Birds, "No Good Without You Baby"] These Birds, spelled with an "i", not a "y", were a Mod group from London, who had started out as the Thunderbirds, but had had to shorten their name when the London R&B singer Chris Farlowe and his band the Thunderbirds had started to have some success. They'd become the Birds, and released a couple of unsuccessful singles, but had slowly built up a reasonable following and had a couple of TV appearances. Then they'd started to receive complaints from their fans that when they went into the record shops to ask for the new record by the Birds, they were being sold some jangly folky stuff about tambourines, rather than Bo Diddley inspired R&B. So the first thing the American Byrds saw in England, after a long and difficult flight which had left them very tired and depressed, especially Gene Clark, who hated flying, was someone suing them for loss of earnings. The lawsuit never progressed any further, and the British group changed their name to Birds Birds, and quickly disappeared from music history -- apart from their guitarist, Ronnie Wood, who we'll be hearing from again. But the experience was not exactly the welcome the group had been hoping for, and is reflected in one of the lines that Gene Clark wrote in the song he later came up with about the trip -- "Nowhere is there love to be found among those afraid of losing their ground". And the rest of the tour was not much of an improvement. Chris Hillman came down with bronchitis on the first night, David Crosby kept turning his amp up too high, resulting in the other members copying him and the sound in the venues they were playing seeming distorted, and most of all they just seemed, to the British crowds, to be unprofessional. British audiences were used to groups running on, seeming excited, talking to the crowd between songs, and generally putting on a show. The Byrds, on the other hand, sauntered on stage, and didn't even look at the audience, much less talk to them. What seemed to the LA audience as studied cool seemed to the UK audience like the group were rude, unprofessional, and big-headed. At one show, towards the end of the set, one girl in the audience cried out "Aren't you even going to say anything?", to which Crosby responded "Goodbye" and the group walked off, without any of them having said another word. When they played the Flamingo Club, the biggest cheer of the night came when their short set ended and the manager said that the club was now going to play records for dancing until the support act, Geno Washington and the Ramjam Band, were ready to do another set. Michael Clarke and Roger McGuinn also came down with bronchitis, the group were miserable and sick, and they were getting absolutely panned in the reviews. The closest thing they got to a positive review was when Paul Jones of Manfred Mann was asked about them, and he praised some of their act -- perceptively pointing to their version of "We'll Meet Again" as being in the Pop Art tradition of recontextualising something familiar so it could be looked at freshly -- but even he ended up also criticising several aspects of the show and ended by saying "I think they're going to be a lot better in the future". And then, just to rub salt in the wound, Sonny and Cher turned up in the UK. The Byrds' version of "All I Really Want to Do" massively outsold theirs in the UK, but their big hit became omnipresent: [Excerpt: Sonny and Cher, "I Got You Babe"] And the press seemed to think that Sonny and Cher, rather than the Byrds, were the true representatives of the American youth culture. The Byrds were already yesterday's news. The tour wasn't all bad -- it did boost sales of the group's records, and they became friendly with the Beatles, Stones, and Donovan. So much so that when later in the month the Beatles returned to the US, the Byrds were invited to join them at a party they were holding in Benedict Canyon, and it was thanks to the Byrds attending that party that two things happened to influence the Beatles' songwriting. The first was that Crosby brought his Hollywood friend Peter Fonda along. Fonda kept insisting on telling people that he knew what it was like to actually be dead, in a misguided attempt to reassure George Harrison, who he wrongly believed was scared of dying, and insisted on showing them his self-inflicted bullet wounds. This did not go down well with John Lennon and George Harrison, both of whom were on acid at the time. As Lennon later said, "We didn't want to hear about that! We were on an acid trip and the sun was shining and the girls were dancing and the whole thing was beautiful and Sixties, and this guy – who I really didn't know; he hadn't made Easy Rider or anything – kept coming over, wearing shades, saying, "I know what it's like to be dead," and we kept leaving him because he was so boring! ... It was scary. You know ... when you're flying high and [whispers] "I know what it's like to be dead, man" Eventually they asked Fonda to get out, and the experience later inspired Lennon to write this: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "She Said, She Said"] Incidentally, like all the Beatles songs of that period, that was adapted for the cartoon TV series based on the group, in this case as a follow-the-bouncing-ball animation. There are few things which sum up the oddness of mid-sixties culture more vividly than the fact that there was a massively popular kids' cartoon with a cheery singalong version of a song about a bad acid trip and knowing what it's like to be dead. But there was another, more positive, influence on the Beatles to come out of them having invited the Byrds to the party. Once Fonda had been kicked out, Crosby and Harrison became chatty, and started talking about the sitar, an instrument that Harrison had recently become interested in. Crosby showed Harrison some ragas on the guitar, and suggested he start listening to Ravi Shankar, who Crosby had recently become a fan of. And we'll be tracking Shankar's influence on Harrison, and through him the Beatles, and through them the whole course of twentieth century culture, in future episodes. Crosby's admiration both of Ravi Shankar and of John Coltrane was soon to show in the Byrds' records, but first they needed a new single. They'd made attempts at a version of "The Times They Are A-Changin'", and had even tried to get both George Harrison and Paul McCartney to add harmonica to that track, but that didn't work out. Then just before the UK tour, Terry Melcher had got Jack Nitzsche to come up with an arrangement of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue": [Excerpt: The Byrds, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (version 1)"] Nitzsche's arrangement was designed to sound as much like a Sonny and Cher record as possible, and at first the intention was just to overdub McGuinn's guitar and vocals onto a track by the Wrecking Crew. The group weren't happy at this, and even McGuinn, who was the friendliest of the group with Melcher and who the record was meant to spotlight, disliked it. The eventual track was cut by the group, with Jim Dickson producing, to show they could do a good job of the song by themselves, with the intention that Melcher would then polish it and finish it in the studio, but Melcher dropped the idea of doing the song at all. There was a growing factionalism in the group by this point, with McGuinn and to a lesser extent Michael Clarke being friendly with Melcher. Crosby disliked Melcher and was pushing for Jim Dickson to replace him as producer, largely because he thought that Melcher was vetoing Crosby's songs and giving Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn free run of the songwriting. Dickson on the other hand was friendliest with Crosby, but wasn't much keener on Crosby's songwriting than Melcher was, thinking Gene Clark was the real writing talent in the group. It didn't help that Crosby's songs tended to be things like harmonically complex pieces based on science fiction novels -- Crosby was a big fan of the writer Robert Heinlein, and in particular of the novel Stranger in a Strange Land, and brought in at least two songs inspired by that novel, which were left off albums -- his song "Stranger in a Strange Land" was eventually recorded by the San Francisco group Blackburn & Snow: [Excerpt: Blackburn & Snow, "Stranger in a Strange Land"] Oddly, Jim Dickson objected to what became the Byrds' next single for reasons that come from the same roots as the Heinlein novel. A short while earlier, McGuinn had worked as a guitarist and arranger on an album by the folk singer Judy Collins, and one of the songs she had recorded on that album was a song written by Pete Seeger, setting the first eight verses of chapter three of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes to music: [Excerpt: Judy Collins, "Turn Turn Turn (To Everything There is a Season"] McGuinn wanted to do an electric version of that song as the Byrds' next single, and Melcher sided with him, but Dickson was against the idea, citing the philosopher Alfred Korzybski, who was a big influence both on the counterculture and on Heinlein. Korzybski, in his book Science and Sanity, argued that many of the problems with the world are caused by the practice in Aristotelean logic of excluding the middle and only talking about things and their opposites, saying that things could be either A or Not-A, which in his view excluded most of actual reality. Dickson's argument was that the lyrics to “Turn! Turn! Turn!” with their inflexible Aristotelianism, were hopelessly outmoded and would make the group a laughing stock among anyone who had paid attention to the intellectual revolutions of the previous few decades. "A time of love, a time of hate"? What about all the times that are neither for loving or hating, and all the emotions that are complex mixtures of love and hate? In his eyes, this was going to make the group look like lightweights. Terry Melcher disagreed, and forced the group through take after take, until they got what became the group's second number one hit: [Excerpt: The Byrds, "Turn! Turn! Turn!"] After the single was released and became a hit, the battle lines in the group hardened. It was McGuinn and Melcher on one side, Crosby and Dickson on the other, with Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Gene Clark more or less neutral in the middle, but tending to side more and more with the two Ms largely because of Crosby's ability to rub everyone up the wrong way. At one point during the sessions for the next album, tempers flared so much that Michael Clarke actually got up, went over to Crosby, and punched Crosby so hard that he fell off his seat. Crosby, being Hollywood to the bone, yelled at Clarke "You'll never work in this town again!", but the others tended to agree that on that occasion Crosby had it coming. Clarke, when asked about it later, said "I slapped him because he was being an asshole. He wasn't productive. It was necessary." Things came to a head in the filming for a video for the next single, Gene Clark's "Set You Free This Time". Michael Clarke was taller than the other Byrds, and to get the shot right, so the angles would line up, he had to stand further from the camera than the rest of them. David Crosby -- the member with most knowledge of the film industry, whose father was an Academy Award-winning cinematographer, so who definitely understood the reasoning for this -- was sulking that once again a Gene Clark song had been chosen for promotion rather than one of his songs, and started manipulating Michael Clarke, telling him that he was being moved backwards because the others were jealous of his good looks, and that he needed to move forward to be with the rest of them. Multiple takes were ruined because Clarke listened to Crosby, and eventually Jim Dickson got furious at Clarke and went over and slapped him on the face. All hell broke loose. Michael Clarke wasn't particularly bothered by being slapped by Dickson, but Crosby took that as an excuse to leave, walking off before the first shot of the day had been completed. Dickson ran after Crosby, who turned round and punched Dickson in the mouth. Dickson grabbed hold of Crosby and held him in a chokehold. Gene Clark came up and pulled Dickson off Crosby, trying to break up the fight, and then Crosby yelled "Yeah, that's right, Gene! Hold him so I can hit him again!" At this point if Clark let Dickson go, Dickson would have attacked Crosby again. If he held Dickson, Crosby would have taken it as an invitation to hit him more. Clark's dilemma was eventually relieved by Barry Feinstein, the cameraman, who came in and broke everything up. It may seem odd that Crosby and Dickson, who were on the same side, were the ones who got into a fight, while Michael Clarke, who had previously hit Crosby, was listening to Crosby over Dickson, but that's indicative of how everyone felt about Crosby. As Dickson later put it, "People have stronger feelings about David Crosby. I love David more than the rest and I hate him more than the rest. I love McGuinn the least, and I hate him the least, because he doesn't give you emotional feedback. You don't get a chance. The hate is in equal proportion to how much you love them." McGuinn was finding all this deeply distressing -- Dickson and Crosby were violent men, and Michael Clarke and Hillman could be provoked to violence, but McGuinn was a pacifist both by conviction and temperament. Everything was conspiring to push the camps further apart. For example, Gene Clark made more money than the rest because of his songwriting royalties, and so got himself a good car. McGuinn had problems with his car, and knowing that the other members were jealous of Clark, Melcher offered to lend McGuinn one of his own Cadillacs, partly in an attempt to be friendly, and partly to make sure the jealousy over Clark's car didn't cause further problems in the group. But, of course, now Gene Clark had a Ferrarri and Roger McGuinn had a Cadillac, where was David Crosby's car? He stormed into Dickson's office and told him that if by the end of the tour the group were going on, Crosby didn't have a Bentley, he was quitting the group. There was only one thing for it. Terry Melcher had to go. The group had recorded their second album, and if they couldn't fix the problems within the band, they would have to deal with the problems from outside. While the group were on tour, Jim Dickson told Melcher they would no longer be working with him as their producer. On the tour bus, the group listened over and over to a tape McGuinn had made of Crosby's favourite music. On one side was a collection of recordings of Ravi Shankar, and on the other was two Coltrane albums -- Africa/Brass and Impressions: [Excerpt: John Coltrane, "India"] The group listened to this, and basically no other music, on the tour, and while they were touring Gene Clark was working on what he hoped would be the group's next single -- an impressionistic song about their trip to the UK, which started "Six miles high and when you touch down, you'll find that it's stranger than known". After he had it half complete, he showed it to Crosby, who helped him out with the lyrics, coming up with lines like "Rain, grey town, known for its sound" to describe London. The song talked about the crowds that followed them, about the music -- namechecking the Small Faces, who at the time had only released two single
The Jazz Session No.237 from RaidersBroadcast.com as aired in Dec 2021, featuring the very moody 1964 album “The Individualism of Gil Evans”. TRACK LISTING: Day In Day Out - Tubby Hayes; Swiingin' for Bumsy - Sonny Rollins; Bra Timing from Phomolong - Abdullah Ibrahim; 2857 - Yazz Ahmed; Time of the Barracudas - Gil Evans; Las Vegas Tango - Gil Evans; Old Times (Velhas Tempos) - Luiz Bonfa; Besame Mucho - Wes Montgomery; The Pleasant Pheasant - Billy Cobham; Butch and Butch - Oliver Nelson, w. Evans, Haynes, Dolphy, Hubbard; Things New - George Russell Septet; Jackie - Ing - Thelonius Monk; Mahogany Hall Stomp - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five; Beale Street Blues - Humphrey Lyttelton; El Toreador - Gil Evans; The Barbara Song - Gil Evans; Stranger in Town - Pat Metheny Group; Blue Bossa - Chick Corea ; Angela (Theme from Taxi) - Bob James; Soul Sauce (Guachi Guaro) - Cal Tjader.
Problem Child Ten83 started his music career as a club DJ in Polokwane in the late 90s, through spinning vinyl over the years as the youngest talent in the area earned him the name 'Problem Child'. Problem Child has been making music for over 10 years, he began his journey of releasing music in 2010 and he is still active as it is, he prides himself as a leader and mentor to young artists and Djs and bringing inspiration to other upcoming musicians such as such as Limpopo's First ever Lady DJ 'Lady Sliq', Dj Beef, Eephy, Dolphy, Da Capo and other talented artists. Problem Child Ten83 is a well respected underground producer of a massive calibre, having worked with the likes of Chymamusique, Da Capo, Devine Brothers, Mashabela Galane the list goes on, he gained traction in the House music industry by his DJing skills and unique music composition, he is also known as 'The Phoneless DJ', spinning turn tables without Headphones. The DRMVL Vaults EP consist of 3 powerful Afro rooted tracks, fresh, unique and an exploration of tribal sound from the talented Problem Child Ten83. The EP includes, a hard drum hitting song titled Albasini Secrets II, a relaxed meditated song with a slap of beautiful percussions titled Letter From The Water People and a tropical groove fused with an Afro Vibe titled The Sunshine. Problem Child Ten83 https://www.facebook.com/ProblemChildten83-231657072113138 https://www.instagram.com/problemchildten83/ SERES PRODUÇÔES www.facebook.com/seresproducoes www.instagram.com/seresproducoes www.seresproducoes.com
Nicholas Payton – Turn-a-RonTheo Croker – AnthemFreddie Hubbard – Weaver of DreamsJohn McLaughlin – Qué AlegríaEric Dolphy – Iron manAbbey Lincoln – Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I DoDuke Ellington – SolitudeMarty Ehrlich / Myra Melford – Trough The Same GateSamara Joy – Everything happens to me
The Jazz Session No.229 from RaidersBroadcast.com as aired in Oct 2021, featuring jazz from the wonderful Joe Pass album “Virtuoso”. TRACK LISTING: Keepin' Out of Mischief Now - Dave Brubeck; In Salah - Tubby Hayes; Crystal - Weather Report; One Word - Mahavishnu Orchestra; Stella by Starlight - Joe Pass; Night & Day - Joe Pass;Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson, w. Evans, Haynes, Dolphy, Hubbard; Oone Up, One Down - John Coltrane; Cry Me a River - Julie London; La Paresse - Magali Lange; Do You Love Me? - Harry James & His Orchestra; King's Spinner - Russel Jacquet and His All Stars; Gold - Archipelago; Appears, Moves and Sails - Polar Bear; Blues for Alican - Joe Pass; How High the Moon - Joe Pass; Inca Roads - Frank Zappa; Contact - Jean - Luc Ponty with the George Duke Trio; Mood Indigo - Clark Terry; St.Louis Blues - Duke Ellington's Spacemen.
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche: Curved Air, Gong, Faust, Rzewski, Recedents, Dolphy, Chris Abrahams - Mike Cooper, Remote Viewers, Jack Bruce, Fickle Friends, Greta Liisa Grünberg - Laur Pihel, Kappeler-Zumthor, Mimsy, Alessia Elli
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche: Curved Air, Gong, Faust, Rzewski, Recedents, Dolphy, Chris Abrahams - Mike Cooper, Remote Viewers, Jack Bruce, Fickle Friends, Greta Liisa Grünberg - Laur Pihel, Kappeler-Zumthor, Mimsy, Alessia Elli
Eto na nga yun, Marites. Samahan mo kaming pasukin ang mundo ni Glory. Usisain natin kung paano pinalaki ni Coring si Nonoy. Sino ang kasiping ni Manay Sharon pagkagat ng dilim sa Maynila? Samahan naten sa pagdadalaga si Maximo. Alamin natin ang Lihim ni Antonio. Saksihan natin ang pag-iibigan nina Ramon at Fredo. In short mga bes, maki-tsismis tayo sa iba't ibang queer portrayals sa Filipino movies na maaring humubog sa konsepto ng 'bakla' sa lipunan. May growth ba sa gay representation in Filipino films? Did art imitate life or is life imitating art? What say you, Marites? Iwan mo muna yang Downton Abbey. Ito ang GAYLIKULA. Mga pelikula natin!Jack and Jill. 1954. Sampaguita Pictures. Mars S. Torres.Jack n' Jill of the Third Kind. 1978. RVQ Productions. Frank Gray, Jr.Ang Tatay Kong Nanay. 1978. Lotus Films. Lino Brocka.Manila by Night (City After Dark). 1980. Regal Films. Ishmael Bernal.Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros. 2005. Cinemalaya & UFO Pictures. Aureus Solito.Ang Lihim ni Antonio. 2008. Beyond The Box & Viva Digital. Joselito Altarejos.Rainbow's Sunset. 2018. Heaven's Best Entertainment. Joel Lamangan.Credits:Inton, M. N. (2017). The bakla and the silver screen: Queer cinema in the Philippines (Doctor's thesis, Lingnan University, Hong Kong). Retrieved from http://commons.ln.edu.hk/cs_etd/30/ Russo, Vito. The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. Print.:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::(If you are a Filipino living in the Philippines and you, or somebody you know, are undergoing depression or having suicidal thoughts, try talking to somebody you trust or please go to the link: https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline . It's okay to ask for help. )For more resources: www.balutkiki.comIf you are listening to us on Apple iTunes, Podchaser, PodcastAddict, etc., please leave us a rating and a review. The reason we ask this is because this helps us appear on searches much quicker and allows people to discover our podcast easier so we are able reach and empower more.Better yet, please tell a friend about us, especially if that friend needs to relate to somebody going through a tough time. Let them know they're not alone.Send us an email (balutkiki@gmail.com) if you have any questions, want a shoutout, or have suggestions on how we can improve on the podcast. We love hearing from all of you - keep them coming!If you want to support our show, please click on the BuyMeACoffee link below.Thanks for listening and there's much more to listen to! Binge away!Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/balutkiki)
Today's podcast is super freaking special - I'm doing a double header. My first guest is Angela Cohen who is an actor, producer, writer and I just think you should know so much more about here. Not just because she created her own project and went super freaking big and got her mentor to be a part of xxxx from the Handmaids Tale, but also because she got some pretty awesome advice from Al freaking Pacino that I think you should hear. I've also got the guys who created the Actor Blue Print - Mike Dolphy and Roman Maldonado. I virtually met these guys on clubhouse where they were hosting two rooms a day for Actors. And you know anyone uplifting actors like that I had to meet. As always, stick around after the podcast for the D-12 shot. ------ Watch the video podcast on Youtube + Subscribe: DaJuan Johnson - Think Bigger Coaching for Actors www.thinkbiggercoaching.com Follow me on the ‘gram! @thinkbiggercoaching and @dajuanjohnson Join the Think Bigger Tribe Facebook group – where a Tribe of like minded actors come to take their career to the next level. #Skiptheline #seeyouonset
Rashaan Barber - The Pink PiranhaIsaiah Collier - Invocation Part II. HumilityEric Dolphy - Something Sweet, Something TenderClifford Brown - I'll Remember April Enrico Rava - Dear Old StockholmStan Getz - Night RiderMatteo Mancuso Riccardo Oliva Salvatore Lima - The Chicken Fool Arcana - Midnight 12
Mike Dolphy has been seen in numerous commercials worldwide. His commercial success opened new doors for him in television (Scandal, All-American, The Upshaws), film, hosting, and entrepreneurship. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theactorslounge/support
durée : 00:59:43 - Inspirations - par : Nathalie Piolé - La playlist jazz de Nathalie Piolé. - réalisé par : Fabien Fleurat
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche: Van der Graaf, Dolphy, King Crimson, Mingus, Wyatt, Vashti Bunyan, Beefheart, Max Roach, Racaille, Frith, Hodgkinson-Gilonis, Blegvad, Tony Coe, Hymas, Jono El Grande, Sophia Domancich, Gold Mass e altri
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche: Van der Graaf, Dolphy, King Crimson, Mingus, Wyatt, Vashti Bunyan, Beefheart, Max Roach, Racaille, Frith, Hodgkinson-Gilonis, Blegvad, Tony Coe, Hymas, Jono El Grande, Sophia Domancich, Gold Mass e altri
A really dark, fascinating start to the podcast, ideal for the time of the year we’re in in the northern hemisphere. First up, we have the scratchy, creepy experimental of Maths Balance Volumes, followed by the doom-laden electronics of The Body. But it's not all darkness on this week's pod, we have phenomenal psych rock from China's Dolphy Kick Bebop, podcast favourite Mdou Moctar and his Tuareg shredding, we have a first play of the excellent new Mary Hampton, Dutch dungeon synth, violin experimental, conscious hip hop and a whole lot more. Tracklisting Maths Balance Volumes - Dark Sky (Penultimate Press, UK) The Body - A Lament (Thrill Jockey Records, USA) Cuban Chamber of Commerce - Goofing Off (Low Income $quad, Croatia) Új Látásmód Fúzió - Legyőzzük az időt (Kaluara Records, Albania) Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - Mind Right feat. Liv.e (prod. Jay Versace) (Lex Records, UK) Mary Hampton - A Butterfly (Baba Yaga’s Hut, UK) Mytron - Navigator (XXX, Netherlands) Mdou Moctar - Chismiten (Matador Records, USA) Dolphy Kick Bebop - Some Thoughts on Nothingness (WV Sorcerer Productions 巫唱片, France) Jessica Moss - Opened Ending (Constellation Records, Canada) Produced and edited by Nick McCorriston.
Puntata dedicata a Keith Jarrett con un brano inedito tratto da un suo concerto a Genova organizzato dall'Ellington club nel 1986. I nuovi album di Denny Zeitlin, Vincent Peirani & Emile Parisien e Dayna Stephens. Un piccolo focus sul clarinetto con Artemis, Mal Waldron, Eric Dolphy Aldo Romano, Henri Texier, Louis Sclavis (e Guy LeQuerrec), due brani per ricordare Barney Wilen, un piano trio di Duke Ellington. Buon Jazz a tutti da Danilo Di Termini
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche di Brian Wilson, Gershwin, Dolphy, Mothers of Invention, Hopper-Gowen, Graham Collier, Feed-Back, Morricone-Zorn, New York Gong, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, Scaramella, Alessandro Fabbri, Francesco Cigana
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche di Brian Wilson, Gershwin, Dolphy, Mothers of Invention, Hopper-Gowen, Graham Collier, Feed-Back, Morricone-Zorn, New York Gong, Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Scaramella, Alessandro Fabbri, Francesco Cigana
a cura di Alessandro Achilli. Musiche di Brian Wilson, Gershwin, Dolphy, Mothers of Invention, Hopper-Gowen, Graham Collier, Feed-Back, Morricone-Zorn, New York Gong, Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, Scaramella, Alessandro Fabbri, Francesco Cigana
Se volete scoprire con quale criterio scelgo i brani, questa è la puntata giusta. Intanto ecco chi ho scelto questa settimana: Thelonious Monk (un inedito in arrivo), Albert Ayler, Eric Dolphy , Rudresh Mahanthappa, Cassowary, Paolo Fresu, Paolo Silvestri, Dizzy Gillespie, Nduduzo Makhathini, Carmen McRae, Santana, War.
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STANDARD SEMANAL.- “Now´s the time” (Paul Williams-Art Blakey Quintet-Eddie Jefferson )JAZZ RECUERDO ANIVERSARIO.- Ted Curson - Plenty Of Horn (1961).-JAZZ ACTUALIDAD .- Esta semana tendremos a PERICO SAMBEAT-OFRENDA- PROG.Nº 666.- Dos horas para el análisis y repaso a la historia y actualidad que generan esta música americana . Todo en el tono que acostumbra este programa, en dos secciones JAZZ ANIVERSARIO y JAZZ ACTUALIDAD importantes novedades y diferentes canales de comunicación que se ofrecerán al oyente. STANDARD SEMANAL.- “Now´s the time” (Paul Williams-Art Blakey Quintet-Eddie Jefferson ) JAZZ RECUERDO ANIVERSARIO.- Ted Curson - Plenty Of Horn (1961).- Plenty of Horn es el álbum debut del trompetista estadounidense Ted Curson que se lanzó por primera vez en elsello Old Town en 1961. Track listing All compositions by Ted Curson except as indicated 1. "Caravan" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) - 2:59 2. "Nosruc" - 6:23 3. "The Things We Did Last Summer" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) - 4:29 4. "Dem's Blues" - 3:45 5. "Ahma (See Ya)" - 4:24 6. "Flatted Fifth" - 3:37 7. "Bali Ha'i" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) - 4:00 8. "Antibes" - 5:07 9. "Mr. Teddy" - 5:15 Personnel[edit] • Ted Curson - trumpet • Eric Dolphy - flute (tracks 3 & 7) • Bill Barron - tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 2, 4-6, 8 & 9) • Kenny Drew - piano • Jimmy Garrison - bass • Pete La Roca (tracks 1, 2, 4, 8 & 9), Dannie Richmond (tracks 3 & 7), Roy Haynes (tracks 5 & 6) - drums Theodore Curson (3 de junio de 1935 - 4 de noviembre de 2012) fue un trompetista de jazz estadounidense. [1] [2] Curson nació en Filadelfia . [1] Se interesó en tocar la trompeta después de ver a un vendedor de periódicos tocar una trompeta de plata. [3] El padre de Curson, sin embargo, quería que tocara el saxofón alto como Louis Jordan . [3] Cuando tenía diez años, obtuvo su primera trompeta. [3] Asistió a la Granoff School of Music en Filadelfia. [4] A sugerencia de Miles Davis , se mudó a Nueva York en 1956. [1] Actuó y grabó con Cecil Taylor a finales de los años cincuenta y principios de los sesenta. [1] [5] Su composición "Tears for Dolphy" se ha utilizado en numerosas películas. [6] [7] [8] Era un rostro familiar en Finlandia, habiendo actuado en el festival Pori Jazz todos los años desde que comenzó en 1966. [2] En 2007, actuó en el baile del Día de la Independencia de Finlandia por invitación del presidente Tarja Halonen . [9] Un residente de Montclair, Nueva Jersey , [10] Curson murió allí el 4 de noviembre de 2012. [2] JAZZ ACTUALIDAD .- Esta semana tendremos a PERICO SAMBEAT-OFRENDA- Perico Sambeat tiene mucho nombre en la escena española, lleva mas de veinte discos como líder demostrando su valía y ha tocado junto a músicos de la talla de Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tete Montoliu, Michael Brecker o Pat Metheny entre otros. Nosotros le venimos siguiendo a Perico Sambeat cuando podemos, y ahora nos alegramos de poder escuchar su última entrega ‘ Ofrenda’ donde se ha rodeado de un elenco de músicos de lujo. Son el pianista californiano afincado en Nueva York Danny Grissett, (Jeremy Pelt, Laïka Fatien), el bajista alemán de origen nigeriano Ugonna Okegwo (René Marie, Tom Harrell) y el batería neoyorkino E.J. Strickland (Herbie Hancock, Cassandra Wilson). Cuatro maestros que desde luego no tienen que demostrar nada y tan solo deben dejar que la música fluya para obtener un gran disco de jazz del bueno. El repertorio consiste en once temas que parecen ser del propio Perico Sambeat, el dato no aparece referenciado en el disco, y a mí me parece que cumplen con las expectativas. Jazz contemporáneo con muchos toques neoyorkinos y algo de sabor latino demuestran el gusto de Perico y su gente. Ya desde el inicial y elegante ‘Ofrenda’ que mezcla sabiamente el blues con lo latino con mucha soltura o ese pequeño homenaje a Coltrane que es ‘Dwarf Steps’ (pasos de enano) todo suena fluido y cálido. Hay sitio para baladas como ‘Majoun’, ‘Implorar’, con mucho sabor a jazz clásico estadounidense, o la final ‘Elegia’ un sentido mano a mano con Grissett. Entre los demás temas podemos hablar de la rítmica ‘Nigromante’ con mucho sabor latino, la nerviosa ‘Impasse’ o ‘Gateway’ que ya grabo junto a Joe Magnarelli. Otro buen disco de Perico Sambeat que no defrauda, te puede gustar mas en otras facetas, pero nunca baja el listón.
Many artists are admired but few are elevated to the status of icons. Eric Dolphy's rich yet austere tone, his thorny compositions and especially his daring solos, with their intervalic leaps and note choices so wrong they're perfect, set him apart from the crowd even now, over 50 years after his death. The urgency and absolute sincerity that he conveyed still set a standard that few artists achieve to their own satisfaction. Jorge Sylvester is one of the great students of Dolphy's (Unlike the case of, say, Miles Davis or Sonny Rollins, I don't know anyone who is inclined to refer to him by his first name). Like Dolphy, he is a bandleader, a composer and a multi-reed master who goes his own way.
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Exploring the many degrees of multi-instrumentalist and woodwind virtuoso, Eric Dolphy, courtesy of Alan Saul (via one of my listeners). While Dolphy's trajectory was brief, it took many novel directions. https://spinitron.com/KCSB/pl/9341719/Footprints-of-Giant-Steps
Exploring the many degrees of multi-instrumentalist and woodwind virtuoso, Eric Dolphy, courtesy of Alan Saul (via one of my listeners). While Dolphy's trajectory was brief, it took many novel directions. https://spinitron.com/KCSB/pl/9341719/Footprints-of-Giant-Steps
James Batman 1966 Our next look at those movies from around the world inspired by the 66 Batman TV series takes us to the Philippines. Mere months after the premiere of the television series, James Batman burst on to Filipino screens. In fact, the movie came out before the American theatrical one did. That in itself is impressive, but then there is the added wrinkle of Batman teaming up with James Bond. That's right, two of the "Three Bs of the 60s" as Adam West once stated are featured in this film. It's a shame that the boys from Liverpool are not represented in this film. It might have made it more interesting. John and Robert Long sit down once again in the Batcave and break down this film and it's not as pretty as the last one, even with the help of subtitles. Take a listen and let us know what you think by commenting here or writing us at thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com. Robert Long is a full time graphic designer and independent filmmaker. As a first generation Batman syndication kid, he manages the 1966-68 Batman Television Series Group on Facebook. He has had the pleasure to meet and work with Adam West and Julie Newmar with various projects in the past. Visit Robert's production company - Smash or Trash Independent Filmmaking to learn more about it.
Nel luglio del '61 un quintetto guidato da Eric Dolphy e Booker Little, con Waldron al pianoforte, si esibisce per due settimane al Five Spot: il materiale registrato nella serata del 16 luglio viene documentato dai due album At the Five Spot, intestati a Dolphy, e da altri album. Tra i motivi di fascino dei lunghi brani, la dialettica fra le audaci improvvisazioni di Dolphy e Little e la coerenza complessiva dei brani, che devono molto alla presenza stabilizzatrice di Waldron.
Nel luglio del '61 un quintetto guidato da Eric Dolphy e Booker Little, con Waldron al pianoforte, si esibisce per due settimane al Five Spot: il materiale registrato nella serata del 16 luglio viene documentato dai due album At the Five Spot, intestati a Dolphy, e da altri album. Tra i motivi di fascino dei lunghi brani, la dialettica fra le audaci improvvisazioni di Dolphy e Little e la coerenza complessiva dei brani, che devono molto alla presenza stabilizzatrice di Waldron.
Nel luglio del '61 un quintetto guidato da Eric Dolphy e Booker Little, con Waldron al pianoforte, si esibisce per due settimane al Five Spot: il materiale registrato nella serata del 16 luglio viene documentato dai due album At the Five Spot, intestati a Dolphy, e da altri album. Tra i motivi di fascino dei lunghi brani, la dialettica fra le audaci improvvisazioni di Dolphy e Little e la coerenza complessiva dei brani, che devono molto alla presenza stabilizzatrice di Waldron.
Dal 20 al 26 aprile del '59 Waldron accompagna Billie Holiday in alcune serate allo Storyville di Boston: alcuni brani registrati nel corso di queste esibizioni saranno l'estrema testimonianza dell'arte della grande cantante, che verrà a mancare meno di tre mesi più tardi. Dopo la morte di Billie Holiday, Waldron continua a lavorare con i musicisti di cui si circonda al Five Spot, fra cui il clarinettista e sassofonista Eric Dolphy e il trombettista Booker Little: che come Waldron nel febbraio del '61 partecipano all'incisione di Straight Ahead di Abbey Lincoln. Nel giugno del '61 Dolphy partecipa poi alla registrazione di The Quest, l'album più impegnativo e significativo realizzato fino a quel momento da Waldron.
Dal 20 al 26 aprile del '59 Waldron accompagna Billie Holiday in alcune serate allo Storyville di Boston: alcuni brani registrati nel corso di queste esibizioni saranno l'estrema testimonianza dell'arte della grande cantante, che verrà a mancare meno di tre mesi più tardi. Dopo la morte di Billie Holiday, Waldron continua a lavorare con i musicisti di cui si circonda al Five Spot, fra cui il clarinettista e sassofonista Eric Dolphy e il trombettista Booker Little: che come Waldron nel febbraio del '61 partecipano all'incisione di Straight Ahead di Abbey Lincoln. Nel giugno del '61 Dolphy partecipa poi alla registrazione di The Quest, l'album più impegnativo e significativo realizzato fino a quel momento da Waldron.
Dal 20 al 26 aprile del '59 Waldron accompagna Billie Holiday in alcune serate allo Storyville di Boston: alcuni brani registrati nel corso di queste esibizioni saranno l'estrema testimonianza dell'arte della grande cantante, che verrà a mancare meno di tre mesi più tardi. Dopo la morte di Billie Holiday, Waldron continua a lavorare con i musicisti di cui si circonda al Five Spot, fra cui il clarinettista e sassofonista Eric Dolphy e il trombettista Booker Little: che come Waldron nel febbraio del '61 partecipano all'incisione di Straight Ahead di Abbey Lincoln. Nel giugno del '61 Dolphy partecipa poi alla registrazione di The Quest, l'album più impegnativo e significativo realizzato fino a quel momento da Waldron.
While foraging through the wastes I came across a very confused and seemingly lost individual. He seemed familiar so I struck up a conversation with him. Through our talks, I found out that he is an interdimensional traveler but it seems his travels were not of his own volition. It seems that an errant wish had sent fat, gay Hitler to us from a universe where dear Dolphy actually made it into art school. If you think that story is a doozy, just get into the episode to hear more. If you'd like to contact the podcast you can find us on most social media @pnrpod or you can shoot us an email at postnuclearreno@gmail.com
How nice is it today? Well, the LeMoyne College "Wizard" has declared it Dolphy Day! We celebrate with Tuesday Trivia, get our Spring cleaning on, and talk creepy Easter Bunny pics...all ON DEMAND, powered by Empower Federal Credit Union! 00:00 - Dolphy Day! 03:15 - Update 06:38 - Tax deadline day/Emoji updates 09:45 - Guess the Year! 12:38 - Update 16:47 - Hollywood Highlights 1 21:14 - Update 25:35 - Win with Alexa 26:54 - Malarkey 32:18 - Spring cleaning 34:46 - Update 38:49 - Tuesday Trivia 1 41:05 - Update 45:01 - Tuesday Trivia 2 47:57 - Tuesday Trivia 3 51:40 - Update 56:31 - Tuesday Trivia 4 58:34 - Moldy condiments 62:08 - Creepy bunny pics 66:43 - Hollywood Highlights 2 70:31 - Coming up Wednesday/BYE!!!
In episode 7, I talk about signs that say Bawal Umihi Dito which translates to You are not allowed to pee here. But is it obvious? I have 3 stories to share regarding this topic. You may think, Wow! 3 stories? Yes, 3 stories. I also share a scene in a movie regarding this topic or was it a joke. I can't remember that well but it involves comedian Dolphy. I met him before he passed and it was a very memorable experience. I think I got my timeline wrong. In the episode, I mentioned meeting him around Christmas either 2012 or 2013 but he passed away in 2012. So it may have been 2010. The first story was during the flag ceremony Lupang Hinirang when I attended San Beda School School. The second story happened in second grade at St Jeromes in Chicago. Jingling is not tagalog but a slang English term used in the Philippines. Finally, the third, occurred some time in the late 90s with one of my Unlces. Tagalog Word in this episode Bawal umihi dito - you are not allowed to pee here Barangay - neighborhood Baka pwede natin pagusapan ito - maybe we could talk about this Mukang baka hindi pa kayo nag ka kape - it looks like you haven't had your coffee yet Updates In episode 6, I recorded during the afternoon and there were plenty of background noise. I tried my best to edit them out but if you listen with headphones or have keen hearing, you may notice them. Hopefully, it wasn't too distracting. This episode, I tried to record in the morning with the hopes of less background noise. Abby's cousin and his family from Australia came to visit the US. We took them out for the day. The kids were more calm than usual hanging out with their cousin. I also got a new pair of shoes that I didn't anticipate finding nor buying. The Metalic Foamposite Pro aka Silver Surfer. Was ready to get another pair of the Foamposite One Royal but held off. Shared a story about my kid and how I couldn't find a response to what he said. Being a dad is great. I love my kids. Feedback No feedback this episode. If you would like to send me feedback, just reach out to me on social media. Please don't forget to rate the podcast on iTunes, it would help me a lot and is a form of feedback. Thank you. My Stuff sherwinm.com blog abbyandwin blog Twitter @w1n78 Instagram @w1n78 YouTube Videos
This set was recorded in October 1960 for the new Candid label. Writer and close Mingus friend Nat Hentoff was the producer and Mingus brought his core band in a reunited effort to capture the music that Mingus had played on a long gig at a Greenwich Village club called "The Showplace". There were no recordings from there and this date was set up to capture the excitement and creativity of that gig. It worked! Mingus did the announcements as if they were in the club and the band played for their lives. Just four musicians in this edition of The Jazz Workshop. Multi-instrumentalist and innovator Eric Dolphy is heard in bass clarinet and alto saxophone. Trumpeter Ted Curson has never sounded better than here and he and Dolphy are a perfect match. Mingus is of course a powerhouse on bass and drummer Dannie Richmond achieves maturity right here with some of his best playing. "Mingus Presents Mingus" stands as one of Charles Mingus' finest ststements and one of his best recordings and captures what this band really sounded like.
John Coltrane signed with Impulse Records in 1961 and in May began to record his monumental first album for Impulse called "Africa/Brass"... however he was informed that he still owed one more recording to his previous label, Atlantic Records. Coltrane honored this commitment by bringing in his working Quartet with McCoy Tyner on piano, Reginald Workman on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. He added three more musicians from the new Impulse session to expand the Quartet and they are: Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Eric Dolphy on flute and alto saxophone and a second bassist, Art Davis. The main tune on this date is the title track, "Ole". It's in 5/4 time and has a Spanish/Moorish feel and is an immediately appealing composition with the two bassists, Tyner and Jones providing a great carpet for Coltrane on soprano saxophone, Dolphy on flute and Hubbard on trumpet to play over. The other tunes are fine as well. This album, while it's an overlooked item is a fine door opener for those who wish to enter into Coltrane's world and are sometimes a little shy of some of his work. Try this on on for size. Tonight's Jazz feature: "Ole".
En noviembre de 1961 John Coltrane realizó una gira por Europa encabezando un quinteto en el que a los habituales McCoy Tyner (piano), Reggie Workman (contrabajo) y Elvin Jones (batería), incorporó a Eric Dolphy (saxo alto, clarinete bajo, flauta). Durante tres semanas dieron unos treinta conciertos tanto en la Europa continental como en el Reino Unido. En HDO escuchamos: "Blue Train", "I Want To Talk About You", "Impressions", "My Favourite Things" The John Coltrane Quintet: So Many Things. The European Tour 1961 (Acrobat Music; rec. 2015) The John Coltrane Quintet: John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, Elvin Jones First House. L'Olympia, Paris, France. 1961-11-18 © Pachi Tapiz, 2015 HDO (Hablando de oídas) es un audioblog editado, producido y presentado por Pachi Tapiz. Toda la información en http://www.tomajazz.com/web/?cat=13298
Horror! Medo! Desespero! Pânico! Cyber-nein-nein-nein-nein! No episódio desta semana nos reunimos para falar de uma obra resgatada pelo Exumador nas prateleiras empoeiradas da locadora Cavideo! Orgulhosamente apresentamos o raríssimo filme "Ang Walang Talo Berr", ou como ficou conhecido no circuito underground americano: Berr, The Invincible! E além da resenha deste filme lançado em 1987, falaremos um pouco do Reb Brown, Chat Silayan, Vilma Santos, John Steiner, Dolphy e o lord pinoy: Fernando Poe Jr! Então aumentem seus iPods porque mais um Podtrash está no ar! Duração: 1'40'' Média TD1P: 5 ELENCO Almighty, o Estagiário de Chinelos! Bruno "Gunfree" Gunter Demétrius "Anjo Negro" Santos Douglas Fricke, o Exumador Shin Koheo, o bailarino nu! ARTE DO BANNER Marcelo Damm EXTRAS DESTE PODTRASH Berr, the Invincible no IMDB Fernando Poe Jr. Chat Silayan Dolphy Vilma Santos John Steiner FILMES PINOY/CHINESES CITADOS The Twilight People The Fantastic Sword Infra-man Captain Barbell Darna, Kuno...? Darna vs. The Planet Woman Os Caçadores da Serpente Dourada NAZI/SEX EXPLOITATION CITADOS Gestapo: Esquadrão da Tortura Salon Kitty Caligula FEEDS E LINKS DO PODTRASH Podtrash na iTunes Store Feed completo do Podtrash Feed sem os Lado B Feed do Lado B Canal do Podtrash no Youtuner Participe do Grupo “Esse Merece um Podtrash” lá no Facebook! CONTATOS DO PODTRASH podtrash@td1p.com @podtrash Facebook do Podtrash Coluna do Podtrash no Cinemasmorra Caixa Postal 34012 – Rio de Janeiro, RJ - CEP 22460-970 CAPA DESTE PODTRASH
Eric Dolphy was an American born jazz saxophonist, composer and bass clarinetist who worked with many jazz greats including Charles Mingus to shape a new direction forward for jazz in the 1960s. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what Dolphy’s approach to his music and his life […]
Eric Dolphy was an American born jazz saxophonist, composer and bass clarinetist who worked with many jazz greats including Charles Mingus to shape a new direction forward for jazz in the 1960s. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what Dolphy’s approach to his music and his life...
Eric Dolphy was an American born jazz saxophonist, composer and bass clarinetist who worked with many jazz greats including Charles Mingus to shape a new direction forward for jazz in the 1960s. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what Dolphy’s approach to his music and his life...
2e émission de la 27e session... Cette semaine, début rétro, des nouveautés en piano, du gros freebop de chez Clean Feed et free-jazz! En musique: Phineas Newborn Trio sur l'album Look Out - Phineas is Back! (Pablo, 1978); Danny Fox Trio sur l'album Wide Eyed (Hot Cup, 2014); Paul Bley sur l'album Play Blue: Oslo Concert (ECM, 2014); Eric Revis sur l'album In Memory of Things Yet Seen (Clean Feed, 2014); Primitive Arkestra sur l'album Dolphy's Hat (Slam, 2014)...
2e émission de la 27e session... Cette semaine, début rétro, des nouveautés en piano, du gros freebop de chez Clean Feed et free-jazz! En musique: Phineas Newborn Trio sur l'album Look Out - Phineas is Back! (Pablo, 1978); Danny Fox Trio sur l'album Wide Eyed (Hot Cup, 2014); Paul Bley sur l'album Play Blue: Oslo Concert (ECM, 2014); Eric Revis sur l'album In Memory of Things Yet Seen (Clean Feed, 2014); Primitive Arkestra sur l'album Dolphy's Hat (Slam, 2014)...
A startling debut recording by a musician whose short life was musically very well documented. Born in Los Angeles but upon moving to New York in mid-1959 and leaving his employer, drummer Chico Hamilton, Eric joined Charles Mingus' bubbling cauldron of musical creativity, The Jazz Workshop. Through his membership in the Mingus organization, Eric was signed by Prestige (New Jazz) Records and made his debut record on April 1, 1960. To celebrate it's 53 anniversary, we hear it tonight. Eric is heard on alto saxophone, bass clarinet and flute and composed 4 of the 7 tunes on the set. His cohorts are the up and coming young trumpet player and Eric's roommate Freddie Hubbard. Boston's Jaki Byard is on piano and George Tucker (who studied with Mingus) on bass and the redoubtable Roy Haynes ("Mr. Snap-Crackle) on drums. Eric's debut is a fine document and signaled the beginning of a great career. Dolphy only lived until age 36, he died of undetected diabetes in Berlin on June 29, 1964."Outward Bound" was his real beginning.
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The album "Out To Lunch!" was recorded on February 25,1964 and was Eric Dolphy's final statement recorded domestically. It was his musical vision with the people he wanted to work with. Eric died at 34 just a few months after this date in Berlin on June 29, 1964 as a result of diabetes. His collegues here are Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Richard Davis on bass and a young genius on the drums, Anthony (Tony) Williams. All of the compositions are Dolphy's and he is presented on all of his main instruments, the alto saxophone, the bass clarinet and the flute. This now classic recording is a challanging listen but worth the effort. It sadly marked the beginning of a new creative cycle for Eric Allen Dolphy so in a way it is a beginning and and end to this amazing musician. Today would have been his 83rd birthday as he was born in Los Angeles on June 20, 1928, the only child of hard-working West Indian immigrant parents. Enjoy "Out To Lunch!"
Set list: 01. John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy live in Baden-Baden 1961, "My Favorite Things" LP My Favorite Things (Atlantic Records, 1961) 02. Johnny Griffin, "The Way You Look Tonight" LP A Blowin' Session (Blue Note Records, 1957) 03. Dexter Gordon, "Cheese Cake" LP Go! (Blue Note Records, 1962) 04. Eric Dolphy Quintet, "G.W." LP Outward Bound (Prestige Records, 1960) 05. Thelonious Monk, "Blue Monk" LP Thelonious In Action (Riverside/OJC, 1958) 06. Sun Ra, "Images" LP Space Is The Place (Blue Thumb Records, 1973) 07. Sun Ra, "Space Is The Place" LP Space Is The Place (Blue Thumb Records, 1973) Foto: Lippe Muniz "We Were Wasps that Scaped from the Pores", 2009, Berlin Música introdução: Joachin-Ernst Berendt BG: www.johncoltrane.com, www.dextergordon.com, www.theloniousrecords.com Links: http://octopusmonosound.podomatic.com Rss feed 2.0: http://octopusmonosound.podomatic.com/rss2.xml
***Hola! My father died 10 years ago today - this is for him. He introduced me to some of these artists (the jazz greats!) and I am introducing him to a few of my favorites who I know he would love. Giving thanks for solid and present fathers everywhere!*** 1) Praise - Aaron Parks 2) In Passing - Robert Glasper Trio 3) Release The Day - Barney McAll 4) John Boy - Brad Mehldau 5) Out There - Eric Dolphy 6) Yes I'm Country (And That's OK) - Robert Glasper 7) Out Of This World - John Coltrane 8) The Falcon Will Fly Again - Brad Mehldau 9) Tunnel Chrome - Chicago Underground Quartet 10) Soul Eyes - John Coltrane 11) Familiar Sound - The Cinematic Orchestra 12) I Didn't Know What Time It Was - Brad Mehldau 13) Solea - Miles Davis & Gil Evans
Multi-instrumentalist, Eric Dolphy's recording debut under his own name was a startling reminder of some of the changes that were taking place in Jazz in the late 50's and early 60's. Eric Dolphy seemed to come out of nowhere and in his short life was like a comet that streaked across the Jazz horizon. Eric was born in Los Angeles on June 20,1928 and died as a result of diabetes in Berlin on June 29,1964 at 36. Although he played other instruments his main voices were the alto saxophone, the flute and the bass clarinet. He had an individual concept on all his horns but his concept was always unmistakably Eric Dolphy. "Outward Bound" was Dolphy's debut record and he picked a great band. 22 year old Freddie Hubbard shares the front line with Eric and pianist Jaki Byard makes a strong impression. The rhythm section with big-toned bassist George Tucker and the redoubtable Roy Haynes on drums provides the pulse. Dolphy's original compositions are unique and the whole album, although rooted in tradition points the way to the future of Jazz in a positive way. This album is one of the most impressive debuts in Modern Jazz history.
Recorded on Oct. 20,1960 with just a quartet with Charles Mingus on bass leading Eric Dolphy on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, Ted Curson on trumpet and Dannie Richmond on drums, this date was done with the studio lights turned down and with Mingus announcing the tunes as if they were in a club. This was the last hurrah for this quartet as Dolphy and Curson had given their notice to Mingus. They agreed to make this last recording and played for their lives. This is one of Charles Mingus' most important recordings and a pivotal one in his varied career.
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