A Sylogism by Dr. Yusef Lateef




A Sylogism by Dr. Yusef Lateef

Inside Straight: Right Down the Pipe, Straight Ahead, Swingin' Jazz

Listen to "Shade of a Cedar Tree" from Christian McBride's new album, 'Kind of Brown'. It all started because jazz bassist Christian McBride really wanted to play at the Village Vanguard again. It had been just about a decade since the last time he had played there, so he contacted Lorraine Gordon, owner of the world famous jazz club, to inquire. Lorraine responded by saying that he's always welcome to play at the Vanguard, provided he doesn't "bring that rock and roll band" that he plays with (referring to the Christian McBride Band that he had been playing with for th past 8 years). As a result, a band was born. Christian put together a new group to play at the Vanguard, comprised of musicians who he felt were "some of the best at playing some real, right down the pipe, straight ahead, swingin' jazz" (www.christianmcbride.com). Listen to 'Kind of Brown' Personnel Christian McBride - acoustic bass Steve Wilson - alto, soprano saxophone Warren Wolf, Jr. - vibes Eric Reed - piano Carl Allen - drums

Pat Metheny's Newest Project to Employ Robot Musicians?

Pat Metheny's recently announced his plans for The Orchestrian Project, his lastest musical endeavor that will use machines to mechanically play acoustic instruments. "Orchestrianics" is a term Metheny uses "to describe a new performance method to present music alone onstage using acoustic and acoustoelectric musical instruments that are mechanically controlled using the power of modern technology" (www.patmetheny.com).

The album and the corresponding tour are scheduled for 2010. Metheny states "I have realized by now that as much as I can describe this project, even the people closest to me have had no idea what I was talking about until they have actually heard the music and had an encounter with it all in action... I know for sure that you still have to experience it yourself to really know what it is".

Click here to see Metheny's complete announcement of The Orchestrian Project on his official website.

Charlie Parker's Infamous 1946 Dial Recordings

On July 29, 1946, Charlie Parker was in a Hollywood recording studio, dizzy from the quart of whiskey he had consumed to deter the agony of heroine withdrawals. Despite Parker's condition, "Loverman" and two other songs were recorded that day. Although Parker never wanted the session to be released, Charles Mingus thought the "Loverman" recording to be one of Parker's best (Wikipedia). The session was a testament to Parker's steadfast ability to play in the moment, despite that moment's vulnerabilities.

Listen to "Lover Man (1946)"

Personnel
Howard McGhee (trumpet)
Charlie Parker (alto saxophone)
Jimmy Bunn (piano)
Bob Kesterson (bass)
Roy Porter (drums)

Follow Up on Folk Art

Listen to Folk Art

There is good news for those caught the sneak preview of Joe Lovano's Folk Art before it was released (courtesy of Bret Primack):

1. The short footage was intriguing and certainly generated interest in the album, but in know way payed justice to the final product.

2. You can listen to the entire album for free on Myspace Music.

The band is called "Us Five" and consists of:

Joe Lovano - tenor saxophone, straight alto saxophone, alto clarinet, tarogato, aulochrome, and percussion
James Weidman - piano
Esperanza Spalding - bass
Otis Brown - drums
Francesco Mela - drums

For more information, be sure to visit Joe Lovano's Official Website.

Regis Molina Reynaldo

Regis Molina (Photo by Janice Mamukwa)

Listen to "Seres Espiritueles"

Regis Molina Reynaldo is a promising composer and improviser from Havana, Cuba who currently resides in Berlin. Although he has not released any albums as a leader, he is an active member of the music community in Berlin and has shared the stage with many great musicians including Chucho Valdes, the Buena Vista Social Club, and many others. The track above, entitled "Seres Espiritueles", features bassist Max Nauta. To listen to more recordings, visit Regis Molina's Myspace Page.

Theo Jörgensmann - Music of the Future?

Personnel: Bartlomiej Oles (Drums), Theo Jörgensmann (Low G Clarinet), and Marcin Oles (Bass)

Listen to "Room 114"

Theo Jörgensmann is a German clarinetist/composer who poses the question "What's next?". In his article entitled "A Few Thoughts on Jazz Improvisation" he approaches the construction of musical ideas from a scientific and philosophical standpoint.

In his article, he notes some of the the hindrances to the advancement of improvised music:

"The sheer quantity of materials and forms currently at our disposal leads to an overly crowded sound space whose channels of communication are reduced to a number of pre-set and mass-produced formulas."

One of the "massed produced formulas" that he is eluding to is the organization of rhythym into specific meters.

He suggests that music "will be liberated once it abolishes its subservience to the duality of rhythm and meter. (Music of the future?)"

Be sure to click the link below to listen to the song entitled "Room 114" which was recorded live by Marcin Oles (bass), Bartlomiej Oles (drums), and Theo Jörgensmann (Low G clarinet) at Jazz Festival Brugge in Belgium, 2008.

Listen to "Room 114"

Personnel
Bartlomiej Oles (Drums)
Theo Jörgensmann (Low G Clarinet)
Marcin Oles (Bass)

To listen to more recordings from Jörgensmann, visit his MySpace page.