there have been many times in my life when I wished I could speak with him...now, there is nothing left to speak for him but his music...
here's a performance of my favorite song of his that i found...Sue Keller is the performer...
despite the fact that the tempo is a bit slower than it should be, i like her rendition because she plays it with feeling...and maintains a strong left hand even while she's vamping with her right...
February 1, 2010
November 11, 2009
The Green Man, art, and nature...
tonight, i was astounded by the work of Andy Goldsworthy while watching the 2001documentary Rivers and Tides...
if you're not already familiar, he uses materials existing on location to create wondrous outdoor installations...his work strikes me as an embodiment of the Green Man ethos...a beautiful expression of the joy and folly of life in the face of immutable forces...
November 5, 2009
October 6, 2009
the last rent party...a tribute/fundraiser for my grandfather...
i kept my mouth shut about it for months...perhaps irresponsibly so...because while this was an intensely personal event for me, it was a public event...one that a wide variety of people have interest in...well, i can only make up for my negligence by shining a light on those who have done the work that i have not...
i cannot say enough about Mr. Ethan Iverson's excellent contribution...considering the depth and breadth of the research he's done, it's not surprising that his renditions of my grandfather's work was the most mind blowing of the night...god, i wish i had video to show you...anyway, here's a sample of his preparations...
"It’s a life and death matter, the clave, and what makes it so is its unyielding consistency and precision. It’s just like the ride cymbal beat of a good jazz drummer: you put the drummer in front a cymbal, give him a stick, and if they are a professional, they will deliver a “spang-a-lang” that is immutable. If the drummer is an artist as well as a professional the interpretation of the beat will be as distinctive as a snowflake.
In stride piano, the left hand going “oom-pah” is like that clave or ride cymbal beat in its unyielding consistency and precision. It’s very hard technically: there is a big jump between the “oom” and the “pah,” and the pitches change constantly.
There are examples of “oom-pah” in Liszt and Chopin, and some of them are very hard indeed. (In Chopin’s Op. 25 etudes, No. 4 in A minor and the “Butterfly” in Gb are good examples of proto-stride.) However, you don’t need the grooving, “clave-aspect” for Chopin and Liszt. In stride piano it is essential. It’s like the Energizer bunny with soul. Probably for eternity, James P. Johnson will be the gold standard for the stride "feel." (link to full text of his blog post)
if you're a fan of the bad plus like i am, i highly recommend subbing his feed...
the NY Times even wrote up the event...especially making note of a new artist who's work i hope to discover more of...
"The evening’s revelation was Aaron Diehl, a pianist in his mid-20s who has played with Wynton Marsalis and Wycliffe Gordon. His style, on “Scaling the Blues,” “Over the Bars” and the second movement of Johnson’s “Jazzamine Concerto,” was modest, secure and insinuating, with an iron sense of time. A few different pianists worked in their own tunes as Johnson tributes; Mr. Diehl’s was a slow, gorgeous blues."
Mr. Diehl's website is here...
anyway, a big thank you to Smalls Jazz Club for working with The James P. Johnson Foundation to put this all together...
i cannot say enough about Mr. Ethan Iverson's excellent contribution...considering the depth and breadth of the research he's done, it's not surprising that his renditions of my grandfather's work was the most mind blowing of the night...god, i wish i had video to show you...anyway, here's a sample of his preparations...
"It’s a life and death matter, the clave, and what makes it so is its unyielding consistency and precision. It’s just like the ride cymbal beat of a good jazz drummer: you put the drummer in front a cymbal, give him a stick, and if they are a professional, they will deliver a “spang-a-lang” that is immutable. If the drummer is an artist as well as a professional the interpretation of the beat will be as distinctive as a snowflake.
In stride piano, the left hand going “oom-pah” is like that clave or ride cymbal beat in its unyielding consistency and precision. It’s very hard technically: there is a big jump between the “oom” and the “pah,” and the pitches change constantly.
There are examples of “oom-pah” in Liszt and Chopin, and some of them are very hard indeed. (In Chopin’s Op. 25 etudes, No. 4 in A minor and the “Butterfly” in Gb are good examples of proto-stride.) However, you don’t need the grooving, “clave-aspect” for Chopin and Liszt. In stride piano it is essential. It’s like the Energizer bunny with soul. Probably for eternity, James P. Johnson will be the gold standard for the stride "feel." (link to full text of his blog post)
if you're a fan of the bad plus like i am, i highly recommend subbing his feed...
the NY Times even wrote up the event...especially making note of a new artist who's work i hope to discover more of...
"The evening’s revelation was Aaron Diehl, a pianist in his mid-20s who has played with Wynton Marsalis and Wycliffe Gordon. His style, on “Scaling the Blues,” “Over the Bars” and the second movement of Johnson’s “Jazzamine Concerto,” was modest, secure and insinuating, with an iron sense of time. A few different pianists worked in their own tunes as Johnson tributes; Mr. Diehl’s was a slow, gorgeous blues."
Mr. Diehl's website is here...
anyway, a big thank you to Smalls Jazz Club for working with The James P. Johnson Foundation to put this all together...
September 15, 2009
my new favorite word...
lucubration
noun:
1. The act of studying by candlelight; nocturnal study; meditation.
2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement; hence (loosely) any literary composition.
i do this all the time...
September 12, 2009
change vs agents of change...story theory 101...
i participated in a writing workshop this morning...these can be either dreary affairs or enervating experiences...kind of a crap shoot...hence my general reluctance to take part in them...i find it hinges mostly on the instructor...luckily this was associated with The Lighthouse...which is always an indication of high quality...and it was helpful in many different ways...
although...
i have a problem with the standard approach to storytelling that insists the central character must be transformed or redeemed somehow by the events of the story...a point of view presented at this morning's event...
my first problem with this is it's boring, boring, boring...three acts laden with obstacles to the protagonist's central desire requiring him/her to learn some valuable life lesson in order to become a more fully realized human being...this has been the central structure to every trite cliched story since...well, since forever...
second, experience has taught me that this is not the norm for human nature...most people do not change...most people will resist change unto death...recent history is an excellent example...
some of the most enduring stories and characters in human history deal with characters that don't change...Galahad, Holmes, Shane, Bond, McGee...and these are fascintating characters with dimension and depth...
what do i know...i'm just an unpublished nobody...
we'll see...
although...
i have a problem with the standard approach to storytelling that insists the central character must be transformed or redeemed somehow by the events of the story...a point of view presented at this morning's event...
my first problem with this is it's boring, boring, boring...three acts laden with obstacles to the protagonist's central desire requiring him/her to learn some valuable life lesson in order to become a more fully realized human being...this has been the central structure to every trite cliched story since...well, since forever...
second, experience has taught me that this is not the norm for human nature...most people do not change...most people will resist change unto death...recent history is an excellent example...
some of the most enduring stories and characters in human history deal with characters that don't change...Galahad, Holmes, Shane, Bond, McGee...and these are fascintating characters with dimension and depth...
what do i know...i'm just an unpublished nobody...
we'll see...
August 18, 2009
saying goodbye to summer...the august playlist...
it's been a great summer, and it's not gone yet, but here's a few songs to hold on to what it felt like...i call it the wedding of foxes...
Crayon Sun - Latin Playboys
i love this video of the dead weather watching the pressing of their records...according to family legend, my father worked in the factory that made my grandfather's records...anyway, i could have easily just posted a link to download the entire dead weather album...that's what i've listened to all summer...
Crayon Sun - Latin Playboys
i love this video of the dead weather watching the pressing of their records...according to family legend, my father worked in the factory that made my grandfather's records...anyway, i could have easily just posted a link to download the entire dead weather album...that's what i've listened to all summer...
August 16, 2009
playing catch-up...
maybe i missed it before this, but it's about time the NY Times started covering this story seriously...
"Before 2001, America’s military women had rarely seen ground combat. Their jobs kept them mostly away from enemy lines, as military policy dictates.
But the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, often fought in marketplaces and alleyways, have changed that. In both countries, women have repeatedly proved their mettle in combat. The number of high-ranking women and women who command all-male units has climbed considerably along with their status in the military.
“Iraq has advanced the cause of full integration for women in the Army by leaps and bounds,” said Peter R. Mansoor, a retired Army colonel who served as executive officer to Gen. David H. Petraeus while he was the top American commander in Iraq. “They have earned the confidence and respect of male colleagues.”
"Before 2001, America’s military women had rarely seen ground combat. Their jobs kept them mostly away from enemy lines, as military policy dictates.
But the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, often fought in marketplaces and alleyways, have changed that. In both countries, women have repeatedly proved their mettle in combat. The number of high-ranking women and women who command all-male units has climbed considerably along with their status in the military.
“Iraq has advanced the cause of full integration for women in the Army by leaps and bounds,” said Peter R. Mansoor, a retired Army colonel who served as executive officer to Gen. David H. Petraeus while he was the top American commander in Iraq. “They have earned the confidence and respect of male colleagues.”
August 12, 2009
today's cool shit...Sons of Anarchy...
i'm sure Mad Men will dazzle, and Lost will try to blow my mind, but this is the one show this fall that i am damn near salivating with expectation for...
August 11, 2009
August 6, 2009
August 4, 2009
man, google & wikipedia are a deadly combination...
more inspirational art...this time from Arnold Bocklin, an inspiration to Franz Stuck...
this is his most famous work...Isle of the Dead...he did five versions of this...this one is my favorite...
here's another one i love...Life is Short... click both to see more detail...
this is his most famous work...Isle of the Dead...he did five versions of this...this one is my favorite...
here's another one i love...Life is Short... click both to see more detail...
August 3, 2009
more reasons for self publishing...
i wouldn't sneeze at the offer of a $50k advance...but that would be a mighty large pay cut...even for me...
either way, this is a pretty devastating look at how authors get treated by the publishing business...and just another piece of evidence as to why i think self-publishing is a better option...
August 1, 2009
desparately seeking...inspiration...
it's 3:45...i'm sitting at my desk drinking a beer and trying to find a way to end my day on a good note... i woke up this morning...yesterday morning...in a poor mood...i had to go to work on what was supposed to be my day off...strike one...
next, i find out that the one radio station that made me excited to turn on the radio has folded and become...ugh, how to describe this without promoting it in any way...it's now a station who's airtime is bought and paid for, in its entirety by a major local strip club...so there are no commercials, just sad little teases to promote the club...and the name...well, they've named themselves after the most prominant feature on the on the show club dance floor...i'll let you figure it out...the music is not all bad...just mostly bad...it's exactly what you would expect to hear in a strip club...just subtract the writhing naked flesh and the overpriced drinks and you can make the inside of your car as soulless and depressing as closing time on a slow night...strike two...
have you ever worked for someone who wants to impress you how much smarter they are than you, but they're actually not...strike three...
so here i am, trying to prevent my day from being an entire waste...let's try this...
Wind und Welle by Franz von Stuck...another pre WWII German painter has captured my imagination...here, it seems Stuck has personified the interplay between wind and the sea and turned it into something beyond wonderful...
yes, that'll do...
next, i find out that the one radio station that made me excited to turn on the radio has folded and become...ugh, how to describe this without promoting it in any way...it's now a station who's airtime is bought and paid for, in its entirety by a major local strip club...so there are no commercials, just sad little teases to promote the club...and the name...well, they've named themselves after the most prominant feature on the on the show club dance floor...i'll let you figure it out...the music is not all bad...just mostly bad...it's exactly what you would expect to hear in a strip club...just subtract the writhing naked flesh and the overpriced drinks and you can make the inside of your car as soulless and depressing as closing time on a slow night...strike two...
have you ever worked for someone who wants to impress you how much smarter they are than you, but they're actually not...strike three...
so here i am, trying to prevent my day from being an entire waste...let's try this...
Wind und Welle by Franz von Stuck...another pre WWII German painter has captured my imagination...here, it seems Stuck has personified the interplay between wind and the sea and turned it into something beyond wonderful...
yes, that'll do...
July 27, 2009
fun with facial hair...
remember Wooly Willy...
not that, get your mind out of the gutter...the toy that gave you hours of fun by moving magnetic shavings around to make different facial hair configurations...well now, there's Furry Jimmy...your new digital friend...
start with the all American classic...The Youklis...
or go casual with The Weekender...
you can go all the way with The City Gentleman...
need a quick halloween costume? don't be a pirate, again! try on one of America's most beloved characters...The Lincoln...
(or Amish, if you prefer...)
there's the perennial Fu Manchu...
it's still not too late to go to Comic-con as your favorite comic book super hero...
(the boys in legal said we can't use the real name, so we just call this one Chops...)
add a few chin whiskers...and you've got a Reverse Fu Manchu...
wanna scare the young punks in your neighborhood...nothing beats The Enforcer...
if you really want to make people poop their pants, you can't go wrong with The Cleric...just add a robe and a towel and terrify your friends...
but nothing beats America's all time favorite...Der Fuhrer...
brought to you by FunCo!!!
(FunCo will not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the misuse, or inability to grow facial hair, or any damages that may or may not result in use of facial hair. If your use of extreme facial hair results in the need for servicing, repair, or correction of your equipment you assume all costs thereof.)
not that, get your mind out of the gutter...the toy that gave you hours of fun by moving magnetic shavings around to make different facial hair configurations...well now, there's Furry Jimmy...your new digital friend...
start with the all American classic...The Youklis...
or go casual with The Weekender...
you can go all the way with The City Gentleman...
need a quick halloween costume? don't be a pirate, again! try on one of America's most beloved characters...The Lincoln...
there's the perennial Fu Manchu...
it's still not too late to go to Comic-con as your favorite comic book super hero...
add a few chin whiskers...and you've got a Reverse Fu Manchu...
wanna scare the young punks in your neighborhood...nothing beats The Enforcer...
if you really want to make people poop their pants, you can't go wrong with The Cleric...just add a robe and a towel and terrify your friends...
but nothing beats America's all time favorite...Der Fuhrer...
brought to you by FunCo!!!
(FunCo will not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the misuse, or inability to grow facial hair, or any damages that may or may not result in use of facial hair. If your use of extreme facial hair results in the need for servicing, repair, or correction of your equipment you assume all costs thereof.)
July 24, 2009
today's cool shit...Steve Bissette...
i've never heard of this guy, or seen his work before, but i like what he has to say about writing...
"When you’re making your living as a writer or an artist or a musician, you kind of live in a trance. You’re sort of in the day-to-day world, you’re certainly there for your day-to-day relationships with people, and so on. But you’re always in this trance state, where whatever you’re working on is happening in your head. It’s taking up a lot of energy and time. That’s the pleasure, that’s the beauty of it. But it’s the reality of it too." (via A.V. Club)
"When you’re making your living as a writer or an artist or a musician, you kind of live in a trance. You’re sort of in the day-to-day world, you’re certainly there for your day-to-day relationships with people, and so on. But you’re always in this trance state, where whatever you’re working on is happening in your head. It’s taking up a lot of energy and time. That’s the pleasure, that’s the beauty of it. But it’s the reality of it too." (via A.V. Club)
July 22, 2009
July 17, 2009
today's cool shit...roller derby movie...
i'll ignore the fact that Drew Barrymore is directing...you had me at Ellen Page...
July 14, 2009
this is why Detroit is floundering...pt 2...
Mercedes is working on an all electric luxury sports car based on their iconic gullwing design...
"According to Wolf Zimmermann, the guy in charge of SLS eDrive development, look for a 0-62 mph acceleration of less than 4 seconds and a top speed north of 120 mph."(via Wired)
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