Composer/bassist-Dr. James "Jimbo" Walsh sat for a second interview to get further biographically and a little deeper into current ideas. Parts 1-5 are now up here...
(If you are a local New Orleanian you may also know him as Jimbo, bassist with Davis Rogan and Washboard Rodeo. Or as the the guitar player with The Other Planets. Or as the conductor of the Naked Orchestra. Or as director of the New Orleans New Music Ensemble.)
A slightly different format audio recording has just gone up on the music interviews page. It's a four way conversation and I've left it full length for this site.
WWOZ radio DJ, Michael Dominici had the idea to take some of what has been happening in these interviews and take it onto WWOZ during his radio show. There were time constraints that didn't allow us, with our summer schedules, to do this live so we pre-recorded it on May 28th, 2011. Mark Bingham allowed us to do the interview at Piety St. Studios so we sat down for about an hour and discussed a few things pertaining to recording, time perception, thinking of music for now, anachronistic music, and observations on a few other musicians around the scene including Quintron, Ratty
Jeff Albert is more than just a trombonist. In starting the Open Ears music series he provided a new local forum for improvisational music, as well as for other forms of music that do not have any easy time getting on the stages of New Orleans venues. Many groups and associations of musicians have found each other, temporarily or over the long term, from playing in the series and this has changed the face of the creative music scene in New Orleans.
How did he do it? What has he done? Why has he dunnit? What might he do? Listen to him remove some veils.
Parts 1-5 of an audio interview with Jeff Albert are up now here...
All interviews are also available as a podcast through itunes here...
or by clicking on the RSS link further down on this page (right side.)
"The transaction concluded, the two still remained seated, falling into familiar conversation, by degrees verging into that confidential sort of sympathetic silence, the last refinement and luxury of unaffected good feeling. A kind of social superstition, to suppose that to be truly friendly one must be saying friendly words all the time, any more than to be doing friendly deeds continually. True friendliness, like true religion, being in a sort independent of works."- The Confidence Man by Herman Melville
Someone managed to get this shot of film maker, Henry Griffin demonstrating his classic Ot Azoy dance backed up by Stanton Moore. this is really Fresh Out The Past. WWOZ even got involved in The Big Kibosh! This was a truly memorable highlight from the three 20th anniversary shows. Also on stage here are bass- Arthur Kastler; Saxophone-Ben Ellman; Accordion- Glenn Hartman, Fiddle-David Rebeck; guitar- yours truly!
Yep! sections 3 and 4 of an extensive interview with woodwind player and composer, Rex Gregory are up here...
All interviews are available as a podcast through the itunes store.
There is an RSS button below for the podcast page from this site on the right side of this page.
A new interview with reedman, Rex Gregory. Also, two follow-up interviews: one with James Walsh and one with Mark Bingham.
Listen to parts 1,2,3, and 4, of an interview with colorful saxophone/clarinet/accordion/songwriter/electronic music composer, Aurora Nealand. Here...
Also available as a podcast through itunes or the RSS link on this site.
Mark Twain said it doesn't repeat, it rhymes...
There is a preponderence of music in the clubs and on the streets played by young people (teens to late 20's) that seems festooned with an obsession about late 19th to early 20th century style. I have been confused about where this is coming from. Even the fashions of the players seems to hark back to that time but it comes out looking more like stretched out rags from the Bugsy Malone set. Mostly they are playing rags, medicine show music, blues, and folk-songs. You see them carrying around banjos, accordions and euphoniums. It's not new, it's already gone on long enough (at least five years here in New Orleans) that if it were the early 20th century they would already have come up with a new form of jazz and thrown themselves out of date. They are, however, gripping tightly onto some set of imagery and I have been wondering why. Perhaps, symbolically, it is showing what is in the following article...
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2011/05/14/1890s-america-a-peek-at-the-past-youre-repeating/
(For more on the idea in this post see this entry I wrote about the album by Aurora Nealand & the Royal Roses dedicated to Sidney Bechet (Sat. April 23). That piece was informed by similar ironies.)
This article, "America: A Peek at the Past You're Repeating" addresses more serious consequences of being unaware of social developments since the early 20th century. It is clear that, at least locally, there is the very same lack of awareness about music development since those same times. The very subject of those music developments of the 20th century, both sonically and lyrically, were mostly about liberation, human and civil rights, and class problems. Music is a mirror for what is going on in its culture, and it can't fail to be, although sometimes you have to be shrewd to see it clearly because the messages can be deeply masked (even from the performers.) Right now, on all music fronts and genres there seem to be two main strains
You may find it easier to listen this way. Check it out!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interviews-with-musicians/id437164924
