Dave King and Co.
IN THE TWIN CITIES
Tomorrow, Saturday, 3 to 5 in the afternoon: King drum clinic at MacPhail Center for Music.
Wednesday, November 26: Happy Apple plays the Cedar Cultural Center.
Content
(and one more Political Memo)
Turkey Day approaches. Thanks TH for the link.
Dear God.
Political Memos
This week in the Village Voice: Tom Robbins on Obama and music.
This week in the New Yorker: James Surowiecki on food.
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There's gloom and doom everywhere with the recession. The only thing to do is to look on the bright side. I was intrigued by Surowiecki's suggestion that the "bursting of the commodity bubble...may have saved many from actually starving."
After all, how long was the fat, ignorant trip going to last? As recently as May 2006, almost five thousand Americans bought Hummers in a single month. And those heinous Hummer limos: I won't be sad to see those disappear.
Tony Reedus (1959 - 2008)
The first time I saw Reedus play he was filling in for an ailing Art Blakey in the last edition of the Messengers. I later heard him with Benny Golson (in a great quartet with Kevin Hays) and Mulgrew Miller. It has been awhile; it was actually in the back of my mind to hear what he was up to these days.
He knew the real jazz drums. A bona fide classic of his circle is Introducing Kenny Garrett, which shows both Miller and Reedus in their best light.
The obit says he "had collapsed at John F. Kennedy International Airport after getting off an American Airlines flight from Bologna, Italy, where he had been performing with Mike LeDonne. He was 49."
Sobering news: how many times have we tiredly gotten off a plane and didn't feel that great? Sincere condolences to Reedus's family.
Cocktail Hour
Gabe Kahane (MySpace) has just asked me to help out at his gig Thursday night at LPR. His bulk email made me laugh:
As the tour winds its way back to New York, I have a bit of exciting news: Ethan Iverson, pianist of The Bad Plus, has graciously agreed to open for us at Poisson Rouge with a very special solo piano set. Ethan claims that he will be doing a "cocktail hour", though with his keenly developed sense of irony, I can only imagine with watering mouth what musical perversions that ostensibly banal descriptor may hold. The band and I could not be more thrilled.
details:
Thursday, November 20 @ (le) poisson rouge - 158 Bleecker Street
7:30 doors
8:30 Ethan Iverson
9:30 Gabriel Kahane
w/ Rob Moose - violin, tenor guitar, electric guitar, bass
CJ Camerieri - trumpet, french horn, piano
Sam Sadigursky - clarinet, bass clarinet, bass
Casey Foubert - drums, banjo, acoustic and electric guitars
details:
Thursday, November 20 @ (le) poisson rouge - 158 Bleecker Street
7:30 doors
8:30 Ethan Iverson
9:30 Gabriel Kahane
w/ Rob Moose - violin, tenor guitar, electric guitar, bass
CJ Camerieri - trumpet, french horn, piano
Sam Sadigursky - clarinet, bass clarinet, bass
Casey Foubert - drums, banjo, acoustic and electric guitars
Only $10!
(Gabe was previously on DTM here)
Mitch Mitchell (1947 -2008)
The great explosion of hard-hitting rock music in the 1960's was powered by an unparalleled crew of distinctive, hard-hitting drummers: John Bonham; Keith Moon; Ginger Baker; Charlie Watts; Mitch Mitchell.
While all these drummer knew and played jazz, Mitchell was probably the "jazziest." The 3/4 undulation on "Manic Depression" is a distinctive gloss on Elvin Jones and his fills on medium-tempo pieces like "Hey Joe" and "Are You Experienced?" have a kind of strut related to swing.
What was really important about Mitchell, though, was how well he played the song's form. Arguably Mitchell's replacement, Buddy Miles, had the greater feel. But Mitchell worked harder at finding the drama in each piece, carefully guiding every song home.
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Keep it coming
Hello from Burgos, Spain.
Every person we have met in the last couple of days has congratulated us on our new President.
An unoriginal thought: maybe things had to get so bad for change to happen.
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Further music blogosphere musings:
One Day to Go
(William Hogarth, "The Polling," number 3 from The Election; more here.)
A basic fact - not discussed in the American press enough - is how much non-Americans are pulling for Barack Obama tomorrow. For those of us out here on tour in Europe (and South America recently) it could not be more obvious. The whole planet is biting its nails.
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Some non-presidential links:
Alex Ross' essential The Rest is Noise is out in paperback and boasts an expanded Audio Guide.
Ben Ratliff covers the Woodstock Creative Music Studio; unusually for the NY Times, there are audio samples too. Nice to hear Roscoe Mitchell's words of encouragement to his large ensemble...and nice to hear his criticism, too!
Chris Nakashima-Brown on Zebulon Pike et al. (Sorry the gig is over already.)
All Hallow's Eve
October 31 is a great day to reread some horror short stories by Ambrose Bierce. Both of these tales were very influential to future horror, fantasy, and science fiction writers.
...I noted not whither I had strayed until a
sudden chill wind striking my face revived in me a sense of my
surroundings. I observed with astonishment that everything
seemed unfamiliar. On every side of me stretched a bleak and
desolate expanse of plain, covered with a tall overgrowth of sere
grass, which rustled and whistled in the autumn wind with heaven
knows what mysterious and disquieting suggestion. Protruded at
long intervals above it, stood strangely shaped and somber-
colored rocks, which seemed to have an understanding with one
another and to exchange looks of uncomfortable significance, as
if they had reared their heads to watch the issue of some
foreseen event. A few blasted trees here and there appeared as
leaders in this malevolent conspiracy of silent expectation.
Moxon
was speaking with unusual animation and earnestness. As he paused I
heard in an adjoining room known to me as his 'machine-shop,' which no
one but himself was permitted to enter, a singular thumping sound, as
of someone pounding upon a table with an open hand. Moxon heard it at
the same moment and, visibly agitated, rose and hurriedly passed into
the room whence it came. I thought it odd that anyone else should be in
there, and my interest in my friend -- with doubtless a touch of
unwarrantable curiosity -- led me to listen intently, though, I am
happy to say, not at the keyhole. There were confused sounds, as of a
struggle or scuffle; the floor shook. I distinctly heard hard breathing
and a hoarse whisper which said 'Damn you!' Then all was silent, and
presently Moxon reappeared and said, with a rather sorry smile:
'Pardon me for leaving you so abruptly. I have a machine in there that lost its temper and cut up rough.'
Fixing my eyes steadily upon his left cheek, which was traversed by four parallel excoriations showing blood, I said:
'How would it do to trim its nails?'
'Pardon me for leaving you so abruptly. I have a machine in there that lost its temper and cut up rough.'
Fixing my eyes steadily upon his left cheek, which was traversed by four parallel excoriations showing blood, I said:
'How would it do to trim its nails?'
Europe Tour Diary
Photos by Wendy Lewis
