New Years Things

Well,

bye bye 2004 and HELLO 2005.

2005-BRING IT THE FUCK ON BABY!

Indeed 2004 has been an eventful year for me, lots of stuff has gone down. Emigration, New Jobs, New People, Bye Bye to old friends, Music wow! its been good.

And i am going to say farewell to it and hello to the new year in an exploration adventure road trippin light fantastic to my dear friend-The Hip Welsh Spinster's Birthday/New Year Partay! Indeed it is going to be a fun trip, round the M25, down the M4 into Wales (South). See places ive never seen, Go places ive never been, Meet people who are new to me. In fact, my good mate Johnny F is my shotgun passenger and we are in fact going to be the 2 token Aussie jazz cats in wales tomorrow night, and it is gonna be so fun, it will be PHUN. Maybe even learn some welsh eh??

Anyways, take care all,

Peace, Jazz, Love and Happiness to all.

'n ddedwydd 'n grai blwyddyn
(Look daddy, i'm learning to speak Welsh!)

New Years Broohaha!

Well, it is in fact that time of the cycle again to relieve ourselves of the year that has been and in fact welcome in something new, exciting and full of opportunity. (Who really knows what the future holds?)
2004
What can i say about it......A lot of shit has gone down this year for me. New country, emigration, musical occurrances, new people, farewelling old friends and people dear to me, seeing family i havent seen for more than 10 years, new jobs, met famous jazz musos..ahhh the gammut has been run of emotion and experience.

I say "2005-BRING IT THE FUCK ON"
I am totally looking forward to my New Years celebrations this year as it involves celebrating a birthday AND new years, exploring, adventure and new friends. Thats right, I am going to Wales (South), road tripping the light fantastic with a good mate Johnny F (Two token Aussie Jazz Musos for my good friend - the Hip Welsh Spinster's birthday/new year party!) and generally exploring the place! Should be interesting for the fact that apparently the ice is quite bad on the roads out there around these times and also possibly snow!

Anyways, i wish you all the best, lemme know what you do on new years and tell us of your stories by commenting!!

Take Care

Jazz, Peace, Love and Happiness!

"'n ddedwydd 'n Grai Blwyddyn"
(Look daddy, im learning to speak Welsh!)

Todays Highlights

Today has been one of those days for me where i feel spritually enlivened-it was meaningful for me. Combinations of meeting a really hip, artisticaly minded spirit, and just spending time chatting, joking in one of my favourite places in the world-Soho & Surrounding areas. Sense of adventure. Knowing ive made a new friend who i have utmost respect for. And then the fact that it was a beautiful day, chilly indeed, but nonetheless great.
I am more of a city dweller i have decided, but i do have an appreciation for beautiful rural areas too-i just dont think id feel at home somewhere quiet with expanses of space! Masses ofpeople is an understatement for what i encountered around oxford street with the hip-spinster today, ive never experienced such crowds really-absolutely crazy. BUT i dont mind this really, indeed it is very tiring and almost stressful having to deal with so many people, BUT the sense of excitement in crowds like this is electrifying.
Indeed i am in a very upbeat and happy frame of mind tonight, set up by a great day. I also have planned a great couple of days ahead of me, which i am excited about. I shall be doing some travelling-road trip out of the london plateau into as yet unchartered by me territories! So, my sense of adventure and adrenalin is pumping.
Also, would like to make a quick comment on Mix Tapes. Mix discs etc. I have always been an advocate of making mix tapes/discs for my friends, especially people who i dont interact with personally on a completely regular basis-or even people i have only just met. I think it allows the receiver to get a picture of my mindset at that time-it is really just an expression of how i feel at the time, what mood im in, what style of music is really happening for me etc etc. BUT i think also when the maker gets feedback from the person he/she has given said mix tape to, well..that is invaluable. Because then you are learning about the other persons tastes, likes etc be it at that point in time and generally also! Hah this sounds like a quote from the movie "Hi-Fidelity"...I have always felt a weird connection and understanding of that film. Indeed i feel like the film is a sort of life story of me! Hah. Also, my 2 best mates in the world-well i feel like we are the main 3 guys in that movie!

Crazy.
Ahh natural highs, i wonder whether they can indeed be overtaken by mind altering substance highs?
Peace

Seasons Greetings??

Seasons greetings.

Hmmmm, it seems to me that each year at this time of year, its all about money. Greed. Gifts.
Im not getting all religious on you all, cos frankly i do not have a specific religion-gasp shock horror. I am not a religious person. Spiritual yes, religious no. Havent spent more than an hour in a church for the past 5 years! BUT......i still think that the point is getting lost, if there is a point. Basically, whatever point to christmas there is, it certainly shoul not be about money/greed/power.

It always happens tho, all the news about shopping, debt etc etc. Im no saint, i have wants aswell, but really, it gets a bit crazy at xmas. Thinking about all the money spent, then thinking about the USA waging war with any country that doesnt quite conform to their beliefs on the world. Its all a bit much for me to take and i do get irritated by such things.

Also, it seems like everyone is out to celebrate, but what exactly are they celebrating??? It really is just another excuse to go out and get shitfaced and act like a dickhead really. Case In Point: Serving 6 middle aged women part of a company's work xmas party. Acted like absolute wankers, selfish, arrogant, ignorant, classless, bogan people. I was embarrassed to be a human in their presence. They have no respect for themselves, me, or other people and i felt like slapping them. HARD. I am not a violent person, BUT these people nearly pushed me to my extreme limits. I AM all for enjoying yourself and i partake in drinking at times too. BUT to enoy things at the expense of other peoples enjoyment, or even sanity really is pushing it too far for me.

Anyways, i dont want to be a grump, it is a nice time of year and i am generally happy and festive. I hope that you all do have a safe time, and best of the season to you all!!

Bah Humbug!

Disclaimer on the following jokes

Just a quick disclaimer on the following jokes. I think that these jokes are entertaining. I am not condoning cruelty to any race on earth, as i believe we should be much more caring and loving as society. I do enjoy looking on the brighter side through often "off" and plain "wrong" humour. In the end, if we cant laugh at ourselves, who can we really laugh at??.

Nevertheless, i am sure someone will take some offence at whatever is mentioned, and feel free to post your outrage as a comment. BUT i dont care really!


I must thanks some bone players who posted these funnies on "The Open Horn" forum where i am indeed a regular visitor and contributor!! In no specific order, i would like to give "props" (whatever the hell that means) to

"fishbone"
"Trombonaut"
"pbone"
&
"slide_advantage"

Lovely fucking sun ra.

Joke #4 My Favourite

GEORGE BUSH HAS A HEART ATTACK AND DIES.HE GOES TO HELL WHERE THE DEVIL IS WAITING FOR HIM.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO HERE" SAYS THE DEVIL "YOU'RE ON MY LIST BUT I HAVE NO ROOM FOR YOU. YOU DEFINITLEY HAVE TO STAY.....SO I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I'M GONNA DO: I'VE GOT THREE PEOPLE HERE WHO WEREN'T QUITE AS BAD AS YOU. I'LL LET ONE OF THEM GO. BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE THEIR PLACE. I'LL EVEN LET YOU DECIDE WHO LEAVES'.

BUSH THINKS IT SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD, SO HE AGREES.

THE DEVIL OPENS THE FIRST ROOM: HE SEES RICHARD NIXON, WHO KEEPS DIVING INTO A LARGE POOL OF WATER AND SURFACING EMPTY HANDED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. "NO" BUSH SAYS "I'M NOT A GOOD SWIMMER AND I COULDN'T DO THAT ALL DAY".

HE TAKES HIM TO THE NEXT ROOM WHERE TONY BLAIR IS SMASHING BIG ROCKS WITH A SLEDGE HAMMER "NO,I'VE GOT THIS PROBLEM WITH MY SHOULDER. I WOULD BE IN CONSTANT AGONY"

THE DEVIL OPENS THE THIRD DOOR AND SEES BILL CLINTON WITH HIS ARMS STAKED OVER HIS HEAD, IN A SPREAD EAGLE POSE... BENT OVER HIM WAS MONICA LEWINSKY, DOING WHAT SHE DOES BEST. GEORGE LOOKS IN DISBELIEF AND SAYS "YEAH I CAN HANDLE THIS' .

THE DEVIL SMILES AND ANNOUNCES 'OKAY MONICA YOU'RE FREE TO GO!'

Joke #3

President Bush and Rumsfeld are sitting in a bar.

A guy walks in and asks the barman, "Isn't that Bush and Rumsfeld sitting over there?" The barman says, "Yep, that's them."

So the guy walks over and says, "Wow, this is a real honor! What are you guys doing in here?"

Bush says, "We're planning WW III."

And the guy says, "Really? What's going to happen?"

Bush says, "Well, we're going to kill 140 million Muslims this time and one blonde with big tits."

The guy exclaimed, "A blonde with big tits? Why kill a blonde with big tits?"

Bush turns to Rumsfeld and says, "See, I told you no one would worry about the 140 million Muslims."

Joke #2

"What's the difference between Iraq and Vietnam?"

G.W had a plan for getting out of Vietnam.

Joke #1

Guy calls in to his office and tells his boss that he is ill and will not be coming in this morning.
"What is the problem?" his boss asks.
"I have anal glaucoma", the man explains.
"Anal glaucoma? I've never heard of that. What exactly does that mean?" asks the boss.
"It means I can't see my ass coming to work today", he replies.

Serving Customers, General Rudeness

Having worked as a host-which involves mostly serving champagne/wine/nibblies to guests, i have come to realise how rude some people really are. Just rude, nasty, bigoted people. SURe, they are paying for the privilege, goods and service, BUT indeed they do not pay to abuse and be rude to staff. I am making a resolution, pre-new years, pre-xmas resolution, to try not to be rude to anyone in customer service. SURE, if they are incompetent then i am not gonna go easy on anyone, BUT, i have heard stories from my colleagues having been called all sorts of derogatory comments. We are waiters/waitresses, but we are also Hosts AND the people serving!! I dont understand why the guests feel the need to belittle us, we get paid little enough as it is, to let alone feel like we are the brunt of the jokes and that guest's own personal servant.

I have personally come across a lot of rude bastards - only having worked there for a few months now. It is in no way anything to do with my employers, MORE to do with the way some humans have been bought up. General good manners would be fine with me, even just a Thankyou after handing a glass of bubbly over. BUT no, I often get grunts, rude women hurrying me up etc etc.

Anyways, my work experience here has certainly made me feel for people who have to deal with this shite day in day out for their whole working life. There really is no excuse for bad manners.
Then again, i have indeed met a lot of lovely people, very friendly and nice. In the end, i suppose we must earn money somehow. But i for one, especially when i am in a restaraunt or bar etc am going to be much more jovial and understanding when things dont go exactly 100% according to plan!!

A little bit of info to keep the crowds happy!

Lets start with a quote:

"Duct tape is like The Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together".-Carl Zwanzig

I have been given a heads up on a site dealing with copyrights etc called Creative Commons. check it out if you are at all artistically minded-wanting to have some sort of control over your own work, be it written, audio, visual etc!!

http://creativecommons.org/

and now ill finish with another quote-although i do not know who said it.

"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price has faded"

Small Minded Phreaks!

I have recently come across some posts on some blogs where said persons are complaining about other peoples blogs on the basis that these blog posts are too depressing, and full of complaints, and how unhappy things are posted there. Quite frankly, we as bloggers have no rules as to what we can or cannot post. We are not consored. Myself, and my closest friends are not in the U.S, where it seems everything we do as society is governed based on the ethics and morals of said government in power. AND i must say thank god im not there.

My point is, no one is forcing anyone to read my blog. Its common sense that if you come across a page that you dont find interesting to you, that indeed you move onto somewhere else. I Dont think it should be an excuse to complain and rant about someone's site. what i blog about is what my personal thoughts/demons/life is for that day. Truth. Also blogs that my friends have, ditto. If you "Joe public" do not like what i write, then do not go and have a cry about it and use it as an excuse to blog on your own site (which i may personally not like!!!) with complaints about how "dreary" or "uninformed" my comments are.

Also, i have been a member of a forum based around trombone, but involves all sorts of facets of life. Recently there has been a censorship issue. It really is Bollocks, to have to censor something which is purely about music. I am not going to go into it all here, but my next point is this.....Are we becoming a society that is a little too politically correct??? Where we are in fact a little adamant about airing our personal thoughts, having our say?? Lots of people in the states do not bother to vote. Yet then they will go on bitchin about the wankers they have running the country?? Work that one out. I mean sure, i am not interested in hearing harsh racist comments, or anything of that sort...BUT indeed i believe that people should be allowed to air their opinions, whatever they are and not feel worried that what they are saying may get misconstrued into being "Racist" or "sexist" or whatever.

Wow. any thoughts??

Coincidence??

Is there such a thing as coincidence in reality??
It surely occurs through some sort of "ordered weirdness".....OR, in fact, perhaps i think said "coincidence" is in fact just another thing that is meant to be!
I am sure a higher power is at the end of it all.

Nevertheless, Can there in fact be such a thing as coincidence on the internet??
I mean, i have been reknowned in my day for being quite the cynic, and also generally pessimistic. BUT, i have mellowed in recent years and am willing to just let things be, depending on what the things are that i am letting be. BUT generally, just trying to let some things pass over me-things that i would have really gotten worked up over in the past.

Anyways, I personally have decided that for me, coincidence is generally ruled out .. I believe things are meant to happen. Be it tripping over your shoelace when you couldnt be arsed doing it up, or if indeed you come across an email in your inbox and feel a connection with someone that you have never met.

I think my great friend Jai will be in agreeance with me over this one, i am interested to know anyones thoughts and comments on the matter at hand here!!!

Beauty

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Who are you, "Joe Public", to tell me what is beautiful???

Be it a female, a piece of music, a flower. ETC. Stereotyped up the hilt, and we find it hard to let our personal feelings be heard.

WELL BOLLOCKS TO THAT.

So what, i think personality is something that is way more important than the "general standards of physical beauty." What use is dating a "model" when she cannot even remember her birth date. AND this so called "model", the media is what says she is "beautiful". Sure sha may well be beautiful, but NOT because the media say so. What do you look for when you are out on the pull??? Most often it will be in some noise fuelled, drink undeuced sleaze bar, where everyone is looking for a shag or looking to get shitfaced. Whats the point???

Women are beautiful human beings, all of them. It comes down to personal taste and attraction as to what "lights your flame". I am certain this works in the vice bersa but i do not know because i am not a woman nor attracted to males.

Anyways, shallowness is NOT a virtue!!

I find all sorts of things attractive when thinking about women, but something i find great on one, i may find repulsive on another. BUT, i mean its all personal isnt it. In the end, if there is a mental match, and you get on real well, it doesnt matter in the end does it. A Beautiful mind does. A beautiful Aura does.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

Another trombone pic i wish i could say i photographe. I like it....I Like it alot. 

Family Guy Quotes

These are some pretty funny quotes that i came across on a website - from The Family Guy cartoon which is along the lines of The Simpsons and Etc!

Peter: Lois, I'm gonna grow a beard.
Lois: Peter, you know I hate beards ...
Peter: No no Lois, it's time I joined the ranks of great men with beards. Why do you think Jesus Christ was so popular? Cause ... cause of all the magic tricks?

AND

Chris: Dad, what's the blow-hole for?
Peter: I'll tell you what it's not for, son. And when I do, you'll understand why I can never go back to Sea World.

MORE

Vacuum repairman: There you go, all fixed. Turns out a half-eaten meatball was clogging up the intake.
Peter: Oh. Well, did you save it?
Vacuum repairman: Uh, no.
Peter: You bastard.

FINALLY

[Chris jumps on Peter's lap]
Chris: Dad, the scouts are no fun. I just want to draw. Oh, and...
[kisses Peter]
Peter: Son, I am going to stand up, walk out of this room, and we are never to speak of this again.

Hahaha i gotta check more of these episodes out!

No More Imation

I am officially against one brand of blank media from now on in.

Imation CD-Rs.

I have purchased countless amounts of this brand and more often than not the cds fuck up. NOT just in one burner either, it has occurred in 4 different burners.

Either the cd's actually fuck up during the burn process.
OR
I get corrupt files that wont open on my computers (data mainly)
OR
When doing a compilation disc of audio, for audio cd player use, i get this didgy interference. Almost like a distortion sound-as though the speakers are maxing out...a nasty annoying fucking thing that ruins the whole cd. Like it is scratched. it is fucking annoying.

This obviously occurrs on all media, but i have found that these imation discs do it moe often than not. I dont know why. Maybe the dye they use in the production just isnt as stable as others. I dont know, but i do know that my TDK branded discs which i used back in australia rarely had problems.

so i am now boycotting them for the rest of my life.

podge would agree.

Imation can go fuck off cos they're bollocks!

The National Bank

WOW.

This band is amazing. Truly amazing.

I dont have a lot of information about them because their website is written in norwegian, or whatever the language is called. Nevertheless, i found out about them through the jaga jazzist website. As those of you who know me will undoubtedly know about my obsession with the music of Jaga Jazzist, this music from the band "The National Bank" is indeed along the same lines, minus the jazz influences. (Well not completely, but the line-up and music is more based upon popular forms)

These cats sold over 20000 copies of their debut album in under 2 weeks in NORWAY. I reckon that is amazing. I set about finding a copy of this album, only to find that it is not released out of norway as yet. I was crafty enough to get a copy from a friend, and i tell ya what, It is amazing.

On their website you can download a clip of their first single "Tolerate", although it is kinda hard to navigate through the site...but i managed it. Tis worth it.

For me, this album is the Pop/Rock alternative to Jaga Jazzist. And, i am not usually this adamant about liking a band without horns etc (Well-other than, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Bjork, Mum, et al) But if you enjoy those bands, you will certainly enjoy this band. Another thing that got me was the fact that i was drawn into listening to the vocals and lyrics on my FIRST listen. Now that rarely happens for me, i usually-99% of the time, check out whats happening musically before i really analyse the lyrics.....but i actually had a sense of checking it ALL out a once. The band's' sound is fabulous, incorporating a lot of influences but really i think coming up with something wholly defining. The combination of the lead vocal with the raw electronic-rock hybrid really is FABULOUS.

Jai, Tahne, Sean, Meri, Waz, Vic - I want you to all check this stuff out, its very hip. I want discussion. NOW!!!!!!!

Check it out cats! Trust me.

Listening

Listening is something very important in day to day life. Personally, i don't even want to think about losing my hearing in later life (although, my grandfather was going deaf in his later years-he too was a musician yet he was a pianist. He put his hearing loss down to being in studios etc, but he wasnt ever IN FRONT OF THE TRUMPET SECTION like i generally am!)

But listening is more than hearing. Although the two are interrelated in a nasty sort of in-bred way! I prefer to listen, which generally means having paid attention also. Whereas to hear something doesnt infer paying attention.

There are different levels of listening related to music. I find all of them useful to me as a musician, and as a human. Have you ever just sat and listened to silence?? I mean really listened to silence-what your interpretation of silence is. Solitude is a form of silence. Just the sound of breathing. The sound of waves lapping at the shore. The bluebirds singing their song of love in the trees. A British Airways Jet non-stop to singapore. The m25 London Orbital. All of these SOUNDS filter into my daily listening.

As an improvising musician, i feel that Listening is one of the greatest forms of practice there is. Sure, listening to Coltrane soaring majestically on "A Love Supreme" is NOT going to practice my daily long tones and lip slurs. BUT the benefits are certainly felt....Its a basic awareness, feel, phrasing, rhythm, melody, tone, groove etc. Its stuff that you cant teach in a classroom, and cannot be told to do. These "unnamed" things come about through listening. Inspiration. Awe. There is something that impregnates your soul, and ends up inside you.

There are different levels of listening. All of them beneficial. I am only going off of my own experiences, and none of this is across the board, listening and its levels are different for everyone, and everyone gains different knowledge from it. A PURE CONCENTRATED listening session, where nothing is around to distract me. Often late at night, lights off. Pitch black, i want my mind to only picture the sounds so to speak-focusing on instrumental tone, or melody or audio production(Mixing), room ambience, whatever-maybe everything!
Another level is ANALYTICAL listening, Where i am analysing what so and so is actually doing, theoretically. What note is it on this chord, etc etc etc. Even BACKGROUND listening. Such as now, i have a cd on whilst i am typing this. Believe it or not, this is still beneficial for me. I still get something out of it. It surprises me what i may remember at the end of the cd. A certain trumpet riff from the 2nd chorus of the first tune. Etc and what have you.

It really is instinctive for me, to always have music on. I dont leave the house without a disc for my car. Another form of listening. It is also interesting to hear how different sound sources can mesh and integrate together...a jackhammer joining whatever cd i am listening to in the car. Or the frequency of 4th gear joining in with a harmonic on the cd, it all integrates. But youve got to be on the ball mentally to pick these subtleties up and to work out what they are!

Nevertheless, i think its always interesting to have a chilled out listening session with a few personal friends. Have a pint or whatever, sit down, stereo up to a decent volume, gather infront of the speakers, relax and just listen. It is better than any television show. Listen, pick up things, then maybe have a discussion with your mate(s). Maybe you dont, perhaps its just good to chare this musical joy with other people who you know appreciate it. Its good to comment, but sometimes its just good to have your own thoughts to yourself and just "BE"

To summize, we must go into the listening thing knowing WHY we are listening to whatever it is at that certain time. Are we indeed trying to analyze the lyrics?? Or are we just concentrating on thesound as a whole. Is it purely background music, or is it on our search for inspiration?? I cant tell you what it is, but you just "KNOW"...

Anyways, thats my take on the whole listening thing.

Quotations-Read them...allow them into your soul

"What is music to you? What would you be without music? Music is everything. Nature is music (cicadas in the tropical night). The sea is music, the wind is music. The rain drumming on the roof and the storm raging in the sky are music. Music is the oldest entity. The scope of music is immense and infinite. It is the ‘esperanto’ of the world." -Duke Ellington

"From the persistence of noise comes the insistence of rage.
From the emergence of tone comes the divergence of thought.
From the enlightenment of music comes the wisdom of...silence." -Visions of Gregorian Chants

"Music...can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable." -Leonard Bernstein

"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" -Charles Mingus

"There are more bad musicians than there is bad music" -Isaac Stern

"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end" -Igor Stravinsky

"Sure there is music even in the beauty, and the silent note which Cupid strikes, far sweeter than the sound of an instrument. For there is music wherever there is harmony, order and proportion; and thus far we may maintain the music of the spheres; for those well ordered motions, and regular paces, though they give no sound unto the ear, yet to the understanding they strike a note most full of harmony. " -Sir Thomas Browne

"Art without control is like a living man without a head—it walks but it doesn’t talk" -Bill Russo

"By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with"
-Duke Ellington

"We grown-up people think that we appreciate music, but if we realized the sense that an infant has brought with it of appreciating sound and rhythm, we would never boast of knowing music. The infant is music itself. In the cradle it in moving its little arms and legs in a certain rhythm. And when our music falls on the ears of an infant it is of the lowest character compared with the music it is accustomed to." -Hazrat Inayat Khan

"To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable." -Aaron Copland

"My creed for art in general is that it should enrich the soul; it should teach spirituality by showing a person a portion of himself that he would not discover otherwise . . . a part of yourself you never knew existed." -Bill Evans

"Good jazz is when the leader jumps on the piano, waves his arms, and yells. Fine jazz is when a tenorman lifts his foot in the air. Great jazz is when he heaves a piercing note for 32 bars and collapses on his hands and knees. A pure genius of jazz is manifested when he and the rest of the orchestra runaround the room while the rhythm section grimaces and dances around their instruments." -Charles Mingus

"There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind." -Duke Ellington

"Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny." -Frank Zappa

"My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being … When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups … I want to speak to their souls." -John Coltrane

"When Kenny G decided that it was appropriate for him to defile the music of the man (Louis Armstrong) who is probably the greatest jazz musician that has ever lived by spewing his lame-ass, jive, pseudo bluesy, out-of-tune, noodling, wimped out, fucked up playing all over one of the great Louis’ tracks (even one of his lesser ones), he did something that I would not have imagined possible......And if I ever DO see [Kenny G] anywhere, at any function — he WILL get a piece of my mind, and maybe a guitar wrapped around his head. " -Pat Metheny (in reference to Kenny G’s overdubbing of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World")

"I’m all in favor of getting grants for musicians. Or any other good brand of Scotch." -Pepper Adams

"All a musician can do is to get closer to the sources of nature, and so feel that he is in communion with the natural laws." -John Coltrane

"Blow your life through your horn." -Arturo Sandoval

"There's something of the opium eater in your jazz cultist. His enthusiasm affects him like a drug habit, removing him, it seems, from the uninitiated and less paranoid world about him and encouraging many of the attitudes of full-blown megalomania." -Orson Welles

AND FOR THE FINALE, ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITES:
"Opinions are like assholes . . . everyone’s got one." -Art Blakey

An excellent Bone picture! 

Price Of CD's etc

Just as a (hopefully) short addition to my post on internet music and cds.

I must say that the cost of Compact Disc albums and even Vinyl is an issue. I mean, in Australia, to get a lot of the good artists and interesting music on CD or Vinyl is a very expensive thing to do. I knowall too well, coming from my taste in music, that to get the stuff i was interested in would involve going into Sydney, to either Birdland or Mojo (the 2 mainly jazz stores in Sydney). Now, through no fault of these two stores, the music there is expensive. Sure, to get the Ken Burns jazz compilation on Count Basie i could go to the local sanity and pick it up. BUT to get the latest new albums, even back catalogue stuff, from great improvising jazz artists id have to go to these stores. It is an expensive taste as a single album would range anywhere between 20 to 40 bucks. 75% + towards the top bracket of that range. I mean, fair enough i suppose, many of these albums are onsmall record labels throughout europe. I am willing to support the artist etc.

BUT, then, when you go into HMV, you see that the latest realease by (SH)itney Spears is selling for about 28 Bucks. Some stores sell it higher, and you can go to Big W and buy it for 19 bucks. Whats the go there?? Simple. Greed. I mean, these big pop acts are already getting multi-millions for just being signed to the label. BUT then the label has to recoup the cost and some for their greed. That is Bollocks really. Total rubbish. These albums are going to sell anyways, because of the marketing. So, really, why cant the album cost between 15 and 20 bucks?? Even with that amount, everyone involved is going to earn a lot of money.

With jazz, there are very few artists that will actually make a lot of money for the record companies. Those that do, arent really jazz. Even to use the word jazz with their music is selling out the deep legacy that is Jazz music but that is another kettle of fish. Basically, i could see why the prces for most of these albums i was buying were such prices. The guys at Birdland were all friends of mine and wouldnt rip customers off...the thing is they have got to pay their staff. So, understandably something from a small label in germany is going to cost some more, but at least i could go to bed at night knowing i spent money supporting an artist, and the label that supports the artist. Real Music.

Nonetheless i think in general, the price of cds should drop. The sheer manufacture of the discs, i mean, the actual hard product of a cd and the jewel case cost less than 2 bucks. So, really, i am all for a reduced rate for cds. I think that things may go this way anyways, what with declining cd sales because of the internet downloads.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for all of this!

Is the Internet destroying Music and its Industry??

The Apache Waz has raised a topic in a comment to my ipod dilemma which i feel quite strongly about...I have had numerous discussions with my closest mates Jai and Sean about the state of the internet and computers in music distribution.

Once again, everyone is going to have their own opinion on such things, but as far as i am concerned, the average joe-non musician/non-music industry folk should really just but out of these discussions. It is blatantly obvious that everyone in this world wants to get something for nothing. I am the same, i am excited to get freebies as much as the next man! BUT, this is a whole different kettle of fish, the whole downloads industry.

Sure, a few years back, the net was rife with illegal downloads, and still is to this day what with peer to peer etc etc. BUT that is just the way it is, it has been turned into a legalised source of income for many more big multimillion dollar companies. Itunes for apple. Every big music retailer has its own downloads site where we all know we can purchase single songs or entire albums.

I dont like the fact that now people, the general public, who i must say do not as a whole have much taste, can download-for a price-their favourite songs and then burn them to a compilation disc or whatever. NO longer are they forced to go out and buy the album, or indeed the single-which has more than one track by the artist on it. Singles at least have a couple of B-Sides, live tracks, other album tracks, or remixes. (I am not much a fan of singles either but i wont go there.) Albums, they offer the listener the total sonic experience of the band or artist. How often does a band that has a hit on the charts have only one really big song?? Often that song is absolute rubbish musically, but when forced to buy the entire album as a whole, occasionally these bands in fact are good artists. Even if there is only one song out of 12 on the album with any real "substance" to it, that is something. BUT, now people are not going to experience this. Often albums are conceived as that exactly, an album. NOT a bunch of tunes thrown on a cd, but an album. A journey. Going through different emotions, travelling, a story if you will. I mean, i guess this all really only applies to real music and not the shite pop. In fact i dont give a damn if britney spears or any other shite like that gets ripped off, illegally downloaded or inf act thrown in the bin where it belongs. I am talking about music which has an artistic integrity to it, something with feeling. NOT something thats been designed just for children who know no better.

With this download craze, we are losing the notion of "the abum". I think its a very sad thing. Nonetheless there are also other factors we are "losing":

• The Artwork - I think the artwork is a very important aspect of the album. Hark back to the days of vinyl. The gatefold cover. What would your experience of say, for instance, Elton john's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album without the vinyl album sleeve artwork?? Who knows??? It didnt happen, but that album has gone on to be very popular. What about all the awesome artwork for Santana albums??? Musicians are in the fields of Art. I think that the combination of all facets of art are essential in the music industry.

• The Information/Text - Without the lyrics kindly reprinted for you to read. To understand the poetic phrase of the chorus of such and such a song. I must admit that i am generally disappointed with many of my Vinyl albums for the heer fact they didnt express who the musicians were on the album, where and when it was recorded, etc. Theyd never forget to put the logo of the record label, but can quite esily miss out who actually played the horn parts for the song. Even the arrangements. Pathetic that the people who put so much effort into the album, do not get recognised. Other information such as the background of the music written by the artist. Or a "review" so to speak of the album written by a critic (quite regular in jazz discs).

Im sure there is more factors i left out there. I mean, it is all a very personal opinion, but i think that society is becoming much less pro-active. Very lax attitudes on the arts. Like, people will just put up with whatever is thrown at them. Sure, there was a big uproar with the advent of Minidiscs. They had been around in japan long before the mainstream countries (U.k and U.S.A) had them, but i recall hearing talk that "Oh, the Compact Disc will be out in a few years". Well, hello boys, the C.D is stll around. I personally think that it is the best medium for music. In the jazz field, very often we see albums use up the entrie 74 or 80 minutes vailable on the disc. There has been discussion that perhaps that is too much music, but i like to see the medium used to its full potential. Nevertheless, if more time was needed, i guess we can get into the whole DVD-Audio thing. BUT, my main point is, i cant imagine what would be better than a Disc. It is very light, stores information quite reliably. OK<>

I cannot think of many cds/records that i own where i would be happy to get rid of the booklets/covers and keep the cds in a folder. Even with copies of stuff that i have, i always go to the trouble of finding out who plays on the disc, the tracklisting, composers etc etc etc. I know that a lot of people are like minded about this, BUT then, there are just as many who are pro-mp3.

I wouldnt say i am against it, obviously, as if youve read my ipod post, you will realise that i have quite a lot of music on my computer. I think that it is a good thing in that, websites such as:

http://www.projectlo-fi.com

http://www.mp3.com.au

these two, have downloads of music for free. Full versions, not just clips. BUT the thing is, this is to support the artists. These bands etc are not lucky enough to have a multi-million dollar record deal, or in fact the distribution that goes with record companies. Even artists that do, often they have live tracks available to download from their site. This is all very well and good, and the internet is a great source of information and promotion. BUT, i do not agree with it when it gets to these record stores/labels/companies selling the albums as mp3. Even if they are allowing .pdf files of the albums artwork.

ITS JUST NOT THE SAME.

The reason i want to get an ipod is because i feel that i am not making use of the music i do have on my computer as mp3. I dont like to use my computer as an audio playback device, because, i have equipment primrily made for audio playback. Which will allow the quality of sonic reproduction to be properly experienced.

Anyways, thats my long post on this topic, any thoughts?