Crunch time on the teaching portfolio. Due tomorrow. If you know me, you can visualize me wearing holes in my scalp from running my fingers through my hair, intravenously supplying caffeine, and generally looking all kinds of frazzled.
Not so, my friends. Not today at least. Why?
My walk to the library to assume my position for the next 24 was set to a backdrop of crystal clear blue skies, 70 degrees, and yes.. I spent entirely too much on that mug of coffee. And as I began to channel my inner educator and reflect on the, admittedly, ridiculous volume of 'professional development' seminars i've participated in, I turned to jazz.
Jazz is so many things for me. It was always in my home growing up. The rolling 'tings' of the cymbals, the syncopated beat of the drum, the crooning sax or wailing trumpet, the punching expressions from the piano, the deep, unimposing commentary from the bass, these sounds are familiar and comforting. These sounds in concert envelop me in a calm serenity that I can only equate to drinking a tall glass of red wine.
And on days like today when I need to focus, what classical is for some, jazz is for me.
So, thanks to the 'Jazz Concert' section of the NPR music page, I am zen-ing to this:
Artist: Steve Wilson and Wilsonian's Grain
Piano: Orrin Evans Bass: Ugonna Okegwo
Drums:Bill Stewart Sax: Steve Wilson
From: Steve hails from Hampton, VA but now lives in NY
Style: Jazz
Concert: Live at the Village Vanguard
I highly recommend you give this group a try. You can:
1) Listen using the player below
2) If you want to download an mp3 of the concert, right click HERE and "Save Link As"
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
03 - Miyavi
He's Japanese. He's an awesome guitarist. He is, in fact, a dude.
Great guitarists come in all shapes, sizes, and hairstyles (and hats, if you're Buckethead). Eccentricity is almost a right of passage, and Miyavi is no exception. His image is... unconventional (although less so for Tokyo), but what is undeniable is the man can play.
Artist: Miyavi
From: Tokyo, Japan
Style: He's a rockstar... and he knows it.
How I found it: Friend - (Thanks to Ms. Felzein)
Favorite Album: YouTube/MySpace (I don't own an album... yet..)
Song picks: Selfish Love, Survive
Selfish Love - Highlights his guitar skills
Survive - Highlights more of his 'rockstar' side
Great guitarists come in all shapes, sizes, and hairstyles (and hats, if you're Buckethead). Eccentricity is almost a right of passage, and Miyavi is no exception. His image is... unconventional (although less so for Tokyo), but what is undeniable is the man can play.
Artist: Miyavi
From: Tokyo, Japan
Style: He's a rockstar... and he knows it.
How I found it: Friend - (Thanks to Ms. Felzein)
Favorite Album: YouTube/MySpace (I don't own an album... yet..)
Song picks: Selfish Love, Survive
Selfish Love - Highlights his guitar skills
Survive - Highlights more of his 'rockstar' side
Monday, March 29, 2010
02 - Ray LaMontagne
Day 2 and i'm already getting snarky commentary about my motives - this being a distraction from tasks like my "thesis"... pshhh! - well Mr. Reineman, you're only half right ; )
At this time, I am going to give Reineman his due credit as the one responsible for first turning me on to such musical gems as Emmylou Harris, Spoon, and Ray LaMontagne. Ray has been his preoccupation as of late, and I must say that it's a good one. So share, I will.
(my first attempt at a quick and dirty synopsis)
Artist: Ray LaMontagne
Style: His voice is definitely the star, great mix of Acoustic/Soul/Folk
How I found it: Friend
Favorite Album: Trouble and Till the Sun Turns Black
Song pick: Jolene
Been so long since I seen your face
Or felt a part of this human race
I've been living out of this here suitcase for way too long
A man needs something he can hold onto
A nine pound hammer or a woman like you
Either one of them things will do
If you haven't discovered NPRs 'All Songs Considered' online concerts yet, here's your first look. (I'd describe more about it, but that's a whole other entry completely).
At this time, I am going to give Reineman his due credit as the one responsible for first turning me on to such musical gems as Emmylou Harris, Spoon, and Ray LaMontagne. Ray has been his preoccupation as of late, and I must say that it's a good one. So share, I will.
(my first attempt at a quick and dirty synopsis)
Artist: Ray LaMontagne
Style: His voice is definitely the star, great mix of Acoustic/Soul/Folk
How I found it: Friend
Favorite Album: Trouble and Till the Sun Turns Black
Song pick: Jolene
Been so long since I seen your face
Or felt a part of this human race
I've been living out of this here suitcase for way too long
A man needs something he can hold onto
A nine pound hammer or a woman like you
Either one of them things will do
If you haven't discovered NPRs 'All Songs Considered' online concerts yet, here's your first look. (I'd describe more about it, but that's a whole other entry completely).
Sunday, March 28, 2010
01 - Intro (with Kaki King)
Perhaps it is ill conceived to start a music blog now, given the kajillions (approximate) of other things demanding my attention (at this moment i'm starring down the table at about 60 lab write-ups that need to be graded. wahh wahh whahh). But it is music that keeps me sane. It is my therapy, and it is just as important to invest in one's mental health as much as anything else, now isn't it?
My motivation? Well life, at least the way I perceive it, is a raucous din of jubilation, consternation, anticipation, frustration, etc. and it can be difficult to address all of these emotions at once, especially since they each seem to demand center stage! So, just as the elderly have a cabinet full of treatments for what ails 'em, say Viagra for vertility or Ginkgo biloba to help them remember to take the Viagra, I have found that there is a tune out there that can remedy each one of life's impromptu dealings, and from what I have heard from you, friends, is that you dig the way I self-medicate.
My mission statement: I will, with great pleasure, post my flavor of the day/week/month (and all related, accessory information) and I hope that somewhere in this list of 'jams' you find the songs that lift you up, get the party started, tap your toes, indulge your sulking (every now and then), invoke reflection, or help you stop thinking all together (as I often feel I need to do).
Finally, a disclaimer. I am no music expert, I am simply in search of the sounds that ring true for me.
So with papers to grade and rain falling, I am compelled to leave you with a delightfully moody (Live!) piece by Kaki King: So Much for So Little. (While you're at it, play 'Montreal' too..)
My motivation? Well life, at least the way I perceive it, is a raucous din of jubilation, consternation, anticipation, frustration, etc. and it can be difficult to address all of these emotions at once, especially since they each seem to demand center stage! So, just as the elderly have a cabinet full of treatments for what ails 'em, say Viagra for vertility or Ginkgo biloba to help them remember to take the Viagra, I have found that there is a tune out there that can remedy each one of life's impromptu dealings, and from what I have heard from you, friends, is that you dig the way I self-medicate.
My mission statement: I will, with great pleasure, post my flavor of the day/week/month (and all related, accessory information) and I hope that somewhere in this list of 'jams' you find the songs that lift you up, get the party started, tap your toes, indulge your sulking (every now and then), invoke reflection, or help you stop thinking all together (as I often feel I need to do).
Finally, a disclaimer. I am no music expert, I am simply in search of the sounds that ring true for me.
So with papers to grade and rain falling, I am compelled to leave you with a delightfully moody (Live!) piece by Kaki King: So Much for So Little. (While you're at it, play 'Montreal' too..)
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