bunch of ear food; warning: dorkest approacheth
A breather. A breather with George Bush's everyone-still-like-me-even-though-the-US-economy-is-flailing $600 in my pocket. I'm doing my part and spending. So I've been buying music and reading.
With a little money and the internet it's amazing the music you can lay your hands on. Once, a long time ago, I was home at my parent's during the day. I turned on daytime t.v., and on Regis and Cathy Lee of all things I saw Yoyo Ma playing a piece from an album he put out called (I think) 'Spirit of the Tango'. It, I later learned, was a tribute to the Argentinian Astor Piazolla. I like some of Astor Piazolla's work. A lot.
Tooling around Itunes the other night I searched Astor Piazolla. I stumbled into something called the 'Gotan Project', which is apparently some French DJs mixing tango tracks together. Not impressed, but it in turn led me to purchase a very passable album by a Marseille based electronic group called Alif Tree. Maybe 10,000 different people have looped various jazz beats in different formations. Most of it sucks - you should just listen to the original musicians. Somehow these guys have managed to make it tasteful, however. Basslines, piano lines, Nina Simone loops. Dunno, somehow they made it work.
Somehow I found my way from Alif Tree an album called 'Donuts'. 'Donuts' is 31 tracks from a major US hip hop producer and DJ, J Dilla. Like Pete Rock, he was so pervasive in the background of rap albums from the late 80s through the present that he is probably foundational to the development of rap music. Apparently he drove himself a little too hard, because he died of a rare blood disease at age 32. Most of 'Donuts' was made while Dee was slowly dying, undergoing dialysis in the hospital with a stack full of records. It's a fucking masterpiece of urban US music, and a moving one at that. Clearly he wanted it to be his legacy. May not be easy for those who don't like rap to access, however.
Following J Dilla, I stumbled into work by another legendary hip hop producer, Madlib. Madlib's work is fascinating, but voluminous and therefore variable. Like some other American underground hip hoppers (say like Beans), he has inclined himself now more towards avante-garde jazz, so some of his music is less palatable.
Then, and don't ask me how, because I have no fucking idea, I stumbled into a musician on the ECM label, and started searching ECM albums. I know ECM previously. It is apparently the brainchild of a guy named Manfred Eicher, a German. I would probably kiss him if I met him. Two albums I really, really like are on his label. One by Charles Lloyd, 'Jumping the Creek', and one by Anouar Brahem, 'Le Pas Du Chat Noir', are both products of his label. I recommend them both to anyone willing to kick out some moolah. Worth it.
Somehow I then stumbled into Arvo Part, also on ECM. Sheesh. Listening to the compositions of Mr. Part reminds me of the first time I listened to Booker Little's 'Out Front'. I don't even have words to describe it. Like Booker, or maybe for me Bill Evans, Part somehow captures the continual dialogue between joy and pain in lived life. I can think of maybe ten musicians who are capable of doing this for me - apparently it is now eleven. If you're interested, look up his Fratres. One of them was used recently in the gorgeous starkness of the film There Will Be Blood.
Also bought an album by Cuban jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalaca. Haven't even had a chance to listen to it yet!
Anyways. Sorry for all the name dropping, but you were warned about dork-ness coming down the pipeline. I'm looking forward to doing some reading this week, lots hopefully, and my little sister is coming in the following weekend. I'm excited.
With a little money and the internet it's amazing the music you can lay your hands on. Once, a long time ago, I was home at my parent's during the day. I turned on daytime t.v., and on Regis and Cathy Lee of all things I saw Yoyo Ma playing a piece from an album he put out called (I think) 'Spirit of the Tango'. It, I later learned, was a tribute to the Argentinian Astor Piazolla. I like some of Astor Piazolla's work. A lot.
Tooling around Itunes the other night I searched Astor Piazolla. I stumbled into something called the 'Gotan Project', which is apparently some French DJs mixing tango tracks together. Not impressed, but it in turn led me to purchase a very passable album by a Marseille based electronic group called Alif Tree. Maybe 10,000 different people have looped various jazz beats in different formations. Most of it sucks - you should just listen to the original musicians. Somehow these guys have managed to make it tasteful, however. Basslines, piano lines, Nina Simone loops. Dunno, somehow they made it work.
Somehow I found my way from Alif Tree an album called 'Donuts'. 'Donuts' is 31 tracks from a major US hip hop producer and DJ, J Dilla. Like Pete Rock, he was so pervasive in the background of rap albums from the late 80s through the present that he is probably foundational to the development of rap music. Apparently he drove himself a little too hard, because he died of a rare blood disease at age 32. Most of 'Donuts' was made while Dee was slowly dying, undergoing dialysis in the hospital with a stack full of records. It's a fucking masterpiece of urban US music, and a moving one at that. Clearly he wanted it to be his legacy. May not be easy for those who don't like rap to access, however.
Following J Dilla, I stumbled into work by another legendary hip hop producer, Madlib. Madlib's work is fascinating, but voluminous and therefore variable. Like some other American underground hip hoppers (say like Beans), he has inclined himself now more towards avante-garde jazz, so some of his music is less palatable.
Then, and don't ask me how, because I have no fucking idea, I stumbled into a musician on the ECM label, and started searching ECM albums. I know ECM previously. It is apparently the brainchild of a guy named Manfred Eicher, a German. I would probably kiss him if I met him. Two albums I really, really like are on his label. One by Charles Lloyd, 'Jumping the Creek', and one by Anouar Brahem, 'Le Pas Du Chat Noir', are both products of his label. I recommend them both to anyone willing to kick out some moolah. Worth it.
Somehow I then stumbled into Arvo Part, also on ECM. Sheesh. Listening to the compositions of Mr. Part reminds me of the first time I listened to Booker Little's 'Out Front'. I don't even have words to describe it. Like Booker, or maybe for me Bill Evans, Part somehow captures the continual dialogue between joy and pain in lived life. I can think of maybe ten musicians who are capable of doing this for me - apparently it is now eleven. If you're interested, look up his Fratres. One of them was used recently in the gorgeous starkness of the film There Will Be Blood.
Also bought an album by Cuban jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalaca. Haven't even had a chance to listen to it yet!
Anyways. Sorry for all the name dropping, but you were warned about dork-ness coming down the pipeline. I'm looking forward to doing some reading this week, lots hopefully, and my little sister is coming in the following weekend. I'm excited.