State Of Nature

From Jazz artist applies music to heal the body and mind by Angela Haupt:

Jazzman Stanley Jordan's intuition that music could be a healing force traces back to his teen years. He says he was sick with the flu and spent an entire day surrounded by song — and recovered nearly instantly.

Now, Jordan, 49, is taking his music talents beyond entertainment and into the realm of healing, inspiration and self-esteem.

"In five to 10 years, music therapy is going to be a household term," he said during a recent telephone interview from the Sheraton Moriah Tel Aviv Hotel, where he was staying during an Israeli concert tour. "I say that because it's so holistic and versatile. It addresses every part of the body in some way or another."

In April, Jordan released State of Nature, a 14-track album that illustrates the relationship between humans and nature.

He said he had spent time vacationing and connecting with the Earth, which led him to two questions: How can we knowingly destroy the environment and not change our behavior? And what changes can we make to become more in harmony with the environment?

"I used music to answer those questions and express the insight I found," Jordan said. "It's an applied philosophy. And I hope that when people listen to these songs, they'll decide to become more active."

Read the rest here.

Who Needs It?

From NOTES FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR | ELIZABETH STOYANOVICH: Who Needs Classical Music? We All Do!

Like many households, the members of my family have a book going, and it can usually be found near our nightstands.

My oldest daughter is reading Stephanie Meyer's "Host," while the younger one is well into Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind." I just finished "All the Pretty little Horses" by McCarthy, but was halfway through "Atonement," to which I'll return.

My husband recently read an interesting book a friend suggested called "Who needs Classical Music?" by Julian Johnson. I thought the title was very intriguing and wanted to muse about it in this first column of the season.

When you stop to think about it, you make hundreds of decisions based on your judgment every day. What time shall I rise? What shall I wear? What shall I eat? When to take the kids to school? Your day is filled with choices.

What would make you choose to listen to classical music? And just for clarity, I'll refer to classical music as all "European art music," not just music from the Classical era (when Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven lived).

By the way, this is a huge topic unto itself and one I should look into with you on another occasion ...

There are the diehard supporters of classical music who claim it is futile to even discuss the "need" for classical music — it exists, was written by geniuses, and if you have enough culture you'll be attracted to it. Period.

Read the rest here.

Rage Against The Machine

From Rage Against The Machine Attract Thousands At Anti-War Concert by Jason Gregory:

Rage Against The Machine attracted a crowd of almost 9000 people as they headlined an anti-war concert in Denver yesterday (August 27th).

The concert at the Coliseum, held to recognise Iraq Veterans Against the War, also featured a performance from State Radio.

At the conclusion of the concert, protesters marched on the Pepsi Centre, which is currently the site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Read the rest here.

Visit Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Visit Rage Against The Machine.

I Hope That Pandora Doesn't Fold

Pandora.com is my favorite spot on the web for music. I hope that they are able to continue.

From Radio webcaster Pandora may have to pull the plug by Peter Whoriskey:

Pandora is one of the nation's most popular Web radio services, with about 1 million listeners daily. Its Music Genome Project allows customers to create stations tailored to their own tastes. It is one of the 10 most popular applications for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and attracts 40,000 new customers a day.

Yet the burgeoning company may be on the verge of collapse, according to its founder, and so may others like it.

"We're approaching a pull-the-plug kind of decision," said Tim Westergren, who founded Oakland-based Pandora. "This is like a last stand for webcasting."

The transformation of words, songs and movies to digital media has provoked a number of high-stakes fights between the owners of copyrighted works and the companies that can now easily distribute those works via the Internet.

The doomsday rhetoric these days around the fledgling medium of Web radio springs from just such tensions.

Read the rest here.

Greg Osby

From Greg Osby Releases First Album On His New Label:

Greg Osby released 9 Levels (Inner Circle Music) on August 2, his first album in three years. Osby's ensemble features vocalist Sara Serpa, guitarist Nir Felder, pianist Adam Birnbaum, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Hamir Atwal. The album title refers to "The 9 Levels of Humanity," a principle of Zen Buddhism.

Read the rest here.

Here is Greg Osby at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival in 1995:

Jerry Wexler

From Jerry Wexler: The Man Who Invented Rhythm & Blues by Ashley Kahn:

Jerry Wexler, the legendary record man, music producer and ageless hipster, died at 3:45 a.m. today at the age of 91. Wexler was one of the great music business pioneers of the 20th century: as co-head of Atlantic Records from 1953 to '75, he and his partner Ahmet Ertegun grew the small independent R&B label into the major record company that it is today.

Wexler was much more than a top executive — he was a national tastemaker and a prophet of roots and rhythm. The impact of his deeds matched his larger-than-life personality. Because of him, we use the term "rhythm and blues" and we hail Ray Charles as "Genius" and Aretha Franklin as "Queen." We came to know of a record label called Stax and a small town called Muscle Shoals, Alabama. We witnessed the rise of Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers, and we care about a thing called soul.

Read the rest here.

Respect by Aretha Franklin:

Isaac Hayes

From Isaac Hayes: From Shaft to Chef by Richard Corliss:

Isaac Hayes packed a lot of excitement and achievement into his 65-year life, which ended Sunday an hour after his wife Adjowa found him unconscious and collapsed near a treadmill in his Memphis, Tenn., home. He had written hit songs, made platinum records, starred in movies, been elected to two music Halls of Fame and provided the voice of Chef on South Park, which gave him a memorable if premature send-off in 2006. But the biggest triumph for this self-described Black Moses had to be on April 10, 1972, when his Theme from Shaft won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Read the rest here.

LeRoi Moore

From Dave Matthews Band saxophonist dies at 46:

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday from complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident, the band's publicist said.

Moore, 46, died "unexpectedly" at a hospital, publicist Ambrosia Healy said in a statement.

Moore was taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and had been rehabilitating at his L.A. home after the June 30 accident at his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Norman Granz

From Norman Granz: Jazz Genius Behind The Scenes:

The creation of great art does not rely solely on the creativity of great artists. Behind countless masterpieces are promoters, critics and consumers who make artistic expression possible. Although he can't sing a note and never played an instrument, Norman Granz is one of those non-artists who made jazz possible in the 20th century. As a concert promoter and record producer, Granz has no equal in the history of popular music.

The son of Russian immigrants, Granz grew up in California during the Great Depression. He discovered jazz music early in life, befriending Nat "King" Cole, Lester Young and Billie Holiday. On the eve of America's entry into WWII, Granz began producing nightclub shows around Los Angeles. As disc jockey Les Davis notes, Granz not only brought musicians together for relaxed jam sessions, but also got black and white patrons together by insisting that club owners suspend their segregation policies.

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The Story Of Mudcrutch

Before the Heartbreakers there was Mudcrutch:


For more information visit mudcrutchmusic.com.

Henry Butler And New Orleans

From Crime a blues refrain for New Orleans:

Jazz musician Henry Butler calls himself an ambassador of New Orleans music. He loves the city where he was born and lived for decades. But like tens of thousands of others displaced by Hurricane Katrina, he has yet to return to live.

These days, he stays in hotels or with friends when he visits the Big Easy. It pains him, but that's the reality for many of those exiled by Katrina.

"I love New Orleans. I love the music. I love the food. I love the people here. And we would all love to see New Orleans function better," Butler says. "[But] do I relocate and reinvest, or do I reconsider?"

His reasons for not returning are many. His home in the Gentilly neighborhood was wiped out and has yet to be rebuilt. But he says the city's spiraling crime rate plays a major factor in his decision on whether to return.

"You got to understand: I'm a blind person who if I was in the wrong area and somebody wanted to get me, it would be pretty easy for them to do it," he says.

Read the rest here.

For more on Henry Butler:

www.HenryButler.com

Chris Smither- One More Night

Excerpts from Chris Smither's concert DVD:


For more information on Chris Smither:

www.smither.com

www.signaturesounds.com

David Gray - Gutters Full Of Rain

Bye Bye Bo

One of the founding fathers is gone.

From Guitarist Bo Diddley dead at 79:

Bo Diddley, the musical pioneer whose songs, such as "Who Do You Love?" and "Bo Diddley," melded rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll through a distinctive thumping beat, has died. He was 79.

Diddley died Monday, surrounded by family and loved ones at his home in Archer, Florida, a family spokeswoman said.

The cause was heart failure, his family said.

Read the rest here.

Lightnin' Hopkins - Mojo Hand

Lightnin' Hopkins "Mojo Hand" 1962:

What a great voice. The incomparable Lightnin’ Hopkins.

The Allman Brothers Band At The Fillmore

The Allman Brothers Band At The Fillmore with Duane Allman:


Bill Graham introduces Don't Keep Me Wonderin' written by Gregg Allman. I assume this is from 1970 or 1971 but I don't know for sure. I also assume that Thom Doucette is the harmonica player. Gregg Allman, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and J Johnny Johnson. One of the greatest bands of all time.