New Art Link! JD!

Go to the Art Links for a new addition. Well...it's the first, anyway. JD is a site linking you to art and music! This is among several of my favorites of JD's.

                                                      talking man, running woman
                                                      22"x30" - charcoal on paper

Stanley Clarke

I’m fortunate to be interviewing Stanley Clarke in the next week or so, and then I’ll be seeing him and speaking to him in person when he plays at Catalina’s in Los Angeles on October 15^th and 16^th. I’m sure there’ll be a post interview blog, but in the meantime…

 

In prep, I’ve been listening to whatever Stanley Clarke I own, and occasionally hitting YouTube for more. My first exposure to Clarke was through the album Live 1976-1977, which kicks off hard with the title track from his 1976 release, School Days, and then flows through 9 tracks – all but one live – before closing with Vulcan Princess, originally on his self-titled release from 1974. Live 1976 - 1977 – and others to be discussed later - should be on anyone’s shelf as a good representation of some spectacular jazz-rock fusion.

If that’s what you’re into.

If it is, you need his latest. Released in June, 2010, I’m upset that I didn’t get it until September (although his media contact did send me one as soon as I contacted her). Simply called The Stanley Clarke Band, this release has been compared to his first three albums, and rightfully so. It is a wonderful fusion, but not just jazz and rock. It’s more like a movie soundtrack – accompanying many events, but tied together in a cohesive form. The album is comprised of tunes written by members of the band – not just Clarke. And it feels like a true collective – not leaning toward one instrument or another. It opens with Soldier, written by pianist Ruslan Sirota, which puts his concerns over global conflict into a musical context. Before long (track four) you’re into pure, raw funk, with I Wanna Play For You Too. As with the opener, the rest of the album doesn’t seem to be a collection of individual songs, but - rather, 63 minutes of a sonic soundscape (to borrow from Echoes, and John Diliberto), flowing through several movements, taking you to and through many places – accompanied by a myriad of feelings.

One last note (to coin a phrase) on this album: So many jazz musicians insert humor or some sort of homage into their works. Sometimes this is simply in the title of a piece. On this album we have a song that is incredibly multi-layered not only in structure, but in title as well. Sorting out the title of the 8^th track, Larry Has Travelled 11 Miles and Waited a Lifetime for the Return of Vishnu’s Report, we get an homage to Larry Coryell’s 11^th House, Miles Davis, Tony William’s Lifetime, and the groups Return to Forever, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Weather Report. Whew!

Clarke says it’s going to be his last electric album he’s gonna do for a while. But with The Stanley Clarke Band, he’s adding to the legacy he’s already left.

Frank Zappa Day

September 19th has been named "Frank Zappa Day" in the town of his birth - Baltimore, Maryland. 

Here and Now, from WGBH in Boston, mentioned today that September 19th, 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of Zappa's testifying before the PMRC senate hearings. The PMRC was trying to promote a rating sytem for albums, after Tipper Gore brought Prince's Purple Rain for one of her children, and was shocked when she heard the song Darlin' Nicki. Gore, and the rest of the PMRC, then came up with the "filthy 15" - a list of some of the biggest moral offenders in music. What Here and Now did not mention is that beyond Zappa, John Denver and Dee Snyder also testified. Zappa, Snyder, and Denver all spoke quite well on the subject, and the complete transcript from the hearings is a wonderful read. The above drawing is one I did some time in the late '90's to early 2000's. It's taken from the cover photo on The REAL Frank Zappa Book. Another wonderful read!

Welcome!

This is a new site dedicated to art - and the arts. Many of the blogs here will be regarding interviews with musicians or other artists, along with my reactions to venues, performances, or perhaps simply some random art seen in some random place. The first several will be reposts of earlier blogs - tweaked with photos, audio and video links, and other fun. I hope to include copies of old radio shows that I've done - jazz, Celtic, and more. I also hope to be providing links to venues, artists, or other sites which I believe in...or perhaps they simply caught my eye. My work in public radio has allowed me to offer to those interested something which cannot be found elsewhere. As I'm currently at an all news and information NPR affiliate, I hope to continue this here.

Thanks for stopping by.