My drum progress, Recordings made with Soundcorset

Hello Musicians and Muzak Fans,

So I started playing drums back in August, at the end of the summer. I've always wanted to play drums as a kid and often spent a lot of time in the classroom trying to play a beat with a pen in one hand and a pencil in the other. I bought a cheap plastic/wood Kibaga snare drum practice and got some black painted ziljin thin sticks and got to practicing. My coworker told me how to play a basic rudiment and I got started from there. 

Now it's November so I've been playing and practicing for three months. I've been recorded various drum solos at guitar center on their three thousand dollar Ludwig kit all this time as well as playing at home with a snare drum and cymbal that I got from this rock and roll guy who wanted me to be his drummer. These are all recorded with an Android free app called Soundcorset, it's very cheap, as in free. 

But I digress, here are the recordings, enjoy. Arranged in order from earliest to most recent. Thank you in advance for showing interest and curiosity.  

https://soundcorset.com/r/A0kVQeM6Gh?fbclid=IwAR2p6rVdRFoG-785xgc_gvHWDqm5Ix9bu28hv4tYiFxhvO8pirq8zZ_ZPs4 [Drum Solo No.4]

https://soundcorset.com/r/AvXQoK6pCp?fbclid=IwAR2lODFdEWXAxyTQzrLYRuPp46wUVdZLdIChL2fnSSXb3IpIDlnviEsIb9E [Drum Solo No.5]

https://soundcorset.com/r/hd1hMqvf3e?fbclid=IwAR1LJIvJ_5OdxQ-DZE2_0I3dte7bjqDwV58sRhyF4H-1B6aABk9N82toC58 [Lied vor der Arbeit, Jason Tomas alto saxophone, Orlando Drums snare/cymbal]

https://soundcorset.com/r/YY1EV9Ca9v?fbclid=IwAR3EGlq8YUy8RS5CD-uQ5y_pN_8dHPB8ZVlJE-RnYuCw59hvBg8SFrA5oic [Heavy Blues, Jason Tomas alto saxophone, Orlando Drums snare/cymbal]

https://soundcorset.com/r/9h-WEVEeqY?fbclid=IwAR16sa_MTa_bTMNB1QB4OHp_xNf_IdH4gM1G9pJ2HSx5p2I4JP-ewoQC4_g [Speculation Band, Orlando Drums, Mike guitar/vocals]

https://soundcorset.com/r/xYrrAAMYzj?fbclid=IwAR3VQLFUG1s4TYwTQ5F2hpqfEYRDNtKZEF61AEzN1iXa7p9SZ-_CBRUhvUY [Johnny B Goode, Orlando drums, Mike guitar/vocals]

https://soundcorset.com/r/7G3QFABqpH?fbclid=IwAR2D_p8xWSDmkZ3GFn-mFQxoUbHMHeFu8nEACLfpBMtM78CnmSyvHC-H-T8 [Drum Solo No.6]

https://soundcorset.com/r/YD6jYoTvHY?fbclid=IwAR133ioMCOqmhwupUJ2dx_7nmIqRgqhxr-9hMpjI-nvX_HUb4Q4Pl6HGFYo [Drum Solo No.7]

https://soundcorset.com/r/wv-fdYamiA?fbclid=IwAR3xxxCtf60UwdXrL4KkPAR23ndtGvGFZfVCFe40_LvCTJ7k4Ae7v4tpefM [Drum Solo No.8]

https://soundcorset.com/r/SPu6MIMlIP?fbclid=IwAR0TvY_2mnwx8FPefmPBfYLVpvFSfIZ-tVQAcoqAdO5hKfVnOA95TCejBWI [Drum Solo No.9]

https://soundcorset.com/r/1c5NoDpC3s?fbclid=IwAR1gVYHefRTtI5BegNW1x_MZ0I9_KkTRdlF2HZCOhmB3yy4xQy_zwE0fWCA   [Drum Solo No.10]

https://soundcorset.com/r/J8UoWUwkXo?fbclid=IwAR0oW-ABFdVeeKtcq-0XFwY36MhMBUNK8QVxsLDtGniU1jqh4rWFokqyZZY [Drum Solo No.11]

https://soundcorset.com/r/4jPHRMv-BY?fbclid=IwAR3AnGuyh8OTxxVggJisiYTMzu2qXiKPUgN8oD6_5orL0LToBNm8pDw6q6M [Drum Solo No.12]

https://soundcorset.com/r/CFSBQa8QrM?fbclid=IwAR25qpVKJqY6zDvl8EBg_lLmXlmMVidjmOZcBKnpUxo1eA5XcQGuL67fNT4 [Drum Solo No.13]

https://soundcorset.com/r/C377XapOKq?fbclid=IwAR3QP0ZJHA6l4ktscExanaAMKvBGTvHv9A0TUataYSduK3MAdnA0YlR1pBs [Drum Solo No.14]

https://soundcorset.com/r/-8jaSCZnW3?fbclid=IwAR3-Qp56bHGzIByZ82ZzJZ8NU7oT9PWkueNxOiVPpz_SF9uv2vpAozp_oJI [Drum Solo No.15]

https://soundcorset.com/r/QPlLp2yXoB?fbclid=IwAR06W3w9tnhjM_5GURYYOBshDVLzlHPygq-SibqRAJ2qCLRoMazGnsmu5rM [Drum Solo No.16]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeIJ94gG3js [Live Jazz jam session 12/15/22]

https://soundcorset.com/

image ai generated with stable diffusion 

My Name is Albert Ayler

My Name is Albert Ayler is a fantastic record, sounds of the new thing (I first heard that term from Amiri Baraka's book Black Music), as it appeared early in 1963. This is saxophonist Ayler's debut record, recorded in Copenhagen and first released on the Dutch Debut label. 

Personnel

• Albert Ayler - tenor saxophone (tracks 3-6), soprano saxophone (track 2), voice (track 1)
• Niels Brosted - piano (tracks 2-5)
• Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen - bass (tracks 2-6)
• Ronnie Gardiner - drums (tracks 2-6

The album has only three stars on Allmusic but what does Allmusic know? The fact of the matter is that although the band of Europeans (the two Niels) and the one American (Ronnie) is quite the typical straight ahead band, what Ayler does over the usual jazz construct, is create his own sound, playing himself, and creating a wondrous lyrical blues, a shout, a cry, a whisper if you will. This seems to be a response to Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, similar to Archie Shepp and Pharaoh Sanders, other great sax players of that revolutionary musical era. Its great that he went to Europe to play free jazz because his fame wouldn't have gone as far if he stayed in America.

What makes the record especially engaging for me is that well, I love jazz standards. I've heard most of the standards way more than a few times so when he plays all these tunes there's a certain legendary aura to them. I know all the melodies, all the chord changes, and when he plays what is unexpected I get quite a kick out of it, he's playing the standards we all (jazz fans) know but ultimately doing something different with them. That's the genius of this record. 

The Tunes
Bye Bye Blackbird
Billie's Bounce
Summertime 
On Green Dolphin Street 
C.T. (Ayler composition) 

On quite a few of these tunes a typical jazz fan who knows all these standards might say, "Well, this is a good band but the saxophonist isn't really playing the melody." In fact, what Ayler does on a lot of these tunes is use the basic harmonic framework (chords) for the tunes for improvisation of his own melodies, playing himself. His harmonies speak for themselves, sometimes shrill, a cry, this is what Baraka means when he says that free jazz is only spectacular when it stays close to its blues roots and doesn't get all intellectual. Of course I disagree because a lot of my free jazz heroes (The Art Ensemble of Chicago and other AACM musicians) are quite intellectual, even to the point of studying modern classical composers, serialism, etc. 

In a way you can only see the genius of this record is you're a free jazz acolyte. My favorite tune here is Billie's Bounce, a Charlie Parker tour de force. Even I know the head (main theme) to this tune on guitar. Here Ayler gets more straight ahead, and you can see the John Coltrane influence in his sheets of sound, long winded riffs played very fast. Its quite stunning.

As much as I like Bille's Bounce here the number one tune here would have to be Summertime, the Gershwin classic. The opening is such a blues, a wail.  I can assure you you've never heard Summertime like this before. Its a haunting, shrill cry of a saxophone sound. It sticks with you once you hear it. This is the blues. 

Another tune I dug very much was On Green Dolphin Street. I've heard this tune a million times and it always delivers with its driving melody. Here Ayler goes to Mars, almost like Coltrane's latest period stuff, he mixes 50s, early 60s style bebop phrasing with the new thing. Its my cup of tea. This particular tracks reminds me of Eric Dolphy a lot. Some of Ayler's phrasing doesn't even sound human, it sounds like an animal, like a bird, with the rhythms of frogs jumping in and out of pond.  

The Ayler original is pure free jazz at its best. No melody, no theme, mostly just call and response from the musicians. Given that this was his first original tune on a record, I would say its quite a great introduction to his music. This is where some people would scratch their heads and say,"What?"  In a way you either get it or you don't. For most jazz fans there is a fine line between straight ahead jazz and free jazz. In 1963 that line was very much quite apparent.

The rhythm section on the record is quite good. They play in a typical 1963 jazz fashion. It wasn't until later when Ayler teamed up with American musicians like Sonny Murray, Milford Graves, and Gary Peacock, that he started to develop more of the free jazz thing with a rhythm section that was more hip to his personal sound. But what can I say? These Europeans did a great job playing with an innovator. The drummer keeps time throughout the album. 

I recommend this album to anyone interested in the so-called new thing or free jazz. Or if you like Albert Ayler and never heard this particular record. Its on YouTube, and its quite good.

Jazz Improv

This is short jazz solo I recorded at my producer friend's house. It got us warmed up to recording that day. I try to play bebop with a lot of modernism and some outside free jazz sort of stylings. 

https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/jazz-improv-1

Out Front

Out Front is a jazz record from March 1961 by Booker Little and his quartet featuring Max Roach (drums). Also on the album are Eric Dolphy (alto sax, bass clarinet, flute) Art Davis (bass), Ron Carter (bass), Don Friedman (piano), and Julian Preister (trombone). I wanted to write about this album because its a terrific record, very polished for 1961. I was curious to hear it because it featured Eric Dolphy (everyone knows the live Dolphy record with Booker Little at the Five Spot) and Max Roach on the same album, something I had not heard before. And it was totally worth it.

Booker Little was only 23 and died later that year in 1961. These seven tunes are worthy enough to be replayed and preserved by a modern jazz group, that's how good it is. Eric Dolphy's playing isn't as free as it usually is here. In fact, most of what you hear here sounds like arrangements complete with piano, bass, trumpet, trombone, alto sax, flute, bass clarinet, and drums. Its quite a full sound. Not quite big band but not quite quartet either. It reminds me of something Mingus would record although not as technical. In fact, I would say that although this music is challenging for the soloists, the music is much more emotive than technical. There's humanity to this jazz, quite a lot of it. This element is sorely missing in today's modern straight ahead and sometimes free-jazz scenes. Its blues even though there's complicated arrangements.

The music has room to breathe. There's a sense of blues to all the pieces although a lot of the heads sound like bebop riffs from the 50's. I want to say it sounds orchestral as well. They are definitely playing to well organized charts and doing a spectacular job laying down the groove and getting the right tones. 

With song titles like We Speak, Strength and Sanity, Quiet Please, Moods in Free Time, Man of Words, Hazy Hues, and A New Day you would think this is either a free jazz album or some kind of progressive jazz record. It is quite a progressive jazz album but not free jazz. However, it was definitely new and innovative in 1961, that's for sure.

The solos here are spectacular. Dolphy's style is recognizable as always. Instead of going too far outside the changes, instead here he plays to the song's tonality, meaning he doesn't go off into the realms of the netherworld like on some of his own records. There's a feeling of respectability to the composer and he stuck to the song. The solos aren't long but are rewarding. This is about tunes, not so much about blowing, like the 50's bebop records. Although there is definitely a bebop influence here in the playing, especially the drums, I would say that Booker Little is also trying to find his own sound, style, vernacular if you will. I would say he achieves this with his sounds.

I found this CD on the library servers and ordered it. It was so good I downloaded it onto my computer. Its a shame Booker Little died so young, he would've gone on to have a great career in jazz. In a lot of ways I see how this sort of music inspired the modern jazz crowd of today. In fact, a lot of modern straight ahead jazz today sounds much like this music. There's detailed, written out arrangements, soloists, and they try to put as much humanity into the music as possible, no matter how technical the music is.

Its damn good!

Untitled Guitar Improvisation #1

Hey, whats up everybody? Me again, back with some more music. This time I have an improvised guitar solo I recorded at my friend Ash's studio. Its pretty basic, its just a solo guitar track (except for the drums in the beginning). There's a ton of reverb, chorus (mostly chorus), and delay on the guitar. I wanted to post this because I was going to start an improvisational set of music where I just improvise guitar solos and post them for fun. 

I'm looking for feedback from people but also just to listen back to myself and see what direction and sounds I was trying to achieve at the time. 

Here I was going for a few different kinds of things.  

For starters there's quite a few freak out free jazz moments. I'm trying to learn how to play a more free jazz style on guitar, like Derek Bailey or my modern free jazz guitar hero Mary Halvorson. I don't think I sound like them at all but it does sound different and interesting enough for me to keep exploring. 

Then there's the traditional post-bop licks (I reference Girl from Ipanema and Hendrix), shred licks, and there's that modern sense of harmony I've been working on. I notice the music sounds good when I blend the modern sense of harmony with the free jazz atonal sort of stuff. 

I think this is the direction I'm going to go in with my more improvisational music. 

However, I'm still a post-bop fan and player. Still exploring. 

Like I said I'm going to compile tons of solos and post them on Soundcloud for fun. 

Listen to the solo here  

https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/untitled-guitar-improvisation-1

Enjoy!

Early December Muzak

I listened to some good music today and I'd like to share my thoughts. 

I ordered two albums from the library and both of them came in today, wonderful. The first listen was John Zorn's Naked City band album also entitled Naked City, released in 1990 on Nonesuch Records.

<sup>The music on Naked City is all over the place but it has its moments. The opening track for instance is quite alluring because it reminds me of some sort of Batman theme, that might've even been the song. Another stand out moment was the James Bond theme, that was memorable and signifies a certain point towards the end of the album. There's tons of free jazz moments, grindcore death metal thrashing, punk rock screaming and shouting, lounge jazz, rock and roll, and more. It does all of these styles in an eclectic way. I can see why this is one of John Zorn's best albums. Its all over the place but it still sounds nice in a "I can put this on for anybody sort of way." However, its not for everybody. Grindcore purists will scoff at this sort of thing and jazz fans won't exactly find the punk parts to speak for them. For someone like myself in the middle I can simply say, "This is ok." I see its relevance in today's musical climate and I think that would be saying a lot of the album and John Zorn's work in general. After all, I have been listening to a lot of his music-enough to make critical assessment of his career.

The other album is also associated with John Zorn. It's a Pat Metheny album called Tap: Book of Angels Volume 20. It's an album where Metheny plays compositions written by John Zorn from his Masada Book 2. It was released on Tzadik Records and Nonesuch Records in 2013. This album I would also say was just okay. However, it had its moments. There was a great moment where Pat plays a melody with the guitar synthesizer and he gets this really cool trumpet/flugel horn sound. *Edit: He actually played real flugelhorn!* That knocked me out. Most of the sonic atmosphere Metheny gets using guitar effects don't really go anywhere interesting but his acoustic guitar playing Zorn's melodies really give the music a Medieval feel. There's a lot of creativity coming out of Pat's arrangements of Zorn's music but at the end of the day there's a sense that John Zorn and Pat Metheny don't really mix. Most of the album combats this idea until you hear the acoustic bits and see the beauty in the melody lines. 

Pat plays so many instruments on this album! Here's a list of personnel.</sup> 

Personnel

• Pat Metheny – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bandoneon, sitar guitar, baritone guitar, orchestra bells, orchestrionic marimba, keyboards, piano, bass guitar, tiples, percussion, electronics, flugelhorn
• Antonio Sánchez – drums
• Willow Metheny – vocals

<sup>Finally we have the last piece of music and probably the most interesting of the bunch. I listened to Stockhausen's Kontakte (Contracts), an electronic piece of music mixing electronics with instrumental music. What can I say about this piece? I don't know enough about it to be too technical with my analysis but here we go.

The other day at dinner I mentioned to my dad's composer friend that I admired Stockhausen and his music. I asked him what he thought of Stockhausen's work and he said "it lacks soul". What I can tell you about this piece is that it has plenty of soul. There's life and beauty to this music. There's melody from the piano and the electronics, and silence is used in an almost rhythmic sensibility. So far this is my favorite Stockhausen I've heard, the first and only other one being Gesang der Jünglinge. 

The point of this post? Yes, sometimes its easy to get distracted by popular musings. But don't forget about the true masters of the avant-garde like Stockhausen (pictured above).</sup>
 

Jack Dejohnette featuring Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison-In Movement

The album starts out with some brush flourishes by the main man on drums Jack Dejohnette. Then Ravi's sax comes in with the haunting melody that is Alabama, an original composition by his father, John Coltrane. Garrison's playing here seems to drone and hit all the important chord tones while Ravi stretches the limitations of the melody while Jack holds it down rhythmically. This isn't the way John Coltrane did it. But it is still fantastic, albeit in a much different way. This is the current state of free jazz. Wild, free, and in Ravi's case melodically entertaining and focused. He isn't stretching out here as much as his dad would but he's still going "out there" like the album by Eric Dolphy with the same name. The song still retains the strength and meaning that Trane gave it. Fantastic cover.

Another thing to note is that Garrison isn't playing bass in a standard style whatsoever. He's playing electric bass and droning lots of notes rather than playing walking bass lines in the traditional jazz style. It gives the music a stronger bass sound and sometimes even a fusion edge.

The next tune is an original composition by all three guys entitled In Movement. It starts off with some abstract chords that sound like a question to me. Then these layers of sound come in, starting with some synthesizers (played by Jack). Once Ravi's somber sax comes through you remember you're listening to a free jazz record. The synths and the bass here give the music an ethereal feel. This is the ECM sound for sure. Once we hear more of Garrison's bass lines you can hear that he's playing the bass like a guitar, focusing on chord tones and two-three note clusters played simultaneously. It's refreshing hearing the bass played in this way rather than the usual walking bass line patterns found in traditional as well as free jazz. On this tune they really stretch out and show off their improvising credentials. Ravi can freak out for a bit but he always brings it back melodically. Its a way different approach from his dad. They created a nice piece here.

Next, we have another original composition called Two Jimmy's. This one has a dark minor sound with some extreme low end bass and spacing between the rhythmic dynamics of the bass and drums. Synthesizer appears again, creating droning notes to add to the sonic landscape. This song is way free jazz. Their isn't a clear or concise melody going on, just "sheets of sound". They take the song through various phases but Jack's drumming is the constant, the melody if you will. Its what's driving the music and holding it together from going all over the place. At some point there's a funky synth sound thrown in there. Its funky but it sounds industrial at the same time. Computer jazz music I reckon.

Then there's Blue in Green, the jazz standard by Miles Davis and Bill Evans. But the way they are playing it here is way different. A much more free and personal approach to the song. For me its almost unrecognizable as the song originally played by Miles and Bill Evans. Other than the piano. Jack plays a much different style of piano; a drummer's approach to the piano. More rhythmic and volume dynamics than a typical jazz pianist. This is the ballad of the album. Here we can see where these guys came from. There's that beautiful straight ahead jazz sound and feeling here. These guys are a product of the straight ahead period but they've adapted and changed the way they play based on all the changes in the jazz tradition. Cool stuff.

Serpentine Fire starts off with a funky bassline and backbeat. Ravi's sax comes in like a whisper, laying down some lines in between moments of silence. He's playing a soprano sax here, reminiscent of his dad but he sounds way different. He uses the soprano more melodically than Trane did. He sounds a lot like Wayne Shorter to me here. This whole tune reminds me of some late period Shorter from some years ago. It's a nice funky little vamp.

Lydia is an original tune by Jack Dejohnette. Its most likely written for his wife Lydia. It starts off with a brief melody then follows things up with some beautiful chord changes, outlined by the bass (playing it almost like a guitar). If you listen carefully the song does have a head and proper melody and stuff. But it is hard to hear that for the average and/or non-musical listener. It's written very cleverly in a way that sounds like its all improvised. Perhaps it was.

Rashied is an original composition by Jack Dejohnette and Ravi Coltrane, presumably about Rashied Ali. Rashied Ali was a great drummer that John Coltrane worked with towards the end of career, the great free jazz period for Trane. The opening of this tune is as free form as this album gets. The licks from Ravi sound almost exactly like John Coltrane, note for note. The difference is in the tone of the saxophone. This is some true ECM free jazz style stuff. The hardcore free jazz for the purists. From Ravi Coltrane this style of playing is pretty rare so its exciting to hear him playing like his dad. Jack's drumming is phenomenal as well. The entire song sounds like a drum solo but its all in time flowing with the saxophone. Another thing to note is that this is a drums and sax only song, just like how Trane and Rashied Ali recorded just them two together for some stuff back in the day. They are honoring the jazz ancestors and they're doing it with love and extreme musicality.

Lastly, we have Soulful Ballad. This is another ballad. It's not a real jazz album unless there's a couple ballads to balance things out. Amiright folks? It opens with a light hearted melody and sax line. Piano chords and note clusters give the song rhythm rather than drums as there are no drums here. I can hear some interesting things going on in the music. It sounds like they are playing higher notes of the chords on piano, bass, and sax. When played together it sounds very soothing. A great way to end a great album.

All in all this was a great Christmas gift from my stepfather and one of the best free jazz albums I've heard in a long time. Check this album out, you can find the tunes in bits and pieces on YouTube.

European Free Jazz, New Music

I met a musician from Poland at work who I've been talking to on and off about jazz. He's given me a list of all these great European free jazz artists. After listening to a couple of them I'm very impressed. Europeans take jazz (and music in general, like metal) very seriously and it shows in their musical prowess and spirit. A lot of this stuff reminds me of late period John Coltrane, its insanely good. A lot of these cats come from classical backgrounds and it shows in their style and sound but they can also improvise too. I would say a lot of this stuff sounds like Jack Dejohnette, Art Ensemble, modern New York free jazz cats (William Parker), and AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, formed in Chicago in the 1960s) stuff. Seems like that style crossed the ocean and made its way to Europe somehow. Truly eye opening and terrific music. 

These are the guys he mentioned:

Anders Jormin
Jaga Jazzist
Leszek Mozdzer
Tomasz Stanko
Adam Pieronczyk
Esbjorn Svensson
Zbigniew Seifert
Jan Garbarek
Terje Rypdal
Krzysztof Komeda
Zbigniew Seifert 

Looks like I have an infinite amount of new music to listen to, learn from, and absorb for a long time. Lately, I've been digging a lot of metal but that can't satiate my instrumental musical needs and also sometimes you gotta give your ears a rest from all the power chords and coarse vocals. If you want to hear some truly great interesting jazz check out the artists listed above.

 Jazz is life, jazz is love. :D

That's Zbigniew Seifert on violin in the picture, very good jazz violinist that sounds way different from Jean Luc Ponty and the dude from Mahavishnu Orchestra, he also played sax

Music I've been listening to lately 11/10/16

Lately, I've been listening to a ton of music. A lot of metal, black metal. It all started when I got really into the band Ghost. I've heard all their songs a couple times over now and I'm a little tired of them but I still think they're a great band. I can't wait to see what kind of material they put out for their next album.

Since Ghost I've picked up the newest Opeth album, Sorceress. It's a really great progressive rock album with a very heavy feel. It's so heavy in a progressive way but it sounds metal in some aspects. Interesting how they do that without it sounding death metal like their old records.

I've been getting back into actual albums. Usually I'm a big live rock concert guy. I know rock bands aren't the best when it comes to live performances but I prefer to experience the music live as opposed to studio albums. I like to hear mistakes live. In the studio everything can be touched up with computers and nowadays music can sound very fake and processed. But sometimes you gotta listen to both studio and live performances to really understand the bands. And that's what I've been doing.

A great album I heard today was Judas Priest's Sad Wings of Tragedy. Freaking fantastic metal record. Probably in the top ten best metal records of all time. Recorded in 1976, it gives you a feel of the proto-metal sound and what was to come during the 80s. It's cool to think about all this stuff now and look back in time not only as a listener and fan but also as a seasoned musician with plenty of chops.

I've also been getting really into this band my co-worker told me about. They're also from Sweden, just like Ghost and Opeth. Have you noticed all my favorite metal bands are from Sweden? Something about Sweden is just dark, heavy, and slightly satanic. Probably the fact that they spend most of their winters in darkness.

Anyways, Tribulation is from Sweden too. They have a strong black metal vibe but I also get a very punk feeling from them as well. They have no guitar solos and no intricate or progressive parts (similar to Ghost in that aspect) but their music still intrigues me. They have this metal hooks that are so catchy that its almost like pop music, except in a black metal way. Almost like Ghost but totally not like Ghost at the same time. They're similar in the sense that they're both catchy bands with a black metal influence. The vocals are a little harsh but not like those extreme black metal bands. I can still understand what they're singing. I also like how one of their guitar players uses a semi-hollow body guitar. In a black metal band it sounds really heavy and distorted. Bad ass! Really good band.

Then there's all the classical music. I've been listening to a lot of Lizst, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Bach. That music connects to me in a different way than the rock stuff does. In some ways I can compare metal with classical music in the sense that they both convey a lot of emotions through sound. Classical music has given me a different form of musical entertainment than my usual jazz stuff does.

I can't remember the last time I listened to any new or interesting free jazz stuff. A friend from Poland (all these Europeans!) told me about all these great European free jazz musicians but I haven't gone through and listened yet, mostly due to a lack of time and the fact that I'm going through a big black metal phase. Most of the famous black metal bands I actually don't like because the vocals are too harsh, like they've smoked ten packs of cigarettes and recorded their vocals right after.

It's pretty inspiring stuff. I don't take the lyrics seriously and I don't think these bands believe in the lyrics they sing. It's just a gimmick like how Slayer's been singing about satan since the 80s. A lot of this stuff is European and I gotta say that they do a great job with music there. They take music very seriously. Even their pop music is great.

My dad's told me that a lot of Taylor Swift's most popular tunes are written by two European guys. They take metal, jazz, and classical music seriously. It would be cool to become a big musician and play there one day. Or even play with these bands I like.

One can dream right? 

That's a band picture of Tribulation, the guy with the stash seems to be the funniest

The Abyss looks back

      Just wanted to do a little mini essay. I'm not usually a ranting guy but I sure can write and talk a lot! First off, things have been great ever since I got back to normal life from the vacation. I miss my brother a bit but we've been keeping in touch via Facebook and emails. He's a cool guy and I can learn a thing or two from him about blogging. He's been doing his blog since 2010 and its only gotten better over the years.
    I read a New York Times piece called The Abyss Looks Back and I thought it would make for an interesting blog post title. However, I'm happy, healthy, and work has been going great! In fact, next week I have a ton of hours.
    Lately, I haven't been interested in gaming and this past Thursday I even decided to skip out on going to the Smash tournament, preferring activities like going to the record store and swimming with my friends. In addition, I've been keeping in touch with a lot of people that I know and I've come to see them as strange people. "people are strange," as Jim Morrison sang. But at the same time I'm not surprised. I could easily say things like ah its just white people, or California people, Black people, Hispanics, or just people in general. I think of myself as quite a nutty guy but I'm far from strange compared to other people that I've gotten to know personally and online. Some of these people I call my friends and others are just acquaintances, but I still care about them the way I would care about a friend. You don't truly know someone for quite a while until after you meet them.
     The more I get to know people the more I see where they're true intentions lie. Most of the time I'm just a passer-on with people but I have made quite a few good friends. I'm great with making friends, and generally people like me.
     I've been keeping up with a lot of free jazz and straight ahead stuff online. I've been listening to tunes that people post in the Free Jazz Facebook group that I'm in. We currently have over 13,000 members and from what I make of it most of them are Europeans. I'm probably like the youngest person in the group and I occasionally post tunes. It's a great feeling being apart of a Facebook group that is actually interesting and somewhat intellectual. Although all anyone really ever says about the music is "great!" or "terrific!" its still fun listening to what people are listening to. I love it when they post the good ole Black American free jazz music from the 60s. I'm also into newer stuff but again more so the Black Americans rather than the European bands. However, I can give them credit because they are just as great as the Black musicians musically.
     As Frank Zappa said,"music is the best". I've also been reading a lot of Stanley Crouch's essays and its given me a more scholarly stance on jazz where as my previous opinions were all based on my talent as a musician. It certainly puts it all in perspective. Crouch is a great man just for the fact that he's the most well known jazz critic today. He's as well known in the academic circle as Wynton Marsalis is in the jazz world. He's a giant. Although I don't agree with everything he says he gives me a lot to think about and doesn't give anything a free pass if he feels that somethings not right. He's become my favorite Black scholar.
     Lastly, I've been keeping  up with a lot of the new anime and I've finished quite a few as well. I finished Gate and Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans. I also finished this Cyborg 009 vs Devilman crossover mini series that was great! Anime just chills you out. You just sit there waiting to find out what happens next. I love the art work, the Japanese voice acting (I can't stand English in anime), the powers, magic, or future technology, and the fun story-lines. When I sit back and watch anime I feel like I'm a kid again, watching Dragon Ball Z on Toonami at 10 pm right before bed. Again, it certainly puts things in perspective. Sometimes you don't need the hot girl friend, the fancy car, or the best job in the world to truly live. As they say,"c'est la vie!"

Art Ensemble of Chicago Naked

     

    
     So lately I've been listening to a lot jazz and even reading a lot of reviews and essays by the jazz critic Stanley Crouch. While I don't agree completely with everything Crouch says I would say he's my favorite black intellectual and academic. What I admire the most about him is that he would lay down his life for jazz, he loves the art form that much. I've also been reading the Ywngie Malmsteen biography Relentless, which is a fun read but not as stimulating as Crouch's essays. Anyways, I wanted to write a bit about this new Art Ensemble of Chicago record I got today.
     I would say I know quite a bit about the Art Ensemble and that this album captures them at their peak; right before Lester Bowie and Joseph Jarman died, and before the original line-up disbanded. This album is called Naked and was recorded at Rawleston Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The album features Lester Bowie on trumpet, Joseph Jarman on flute, bass flute, sapranino, saprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, clarinet, and bass saxophones, Roscoe Mitchell on flute, clarinet, saprano, alto, tenor and bass saxophones, Malachi Favors on bass and electric bass, and Famoudou Don Moye on percussion and drums. These guys play every instrument it's absolutely amazing!
     The first track is an introduction percussion instrumental that leads to the next track, which is a very ear friendly, almost poppy kind of number. Usually the Art Ensemble is more theatrical, comical, and witty but in this album they go for more standard and typical arrangements. There's a bebop tune called We Bop that is so standard straight-ahead jazz that it could've came straight out of the Blue Note recording sessions of the 50's and 60's. The true artistic nature of the Art Ensemble's music doesn't come out till nearly the end of the album, where things take an avant-garde turn. No melodies or grooves per say, just sheets of sound but not in the Coltrane sense. More like drones, call and response, and sparse melodic attacks. They end off the album with a latin-jazz number that any jazz fan can approve of.
     I must say that this is the most commercial friendly Art Ensemble that I've ever heard. Part of me is astounded that they made an album like this that is so unlike their live shows and more catered to the plebeian understanding of jazz. By that I mean its just not them at their finest and that I think they somewhat were catering to specific kind of audience. I've seen tons of Art Ensemble footage on YouTube where they play miles ahead of the stuff they play on this album. In addition, I have Art Ensemble records both live and in the studio that are musically more stimulating than anything on this album.
     But, putting those thoughts aside, when I take this album at face value I can see that it sounds very pleasing both musically and aesthetically. The songs seem to just swing and the playing is at a high enough level to keep the tunes from becoming a dull cacophony. The album cost me 20 bucks and it came with Japanese liner notes as well as English ones. It has some sort of Buddhist poem written by Joseph Jarman. I can say that this was a great buy and I'm glad I found it at the record shop I frequent often. Its only the second time that I've seen an Art Ensemble recording at a record shop and you can bet that I was happy to find it. This would be a great introduction to the Art Ensemble for anyone who wants to get into their body of work without going full-on avant-garde. Definitely worth listening to for free jazz fans and straight ahead listeners who want to learn more about the avant-garde.

Straight Ahead Vs Free Jazz

     I was just thinking about this. Straight Ahead versus Free Jazz. In some ways I feel that every single jazz fan is a straight ahead lover because it all starts with the original straight ahead recordings. Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane (early period), Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon, Duke Ellington, the list could go on and on. All jazz fans listened to straight ahead, and most of them listened to that before they ever heard anything from the avante-garde, or free jazz scene. Free jazz came from straight ahead, particularly from John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. I feel like in order to appreciate free jazz and what it represents you have to understand and hear everything from the straight ahead guys, perhaps even go further back and listen to dixieland and big band stuff as well. I've always been more on the cutting edge of the free jazz scene when it comes to listening to jazz but recently I've been only listening to straight ahead stuff. It all comes back to that really. Free jazz takes a big commitment to listen to because the music isn't necessarily easy listening like listening to a rap, pop, or metal track (what other people my age listen to). Whenever I hear the screaming wail of an out of tune saxophone wrecking havoc at a free jazz concert (on youtube) I think about how that guy came up with that style and how it would've never happened without the greats that came before him. Jazz is all about the masters laying down the foundation for the apprentice. Nowadays, jazz is kind of bland and white bread because the masters are dead and/or dying and what has replaced them has been institutional learning from the University system. You can learn how to master your instrument at a school but you can't learn how to play jazz there. That's the way I see it. That's why today's jazz is so lame and boring. I still have faith in jazz though, mainly because of free jazz. Free jazz still has places to go and is relatively new in the development of American music. Its only been around since like the mid to late 60s. Anyways, where would we be without Coltrane going from straight ahead to free jazz. The whole musical universe of jazz switched back then and it was awesome. Free jazz is the heart and soul of current jazz in my opinion and I look forward to hearing new names and younger people come out of the scene. Lastly, if I had to say which is better I would say Free Jazz but only because its newer and more relevant in the current zeitgeist of jazz. 

Music I

     Lately I haven't been listening to too much cutting edge stuff. For the longest time I had only been listening to the most cutting edge free jazz out there. But now I've kind of reverted to the stereotypical straight ahead jazz kind of listener. I've been listening to a lot of Kenny Garrett for some reason. He's one of those sax players that I always fall back to whenever I just to listen to something and relax. He's a great player too but I've heard some of his work that is a lot more smooth jazz than I'd like him to be. I heard a few tracks of John Mcalughlin's new album and I was a bit disappointed. He was getting a lot of press in the guitar magazines because he's playing a lot of electric guitar now but those tracks sounded way too smooth jazz to me. Right now I'm just chilling listening to a Jimmy Heath pandora radio station. So it plays a lot of Sonny Rollins, Coltrane, Sonny Stitt, etc. All the main heavy hitters of straight ahead jazz. I feel like you have to really go out of your way to listen to more interesting jazz (free jazz) and sometimes you don't feel like listening to it because its much harder to listen to free jazz than straight ahead because of the lack of musical and rhythmic structure. But the last free jazz I was listening to was Tomeka Reid's Quartet with Mary Halvorson. It was really good stuff! Reid's cello playing is a breath of fresh air in the free jazz scene and she's an AACM musician from Chicago, pretty much my favorite jazz collective. I think very highly of AACM because of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. They pretty much changed how I see jazz music as whole. They showed me that anything is possible in jazz and that you can do everything, and do it well. A while back I wrote about a Steve Coleman record. It was good but it didn't catch my attention as hard as Henry Threadgill's work did. I'm in a free jazz group on facebook, check it out https://www.facebook.com/groups/342186855874771//. It's a great group and we have over 12,000 members. It's the biggest facebook group I've been in and I've learned a lot by listening to the music other people recommend. Although I have to say that the group is biased and mainly only post European free jazz musicians. I think there's still a lot of great free jazz musicians in Chicago and New York that haven't been discovered or been put on a big radar musically or socially among jazz musicians. The last CD I got was a rock album from a friend at work. It was a Dinosaur JR CD. It was a really good album but I just can't get back into listening to rock again after getting so deep into jazz. I'm just a straight up jazz connoisseur now and its great.