“There is good and bad in every area of expertise,” so says Ahmad Jamal, one of our American treasures. He is an extraordinary piano player whose recordings have been enjoyed the world over for over fifty years.
Born in 1930 as Frederick Russell Jones, he converted to Islam in the early fifties, changing his name. His choice of style is distinctive. When you listen to plenty of jazz, you begin to recognize various artists’ styles as you would the voices of singers. Jamal has a style that invokes a mood that is identifiable as him alone.
I have written before about the website “All About Jazz”. Recently, I have found they have long form podcasts available. These usually consist of clips of radio broadcast interviews with various artists. Chris Comer, a host on WAIF in Cincinnati, did such an interview last fall before Jamal visited the city for a concert.
When Comer asked him his thoughts on the current state of music, and specifically the hip-hop sound, Jamal replied, “There is good and bad in hip-hop. There is good and bad in rap. There is good and bad in opera. There is good and bad in every genre, and in so-called jazz. The European body of classical, there is good and bad. Some of it is very boring and some of it is very stimulating.”
The interview is worth listening to, not only to hear the thoughts and ideas of a man who is older in number of years, but very young of heart, but to hear his thoughts on life. Jamal is clear that “ranking” is poor for the soul. As a country, we spend too much time considering which song, movie, etc. is the best. We need to adopt an attitude that art is what it is. Some will enjoy it. Others will not.
I enjoyed Ahmad Jamal when I played his records on the radio. His music is universally today. If you have the time, check out the interview and search your local music store. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you for reading. We will talk about soon.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Detroit Jazz Stage
The following was written a few weeks ago and posted in "A Dimm View of Life", but I love Detroit JazzStage and wanted DJS to be the subject of the first post to this blog. I will be writing more about DJS as we go along.
By the way, DJS does have a new podcast available now. I have not listened to it yet, but it is at the top of my "to-do" list for this weekend. I recommend you put it at the top of yours as well.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Bears fans and Colts fans, and football fans in general, will be gathering in their favorite places all day long to prepare for the beating the Bears will provide to the Colts.
At least, that is what I expect will happen when the dust clears. Bears by ten.
Of course, I am not a great student of football. For me, football is a mild pastime. I prefer baseball or listening to jazz. For me, the Super Bowl winners of jazz are the people behind “Detroit JazzStage”.
The most recent holidays provided a couple nuggets of joy from Detroit. First, DJS has developed a new program concept they call “DJS Jazz Spotlight”. The initial outing brings attention to twenty-one year old Jesse Palter and her new song “Lovesick”.
“Lovesick” is a song she co-wrote and is included in her CD “Beginning to See the Light”. During the podcast, Palter freely talks about the song and CD and the inspiration behind her work. For someone so young, she has a mix of intelligence and youth that is very appealing.
The song “Lovesick” has crossover appeal. It is very much a jazz song, but I believe it would appeal to R&B and rock audiences as well. She attributes Stevie Wonder’s music as inspiration and it is truly felt in Mike Jellick’s keyboards. She may say, “I don’t need a remedy, just steal the thoughts of you from me,” but the feelings of joy and love she feels are clear. The scat she provides leaves me remembering Minnie Riperton, which contrary to some opinions, is not a bad thing.
The song may be “Lovesick”, but the feeling is a happy one. I hope we will hear more from this young talent. To hear the podcast, click the “Detroit JazzStage” link to the left. The program is shorter than a regular JazzStage offering, clocking at just under ten minutes. It is a perfect length for those of us with short commutes. Palter’s CD can be found at http://cdbaby.com/cd/palter.
The DJS crew then followed this up with a forty minute podcast featuring a live performance by the Paul Keller Ensemble. I have listened to this one more than any other DJS podcast they have produced to date. Keller’s song “NTK” is a big reason why. This is a joyful romp which is great morning listening to get your day started right.
Keller, a University of Michigan professor, removes crass commercialism and embraces what good jazz truly is. He understands the history of jazz and is not afraid to attempt to bring what he has learned to original compositions. Hopefully, one of Michigan’s best kept secrets is ready to be exposed.
“Detroit JazzStage” continues to live up to my previous statements that it is the most professional and enjoyable podcast being produced to date. If you haven’t taken the time yet, to coin a phrase: “What are you waiting for?” Click on the link provided and download the “Paul Keller Ensemble recorded at Live at the Max”, and “DJS Jazz Spotlight featuring vocalist Jesse Palter”. You will not be disappointed.
By the way, DJS does have a new podcast available now. I have not listened to it yet, but it is at the top of my "to-do" list for this weekend. I recommend you put it at the top of yours as well.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Bears fans and Colts fans, and football fans in general, will be gathering in their favorite places all day long to prepare for the beating the Bears will provide to the Colts.
At least, that is what I expect will happen when the dust clears. Bears by ten.
Of course, I am not a great student of football. For me, football is a mild pastime. I prefer baseball or listening to jazz. For me, the Super Bowl winners of jazz are the people behind “Detroit JazzStage”.
The most recent holidays provided a couple nuggets of joy from Detroit. First, DJS has developed a new program concept they call “DJS Jazz Spotlight”. The initial outing brings attention to twenty-one year old Jesse Palter and her new song “Lovesick”.
“Lovesick” is a song she co-wrote and is included in her CD “Beginning to See the Light”. During the podcast, Palter freely talks about the song and CD and the inspiration behind her work. For someone so young, she has a mix of intelligence and youth that is very appealing.
The song “Lovesick” has crossover appeal. It is very much a jazz song, but I believe it would appeal to R&B and rock audiences as well. She attributes Stevie Wonder’s music as inspiration and it is truly felt in Mike Jellick’s keyboards. She may say, “I don’t need a remedy, just steal the thoughts of you from me,” but the feelings of joy and love she feels are clear. The scat she provides leaves me remembering Minnie Riperton, which contrary to some opinions, is not a bad thing.
The song may be “Lovesick”, but the feeling is a happy one. I hope we will hear more from this young talent. To hear the podcast, click the “Detroit JazzStage” link to the left. The program is shorter than a regular JazzStage offering, clocking at just under ten minutes. It is a perfect length for those of us with short commutes. Palter’s CD can be found at http://cdbaby.com/cd/palter.
The DJS crew then followed this up with a forty minute podcast featuring a live performance by the Paul Keller Ensemble. I have listened to this one more than any other DJS podcast they have produced to date. Keller’s song “NTK” is a big reason why. This is a joyful romp which is great morning listening to get your day started right.
Keller, a University of Michigan professor, removes crass commercialism and embraces what good jazz truly is. He understands the history of jazz and is not afraid to attempt to bring what he has learned to original compositions. Hopefully, one of Michigan’s best kept secrets is ready to be exposed.
“Detroit JazzStage” continues to live up to my previous statements that it is the most professional and enjoyable podcast being produced to date. If you haven’t taken the time yet, to coin a phrase: “What are you waiting for?” Click on the link provided and download the “Paul Keller Ensemble recorded at Live at the Max”, and “DJS Jazz Spotlight featuring vocalist Jesse Palter”. You will not be disappointed.
Welcome!
I love podcasts. Over the past year and a half, I have listened to a lot of podcasts. Many are not very good. Some are excellent.
The point of this blog is not to put down those who have poor podcasts, but to discuss and recommend quality podcasts. You don’t have to have a lot money to have a successful podcast. You just have to be smart.
To be clear, I do not have a podcast. I am strictly a comsumer. As a consumer, I have an opinion of what I enjoy. Just as a movie fan may prefer “Ghost Rider” over “Pan’s Labyrinth”, there are podcasts that are guilty fun and others that are artistically incredible.
This blog will examine the available podcasts and maybe even touch on how to assemble and produce a podcast, or talk to people who create a fantastic podcast.
As I stated with “Dimm View of Politics”, I may only post to this blog a couple times each week, while “DV of Life” and “DV of Baseball” may get more attention. That said, this is a topic close to my heart and one that I hope you will enjoy reading about and send your comments.
In the meantime, go to I-Pod or Juice or wherever you can find a good podcast and start downloading. You never know what you may find!
The point of this blog is not to put down those who have poor podcasts, but to discuss and recommend quality podcasts. You don’t have to have a lot money to have a successful podcast. You just have to be smart.
To be clear, I do not have a podcast. I am strictly a comsumer. As a consumer, I have an opinion of what I enjoy. Just as a movie fan may prefer “Ghost Rider” over “Pan’s Labyrinth”, there are podcasts that are guilty fun and others that are artistically incredible.
This blog will examine the available podcasts and maybe even touch on how to assemble and produce a podcast, or talk to people who create a fantastic podcast.
As I stated with “Dimm View of Politics”, I may only post to this blog a couple times each week, while “DV of Life” and “DV of Baseball” may get more attention. That said, this is a topic close to my heart and one that I hope you will enjoy reading about and send your comments.
In the meantime, go to I-Pod or Juice or wherever you can find a good podcast and start downloading. You never know what you may find!
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