Someone managed to get this shot of film maker, Henry Griffin demonstrating his classic Ot Azoy dance backed up by Stanton Moore. this is really Fresh Out The Past. WWOZ even got involved in The Big Kibosh! This was a truly memorable highlight from the three 20th anniversary shows. Also on stage here are bass- Arthur Kastler; Saxophone-Ben Ellman; Accordion- Glenn Hartman, Fiddle-David Rebeck; guitar- yours truly!
Yep! sections 3 and 4 of an extensive interview with woodwind player and composer, Rex Gregory are up here...
All interviews are available as a podcast through the itunes store.
There is an RSS button below for the podcast page from this site on the right side of this page.
A new interview with reedman, Rex Gregory. Also, two follow-up interviews: one with James Walsh and one with Mark Bingham.
Listen to parts 1,2,3, and 4, of an interview with colorful saxophone/clarinet/accordion/songwriter/electronic music composer, Aurora Nealand. Here...
Also available as a podcast through itunes or the RSS link on this site.
Mark Twain said it doesn't repeat, it rhymes...
There is a preponderence of music in the clubs and on the streets played by young people (teens to late 20's) that seems festooned with an obsession about late 19th to early 20th century style. I have been confused about where this is coming from. Even the fashions of the players seems to hark back to that time but it comes out looking more like stretched out rags from the Bugsy Malone set. Mostly they are playing rags, medicine show music, blues, and folk-songs. You see them carrying around banjos, accordions and euphoniums. It's not new, it's already gone on long enough (at least five years here in New Orleans) that if it were the early 20th century they would already have come up with a new form of jazz and thrown themselves out of date. They are, however, gripping tightly onto some set of imagery and I have been wondering why. Perhaps, symbolically, it is showing what is in the following article...
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2011/05/14/1890s-america-a-peek-at-the-past-youre-repeating/
(For more on the idea in this post see this entry I wrote about the album by Aurora Nealand & the Royal Roses dedicated to Sidney Bechet (Sat. April 23). That piece was informed by similar ironies.)
This article, "America: A Peek at the Past You're Repeating" addresses more serious consequences of being unaware of social developments since the early 20th century. It is clear that, at least locally, there is the very same lack of awareness about music development since those same times. The very subject of those music developments of the 20th century, both sonically and lyrically, were mostly about liberation, human and civil rights, and class problems. Music is a mirror for what is going on in its culture, and it can't fail to be, although sometimes you have to be shrewd to see it clearly because the messages can be deeply masked (even from the performers.) Right now, on all music fronts and genres there seem to be two main strains
You may find it easier to listen this way. Check it out!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interviews-with-musicians/id437164924
A recent interview, in three parts, with composer, Dr. James P. Walsh is now up on the interviews page. This one is really interesting for all of you into musical thought and its relationship to other areas of musical practice and life.
If you are a local New Orleanian you may know him as Jimbo, bassist with Davis Rogan and Washboard Rodeo. Or as the the guitar player with The Other Planets. Or as the conductor of the Naked Orchestra. Or as director of the New Orleans New Music Ensemble.
Check it out here...
It's here. The recording you've been waiting for...
Get it while it's hot! Available for instant download on...
Jonathan Freilich with
Stanton moore-drums
Todd Sickafoose-bass
Skerik-Saxophone
Mike Dillon-Vibes
Sneak preview...
01 The Asphalt is Harsh, Where's The Grass 1 by moroller
A four part audio interview with Piety St. Studios founder, Mark Bingham, is up on the interviews page... here
I am mostly keeping the content of this website to music. There are a couple of other things that I "present" though: yoga instruction is one. I've been a certified Iyengar yoga instructor for about seven years and was teaching previos to that for four years. I used to own half of a studio in New Orleans. I haven't been teaching regular classes for some time- except to help out other teachers. One reason I slowed down the teaching was that I was finding it harder to pass along information on the subject. The popular image of yoga that is reinforced in the media is often at direct odds with other viewpoints, and the modern yoga consumer is generally shopping for the reinforced image. They tend to move classes until they get the version of the story that was sold to them (which makes you wonder why they want classes at all.)
Anyway, all of this is discussed extremely well in an article/book review by Wendy Doniger. there is plenty of information about her floating around the web if you are skeptical.
HERE is a link... to the article.
What does this have to do with the major part of this site- music? Well, the two are very closely related in practice...but that's for another time.
I slowed the teaching to put more energy into composition, which started being necessary when I was writing the opera, Bang The Law.