Around ten one morning in the summer of 1958, representing three generations of jazz history showed up at 126th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues in Harlem to be photographed by Art Kane, a freelance photographer working for Esquire magazine. was eventually published in the January, 1959 issue. This photo also became the basis of produced by veteran radio producer, Jean Bach of New York.
The film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1994. It's now on DVD.
On Saturday, January 27th, 2007. I played two hours of my music at the , a supremely hip small eatery on Grand Avenue in the downtown arts district of Phoenix, functioning as a second living room for the boho denizens of the neighborhood. Musician Chris Warmuth, who lent me a PA system which he gallantly carried from house to car to club to car to house for me, ran into half a dozen friends while we were there.
My new friend Sarah Curtis came to this show, too, to sell stuff from my table while I was playing.
This being a CD release party for my most recent recording, I played and sang ten jazz, blues and gospel songs and two jazz standards from , accompanied by a version of the final mix from the CD that excluded my recorded vocal and guitar parts.
Well, all but one song. was recorded (outside of a time signature), improvised in the studio by me, upright bassist , and percussionist Enzo Tedesco, all of us playing at the same time. In order to perform the song with the recording minus my voice, I would have had to memorize the entire improvisation and duplicate exactly what I sang on the recording.
That kind of misses the whole point of doing an , which is to spontaneously create music together that has never existed before. So, Nature Boy was relegated to being played (as a finished recording) during one of my breaks.
I played on an elevated stage surrounded by wonderful , whose show lasted the month of January. After my second set, Chris, Sarah and I had a delicious meal at the bar. Check out .
I brought a full panoply of my wares, and Gina, the manager at the Paisley Violin, offered to keep the table set up and sell the goods on it during the week to help publicize my second show at the Paisley, next Friday, February 2nd, from 7 to 8 PM on the evening of the .
Friday, January 26, 2007. I visit Andy Olson and Cheryl Sweet at , their home-based local and internet radio station, for an .
Andy Olson is a veteran DJ of the early 1970 rsquo;s FM radio revolution, which, he told me, played a big part in creating the singer/songwriter phenomenon of those days. The commercial stations on AM wouldn rsquo;t play the thoughtful, political and psychedelic music that was born of the consciousness boom of the late 1960 rsquo;s, but a bunch of maverick DJs used the unwanted FM bandwiths of the time to promote these songs. After they proved there was a large listening audience for the new singer/songwriters, the big labels began to pick them up and the commercial stations began to play them.
Andy and Cheryl in the recording studio of Radio Free Phoenix.
However, now that a few media megaliths own the great bulk of the radio stations and play only whatever the big record companies are promoting, a similar revolution is taking place on the . Maverick DJs are playing , that is, self-produced recordings by singer/songwriters that do not conform to the commercial norm.
That's me. Thanks to artist for giving a copy of to Cheryl Sweet last summer, and to DJs and for playing four cuts from the CD ever since. Andy told me that, since many commercial stations simply computerize their programs and no live DJ actually chooses or comments upon the music, in-studio radio interviews with musicians rarely air.
But on non-commercial station programming and on Internet radio, the DJs and hosts welcome all kinds of content, including live interviews.
Considering the service that independent stations render to the community, they ought to be well-funded. However, most are running on scarce donations and volunteer work.
Cheryl works nights as a cardiac nurse in a local emergency room, in addition to hosting her own radio show and, with Andy, raising four children. The station owes its continuation to her efforts. Andy predicts that with the expansion of to cover entire cities, Internet radio will one day be as ubiquitous as conventional radio.
I loved being interviewed by Andy Olson and I hope you rsquo;ll enjoy listening to us. Click to pick up a podcast of it.
Friday night, January 26, 2007, I played an all-acoustic set at , a small night club at the back of the parking lot of the Friend rsquo;s Church of Phoenix, on Glendale Avenue and 17th Street in north Phoenix.
Staffed by volunteers and strict in its rules against electronic or amplified instruments, Fiddler rsquo;s Dream demands that its patrons maintain perfect silence during the performances, something rarely seen in the United States outside of classical music venues.
In Europe, it rsquo;s not unusual at all. Audiences for all kinds of music actually stop talking and listen to live music.
The first of the two acts was , a German singer/songwriter/guitarist living in Seattle who had booked himself on a three month solo tour of various churches, house concerts, and other small venues, not unlike what I did in 2000 for eight months. I was enthralled with his guitar playing and his singing, and appreciated the gentleness and nature images in his lyrics.
What I noticed after I uploaded this photo to my computer is that Fiddler rsquo;s Dream actually does have sound reinforcement!
See the two microphones on the ceiling on either side of the stage lights?
Having an attentive audience turned on the comedienne in me.
I just let her rip. Sarah Curtis, a lovely young friend of rsquo;s, took the photos of me.
I performed songs from all three of my CDs, and I had fun playing with guitar the songs from that I had recorded without guitar, so that people could hear how they sounded when I wrote them.
, a jazz performer and composer and wife of the late saxophone legend , has died. She was 69.
Coltrane died Friday [January 12 2007] of respiratory failure at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center near Los Angeles, said her sister, Marilyn McLeod.
For nearly 40 years, Coltrane managed the archive and estate of her husband, a pivotal figure in the history of jazz. He died of liver disease in 1967 at age 40.
A pianist and organist, was noted for her astral compositions and for bringing the harp onto the jazz bandstand. Born Alice McLeod in Detroit on Aug. 27, 1937, she began learning classical piano at age 7.
She studied jazz piano briefly in Paris before moving to New York, where she met her future husband in 1963.
At that time, she was playing with bandleader , who has often taken credit for introducing the two. John Coltrane ldquo;saw something in her that was beautiful, rdquo; Gibbs told the Los Angeles Times.
She left Gibbs rsquo; band to marry Coltrane and began performing with his band in the mid-1960s. ldquo;John not only taught me how to explore but to play thoroughly and completely, rdquo; Alice Coltrane said in comments published in ldquo;The Black Giants. rdquo;
Tonight at , we blissed out to four acts, including mine.
Doing the show two nights in a row freed me to take new risks, especially with my choreography. I am having the time of my life.
In an ultimate act of courtesy, the club posted signs requesting that patrons not smoke until after I had finished my set.
I didn rsquo;t ask for this; it rsquo;s a perk from Sandy Rothman rsquo;s residence, since he requested this on the nights he played.
First up: Catch and Release, a very large group (nine people this time, but Yuko says the personnel varies from show to show, as the group has an open policy about friends sitting in. Yes, that rsquo;s a digiridoo player on the left.
) The overriding feeling was Family; the woman singing up front also works at Yukotopia tending bar, and her parents play in the group. They played trance music, that is to say, mostly, instead of songs, they improvised over one and two chord drones, although they also performed the Grateful Dead classic ldquo;Uncle John rsquo;s Band. rdquo;
I was next.
With a sizeable contingent of the audience comprised of the members of the other three bands, the support, if possible, was even more enthusiastic than the night before. God bless the deadheads of Tokyo; they do enjoy their musicians, and the musicians appreciate each other rsquo;s work.
After me came , which, like me, is a singer/songwriter driven act whose songs sizzle with political outrage, humor, sex and love.
Wonderful blues, reggae, singing, instrumental solos. Good fun, altogether.
Last up was , another large trance band (seven players), but this group is all about focus and sophistication, with lots of cleverly arranged musical figures, at the same time as an almost free jazz quality to the improvisation.
I say ldquo;almost rdquo; because the rhythm section churned forth danceable beats, of which the audience took advantage. Good free jazz will blow your brains, but only a modern dance troupe would dance to it.
On both nights some of the deadheads brought their kids, who danced, played, and generally enjoyed themselves in the night bar scene.
These two kids danced plenty, and the baby came up to me and held my hand and laughed. Yuko and Roku have three kids, and I could tell they enjoy having little ones in the club. I sure did.
Tonight and tomorrow I perform at Yukotopia. I rsquo;m singing and playing guitar to a CD of ten of the twelve cuts from , minus my voice and guitar tracks, prepared for me by Scott Fraser at the time he mixed and mastered the CD last spring.
What rsquo;s different about the What Living rsquo;s All About show from the shows I created for my first two CDs is that I perform them standing up, and on some of the songs I don rsquo;t play guitar.
That leaves a space for a new performance realm for me: dance. I don rsquo;t leap about, but I definitely use my whole body and face to convey the song.
The first act onstage: Here rsquo;s to Theres, a bluegrass/rock/folk band celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year, and no wonder; each player astounds with virtuosity.
Aki, the vocalist, has loads of personality and energy.
I played second, and the third and final act was Sandy Rothman rsquo;s Anniversary Band, with Ken and Tak on vocals and guitars. Sandy invited up violinist from Here rsquo;s to Theres.
Everyone fell into bliss listening to the string and vocal harmonies cascading from these prodigious players.
Mike Miller, brother of , who chaired the Communal Studies Conference, and his wife Val, live in Tokyo, where they write for Reuters News Service. At Tm rsquo;s recommendation, they atttended my show at Yukotopia.
Sweet people! Val rsquo;s a folkie multi-instrumentalist, and Sandy rsquo;s band reminded her of old times when she played in a band of like mind.
, a service I recently joined that sells music to record, film and TV producers, offers their songwriter members paid critiques of the songs from anonymous big time music business professionals.
Taxi says they hide the names of their music biz consultants because there have been death threats! Somehow I don rsquo;t think of songwriters as a particularly violent group, but, hey, all groups, including spiritual teachers, include a small percentage of assholes. I sent in the ten original songs from , and got some comments from four of these unnamed (but numbered) industry powerhouses, which I will share with you here.
A fifth listener (#211) identifies the overall style of the CD as Jazz Cabaret, a type of music that is recently having a resurgence in New York City.
Floozy Tune: Very cool song ndash; really good performance ndash; I like the imagery and the approach. Vocal has a lot of feel and there seems to be a sense of knowing in the delivery ndash; not just reading a lyric off the page.
At times it has sort of a -esque tease-y thing that is very fun. Music arrangement feels quite authentic and very well done ndash; very strong playing, but mostly a real good sense of what would work for a track like this ndash; professional. Overall, it has the feel of a jazz standard with sort of a more contemporary look at the situation than would probably be found in an older song ndash; pretty cool.
(#53)
America the Blues: Hard to place a definitive pitchable stylistic label on this one. Well played and arranged. Placement would necessitate a sympathetic political setting.
Perhaps a film? (#53)
Aquarian Age Liberated Woman Blues: The title is really cool ndash; pretty much tells the whole story right there. Nice blend of classic jazz pop and a more or less contemporary point of view.
Strong vocal delivery. Good structural elements ndash; the form is cool and natural for the vibe of the song ndash; the musical arrangement is good ndash; dobro guitar and more acoustic instrumentation gives it the vibe of an era. The imagery is sharp and well-defined ndash; the continuity is really good ndash; imagery that only someone who knows the subject could describe ( ldquo;bee pollen candy rdquo; indeed).
Film or TV might be a viable place to find a situational place where the blend of influences would be part of the narrative for instance. Very cool imagery and fun to listen to. (#53)
Zero Gravity: Moody jazz noir, with saxophone and vocal lines in counterpoint.
Languid and hypnotic; a slow burn, as it is. The wide interval in the first line raises interest immediately. The octave lift at the end of the chorus also maintains tension and drama that the sax solo sustains.
Verse two is very picturesque and vivid. The image of the corsage being tossed into the ldquo;museum fountain rdquo; and the unusual word play of ldquo;limousine muse rdquo; are probably the strongest imagery in the lyrics: very well done and unusual. (#238)
Doctor Sun and Nurse Water: You have a very interesting sense of lyricism as demonstrated through this song, Alicia.
I can rsquo;t recall having ever heard this combination of words before, and that rsquo;s a plus for the song. Personalizing the central images of nature and relating them to healing results in an upbeat and positive message that the power of the gospel arrangement brings to the forefront. The authenticity of the overall presentation is impressive: the use of the gospel choir, in particular, really adds an intensity that raises the bar considerably.
ldquo;You give me rhythm and take away my blues rdquo; is a nice piece of word play as well that reformulates the conventions of the music it reflects and spins it into another positive cycle of hope and renewal. (#238)
What Living rsquo;s All About: A nice homage to the -era song stylists of the fifties ndash; you could perform this one stretched out in a single spotlight across the top of a white grand piano in a slinky gown. The jazz diva persona is inseparable from the song and supports the overall gestalt and vision that certainly illuminates a singular sense of artistry.
From the downbeat, the listener is propelled directly into the center of the vibe; setting the mood is something you do extremely well in this song (as well as the other two songs reviewed with this submission.) The motion of the second verse is palpable: the electricity is well demonstrated and described in the litany of lyrical lines. The final verse is equally compelling with the images of ldquo;hips will roll the rhythms of mountains rdquo; a particular earthy delight.
(#238)
Sometimes It Takes a Long Time: The track has a nice late 60 rsquo;s/early 70 rsquo;s folk/blues/singer songwriter vibe. The playing is impressive in that regard; great piano and cool vintage feel in the rhythm section. The gospel vocalist sounds excellent; that rsquo;s a good arrangement touch, btw.
I like the way her part builds up at the end. The lyric paints in broad anthemic strokes, as if it rsquo;s summing up something that rsquo;s been going on, as if it rsquo;s the finale of a multi-part piece of some type. (#53)
Best of the Rest of You: This track sounds excellent.
The slide guitar playing is tremendous, and the rhythm section sounds right on time for the style. The vocal sounds good and the lyric is fun. As a potential cover, perhaps this could be pitchable to artists in the vein of , , , .
Since the track itself sounds so good, I advise considering potential soundtrack pitches that specify material in this vein. (#53)
It rsquo;s Not Fair: Good song crafting, fluid feel, and some creative choices. Sounds like you have a good time with this one hellip; ldquo;her topography, choreography rdquo;.
..echoes of in your sensibility, laid back and sophisticated approach.
Melody, chord progressions, and walking bass line establish the groove and support kind of a jazz/hipster vocal delivery. The verse melody works with the lyric. This tune is in the genre of trad jazz to smooth jazz radio, cabaret, lounge.
Appeal of the ensemble arrangement and phrasing draws from artists like Peggy Lee to Diana Krall. (#27)
Love, Understanding and Peace: These are very moving melodies; feel very natural and flowing. It rsquo;s adult contemporary from another era, bordering almost on gospel, at times, with a hint of a jazz feel.
However, overall, this song reminds me of a lot of contemporary songs I rsquo;ve heard in church. This is a story of hellip;redemption perhaps? I can rsquo;t quite tell if you rsquo;re singing to/about Jesus or about a relationship with a man ndash; or both.
The first sense I have of this song is it rsquo;s classic and retro, expecially considering your vocal approach, the spoken word portion and the musical arrangement. (#111)
ABL notes: #111 appears to be a specialist in . #238 writes like a poet.
#53 is from from a generation that uses ldquo;cool rdquo; as its superlative. I am honored!
The last time I played music with the Amana band was .
They rsquo;ve been inviting me to visit them in Okinawa ever since.
Whoopee. I am going to Japan for a month mdash;to play music, talk about sustainable living, and lead a weekend workshop October 20-22 at a campground where we make magical objects from recycled materials per instructions in , walk in the forest, do yoga, massage each other rsquo;s feet, cook outdoors and sing for each other at our campfire.
All this as the guest of the Artist Power Bank, an environmental arts group, at whose Tokyo cafe and educational center I will do my environmental awareness concert and talk at 7 PM on October 18th.
When I first get to Tokyo, I rsquo;ll perform jazz and blues from at the deadhead nightclub , founded by my friend Yuko Tsukamoto. That will be at 8:30 PM on October 8 and at 7:15 PM on October 9.
Toward the end of my stay, I rsquo;ll visit the band in Okinawa, where I will play a mixed set (folk, Hawaiian, jazz, blues) on October 28 at the two-day Happy Flower Beach Party Festival. On October 29, I'll attend Soul of Donto, a tribute festival that Sachiho Kudomi, the leader of Amana, is putting on to honor her late husband, the rock star Donto, at which his songs are performed and the devoted fans in the audience sing along.
All of this was made possible by Koki Aso, the journalist who created a six-page photo and interview article about me that ran in the June 2005 issue of , Japan's .
He wanted to see me have a Japan tour, so he contacted Artist Power Bank, which is buying my plane ticket.
In between the Artist Power Bank activities and the Okinawa trip, I get to visit him and his wife at their historic traditional Japanese farmhouse outside Kamakura, too, where he has a vegetable garden and makes his own miso. Goes fishing on weekends.
He rsquo;s a real back-to-the-land kinda guy.
I am returning for the first time since 1974, when I toured as a guest of , my publisher, in support of the Japanese editions of Living on the Earth, Being of the Sun, and my three children rsquo;s books. I was astonished to discover large political demonstrations and honored to meet artists, writers and environmental activists.
I delighted in the beauty of even the most mundane things, drew lots of pictures, and ate everything served to me with pleasure. As a California native, I rsquo;d rarely seen buildings over 100 years old. In Japan I saw temples and statues over 1000 years old.
Mercy! The gardens. The architecture.
The crafts. The graphics and design. And what sweet people.
I can hardly wait.
Boy, can I relate to this page from , even though I drew it 37 years ago. I rsquo;ve been nearly a week in bed with the flu.
I am waiting for my vitality to return.
I just finished reading , the autobiography of an early 20th century jazz musician and social justice advocate from Chicago. I drink , consume various natural remedies and sleep.
Nothing works better than applying heat. Viruses die when the body rsquo;s temperature raises, so I press a heating pad to my sinuses and upper chest. The pain retreats.
In my temporary quarters at my aunt rsquo;s house I am obliged to use dialup. What will slow you down better than that? One can meditate between page openings.
, the author and philosopher from whose Monday Night Class in 1968 in San Francisco I picked up the quote above, lead the group that founded , arguably the largest, most financially successful, most charitable, most influential, and most long-lasting hippie commune in the world.
I rsquo;ve got months of fabulous travels ahead, so I am going to take my time resting to let my body really get over this.
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