I’m listening back to a recording of 2 hours I spent talking with Skerik, one of the saxophonists playing today that I really look up to and find inspiring for a multitude of reasons. Skerik is an example of a musician that, to me, has developed a truly individual style while at the same playing […]
Category: Music
Lesson/Interview with Skerik
Radio, TV, Books, Music
Hi all! Lots to catch up on here. I got the chance to do a few local music and radio shows last month with some of my favorite musicians in town: Tim Kennedy band on KNKX: Tim has gotten pretty regular mention on this site for good reason, he has been a significant positive influence […]
James Booker, Stones Throw Records, Muscle Shoals
Hi everyone! I recently went through a good run of music-related documentaries that I would highly recommend: Bayou Maharaja – This doc is about James Booker, a New Orleans pianist and entertainer that was active primarily in the 70’s. Although he made several European tours and played with many of the era’s great musicians, Booker […]
Updates/Podcasts
Hi all, I cleaned a bit of the Links page, adding websites for Ben Bloom, Westsound Recording, and Blue Mallard Studios, who I thank for the killer sounds on the most recent Polys 45. I also deleted old links and updated the link to Ethan Iverson’s blog, which I have rediscovered recently and am once […]
Jaco
I recently had the opportunity to watch Jaco, a 2015 documentary about Jaco Pastorius, and I cannot recommend it enough. I remember the summer after I graduated high school I was working at my dad’s law firm, like I always did in the summers, and one of my coworkers, a bass player, introduced me […]
Possibilities
The Polyrhythmics tour to New Orleans and the Southeast, from Kentucky (or, as some call it, Kenpucky,) to Florida to North Carolina and beyond went relatively smoothly, with many new areas visited from both the band perspective and a personal perspective. I enjoyed the cultures and people in the South so very much, and loved […]
More Focused Listening
When David Bowie passed away, I was motivated to listen to more of his music, as I had really only heard his big hits previously. As I have occasionally done with other artists in the past, I decided to start with his early albums and move through them chronologically (I wrote about this approach previously […]
Updates
Thanks for another awesome photo, Chris Davis! Hi all, It may be a little late for a New Year’s post, but here are some things happening for me now and things I’m looking forward to this year. The Unsinkable Heavies continue to play every 3rd Wednesday at the Seamonster, and we have had a […]
Library Music Finds
I’m going through another heavy library-listening phase, checking out CDs by the armful! Here are some things I’ve been checking out: Grant Green, Idle Moments – The more I listen to Grant Green, the more I like his playing, specifically the thematic way in which he improvises. Although it is sometimes repetitive, I think that […]
Listening
I’ve been able to put in some significant practice time recently, which has felt great! Here’s what I’ve been working on: This was a track I heard in the Polyrhythmics van; Ben had recently came upon a Grant Green boxed set, and although it’s off of a Lou Donaldson album, Green’s solo really intrigued me […]