Ride, Glide, Slide — HD POV — Unfreakin’ Believable!

The Ringers’ 3rd & 4th Gigs

BB King’s in NYC

Huge thanks to Scott of sgibson818 for the fantastic video & sound.

Howard Theater in DC

Huge thanks to GuitarHermitTV for the fantastic video & sound.  What a treat for those of us who couldn’t be there.

Keith Carlock, Wayne Krantz, Michael Landau, Jimmy Herring & Etienne Mbappe Are The Ringers

Listen to my extended interview with The Ringers, the first interview of the band. Jimmy Herring is of course known from Widespread Panic, Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Allman Brothers Band, Keith Carlock and Wayne Krantz from Steely Dan and their work with Tal Wilkenfeld, and Michael Landau from his work with people like Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell a.m.m.

They are just about to start their first tour, listen in here

UPDATE  Feb, 20th, 2013

I noticed a bunch of traffic to talking2musicians.com coming from http://www.burnthday.com/p/live-stream.html   Wasn’t familiar with the site so I checked it out and found myself watching and listening to The Ringers first concert via Ustream.  They now have audio files (MP3 & FLAC) posted for download. Or you can stream online here.

Hard to imagine these guys only had a couple of days to rehearse.  Essentially this should be considered a jam session, but what I heard gave every indication that this could indeed be something grand.  Keith Carlock was spectacular, as was Etienne Mbappe.  If they were doing straight ahead blues, or standards something like this would be a snap, but that’s not who these guys are.  It’s scary to think how good this could get if, given their busy schedules, they have a chance to play together often.

If you’re on the East Coast you don’t want to miss this — amazing.

Roots Radio on Demand

Looking for some great roots & blues music? Paul Harvey, a veteran radio personality based in the Netherlands, has a great radio-on-demand program. Paul has promoted, interviewed, and brought many great musicians to Amsterdam over the years. For example, he was the first person to interview Derek Trucks on European radio, and organized his first three concerts in Europe. His show not only presents some fantastic music, but Paul also gives you the story behind the music. Do yourself a favor and check this out.

Talking 2 Musicians

Check out my new site: Talking 2 Musicians

Here you can stream my interviews with musicians, or download the mp3, or subscribe via podcast.

Interviews include: Jimmy Herring, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, John Scofield, Chuck Leavell, Barbara Dennerlein, Jaimoe, Jerry Jemmott, Matthias Bublath, Jim Hart, and session great Louie Shelton.

West Coast “Cool Jazz” – Whites Guys Can Jump

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 6, 2008.

 

IN MEMORY OF THE GREAT DAVE BRUBECK

There is no denying it, without Africans jazz, blues, and rock & roll would not exist. Given the history of racism in America it’s easy to understand why some black musicians resented whites playing jazz.

Although Louis Armstrong was the first jazz musician to make the cover of Time, the choice of Dave Brubeck as the next jazz musician to receive this honor certainly bruised some feelings.

Rocket In My Pocket — hKT

Rocket In My Pocket is the latest album from the hKT, a trio that represents the best of the vibrant Hamburg music scene.

Boris Netsvetaev (piano, keyboards), Philipp Steen (double bass, electric bass), and Kai Bussenius (drums) are three prodigious talents, who, despite extensive formal training, haven’t lost their connection to youth culture.

On this album they seamlessly weave a sound that incorporates elements of traditional jazz, retro fusion,  a bit of funk, and classical music.  The result is appealing to jazz fans with discerning tastes, but it’s also accessible to non jazz listeners. They are compositionally strong with emotional depth and considerable range, and as soloists they combine impressive skills with inventiveness and tasteful restrain.

I’m particularly impressed by their moodier pieces: “A Sketch in Dark Colours”, “Tekla”, “The Incredible Atmo”, “Desert Sun.”

 Michael Bailey, a senior writer at All About Jazz, has kindly shared his first impression with Jazzamatazz:

The jazz piano trio is a ministry unto itself.  The most durable of formats, the trio’s perimeter has been expanded in recently by Medeski, Martin and Wood, The Bad Plus and Soulive.  The Russian-led, German trio, Hammer Klavier Trio, takes the trio a step further with a classically-infused, harmonically-centered offering, Rocket In My Pocket.  

Pianist and composer Boris Netsvetaev conjurs a dozen rhythmically and melodically challenging originals for bassist Phillip Steen and drummer Kia Bussenius to cut their considerable chops on. Netsvetaev does this with a variety of keyboards without every losing the piano ambiance. “Desert Sun” sports a Fender Rhodes buffered by electronics.  “Suicide Train” is angular and precisely composed to take advantage of Bussenis’ dead time in odd meters. Steen plays a fine solo, arco, on “The Incredible Atmo,” rounding out a fine modern trio recital.  Michael Bailey

Tip of the hat to their label for this excellent promo film, it’s in German, but you’ll still get a good feel of what these guys are all about.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM HERE