More details at www.instigationfestival.com

Tonight I went to hear my fist live performance since March. It was at The Broadside, which is a great outdoor venue in New Orleans. The chairs are well spaced, the people all wear masks, the sound is good. There is food and drinks. Plus there is a cool view of downtown from the right seats. It was nice to hear music with people and not feel like I was being pandemic irresponsible.

Helen, Will, and Doug sounded great, and it was great to see and hear my friends. I will be playing there next Wednesday with a new band that will be lots of fun. Tickets here.

Trionomicon (Brad Walker, Matt Booth, and Paul Thibodeaux) This is brand new music, recorded live at the Sidebar in New Orleans, and the download includes some cool bonus videos. NB: I mastered this one.

Elizabeth Joan Kelly makes electronic music and was the guest on the most recent episode of the podcast.

Breakfast for Dinner Records (my label) is also waiving its revenue share on May 1, so all of the revenue really does go to the artists. There are 17 albums on the label, including the new Unanimous Sources record. You can get the whole catalog for 35% off the regular minimum price.

My friends and colleagues Ohmme have some new stuff out as well. Definitely my favorite band made up of two super creative and lovely humans with guitars.

Trapper Keaper Meets Tim Berne & Aurora Nealand is not new, but it is still very good and a bit overlooked, I think. NB: I produced this one.

You can hear me at 12:30 pm on Friday, April 24 on the 2018 Luther Kent & Trick Bag set, and at 4:30 pm on Thursday, April 30 on the Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Orchestra set from 2015. There is a two week archive as well

It is almost like having gigs…ok, not really, but it is better than nothing.

Dad? Saturday at the Saturn Bar.

Me and the band pre-show. (Note, this band is so cool that George Porter, Jr. took this picture)

Give them a listen below.

“If sentimentality is the synonym of nostalgia, then the antonym is anticipation, and maybe a better word would be modernity. That word comes to mind spinning the trio recording New Normal by trombonist Jeff Albert, drummer Dave Cappello and their guest, bassist William Parker. “

It is a compelling account of the end of the era of major label largess told through the concurrent tales of a label executive, technology innovator, and early pirate. It doesn’t offer answers to the industry’s current problems, but it does help explain how we ended up where we are. Witt is a skilled story teller and it is an enjoyable read. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the inner workings of the music industry, and related technology.

Our regular woodwind collaborator, Rex Gregory, could not make the trip because he is busy being a new father, so we had Dan Kinzleman on clarinet, flute, and tenor sax. Dan is an American musician who has lived in Italy for the last ten years or so. He is a wonderful musician, a fun hang, and a great road comrade. We were happy to have him with us. It was also nice to have two people who spoke the language of Italian sound engineers at sound checks.

We did most of the touring in Marcello’s Toyota Yaris Versa. Somehow we all fit, with the stuff.

Setting up for soundcheck in Udine, for our performance at Udin&Jazz. The concert space was lovely and the sound was very good. The festival also had great hospitality.

Sound check selfie.

The last gig of the tour was in Rovigo for the summer jazz series presented by the conservatory there. We shared the concert with the quartet of Massimo Morganti, who teaches at the conservatory. This pic is Massimo’s band at sound check.

After the gig in Rovigo, Marcello and I drove overnight to Chateau-D’Oex, Switzerland for the ISIM Conference. The over night drive was crazy, but when you arrive to this view from your hotel room, it feels less stupid.

This tiny alpine village seemed like an odd choice for the location of this year’s conference, but the setting was lovely, and the hosts were great. There were some good conversations about diversity, and community building. I presented on improvisational structures I use with my student laptop orchestra, and I really enjoyed Jeff Morris’s presentation on his weblogmusic.org project.

I also got the chance to hear a great house concert before I came back home. The band was led by Filippo Vignato, and they did his arrangements of Albert Manglesdorf’s music. The band included Piero Bittolo Bon, who has performed at Open Ears, and a great young bass player named Rosa Brunello.

It was a great trip. We made some good music, and I met or reconnected with a bunch of great people. I am happy to be home, but a touch sad that I left before I could experience Mirano Baseball Day.

You can also buy the downloads on Amazon ( Staffa, Duets 2014 ), or iTunes ( Staffa, Duets 2014 ), or listen on Spotify ( Staffa, Duets 2014 ).

Last fall, I saw him do a demo of a new gesture control system that he has been developing, and the possibilities were pretty exciting.

He is nearing the end of the Kickstarter for it. If you are curious about that sort of thing, check it out.

Visit the page here: http://kck.st/1gTwSCF

The Sera Jey monks are on a U.S. tour to perform sacred music and art. Their aim is to sow the seeds of world harmony and compassion, and to bring attention to their monastic secondary school in India. The monks will create a sand mandala and perform sacred music on Loyola’s campus.

Sand Mandala for Compassion:
November 12, 13, 14
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Loyola University — Danna Student Center, first floor lobby
Opening Ceremony 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. — Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Closing Ceremony 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. — Thursday, November 14, 2013
Sacred Music and Discussion:
Thursday, November 14, 2013
7:30 pm
Nunemaker Auditorium
Monroe Hall
6363 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118

All events are free and open to the public. Donations to the monks are accepted.
For further information, contact: John Snyder, 504-865-3984; jsnyder@loyno.edu.

Sand Mandala for Compassion:
The Sand Mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition of drawing a sacred design with colorful sands. Each mandala symbolically represents the palace of enlightened activities of a specific Buddha and his entourage. Every aspect has a symbolic meaning, nothing is arbitrary. The mandala is used as a base for meditation to spread blessings and inspirations. The mandala will be dissolved with prayers; the dissolution represents the impermanence of life. After the closing ceremony, the monks will distribute sand to attendees as a blessing and pour the sand into a body of water to spread compassion.

Sacred Music Performance:
The Tibetan monastic music and dance tradition originated with the earliest Buddhist practice. The great masters of the Buddhist lineages passed their visions of deities’ movements to their students through sound and music. The sound of the drum represents religion itself. The monks who perform scared dance aim at subduing such negativities as violence, disease, ignorance, jealousy, and hatred.

http://www.serajeymonastery.org/secondary-school

Get more information on the label website. Ordering direct from the label will give the most support to the people who work hard and take risks to release good music. Order here, especially if you are in Europe.

The CD is also available in finer stores and online outlets like JazzLoft, Dusty Groove, Downtown Music Gallery, and Squidco among others.

Thanks for listening.

We are nearing Mardi Gras. You should watch this short film by my friend John Worthington. It will help it makes sense…a little.

» SIX YEARS OF DEST: OUT Our Beginner’s Guide to Free Jazz destination: OUT:

“2. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LISTEN TO FREE JAZZ.
OR: HOW DO YOU TELL THE GOOD STUFF FROM THE BAD?
Relax and trust your instincts. Most people automatically assume that there’s something in Free Jazz they’re not getting. Like you need conservatory training to appreciate what the musicians are doing. Or that there’s some secret content you’re not privy to. Nonsense: It’s just sound. Sometimes complex and abrasive, sometimes funky and buoyant. There’s no code to be broken.”

Read the Time-Picayune’s preview of the show.

Tim (on left) and Ken rock their excited look.

Ken Vandermark plays woodwind instruments, composes, and makes things happen. He’s had a number of groups, and is probably best known for his long running quintet The Vandermark 5. In 1999 he won a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.

Tim Daisy is a composer and percussionist. He has been a member of several of Ken’s bands and on top of that is a busy member of the Chicago scene. I have heard a rumor that Tim is a Slovenian free jazz rock star, and I know he knows where to find the best pho in Chicago.

These guys are special, don’t miss it.

I hadn’t heard Astral Project live in quite some time. I was nice to be reminded how great they are. When I was about the age of Blake and Taylor, I spent a lot of time listening to Astral Project. Many of my early musical inspirations and revelations happened at Astral Project shows. I hadn’t thought about that music much recently, but tonight I was reminded how much the sound of this band is a foundational aspect of my musical and aesthetic DNA. I realized that most jazz drummers leave me flat, because I want them to be Johnny Vidacovich. I remembered a night in Dixon Hall at Tulane, when I heard Tony Dagradi, and his sound made me want to find a voice on trombone that is that personal and vibrant. They are really a special band, and it was nice to be reminded of that tonight.

I have been trying to do a good job of exposing Blake to good music, and giving him a chance to find the things that he likes. He returned the favor tonight by asking me to take him to a show that left me feeling just as inspired as it left him. I love the nights that remind us that music is fun.

The Improvisation of Musical Dialogue
A Phenomenology of Music
Bruce Ellis Benson, Wheaton College, Illinois
Paperback
ISBN: 9780521009324
Publication date: February 2003

This is the one book I finished during my many hours on airplanes in the past few weeks. I highly recommend it for those of you who like to look for the realities of musical practice, and not settle for the myths that we have adopted about what we do. It isn’t so much about improvisation, but it is quite interesting as a phenomenology of music.

Jeb Bishop has just released a CD by his new trio that features Jason Roebke on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums. Jeb was one of my favorite trombonists before he became a close friend, collaborator, and colleague. I think this is some of his best recorded work. I was honored that Jeb asked me to mix and master this CD (or at least turn the virtual knobs and faders until he liked what he heard). I spent lots of time with this music in my ears throughout the mixing process, and I still like to listen to it. That’s a pretty strong endorsement. You can hear samples at CD Baby.

In other trombone trio news, Jacob Garchik has posted a recording of his trio that was made at Ibeam in Brooklyn on April 10, 2010. There is a zip file of 256k mp3s, and youtube video of the entire concert as well. Check it out here.

The covers each link to the album’s eMusic page, where you can hear samples, etc.

I did a little financial experiment Tuesday night as well. Instead of leaving the donation receptacle on the front of the stage and making announcements and walking the jar once per set, I stood at the door and took the donations there. It wasn’t exactly a cover, because I didn’t turn anyone away, or demand a specific amount. I just said, “We are asking for $10, but whatever you can do is cool.” Most of the regular music fans didn’t even blink, and just put in their $10. A few put less. Oddly, many some musicians were reluctant to cough up $10 for a great band that is on the road. I get that cats are broke, but the musicians have to get paid somehow. If we all get in for free, who pays the band? I related two results to taking the donations at the door. There was more money for the band, and there was less talking during the show, because every one had bought in and was committed to hearing music. The downside was that I was stuck at the door. I could hear pretty well, but it still isn’t the ideal place to listen.

Do any of you have tips/ideas/theories about how to maximize compensation for the artists in donation type situations?

Open Ears is pleased to present (or help present) two great shows by world class improvisers from other parts of our world.

On Tuesday April 20, in our regular Tuesday night Blue Nile time and space, we will present Conference Call. This quartet features musicians from Europe and the US, and they have made several great recordings. Please come hear them live.

More info here: http://www.michaeljefrystevens.com/?page=5&t=2
and here: http://www.gebhard-ullmann.com/cc.htm

Then on Monday, April 26, along with Anxious Sounds, Valid Records, & Spyboy Productions, we will present Peter Brötzmann & Hamid Drake. This show will happen at 9 PM at the Big Top, 1638 Clio St in New Orleans. This tour is the first time they have worked as a duo in a number of years, and the reviews from the early tour stops have been great.

For New Orleans to remain a viable tour stop for great traveling musicians like these, the folks that like this music have to come to the shows. These concerts are not grant funded, they are operating in the good old free enterprise system, and members of our community have stepped up to guarantee the artists’ fees if the paid attendance doesn’t cover it. If you value having this music presented live in our community, please attend the shows, and bring some friends with you.

Helen Gillet (Photo by Elsa Hahne, and copped from this article in offBeat)

Cellist Helen Gillet is making a CD with wonderful saxophonist Tim Green, and drummer Doug Garrison, who is one of New Orleans most under-recognized great musicians. There are two ways you can be a part of the making of this CD.

The CD is being recorded as a live studio concert, with an audience. This will be Friday March 5th, at 9 PM at Piety Street Recording Studio in New Orleans. It is like a gig, except your applause will be part of the CD (and your cover/donation/whatever-you-pay-upon-entrance will help fund the thing).

Helen is also using Kickstarter to help raise money to fund the recording. It is a cool concept. Different donation levels get different goodies, including credit on the CD, and one of a kind handmade art from Helen. Check out all the details here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/helengillet/running-of-the-bells-improvised-cello-led-recordi-0

JAQ & the kids (Photo by Jacqui Sandor)

About a week ago, I had the pleasure of taking my quartet to do a clinic/performance at the Saturday Music School, at the University of New Orleans. Ray Moore, Jesse Morrow, Paul Thibodeaux, and I played a few tunes, and talked about improvisation. Then we got about 15 of the students to join us for some abstract improvisation games. We all had a great time, and the young musicians showed no inhibitions about getting up and making sounds. The UNO Saturday Music School has a good group of dedicated instructors, and a fabulous bunch of young people that seem to be very into learning music in an open-minded and diversified way. The future looks bright.

…as David Baker, the bebop teacher from Indiana, used to shout to his classes:

” PEOPLE !!!!! ”

perhaps the gig of the spring (besides last Sunday’s game!) and beyond is
THIS SATURDAY. FEB. 13th at ZEITGEIST (1618 Oretha Castle Haley) at 9:00pm.
Yes it is a ridiculously busy day and night. Yes you can and should, nay must, slide it in between Endymion and the M.O.M.S. ball and the Superhero ball and whatever else is on your plate.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, it is one night only, there was no choice in dates, and it will never happen again….and I NEED your attendance and support !!!
————————————————————————
**** South African drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo
w/ Dennis Gonzalez’ Yells at Eels
(award-winning mind-blowing music from Dallas and around the world)…
with special guest Tim Green…
@ Zeitgeist— Saturday Feb. 13th —- 9:00pm sharp. ****
——————————————————————-
Louis Moholo (actually, Louis Moholo-Moholo) is one of the major figures of South African music and international creative music of the last half-century… a pivotal figure in the ‘Township Jive’ scene of Cape Town, South Africa in late 50’s and early 60s, he was a youthful contemporary and collaborator of such folks as Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela… He was the leader of the great exodus of jazz stars to London from South Africa during apartheid in 1964, when the pressures against being a mixed-race jazz group (eg: the legendary Blue Notes) in Cape Town became too great to bear… he (along with the rest of the Blue Notes– Dudu Pokwana, Chris McGregor, Mongezi Feza…) became the anchor of the tremendously fruitful axis of South Africa-British free-swing that produced such groups as Assagai, The Brotherhood of Breath, Isipingo, Dedication Orchestra, Vive La Black, etc…. also a regular collaborator with English jazz-prog groups like Soft Machine, and all the major figures of the English scenes such as Evan Parker, Keith Tippett, Elton Dean, Lol Coxhill, Maggie Nichols, Phil Minton… and other major improvisers like Peter Brotzmann, Misha Mengelberg, David Murray, William Parker… as well as the great Cecil Taylor and a 30 year working relationship with our own Kidd Jordan… and everyone else under that sort of sun… his music is creative and open yet always deeply rooted in the South African swing.. not unlike some of our great creative drummers in New Orleans who, no matter how out they might go, are also rooted in parade and street beats… Louis Moholo has never been to New Orleans, and it is likely that he never will be again.. he is now over 70 years old and once again living in South Africa after 40 years absence…he will be in New Orleans just over 12 hours, before he flies to Dallas to board a flight back to his homeland… Do come make him welcome, and support this sort if undertaking if ever there is a chance for you to so!!!

———————- and his collaborators for the evening???—————–

Dennis Gonzalez, who is no slouch himself in the world of sound art….. Dennis is one of the most in-demand and beautiful trumpeters in international creative music… A master soloist, composer and bandleader, in the mid 70s he founded the “Dallas Association for Avant-Garde and Neo-Impressionistic Music,” and has been touring the world regularly as a performer and teacher since that time, recording over 40 albums on nearly a dozen top labels for new music spread across the planet. In addition to his longstanding mash-ups with players uch as Henry Grimes, Andrew Cyrille, Reggie Workman, Nels Cline, Louis Moholo…. he has also had a three-decades long recording and performing party with New Orleans’ masters Kidd Jordan, Clyde Kerr, Jr., Alvin Fielder, and Tim Green… He also has some tenebrous ties to Michael Ray and the Cosmic Krewe, but that was before my time here and you will have to ask someone else to explain…. his group Yells at Eels also consists of his sons, Stefan (percusions) and Aaron (bass) Gonzalez (who were here last spring with the award-winning Portuguese group “Humanization 4-tet”)…and as Tim Green told me when i asked him for a quote last year before their visit.. “Those kids are AWESOME”
——————————

this is a ridiculously special event… the timing is not ideal, in midst of carnival and Endymion night.. but there was no other option.

anyone interested in jazz, edgy jazz, South Africa, African music as a whole, music made in the quest for freedom beyond the sound barrier, or just master artists, would be witnessing a unique and deeply special concert…

please let me know if i can clarify any further…. Louis Moholo has been in the U.S. to play a very few concerts with a group led by outstanding Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad, and then a show in Dallas with “Yells at Eels”, then this show in New Orleans, then he flies home to South Africa… a master of this level is rare to have come through… in fact, there are three true masters here for this event, and two budding ones… i do hope you can come!! as always, your host rene at the Zeitgeist will have funky international snacks and beverages for your consumption. SPREAD THE WORD!!!!
cheers, andy durta.. www.scatterjazz.com

The Year-End List Of Lists 2009 – A Blog Supreme : NPR:

“Most courteous members of Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy, by volume of spit emptied on our carpets during our Tiny Desk Concert:
T-1. Dave Douglas
T-1. Vincent Chancey
T-1. Nasheet Waits
T-1. Marcus Rojas
2. Luis Bonilla (we still love you anyway, man!)”

We had the pleasure of meeting and hanging with Richard when the JAQ played Middletown, CT last summer. In addition to having excellent taste, he is a nice guy and a cool hang. Read his stuff.

…I thought it might be nice to share a bit of information about some of the musical communities that I’ve been exposed to over the past 10 years. And in particular, to highlight those European composers, who emerged after 1970, whose work has helped me to think about both composition and improvisation in new ways.

The post is presented in the usual d:o style with great audio samples. It is a nice read, and listen.

On an unrelated note, the Lucky 7s Pluto Junkyard got a nice nod from Matt Merewitz in his “Top 10 of 2009.” Matt’s list also includes records by Lucky 7s colleagues Josh Berman, and Jason Adasiewicz.

“October 14th marks the fourth anniversary of the reopening of Snug Harbor in the wake Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing federal flood. It was an important moment, not only an act of resilience, but in a way an act of defiance. The feeling of those days is perhaps best expressed by a photograph (attached) of the late George Brumat, Snug Harbor’s former owner and guiding spirit. He’s standing in front of the club wearing a ball cap and a blue t-shirt. Behind him, strung up just inside the plate glass window, is a piece of poster board with a message written in broad tipped felt marker, a message of resilience and defiance: “Fear Not Brothers and Sisters…’Jazz City’ Will Swing Again….Peace! ‘Snug Harbor.’” For many of the folks who never left, as well as those among us who came back to New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of “The Thing,” the photograph was iconic and its message became a mantra. George died in July of 2007. But the message lives on.

To celebrate not only the anniversary of Snug’s post-K re-opening, but also serving as a benefit for the Jazz Scholarship Fund set up at the University of New Orleans in George’s honor, we have a very special evening. First, at 8pm there will be a screening of “New Orleans Music Renaissance,” a documentary film on the post-Katrina music community in which George is featured. The film, by French film maker Virgile Beddok, is generously offered through the New Orleans Film Festival.

At 10pm, Ed Petersen & the Ultimate Test, the first band to play the Snug Harbor after Katrina, October 14, 2005 will take the stage. The Test includes Steve Masakowski on guitar, Don Vappie on bass & Ricky Sebastian on drums. Come help us celebrate the undeniable fact that Jazz City is swinging again…with a vengeance*.

* If you can’t make it on the 14th but feel compelled to help preserve the memory and legacy of Snug Harbor’s founder by giving a little something to the George Brumat Jazz Scholarship at the University of New Orleans you can send a check made out to the U.N.O Foundation, noting the Brumat Scholarship in the memo line to this address.

U.N.O. Department of Music
2000 Lakeshore Drive
New Orleans, LA 70184”

A brief aside about live tweeting first. It is really hard to form and transmit coherent 140 character thoughts while listening to music. I’m still not sure if I think that level of intellectual processing while an audience member makes the experience better or worse.

Ok, John Ellis’ band is fun to listen to, and they throw down. The rhythm section of Jason Marsalis (drums), Matt Perrinne (sousaphone), and Brian Coogan (organ) has the rare ability to get groovy-party-space and pushing-towards-abstraction-space to peacefully co-exsist. It is tough to make one move body parts and be musically surprised simultaneously. These guys can do that.

The front line consisted of Ellis on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Alan Ferber (trombone) and Gregoire Marét (harmonica). The material makes good use of the timbral possibilities of that combination. Marét is super underrated. He takes the very cool sound of the harmonica and uses it to make wonderful modern sophisticated exciting music. The band recorded a new CD in the days after this performance, so be on the lookout for that.

In other news, Lubricity had a post on language used to identify music and musicians. Alex had issues with the word “jazzer.” I get his point. Any time a word is used as a way to limit someone else, that gets problematic. I would have no problem trying to expunge “jazzer” from my lexicon.

The term that really sets me off however is “legit,” when offered as the alternative to “jazz.” If one thing is described as legit (legitimate), inherent in that description is the idea that the thing not being described is illegitimate. If I say “get the brown shirt,” you know that the other shirt is not brown.

Some argue that “classical” is an inaccurate term when describing non-jazz because it is also used to describe a particular historical period and style. I say that record stores and music marketers would not use a term that is vague or leads to uncertainty. If it is good enough for Barnes and Noble, it has to be better than legit.

Others argue that no slight is meant when they use the term “legit.” Regardless of one’s intention, the word has a pretty specific meaning. Again, if I call the brown shirt “orange” and then say, “well you all know what I mean, and I’m not intending to insult the brown shirt, I just like to call it orange because I am too lazy to adjust my usage to better reflect reality,” I am still using the word “orange” incorrectly.

So there’s the short version of my word rant…I’ll have to reword all of my jazzer and legit guy jokes, and that will be ok.

In the past, I’ve made no secret of my enthusiasm for Matt Wilson’s music, and his new quartet disc, That’s Gonna Leave A Mark, just kicked that enthusiasm up another notch. The music is swinging and adventurous and fun and socially conscious. It balances inside and outside exceedingly well. Get this CD!

Adam Kolker’s Flag Day features Kolker on tenor sax, John Abercrombie on guitar, John Hébert on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. This disc can seem a bit understated at times, since it doesn’t go for high levels of exuberance, but maintains steady melodic flow and controlled expression. It is soulful in an intellectual way. I know that seems like a contradiction, but it doesn’t have to be.

A friend gave me this self titled CD by a band called Rail. I had never heard of them, but the music is interesting. They call it “heavy duty post jazz.” I might have called it instrumental indie rock played by guys with some jazz in their background. Either way it is pretty interesting. CD Baby has sound samples.

Hello Jeff, Tell all bass players and hipsters that “Contra Contra Contra” (Bill Hunsinger, Jeb Stuart) w/guest Steve Bertram on bassoon & contrabassoon will be playing. Also new Dry Bones Trio (my group w/Rob Cambre) w/Simon Lott.

I’m not sure that all that many hipsters or bass players read SMB, but those of you that do have been duly notified. Any non-hipster, non-bass player types that are reading this should probably make an effort to check it out as well. Good musicians usually lead to interesting music.

Wednesday, July 22, at the HiHo Lounge on St Claude Ave (a block off of Elysian Fields) in New Orleans.

Sunday June 14, 2009 Event of Centerstage Chicago – Chicago City Life in Chicago, Illinois:

“Bringing improvisation to the traditional sounds of his native city, New Orleans trombonist/composer Jeff Albert combines bits of swing, groove and funk with the clashing rhythms and melodies that define much of the Chicago improv-jazz sound. Albert’s quartet stays musically modest via its arrangement of saxophone, bass and drums, which leads to moments of accessibility and beauty on the group’s new album, Similar in the Opposite Way. Albert also is a member of cross-country collaboration The Lucky 7s, which features a horn-heavy frontline and fellow trombonist Jeb Bishop, a key cog of the night’s second band, The Engines. A sonically diverse mix of nimble runs and subdued tones, The Engines has a new album, Wire and Brass, out on Okkadisk this month. (Scott Morrow)”

Gig poster for one of the Chicago gigs, courtesy of the fine folks at ratchetseries.blogspot.com

I am writing this post to comment on the purchase process. I went to the New Amsterdam website and ordered the physical CD. I have been buying downloads lately, but I guess I thought this would be a good candidate for full resolution hi-fi treatment. So I ordered the CD somewhat disappointed that I would have to wait a couple of days to hear the music, BUT WAIT! The rockin’ New Amsterdam store gives you the downloads as well when you order the physical CD. I know there are other places that do this, and I love them too. I think this is part of the future. I’ll report on the music at some point.

For more info (airtimes, etc) go to http://www.iconsamongus.com.

If you are offended by the language sometimes used by musicians (and sailors, and soldiers, and salesman, and bankers, and golfers, and…) don’t watch the following clip. It is not real bad in terms of foul language, but it is honest. BTW Russell Gunn and I were roommates on a cruise ship in 1993, and he was just as outspoken and strong in his ideas then, before anyone knew who he was.