Since I have this opportunity, I'd like to show the single I'm releasing today. It's called Sambience 2, and it's an instrumental track with cavaquinho, percussion, keyboards and loops. I hope you like it!
Ted, would love to know more about the principles of how you manage your time in a highly effective manner, especially relevant given that you have managed to achieve success in the disparate worlds of management consulting and jazz piano.
When do you wake? How much time do you allocate to practicing piano, writing articles, reading and research, etc. and on what schedule? Do you do your best work in the am or at night? How much is too much when it comes to music practice? Writing practice?
If you had to articulate these rules for your adult child a la Lord Chesterfield, how would you do so to ensure maximum compliance with minimal misunderstanding? Thanks in advance!
I am 63 years old. Have I earned the right to be a grumpy old man or should I wait another decade? I am embarrassed by the outlandish statements made by politicians on both sides of the aisle in recent years. I am even more embarrassed by the tens of millions of people who believe this nonsense and seem to be willing to die for silly rhetoric as if it were foundational truth. We seem to keep electing people who love to stir up conflict without any ability to discern the difference between what is real and inflammatory slogans. All of this increases tribalism and division. I feel that our nation has become unstable. I long for the peace of mind provided by the common belief that being the UNITED States was bigger than politics.
Maybe some day I'll have the opportunity to chat with you face to face, and if I did, I'd want to talk about the balance in the arts between what I'd call "art" (the aesthetic impulse) and "craft" (the application of skills to bring that impulse to life).
My thesis is that we as a culture tend to over-emphasize "art" and undervalue "craft". The acclaim or criticism that we give to artists often seems to run on these axes. You can see this historically with Bach, who was (as I maybe poorly understand it) appreciated for his craft, but not thought of as a great artist until his rehabilitation by Mendelssohn. Or consider the sometimes lukewarm critical response to Oscar Peterson (who, regardless of how you determine "art" certainly was a master of the craft).
Music Theory is failing musicians. Let me clarify—capital "T" Music Theory, the kind that is codified in academic circles, and trickles all the way down to preschool classrooms, is ill-equipped to express the variety, depth, and nuance of various musical practices from different cultures, let alone the ones that the "Western" canon has subsumed. In fact, the rigidity it enforces is in fact counter to its own traditions, namely many classical and baroque composers were in fact prolific improvisers. Music Theory should be radically simplified, reduced to its bare components, and then in fact, positioned backseat in favor of providing students with a broader understanding of sound-making in different cultures.
What are the societal implications of the vinyl resurgence, particularly among those without a record player? Will there be similar movements that reject AI? Will farm-to-table art go as big as Whole Foods? Will the Honest Broker become the Tiny Desk of music recommendations?
Here are two musical coincidences that you might find interesting, Ted. The first involves classical composer Edvard Grieg, who wrote one of his most famous pieces, the Piano Concerto in A minor, in 1868. On March 1, 1934, one great American composer, 18-year-old Billy Strayhorn, performed the piece with the Westinghouse High School (Pittsburgh) Senior Orchestra. Music director Carl McVicker said of the performance "I never heard a student play that way before or after." As you know, Billy actually had dreams of becoming a concert pianist, but his race precluded such ambitions, and so he gravitated to Jazz, and his eventual partnership with Duke Ellington became one of the most extraordinary in the history of American music. A little over two months later, on May 14, 1934, another great American composer, 16-year-old Leonard Bernstein, performed the first movement of the Concerto in A minor at Roxbury High School, with the Boston Public School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of T. Francis Burk.
The other coincidence involves a landmark Jazz recording, the October 11, 1939 version by Coleman Hawkins of "Body And Soul." This was significant because it features Hawkins improvising during the entire take, not playing the melody at any point. It was considered a bridge between the popular, melody-based Jazz music of the Swing Era, and the more sophisticated, improvisation-based Jazz music of the Bebop Era that was to follow. Not many realize, however, that a very similar recording was made only eight days later, on October 19, 1939, by the trombonist Jack Jenny. His improvisation was over a similar standard, "Stardust," and just like Hawkins, at no point does he play the melody.
I have yet to read any assertion that these two recordings were related, but Jenny's contribution seems to have been mostly forgotten, as he unfortunately died from complications following an appendectomy in 1945. Nevertheless, I've heard parts of either solo quoted by musicians since, as a tribute, or even incorporated in some way into big band arrangements.
That's it! Whether anything I've just said is significant in any way is questionable, but I just thought the coincidences were interesting, at the very least. Thank you!
At the end of the 1950s, the LP itself was only about a decade in, and "stereo" was more of a buzzword than an actual day-to-day reality for most people.
Dad was an electronics tech, and he built our first stereo by hand. It may have been from a hobbyist kit, but it was good quality. He fitted the turntable, the pre-amp, the amplifier, the tweeter speakers, and two downward-facing woofers all into one nice walnut cabinet.
When the stereo was ready for testing, he went out and bought five LPs of completely different characteristics: one was a test demonstration record, designed to push a stereo to its limits, with a narrative for each particular track, alerting us to we were supposed to listen for; the second one -- I don't remember the name -- was an enjoyable mix of musical styles also designed to showcase your stereo's capabilities, but without the accompanying narrative; the third was "Italia Mia," the lush orchestrations of Mantovani (what we would probably call "elevator" music today); the fourth was " 'sWonderful" by the Ray Conniff Orchestra, and -- last, but to me certainly not least -- 1959's "Stereo Concert" by the Kingston Trio !!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THAT RECORD !!!
In 1960 I was a high school freshman. Every day, I would come home from school, put "Stereo Concert" on the turntable, lie down on the floor with my head between the woofers, and just luxuriate. I listened to it so many times that I could pantomime the chatter between songs, the laughs, and even the throat-clearings before starting the next song. Many of the jokes would not play well in today's society, drunken driving jokes, ethnic jokes, but the trio's energy and humor shines through every single second of this album.
There were only ten tracks instead of the obligatory twelve, and most of the songs had been previously recorded on the trio's first two LPs, neither of which I had yet heard at that time. It had obviously been recorded at a large venue, with large-venue acoustics, and everything about it was crystal clear. What amazed me most was the realism of the audience applause.
It was not much later that I asked Dad to buy me a banjo, so that I could become a clone of Dave Guard. Dad was an untrained but proficient play-by-ear musician. He had failed to interest me in electronics, I was lackadaisical at sports, and this was the first thing I had really shown any great interest in. He did buy me a pretty good banjo, and he bought himself a cheap guitar as well, to show me how to get started playing music on my own.
This was a major turning point in my life. By the time I finished high school, some friends and I had formed a Kingston Trio copy band -- striped short-sleeved shirts and all -- and we performed at our senior class talent show. We called ourselves "The Lemonliters" -- LOL.
Unfortunately, Dad died young, before my graduation. Now, as Fathers' Day approaches, I can't help but wish that I'd been able to show him the results that his faith in me produced.
These are my three most anarchic, (playfully) abrasive opinions:
- Any Johnny Depp movie would be immeasurably improved if Depp was replaced with Guy Pearce.
- Bob Dylan's skills as a songwriter vastly, vastly outstrip the aesthetic appeal of his music: without context or someone explaining why it's good, most Bob Dylan songs won't "sound good" to a new listener.
- House music and Gospel are the best genres of American music. Don't ask for quantifiable or logical proof, I have none.
I’m in the North Carolina mountains at music camp-traditional song week. Hard to explain the breadth and depth of the music and amazing teachers. Best part is the song circles with 40 friends that go on until 3 am in a pavilion under the stars. Still gotta watch for bears…..
Hi Ted. I am slowly making my way through your annual album recommendations (since 2011) listed at tedgioia.com. It has helped me to define my own tastes in music when confronted with so much unfamiliar music at one time. I have tagged about 40% of your listings, and have a preference for the melodic over the less melodic. But I always knew this. I am a Beatle boy. But this can be found across so many styles of music - jazz, bluegrass, soul, even ambient. Thank you for this gift. I have increased my appreciation for the contemporary musician (like me), struggling away in the digital wilderness.
Hope this peeve is not too far afield for this group, but am I the only one whose tired of seeing articles on hazing in sports programs where the coaches and supervisors all are modern versions of Casablanca's Inspector Renault (without the class of Claude Rains)? They are all "shocked, shocked to find that hazing is going on in here!" Considering the hazing starts in middle school football, I'm "shocked, shocked."
Hello, everyone,
Since I have this opportunity, I'd like to show the single I'm releasing today. It's called Sambience 2, and it's an instrumental track with cavaquinho, percussion, keyboards and loops. I hope you like it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAxns0gFGSQ
https://tratore.ffm.to/sambience2
Ted, would love to know more about the principles of how you manage your time in a highly effective manner, especially relevant given that you have managed to achieve success in the disparate worlds of management consulting and jazz piano.
When do you wake? How much time do you allocate to practicing piano, writing articles, reading and research, etc. and on what schedule? Do you do your best work in the am or at night? How much is too much when it comes to music practice? Writing practice?
If you had to articulate these rules for your adult child a la Lord Chesterfield, how would you do so to ensure maximum compliance with minimal misunderstanding? Thanks in advance!
Father-in-law and I are getting Taco Bell and then watching Cocaine Bear. It's what summer is all about
I am 63 years old. Have I earned the right to be a grumpy old man or should I wait another decade? I am embarrassed by the outlandish statements made by politicians on both sides of the aisle in recent years. I am even more embarrassed by the tens of millions of people who believe this nonsense and seem to be willing to die for silly rhetoric as if it were foundational truth. We seem to keep electing people who love to stir up conflict without any ability to discern the difference between what is real and inflammatory slogans. All of this increases tribalism and division. I feel that our nation has become unstable. I long for the peace of mind provided by the common belief that being the UNITED States was bigger than politics.
Maybe some day I'll have the opportunity to chat with you face to face, and if I did, I'd want to talk about the balance in the arts between what I'd call "art" (the aesthetic impulse) and "craft" (the application of skills to bring that impulse to life).
My thesis is that we as a culture tend to over-emphasize "art" and undervalue "craft". The acclaim or criticism that we give to artists often seems to run on these axes. You can see this historically with Bach, who was (as I maybe poorly understand it) appreciated for his craft, but not thought of as a great artist until his rehabilitation by Mendelssohn. Or consider the sometimes lukewarm critical response to Oscar Peterson (who, regardless of how you determine "art" certainly was a master of the craft).
Music Theory is failing musicians. Let me clarify—capital "T" Music Theory, the kind that is codified in academic circles, and trickles all the way down to preschool classrooms, is ill-equipped to express the variety, depth, and nuance of various musical practices from different cultures, let alone the ones that the "Western" canon has subsumed. In fact, the rigidity it enforces is in fact counter to its own traditions, namely many classical and baroque composers were in fact prolific improvisers. Music Theory should be radically simplified, reduced to its bare components, and then in fact, positioned backseat in favor of providing students with a broader understanding of sound-making in different cultures.
What are the societal implications of the vinyl resurgence, particularly among those without a record player? Will there be similar movements that reject AI? Will farm-to-table art go as big as Whole Foods? Will the Honest Broker become the Tiny Desk of music recommendations?
Here are two musical coincidences that you might find interesting, Ted. The first involves classical composer Edvard Grieg, who wrote one of his most famous pieces, the Piano Concerto in A minor, in 1868. On March 1, 1934, one great American composer, 18-year-old Billy Strayhorn, performed the piece with the Westinghouse High School (Pittsburgh) Senior Orchestra. Music director Carl McVicker said of the performance "I never heard a student play that way before or after." As you know, Billy actually had dreams of becoming a concert pianist, but his race precluded such ambitions, and so he gravitated to Jazz, and his eventual partnership with Duke Ellington became one of the most extraordinary in the history of American music. A little over two months later, on May 14, 1934, another great American composer, 16-year-old Leonard Bernstein, performed the first movement of the Concerto in A minor at Roxbury High School, with the Boston Public School Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of T. Francis Burk.
The other coincidence involves a landmark Jazz recording, the October 11, 1939 version by Coleman Hawkins of "Body And Soul." This was significant because it features Hawkins improvising during the entire take, not playing the melody at any point. It was considered a bridge between the popular, melody-based Jazz music of the Swing Era, and the more sophisticated, improvisation-based Jazz music of the Bebop Era that was to follow. Not many realize, however, that a very similar recording was made only eight days later, on October 19, 1939, by the trombonist Jack Jenny. His improvisation was over a similar standard, "Stardust," and just like Hawkins, at no point does he play the melody.
Here is Coleman's recording: https://youtu.be/zUFg6HvljDE
And here is Jenny's: https://youtu.be/gz5tM3egfF4
I have yet to read any assertion that these two recordings were related, but Jenny's contribution seems to have been mostly forgotten, as he unfortunately died from complications following an appendectomy in 1945. Nevertheless, I've heard parts of either solo quoted by musicians since, as a tribute, or even incorporated in some way into big band arrangements.
That's it! Whether anything I've just said is significant in any way is questionable, but I just thought the coincidences were interesting, at the very least. Thank you!
1) Secret Treaties
2) Cultosaurus Erectus
3) Tyranny and Mutation
4) Spectres
5) Fire of Unknown Origin
6) Blue Oyster Cult
7) Agents of Fortune
8) Mirrors
9) Imaginos
10) The Symbol Remains
11) Heaven Forbid
12) The Revolution By Night
13) Club Ninja
14) Curse of the Hidden Mirror
At the end of the 1950s, the LP itself was only about a decade in, and "stereo" was more of a buzzword than an actual day-to-day reality for most people.
Dad was an electronics tech, and he built our first stereo by hand. It may have been from a hobbyist kit, but it was good quality. He fitted the turntable, the pre-amp, the amplifier, the tweeter speakers, and two downward-facing woofers all into one nice walnut cabinet.
When the stereo was ready for testing, he went out and bought five LPs of completely different characteristics: one was a test demonstration record, designed to push a stereo to its limits, with a narrative for each particular track, alerting us to we were supposed to listen for; the second one -- I don't remember the name -- was an enjoyable mix of musical styles also designed to showcase your stereo's capabilities, but without the accompanying narrative; the third was "Italia Mia," the lush orchestrations of Mantovani (what we would probably call "elevator" music today); the fourth was " 'sWonderful" by the Ray Conniff Orchestra, and -- last, but to me certainly not least -- 1959's "Stereo Concert" by the Kingston Trio !!!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THAT RECORD !!!
In 1960 I was a high school freshman. Every day, I would come home from school, put "Stereo Concert" on the turntable, lie down on the floor with my head between the woofers, and just luxuriate. I listened to it so many times that I could pantomime the chatter between songs, the laughs, and even the throat-clearings before starting the next song. Many of the jokes would not play well in today's society, drunken driving jokes, ethnic jokes, but the trio's energy and humor shines through every single second of this album.
There were only ten tracks instead of the obligatory twelve, and most of the songs had been previously recorded on the trio's first two LPs, neither of which I had yet heard at that time. It had obviously been recorded at a large venue, with large-venue acoustics, and everything about it was crystal clear. What amazed me most was the realism of the audience applause.
It was not much later that I asked Dad to buy me a banjo, so that I could become a clone of Dave Guard. Dad was an untrained but proficient play-by-ear musician. He had failed to interest me in electronics, I was lackadaisical at sports, and this was the first thing I had really shown any great interest in. He did buy me a pretty good banjo, and he bought himself a cheap guitar as well, to show me how to get started playing music on my own.
This was a major turning point in my life. By the time I finished high school, some friends and I had formed a Kingston Trio copy band -- striped short-sleeved shirts and all -- and we performed at our senior class talent show. We called ourselves "The Lemonliters" -- LOL.
Unfortunately, Dad died young, before my graduation. Now, as Fathers' Day approaches, I can't help but wish that I'd been able to show him the results that his faith in me produced.
These are my three most anarchic, (playfully) abrasive opinions:
- Any Johnny Depp movie would be immeasurably improved if Depp was replaced with Guy Pearce.
- Bob Dylan's skills as a songwriter vastly, vastly outstrip the aesthetic appeal of his music: without context or someone explaining why it's good, most Bob Dylan songs won't "sound good" to a new listener.
- House music and Gospel are the best genres of American music. Don't ask for quantifiable or logical proof, I have none.
I’m in the North Carolina mountains at music camp-traditional song week. Hard to explain the breadth and depth of the music and amazing teachers. Best part is the song circles with 40 friends that go on until 3 am in a pavilion under the stars. Still gotta watch for bears…..
Hi Ted. I am slowly making my way through your annual album recommendations (since 2011) listed at tedgioia.com. It has helped me to define my own tastes in music when confronted with so much unfamiliar music at one time. I have tagged about 40% of your listings, and have a preference for the melodic over the less melodic. But I always knew this. I am a Beatle boy. But this can be found across so many styles of music - jazz, bluegrass, soul, even ambient. Thank you for this gift. I have increased my appreciation for the contemporary musician (like me), struggling away in the digital wilderness.
I absolutely loved your piece on reading!! Keep giving and soliciting book recommendations!! The best recommendations come from avid readers
Hope this peeve is not too far afield for this group, but am I the only one whose tired of seeing articles on hazing in sports programs where the coaches and supervisors all are modern versions of Casablanca's Inspector Renault (without the class of Claude Rains)? They are all "shocked, shocked to find that hazing is going on in here!" Considering the hazing starts in middle school football, I'm "shocked, shocked."
What are your Top 5 favorite instrumental albums(non-jazz) ?