Keeping an ear for a sound that moves...
John Coltrane once remarked that he was looking for a sound that could heal people-- that place where he could play a phrase and have a direct and palpable affect on people.
The first two real moments when jazz consumed me was hearing Cannonball Adderley’s “Dis Here” over the radio during one of those ‘drive way moments’ except it was in 100+ degree Florida heat and then soon afterward when a friend led me to a Peter Kowald solo performance with only about thirty other people (the same place I would later hear Sam Rivers, Cecil Taylor, and others in the presence of the same underwhelming crowds). Both were inspiring. Both were lasting moments in time.
Whether art is visual, aural, or visceral it is the experience that I remember most. And these experiences can make a daily impact on our lives. And whether the practitioner or the receptor, I have been trying to communicate just as effectively in various modes for many years now including writing, music, painting, woodworking, fiber arts, etc.
I am a former NPR affiliate jazz dj (interesting to see what makes listeners turn their ears towards new sounds and how many variations of listeners there really are) who simply enjoys the music. A contributor here at AAJ, I have also functioned as a general editor, production editor, and cover designer for both local and national literary magazines and publications.
No one is born a Charles Mingus, Joseph Cornell, Leslie Marmon Silko, etc. It’s time and experience and how it shapes and forms you. But you can hear them, feel them, and understand them if you're willing.
Listen with open ears.
Home
Woodstock, GA
My Desert Island Picks
- Thomas Chapin - Alive (Complete Knitting Factory Recordings)
- John Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion
- Miles Davis - The Complete Live At The Plugged Nickel, 1965
- Miles Davis - The Complete Studio Recordings (1965-68)
- Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton Webster Band
- Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
- Joe Henderson - The Blue Note Years (Box Set)
- Andrew Hill - Complete Blue Note Andrew Hill Sessions (1963-66)
- Keith Jarrett - La Scala
- Myra Melford - Alive In The House of Saints (Expanded / Complete)
- Charles Mingus - Passions of A Man: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1956-61)
- Hank Mobley - The Complete Blue Note Fifties Sessions
- Thelonious Monk - The Complete Riverside Recordings
- Thelonious Monk - Live At The It Club (Complete)
- Charlie Parker - The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes
- Charlie Parker - Complete Savoy Live Performances: Sept. 29, 1947 - Oct. 25, 1950
- Art Pepper - The Complete Galaxy Recordings
- Max Roach - The Complete Mercury Max Roach Plus Four Sessions
- Vandermark 5 - Alchemia
- Mal Waldron & Steve Lacy - Live At Dreher Paris, 1981 (Complete)
What I'm Listening To Now (As of 2009-03-04)
- Other than that on the turntable or home stereo:
-
Favorite Web Sites
Favorite Artists
Bill Evans
Billy Harper
Eli Degibri
John Scofield
Teddy Charles
Tom Harrell
