Gnome Notes
Chris Rich explores the nooks and crannies of jazz's most data-rich website.
Eric Zinman's Excellent European Adventures
by Chris Rich
Eric Zinman goes to Europe each year on his own dime for a varying array of shoe string gigs with people who mean a lot to him as colleagues. He usually works with Mario Rechtern and people from a community in jny: Vienna that includes expatriate, Linda Sharrock. His most recent trip was especially gratifying as he is pleased to inform us. “For the first time Mario and I, with help from friends, were able to ...
read moreA Matthew Shipp Appreciation from Yuko Otomo
by Chris Rich
I'm always looking to introduce new people to The All About Jazz readership. Yuko Otomo provided an appreciation of Matthew Shipp from her perspective as a poet and visual artist. Let Ms. Otomo take it from here. Recently, I re-read Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky. I don't remember how many times I've read this book. There are a few Bible-like books and writings (on art) that I return to whenever I have a ...
read moreStanley Jason Zappa's Epic Gig Trek
by Chris Rich
During the second week of June, saxophonist Stanley Jason Zappa undertook a fairly demanding performance trek with two colleagues, saxophonist Catherine Sikora and percussionist Nick Skrowaczewski. It began in the Okanagan wine region of southwestern British Columbia and concluded at the Casse Tete Festival at the inland city of Prince George, around 500 miles to the north. It was held at The Exploration Place between June 13th and 15th. Zappa provided a sense of the venue ...
read moreThe Barley Pub: New Hampshire's Jazz Epicenter
by Chris Rich
The rock club era was some strange evolutionary fail done in by its bombast and bloat.Jazz still suffers from the fern bar model, a hangover from disco days and proto yuppies with combo's pumping standards to fuel brunch and drinks gluttony or provide that perfect ambiance for conspicuous consumption evenings on the town.Beyond such pretensions, a restoration rises, the brew pub tavern with sturdy yeoman food elevated just a touch to make an experience of it.
read moreJacob William Quartet: Secondary Deviations
by Chris Rich
Jacob William made his way to the Boston area from Chennai, India. He made the music school rounds well after formative years in the homeland among his peers there. He cites reed multi- instrumentalist Anthony Braxton as an important mentor and makes a fabric of community in Boston over the course of his sojourns through Wesleyan, Berklee and New England Conservatory.He is now extending his participation in higher education with positions at Bridgewater State University and University of ...
read moreTaylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Apparent Distance
by Chris Rich
Taylor Ho Bynum SextetApparent DistanceFirehouse 122011 Taylor Ho Bynum cuts to a cornet's chase with his declaration of intent, in the liner notes to Apparent Distance, a 2010 New Jazz Works commission grant from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation:“My goal," he writes, “is not just to blur the lines between composition and improvisation (a long-time pursuit), but to try to upend the listeners' expectations in other ...
read moreWebsite Design Tips From Max Micheliov
by Chris Rich
Max Micheliov sent this to me last week and it is so well done I had to share it. Designing Websites for Musicians We are going to talk about some purely artistic aspects of building websites specifically for musicians. The article is intended for a wide audience interested in the subject. Hopefully this will help to avoid some of the most common mistakes. Musicians will find useful hints allowing them to make a conscious decision when ...
read moreWhat To Do About Music Piracy
by Chris Rich
My examination of music piracy has been quite an eye opener. The online theft of what is generally called Intellectual Property has gotten to the point of triggering backlash which began in November, 2010, when the Department of Homeland Security began to implement significant legal actions against a motley of online sites and counterfeit goods vendors. The whole problem is exacerbated by safe harbor rulings dating back to the waning days of the Clinton administration, ...
read moreA Guide to Guides: A Look at Musical Instrument Stores
by Chris Rich
I like to research stuff and make useful things with All About Jazz's data. Since mid summer, I've been puttering around with the Musical Instrument Store guide. I have a fairly simple bush method. I type a search like “Musical Instrument Stores New York City" and then use the Google Map entry for the best array of data.From there, I just run through whatever comes up, checking any web site URL for whatever lands in the system until ...
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