Interview News

Latin Jazz Conversations: Zaccai Curtis (Part 4)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
August 1, 2010

All musicians carry strong influences during their early development; the way that they build upon those influences and eventually move away from them defines their artistic personality. Young musicians generally drown themselves in their influences during their developmental years, soaking in every possible lesson from each recording. There's a period where the musicians emulates their influences as closely as possible; the length of this stage depends of the musician's desire to define themselves. A driven young musician will realize the ...

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An Artist's Perspective on uPlaya: Part Two

Source: We All Make Music
August 1, 2010

Yesterday we ran the beginning of a rather long interview we did with the Block Scholars' David Bell about uPlaya, to offer a perspective that differed from its founder, David Meredith.

Part two is after the jump.

Because a computer algorithm determines your uPlaya score, do you think it's even more objective than getting the opinion of another music professional, maybe someone you don't even know, don't have a relationship with? It will certainly never replace the human ear. ...

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Latin Jazz Conversations: Zaccai Curtis (Part 3)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
August 1, 2010

For many jazz musicians, a move to New York represents many things, but all in every way, it symbolizes a step into the center of the jazz world. Vibrant jazz scenes exist across the country and each one produces a significant amount of creative energy that pushes the music into the next era. Musicians dedicate their lives to jazz communities across the country, doing important work that in many ways equals the artistic output of New York's jazz scene. Still, ...

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An Artist's Perspective on uPlaya: Part One

Source: We All Make Music
August 1, 2010

This week's interview with uPlaya's CEO David Meredith put forth a pretty convincing argument as to why the company's hit song science can help musicians. But while Mr. Meredith made a number of great points, skeptical musicians might be better convinced by one of their own.

To that end, I spoke at length with David Bell about his experience using uPlaya. Bell (a.k.a. Slimdog) is the founder of Slimdog Productions and part of the hip-hop group The Block Scholars. He ...

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Interview: Aaron Ray, Partner at the Collective PT. 1

Source: HypeBot
August 1, 2010

Recently, I spoke with Aaron Ray who is a Partner at The Collective, Head of New Media. He is currently overseeing all digital initiatives and running all strategies, assets and communities worldwide for artists such as Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Enrique Iglesias, Big Boi, Staind, and Slash. In this particular interview, we will be focusing on his involvement in recent happenings with Linkin Park and Ray's insights into the evolution of the project.

(Read Part Two)

In their up-and-coming album, ...

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Interview: Gary Burton (Part 4)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 1, 2010

Gary Burton remained with the Stan Getz Quartet for three years, from 1964 to 1966. Even after the group's sound gelled, Getz was an emotional handful for Gary. Off stage, Gary went out of his way to avoid triggering the saxophonist's dark side. After Gary left Getz in 1967, he formed his own quartet and prepared to record an album unlike any other previously released. The concept was a jazz album that incorporated elements of rock--a radical concept in April 1967. ...

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Latin Jazz Conversations: Zaccai Curtis (Part 2)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
August 1, 2010

Today's crop of young artists are creating music in a very different world than the one occupied by an older generation. The popular music that surrounds them often lowers the bar in terms of musicality, and many people from their generation simply don't value artistry at a high level. They buck the popular consensus though and learn about music in a much different fashion than their elders, spending years piling through musical details at colleges and universities. The schoolroom presents ...

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Pianist Jessica Williams Interviewed at AAJ...and More!

Source: John Kelman
August 2, 2010

Pianist Jessica Williams begins a free-wheeling and fascinating conversation with a fan by thanking him for the kind words he has spoken about her music. Then she adds: “But you don't always have to say kind words, you know, as long as you always say the truth."

It's advice that is very much in character with the artist who has, in the past few years, been on a quest for musical truths, as well as for peace and love, the ...

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