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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Bobby Matos (Part 6)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
March 26, 2011

Artists spend the lives in the creative realm of the world, overflowing with new and exciting musical ideas. In fact, they rarely spend a day in search of new ideas or possibilities. The only issue becomes reconciling their abundance of creative energy with a world that doesn't see the same possibilities. The reality of this clash can be enough to send an artist spiraling out of their creative world. The truly visionary artist that applies their creative energy to a ...

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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Bobby Matos (Part 5)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
March 25, 2011

One of the most exiting parts of being a seasoned professional is the ability to touch other people's artistic statements and make a difference. During an artist's younger days, their main focus lies upon their own personal development as a musician. While they reach their peers, their collaborations generally don't make overarching impacts. More experienced professionals have a more selfless way of sharing their abilities with their colleagues, leaving their mark upon the music without stealing the spotlight. Their influence ...

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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Bobby Matos (Part 4)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
March 24, 2011

Every musician reaches a point in their life when they simply need a change. Too much of any good thing can drive a person to boredom and an overload of the negative powers will certainly make an artist crazy. When a musician reaches this point, the need for change drives their next set of decisions. In some cases, an altered musical direction might suit the artist's needs, sparking a new set of inspired creations. A lifestyle change could be the ...

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Interview

Interview: Hal Blaine

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 23, 2011

Last week I was on assignment for the Wall Street Journal in Palm Desert, Calif. I was there to interview drummer Hal Blaine, who is probably America's greatest living rock and pop musician (you can read my article in today's edition here). If you're like me and grew up in the '60s listening to the radio, then you know Hal well—even if you don't know his name. More in a moment. Remember the scandal that broke in 1967 about the ...

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Interview

Latin Jazz Conversations: Bobby Matos (Part 3)

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
March 23, 2011

The music business presents a crazy ride for any young artist, sending them through waves of ups and downs. When an artist first ventures into the wild frontier known as the music business, all the rules and everyday procedures seem absolutely foreign. Everything must be learned, and in many cases, it must be learned the hard way. With each success comes a sideways curve that throws a new twist into the artist's journey. Rebounds follow, along with new surprises; it's ...

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Interview

Interview | Wally Shoup

Source: Ars Nova Workshop
March 22, 2011

On Wednesday, March 23, Ars Nova Workshop presents a trio performance by saxophonist Wally Shoup, violinist/electronicist C. Spencer Yeh, and percussionist Ben Hall at Fleisher/Ollman Gallery. Shoup, who is also a visual artist and writer, has worked with many leading experimental musicians, including LaDonna Smith, Evan Parker, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Nels Cline, Reuben Radding, and Chris Corsano. Based in Seattle since the 1980s, Shoup helped organize the city’s first Improvised Music Festival. An early explorer of the relationships between ...

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Interview

Duke Ellington: 1932-1940

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 22, 2011

Don't think of Duke Ellington as a bandleader. Instead, consider him in the same light as other great entrepreneurs like Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook). Ellington came up with a great new idea in the early '20s and ran his band and brand like a wildly successful business for six decades. In the process, he set high standards for jazz and changed the way the music sounded. Through the ...

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