Music Industry News

Back Stage Pass with Sinatra

Source: All About Jazz
September 21, 2008

In May 1998, one of the greatest singers of the Twentieth Century, Frank Sinatra, passed away. In tribute to Frank Sinatra, we thought it would be fitting to offer up remembrances of the singer, by some of the people who knew and worked with him.

Murray Garrett is one such person. A professional photographer, Mr Garrett first met Frank Sinatra in the mid 1940's in New York City. He photographed Sinatra at charity events, recording sessions, radio and ...

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Frank Zappa's Widow Protects His Legacy

Source: Michael Ricci
September 21, 2008

For Gail Zappa, that means making sure that her late husband 'has the last word in terms of anybody's idea of who he is. And his actual last word is his music.'

WHOEVER devised the slipknot contract clause “into perpetuity" hadn't conceived a Gail Zappa. She's made it her job to parse the music industry's dense legalese, close contractual loopholes and, most significantly, end what she sees as its iron grip on an artist's past, present and future.

Let me ...

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How Companies Pay Artists to Include Brands in Lyrics

Source: All About Jazz
September 21, 2008

Yes, you read that right: things have gotten so weird in the music business that high-profile acts are inserting ads into their song lyrics.

The next time you hear a brand mentioned in a song, it could be due to a paid product placement. And unlike magazines, songs are not required to point out which words are part of an advertisement.

Songs that refer to products and brands have been with us for years, from Simon and Garfunkel singing “Mama ...

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"Peanuts" Whalum Featured in Cincinnati Enquirer

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
September 21, 2008

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Natalie Cole Hospitalized, Postpones Concert Tour

Source: Michael Ricci
September 20, 2008

Singer Natalie Cole, whos been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

The combination of the treatment shes been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll. Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then shell be on a month of bed rest. Cole's publicist Maureen OConnor.

She said this ...

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Blink-182 Drummer and DJ AM Critically Burned in Jet Crash That Kills 4

Source: All About Jazz
September 20, 2008

Mayor: 'It's Absolutely Terrible And Tragic'

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash in South Carolina that killed four people, authorities said Saturday.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane carrying six people was departing shortly before midnight Friday when air traffic controllers reporting seeing sparks. The plane headed for Van Nuys, Calif., went off a runway, through a fence and crashed on a nearby ...

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Brasstronaut Binds Kindred Sonic Spirits

Source: All About Jazz
September 19, 2008

The quartet’s conservatory-trained members aren’t too hifalutin to enjoy a bit of lowbrow humour Judging by the lumbering melodies and delicate instrumentation on Brasstronaut’s one would expect the Vancouver jazz quartet to engage the Straight in a sophisticated conversation about the classical tradition—or something equally as hifalutin—when we gather on the upscale patio of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s caf. The fact that the group’s vocalist and pianist, Edo Van Breemen, whips out a hilarious impersonation of Sloth, the lovable man-ogre ...

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5 Latin Jazz Guitarists Making a Contribution to the Scene

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
September 19, 2008

The guitar and its close relatives play an essential role throughout the Latin music world. Traditional Peruvian music places the guitar as its primary harmonic instrument. The Brazilian bossa nova found its heartbeat in the guitar, combining lush harmonies and laid-back rhythms. The Cuban tres drives tipico son conjuntos and Nuevo Trova reflects the American image of a singer-songwriter with a guitar. Spanish music is forever linked to the virtuosic stylings of flamenco guitar. The ten stringed Bolivian charango provides ...

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