Jazz News

Undersea Cables Cut; 14 Countries Lose Web

Source: All About Jazz
December 21, 2008

Reports from the Mediterranean indicate that two of the undersea cables severed and repaired earlier this year have been cut again, disrupting internet access and phone service between the Middle East, Europe, and parts of Asia. An additional third cable is down in the same region.

The cuts are causing traffic to be re-routed through the United States and elsewhere. Egypt's communications ministry tells the Associated Press that the outage has almost completely killed internet services throughout Egypt. A second ...

Continue Reading

No Isp Filtering Under New Riaa Copyright Strategy

Source: All About Jazz
December 21, 2008

The Recording Industry Association of America on Friday announced a new strategy in its quest to curtail online copyright infringement — a plan that for now requires no filtering from internet service providers.

“There's no filtering," said RIAA spokeswoman Cara Duckworth. “We are simply passing along a notice of detection and the ISPs will forward a notice to the subscriber." Many feared the next stage in the record labels' war on file sharing would include demands that internet service providers ...

Continue Reading

Back to Roots, Ahead to the Future Pop and Jazz Best

Source: Michael Ricci
December 21, 2008

The best of this year’s rock, pop and jazz albums include releases by Metallica, Bennie Maupin, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

2. BENNIE MAUPIN Early Reflections (Cryptogramophone). The next chapter in the recent return of this saxophonist and bass clarinetist, who enlivened jazz during the 1970s with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. He’s now working with a Polish acoustic jazz trio, making patient music with open space and strong melodies.

4. RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA Kinsmen (Pi). This Indian- American jazz saxophonist ...

Continue Reading

The Best of 2008: Pop Music

Source: Michael Ricci
December 21, 2008

In pop music, undefinable moments. The genre got further fragmented, but there were standouts nonetheless.

Putting together this list, I pinged friends to ask what albums I absolutely should not have missed this year. Sixty replies quickly poured in. Only one release -- the big rock mountain “Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -- was mentioned twice. Some picks were already in my best-of pile; many haunted my get-to-it list. Others I hadn't heard, or even ...

Continue Reading

Warner Music Videos Removed from Youtube

Source: Michael Ricci
December 21, 2008

Negotiations over licensing fees stall. Warner Music Group's videos began disappearing from YouTube this weekend, the casualty of a contract impasse between the music company and the Internet's dominant video site.

Negotiations broke down last week over licensing fees for Warner's music and videos, say people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly. On its blog, YouTube alerted its audience to the collapse in talks, noting that professionally produced music videos and those that ...

Continue Reading

Robert Mulligan Directed 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
December 21, 2008

Robert Mulligan, who was nominated for an Academy Award for directing the 1962 film classic To Kill a Mockingbird, died Saturday at his home in Lyme, Conn. He was 83. Mulligan had heart disease, his nephew Robert Rosenthal said.

The director began working in live television in New York in the early 1950s and won an Emmy Award for the TV movie The Moon and Sixpence in 1960. His first film, Fear Strikes Out, was released in 1957 and told ...

Continue Reading

Denis Diblasio Quartet at Jazz in the Wood

Source: All About Jazz
December 21, 2008

Appearing at the Jazz in the Wood concert series in Collingswood, NJ, will be saxophonist Denis DiBlasio and his band on Thursday January 8, 2009, at the Collingswood Community Center, 30 Collings Avenue, Collingswood, NJ. Admission: $10/$5 for students. One show. 7:30-9PM Free sodas. BYOB. For info: 856-858-8914 Appearing with him will be: Guitarist Brian Betz, bassist Steve Varner, and drummer Jim Miller Denis DiBlasio served as the musical director for the legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson for five years. During ...

Continue Reading

New Album Prologue Available!

Source: All About Jazz
December 21, 2008

Continue Reading