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News: Music Industry

Gigswiz Officially Lands in U.S. [launch]

February 17, 2011

This post is by Ryan Van Etten (@ryanve), Editor/Producer of VirtualMusic.tv. GigsWiz officially launches in the U.S. today. Members of the team will be sharing details about the service with an announcement at NMS in Los Angeles today. Last week I had the chance to talk on Skype with Joonas Pekkanen, one of the three co-founders. ...

News: Music Industry

Rhapsody CEO Blasts Apple: New App Store Terms "Economically Untenable"

February 17, 2011

After Apple announced new 30% commission rates that, as Kyle Bylin wrote, could kill subscription music, I wondered who would risk Apple's legendary rath and speak up. Yesterday, John Erwin, the President of Rhapsody, America's biggest subscription music service with 750,000 subscribers, weighed in bravely calling Apple's new app store terms “economically untenable" and hinting at ...

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News: Video / DVD

"Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday's Ugly Song

February 17, 2011

Written by a Jewish communist called Abel Meeropol, Strange Fruit was not by any means the first protest song, but it was the first to shoulder an explicit political message into the arena of entertainment. Unlike the robust workers' anthems of the union movement, it did not stir the blood; it chilled it. “That is about ...

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News: Recording

Unsigned Treasures: Melissa Engleman - At the Hotel Cafe (2010)

February 17, 2011

By Nick DeRiso Austin-based singer-songwriter Melissa Engleman explores life with a tough vulnerability on the urban folk set At the Hotel Café, often displaying a fortitude so quiet as to deceive. She gets knocked to the ground, while brilliantly fusing alt-country, singer-songwriter folk and whispers of blues, but notice that she never hints at staying down. ...

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News: Recording

One Track Mind: Buffalo Springfield, "Mr. Soul" (1967)

February 17, 2011

By Nick DeRiso Was thinking about the aptly titled Buffalo Springfield Again, and this brilliant grungy mess, after hearing news that the band would reform for a tour later in the year. Recorded in 1967 for the second of what would be a brief three-album tenure for Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young's “Mr. Soul" builds off the ...

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News: Recording

Brad Shepik Quartet - Across the Way (Songlines, 2011)

February 17, 2011

Guitarist Brad Shepik takes an intimate, chamberish approach on his new album, in collaboration with Tom Beckham on vibraphone, Jorge Roeder on bass and Mark Guiliana on drums. The sound of the vibraphone and subtly amplified guitar is compelling and mysterious (remember the great tracks Grant Green recorded with Bobby Hutcherson?) and blends well with the ...

News: Recording

Rediscovery: Stony Island

February 17, 2011

This little-known and even less seen film is about a bunch of poor kids from Chicago's roughest neighborhoods trying to make it as musicians. Sure, this 1978 film suggests any number of more successful films that followed, notably both the Alan Parker films Fame (1980) and The Commitments (1991). But for some reason the world wasn't ...

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News: Interview

Brad Mehldau - The Art of Solo Piano

February 17, 2011

Virtuosic pianist Brad Melhdau first made his mark in the jazz world in 1995 with his debut recording Introducing Brad Mehldau and then in the classical arena in 2006 with his release Love Sublime with vocalist Renee Fleming. Mehldau is a dazzling and brilliant player who maintains one of the finest trios in all of jazz. ...

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News: Video / DVD

Herb Alpert Unplugged

February 17, 2011

CBS Sunday Morning ran a great profile with legendary trumpeter and music mogul Herb Alpert where he talks about his early inspirations, success as an instrumentalist, his artwork and the importance of giving back. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. Also coming soon is Jazz Online's special podcast episode where Herb talks ...

News: Recording

Gary Burton's Vibe

February 17, 2011

I met with the legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton last night to put together a video piece on his upcoming Mack Ave recording Common Ground. From what I heard this looks to be a truly great album and showcases Gary's newly formed quartet featuring Julian Lage (guitar), Scott Colley (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums). While we were ...