Results for "AAJ Staff"

Sonos Adds Soundcloud Support

July 11, 2014

Bop.FM's Music Access Service Reportedly Raises $2 Million Investment Round

July 11, 2014

In news that appeared on Business Insider early this morning, Bop.fm is said to be raising $2 million in funding. Bop.fm is also launching Verified Artist Pages with curated playlists from big stars. No word on what they're planning for the future but they seem to be successfully building out their early service with each new ...

Bill Evans on Video: 1965-66

July 10, 2014

My favorite years for Bill Evans were 1965 and '66. There's a maturity, elegance and confidence in his playing that reached a peak then, as well as an innocence and humility that makes the music endearing. Songs were chosen well and explored with swinging depth at each playing. Yesterday I came across three new Bill Evans ...

Jess Stacy: Swing Pianist

July 9, 2014

The swing era is widely considered to be the golden age of big bands. Which is true, but the decade also was a period of widespread jazz piano genius. Before the trumpet and saxophone became all the rage on the heels of Louis Armstrong, followed by the electric guitar, the piano was jazz's elegant superstar. The ...

Wolfgang's Vault Bringing 12,000 More Concert Videos to Youtube Channel

July 9, 2014

Wolfgang's Vault is a memorabilia and merch store that has long included streaming audio of live shows via its Concert Vault. In the spring they added Music Vault, a YouTube channel that features both full concerts and single live songs from the late 70s to today. While their website tends to focus on the late 60s ...

Elliot Lawrence: Jazz Goes B'way

July 8, 2014

If New York's jazz studio scene had a high point, it's probably 1956 and '57, just as the 12-inch LP became popular and just before stereo intruded with its odd sonics. During those two years, labels set high LP production quotas and producers were dispatched to line up numerous recording dates. With the pressure on, many ...

Lucky Thompson + Hank Jones

July 7, 2014

When jazz musicians are paired perfectly, they sound like a key sliding into a lock. To the listener, the combination is magic, especially as each plays off the other. Examples include Lester Young and Billie Holiday, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, Red Garland and Miles Davis, and Jim Hall and Paul Desmond. Add saxophonist Lucky Thompson ...

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Celebrating Louis Armstrong

July 6, 2014

As the USA celebrates Independence Day this weekend, today StLJN pays tribute to the legendary trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong, who throughout his lifetime claimed to have been born on July 4, 1900. Though researchers in the 1980s uncovered information showing that Armstrong's true date of birth was in fact August 4, 1901, the tradition of ...

Arena: Can a Free Streaming Music Service with a Unique Business Model Succeed?

July 5, 2014

When I read the short version of Arena's proposition, to give artists and rightsholders an outlandish amount of money for streaming free music with no advertising, it seemed a bit difficult to take seriously. When I looked more closely at their business plan, I recognized that the big play is to become the premier location for ...

You Need These 6 Qualities to be a Successful Musician

July 5, 2014

By Dylan Welsh from the Sonicbids Blog. The music industry has always been competitive and cutthroat at heart, and these days, income is becoming harder and harder to find. Making a little money playing music on the side isn’t so hard, but in order to turn a passion into a career, you have to want it ...