Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
R.I.P. James Moody
James Moody passed away yesterday.
He was an INCREDIBLE jazz musician.
Now, I'm not going to write anything - I'm going to post something my friend, and great jazz pianist Joe Alterman wrote on his blog. Play the video - and then keep reading..
Joe's a great writer with great stories. Here's what he said:
One of my heroes, jazz legend James Moody passed away earlier today. Besides being one of the warmest and kindest people I've ever met, he was also one of the wisest.
I wanted to share with you what he said to me when, as an intern at the Blue Note Jazz Club, I had the chance to interview Moody for a video we were making. We asked him if there was a moment in his life when he knew that he wanted to be a jazz musician.
"No," he said. "I was born that way. I always wanted to be a musician as far as I know. And, when I was coming up there weren’t that many [records]…there was one record like every six months or year. Now, there’s a record every five minutes or something, you know…
"My thing is listening to other musicians and trying to be better than I am tomorrow than I am today. And I would like to advise the younger musicians to stay with what they’re doing, to have good teachers, study, and don’t be in competition with anyone else except yourself. Because -like my goal in life is to play better tomorrow than I did today- if you put yourself in competition with everyone else, you’ll be in for trouble. Because I don’t care who you are, where you are, there’s always someone that’s a little more enlightened than you are. Always. And maybe not one, two, or three, but many…Just try to enlighten yourself. Don’t be [saying], ‘Well I want to be the top man,’ you know. Because you might be for a second, but there’s always someone climbing behind you.
Like Satchel Paige; you remember him? He said that he never did look back because you never know what’s gaining on you. So…
"And," in that classic Moody Donald Duck voice..."Pwatice, pwactice, pwactice!"
The last time I saw Moody was this past January, at the National Endowment For The Arts Jazz Masters Award Ceremony, where I was helping out.
Moody was talking with me and some friends when the legendary Gerald Wilson came over to join the conversation. After a minute of Moody and Wilson reminiscing, Moody asked us how old we all were. Then he asked me.
“21,” I said.
Then he looked at Gerald Wilson. “How old are you?”
“92,” Wilson replied.
Then Moody looked me in the eyes and said, “Boy, you may be 21 today but you’ll be 92 tomorrow. Make it count.”
I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
I've thought about it many times since and many, many times today since hearing of his passing. I was playing a gig earlier this afternoon when a friend called "I'm In The Mood For Love," Moody's signature song. It was the second tune in our set, a set which started promptly at 4PM. Therefore, we must have been into our second tune, "I'm In The Mood For Love," no later than 4:05. We played "I'm In The Mood For Love" for at least five minutes.
A few hours later, I came home and found out about Moody's death through an online article. The article said that he died at 1:07PM, west coast time. It took me a minute to put two and two together, but when I did, a chill ran up my spine...because, after all, 1:07 on the west coast is 4:07 on the east coast...We must have been mid-song.
To one of my favorite people, the ever-inspiring James Moody - you certainly made it count!
(A well-wisher on Moody's facebook page wrote something tonight that really struck me. He, working at the Blue Note many years ago, confessed to having smoked weed with Dizzy Gillespie on the roof of the club. While on the roof, the man asked Dizzy how much he missed his friend Charlie Parker. Dizzy responded simply that he'll miss his friend Moody even more. A video of the two has been posted on Moody's website. The caption above it says: "Moody and Dizzy - Together Again!")
I wanted to share with you what he said to me when, as an intern at the Blue Note Jazz Club, I had the chance to interview Moody for a video we were making. We asked him if there was a moment in his life when he knew that he wanted to be a jazz musician.
"No," he said. "I was born that way. I always wanted to be a musician as far as I know. And, when I was coming up there weren’t that many [records]…there was one record like every six months or year. Now, there’s a record every five minutes or something, you know…
"My thing is listening to other musicians and trying to be better than I am tomorrow than I am today. And I would like to advise the younger musicians to stay with what they’re doing, to have good teachers, study, and don’t be in competition with anyone else except yourself. Because -like my goal in life is to play better tomorrow than I did today- if you put yourself in competition with everyone else, you’ll be in for trouble. Because I don’t care who you are, where you are, there’s always someone that’s a little more enlightened than you are. Always. And maybe not one, two, or three, but many…Just try to enlighten yourself. Don’t be [saying], ‘Well I want to be the top man,’ you know. Because you might be for a second, but there’s always someone climbing behind you.
Like Satchel Paige; you remember him? He said that he never did look back because you never know what’s gaining on you. So…
"And," in that classic Moody Donald Duck voice..."Pwatice, pwactice, pwactice!"
The last time I saw Moody was this past January, at the National Endowment For The Arts Jazz Masters Award Ceremony, where I was helping out.
Moody was talking with me and some friends when the legendary Gerald Wilson came over to join the conversation. After a minute of Moody and Wilson reminiscing, Moody asked us how old we all were. Then he asked me.
“21,” I said.
Then he looked at Gerald Wilson. “How old are you?”
“92,” Wilson replied.
Then Moody looked me in the eyes and said, “Boy, you may be 21 today but you’ll be 92 tomorrow. Make it count.”
I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
I've thought about it many times since and many, many times today since hearing of his passing. I was playing a gig earlier this afternoon when a friend called "I'm In The Mood For Love," Moody's signature song. It was the second tune in our set, a set which started promptly at 4PM. Therefore, we must have been into our second tune, "I'm In The Mood For Love," no later than 4:05. We played "I'm In The Mood For Love" for at least five minutes.
A few hours later, I came home and found out about Moody's death through an online article. The article said that he died at 1:07PM, west coast time. It took me a minute to put two and two together, but when I did, a chill ran up my spine...because, after all, 1:07 on the west coast is 4:07 on the east coast...We must have been mid-song.
To one of my favorite people, the ever-inspiring James Moody - you certainly made it count!
(A well-wisher on Moody's facebook page wrote something tonight that really struck me. He, working at the Blue Note many years ago, confessed to having smoked weed with Dizzy Gillespie on the roof of the club. While on the roof, the man asked Dizzy how much he missed his friend Charlie Parker. Dizzy responded simply that he'll miss his friend Moody even more. A video of the two has been posted on Moody's website. The caption above it says: "Moody and Dizzy - Together Again!")
Shugo Tokumaru
Shugo Tokumaru is really incredible. There are not many people who are as consistently wildly original as he is.
He's a talented young Japanese musician who's fourth cd comes out in the US in February. You can preview it here, and you can watch an incredible performance of one of his new songs below.
He's a talented young Japanese musician who's fourth cd comes out in the US in February. You can preview it here, and you can watch an incredible performance of one of his new songs below.
First - this is one of the most beautiful music videos ever made...
And here is an INCREDIBLE new song (skip to about 1:25)..
Go learn Japanese and buy his CDs
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Onda Vaga
Onda Vaga is an awesome band from Argentina.
They were featured on this great blog La Blogotheque in a Take Away Show, which is like these beautiful videos of musicians playing their songs as they wander around.
Check this one out..
Take Away Show #113 _ ONDA VAGA _ part 2 from Vincent Moon / petites planetes on Vimeo.
I recommend watching the other ones - they're all great
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Tallest Man On Earth
aka Kristian Matsson - the up and coming Swedish singer/songwriter just put out a new EP: Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird.
His album The Wild Hunt was one of my favorites from 2010.
Check this song -
The Tallest Man On Earth - Thrown Right At Me
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Fairuz
I found out about Fairuz in my Arabic class - she's a famous Lebanese singer who popularized arabicized jazz in Beirut in the 50's.
This song is called: I Love You In The Summer
This song is called: I Believe
This is what she is saying...
I believe that behind the beads Allowadat boasts gardens
I believe that behind the night above the waves Alati SE
I believe that the heart is placed into mourning deliver compassion ... Full of faith
I believe that behind the cyclone winds lips reciting prayers
I believe that the universe locked in silence to listen to me
I am yearning for my eyes as the sky cleared the lights above tunes ... Full of faith
I believe that behind the night above the waves Alati SE
I believe that the heart is placed into mourning deliver compassion ... Full of faith
I believe that behind the cyclone winds lips reciting prayers
I believe that the universe locked in silence to listen to me
I am yearning for my eyes as the sky cleared the lights above tunes ... Full of faith
How beautiful!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Mina
Mina was super popular in the 60's in Italy.
She is super beautiful - and the video is incredible. It is simple and subtle. But my favorite thing is what Mina does with her hands - and that little kiss at the end is magic.
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