Soundcloud and Jazzanova are hosting a remix contest right now for their song "I Can See", the deadline is monday December, 15th, 2008. The contest seems to be open to anyone, regardless of their location in the world. The good thing about this contest is that Jazzanova has listed all of the individual tracks/stems for download! Regardless of whether you want to remix the track or not this is a good opportunity to see how this track was put together. Check it out for yourself at the link above, The directions are in English and German.
Alluding to "Search for New Land" as I had in my last post, I thought this would be a good moment to make a post about Mr. Lee Morgan. a brilliant musician who was unfortunately shot down in his prime (literally).
Here are a few clips
I Remember Clifford (live in 1958 with the Jazz Messengers)
Now the next few videos were taped literally in the days before his death.
"Angela" Live In NYC in 1972
"I Remember Britt" Live in NYC in 1972
I can remember, the first album I heard by Lee Morgan was "the sidewinder" when I was a 12 years old. My uncle had played it over and over again, along with Freddie Hubbard's Hub Tones. As a kid I didn't know what to make of it, My primary exposure to Jazz came through this uncle. I used to accompany him to his job as when I was a kid and he'd play Miles, Stan Turrentine, Shirely Scott etc. We'd drive down the Henry Hudson, onto the West Side highway and he'd be telling me what to listen for and stuff and who he thought was garbage (lol). Those are some memories that i'll never forget, Thanks Lee.
R.I.P July 10th 1938 - February 16th 1972
and now for a little extra, Here's a Bill Evans video + Mp3 of the original recording
Bill Evans - Re: Person I Knew
Bill Evans Trio - Re: Person I knew (Moonbeams, 1962, Riverside)
The Players on the Mp3 and as well as the recording for that album (Moonbeams) are -
Bill Evans - Piano Chuck Israels - Bass Paul Motian - Drums
Soundtracks/Playlist Large Pro - The Hardest ft. Styles P & AZ
Group Home - Up Against Tha Wall (Getaway Car Mix)
Tony Allen - Progress
Andrew Hill - New Monastery - Alternate Take
I know, its been a minute since I've had the time to update the blog (hence the longer playlist!). I've just been bogged down by time and a few other things as of late. There's ALOT of things on my mind, one of them being my birthday. I turn 25 years old this upcoming sunday, I don't know whether to be excited about that or start biting my fingernails. Its a big milestone, at least for me to have actually made it this far in life. I'm not exactly sure what i'll do, If I don't end up working on music i'll probably go fishing somewhere on the Hudson.
I have a few things/stories I want to write that have happened in my life since my last post. At the immediate moment I don't have to the time to write them with the detail that I would like to, but I will in part 2 of this post.
Have you ever felt like you've always had the answer to every question or situation that has come up in your life? most likely not (and thats a good thing). Though something weird happened to me this morning; I woke up listening to the highway by my house and it seemed as if every question I ever had in the past 3 years was answered. It was a little weird finding this epiphany as it bounced back in forth between the wheels of tractor trailers, but at the same time it was entirely affirming. Those wheels that moved the trucks I heard were leading them to destinations that were already mapped out. I had thought to myself "how many times have those wheels turned just to get to their destination?", and then I had thought about where my own footsteps had been leading me for the past few years. When I think about it, sometimes It feels like I've been running on a hamster wheel while trying my best to avoid disappointments.
Whatever disappointment I came to in the last few years was entirely my fault. Although at the same time I couldn't have gotten to where I am at the moment if I didn't evaluate my missteps. Sometimes your just moving too fast and don't realize how many times you've been walking in circles until you lift your head up and pay attention to the street signs. As I sat in my bed I thought about those tires running around and around, living a life of meditation sailing over asphalt. At that moment I got up and closed my windows because those tires where meditating a little too hard, and my room was starting to smell like I left a jar of rubber cement open. I had lingered by my window for a little bit and watched the cars go back and forth, forth and back. They had this rhythm that reminded of when someone is first learning how to talk, or play an instrument. That rhythm where you hear the potential of what lies in the future but still find yourself grounded in the development of the present. It was then when I heard my answers hitchhiking beneath these vehicles riding where no one could see them. I've had them all along I just had to realize it.
In terms of Music, I've been very productive as of late. I find that as long as your remain a student of life, your craft will flourish and often surprise you unexpectedly. I've began to work on a new project that is still in the preliminary stages; I've been working with a few skeletons and rough drafts and everything is coming along at the right pace. This is somewhat of a departure from the last mixtape I put out (Speak Like A Child). A portion of the compositions that I'm working on are being done from scratch (without samples). I have a few things that i'm also committed to outside of music at the moment, but everything seems to be falling right into place.
"this day promises to be this day" - Saul Williams
