Tagged “jazz”

Love Matt Wilde’s music and his new LP Hello World is even better than expected. Beautiful laid-back and understated vibe from start to finish. Lovely artwork too.

Cheers also to Band on the Wall recordings for the surprise tote bag!

I’ve been listening to lots of jazz of late and loved seeing Herbie Hancock live in August 22.

So I thought I’d explore further and listen to the audio recording of Herbie’s autobiography Possibilities, narrated by the great man himself.

I really enjoyed it. Herbie’s story is really interesting and entertaining. He’s been at the forefront of so many iconic scenes – from playing in Miles Davis’s band, to writing many classics of his own, to breaking new ground with his Mwandishi sextet and the Headhunters.

I love his carefree and curious spirit and his willingness to experiment with technology (from the fender Rhodes, to other synths, to the internet) and take risks in other aspects of life.

What a talent and what a guy!

Went to see BadBadNotGood with Marty, Jenni and Zippy last night, and they were fantastic.

We braved -7° conditions to meet at Tennent’s Bar on Byres Rd where we watched Argentia beat Croatia in the World Cup semi-final. Then onto the QMU, which provided a real nostalgia hit – I think the last time we were there was to see Roni Size and Reprazent in the Brown Paper Bag era.

We wangled a standing position on the balcony which was ideal as we could see the band, the visuals (lovely 16mm and 35mm film projections created specially for the music) and generally hear things much better. Each band member – drummer, bassist, saxophonist and keyboard player – are outstanding musicians, and together they’re incredibly tight. Led by drummer Alex Sowinski’s good vibes on the mic, they finished off their tour hitting all the right notes to send us into Christmas on a high.

Last thing to mention is I have BadBadNotGood to thank for introducing me to the music of Arthur Verocai, via his amazing string arrangements on Talk Memory. And for that I’m very thankful!

Just had a memorable experience with Jason and Tom catching Herbie Hancock at the Edinburgh Festival. At 82 years old he still has amazing energy and capped his performance with a tour of the stage playing his keytar followed by a scissor jump!

Herbie’s piano playing was mesmerising – the solos really took me to another place and if this is how he plays in his eighties I can only imagine how good his gigs were in his prime. I also loved his warm anecdotes, including one about his friend Wayne Shorter just before treating us to a rendition of Footprints.

Other highlights included Cantaloupe Island, the mindbending Actual Proof and hearing guitarist Lionel Louke coax sounds from a guitar that you wouldn’t think possible.

The story behind Blue Note Records, founded in New York in 1939 by two German Jewish refugees who allowed their musicians complete artistic freedom, revolutionising jazz in the process.

A great watch with a fantastic back story, great interviews and amazing music including this from Art Blakey: