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How to build your own phonograph
My friend AC pointed out this cool link, on how to build your own phonograph (click here). Sounds like a good project for those science buffs out there.
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Free Online Book – Digital Sound Processing
My friend Sigal pointed me to a very good (but very technical) free online book on the topic of digital sound processing (click here). It explains (in very technical terms) such things as how the human ear works, and how humans are able to tell the direction that a sound originates from (i.e. “Spatial Sound…
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New Composition: Piece of Quiet
I just composed a new song which I call “Piece of Quiet”. You can listen to my solo piano version of it here. It’s repetitive and soft like a lullaby, but it has some cool harmonic elements going on. Rather jokingly I will say that if you are a producer and would like to make…
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Flash Animation – John Coltrane’s Giant Steps
Geof just emailed me a link to an amazing Flash animation that goes along with Coltrane’s famous Giant Steps solo (click here). When I was playing saxophone I attempted to transcribe that entire famous solo and play it note-for-note, but I only managed to transcribe the first 30 seconds of it (that took several weeks)…
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Article on Madeleine Peyroux, jazz vocalist
Oh, the power of nostalgia! Madeleine Peyroux‘s voice has been described as “smoke and whisky”, and is often compared to the late, great Billie Holiday. Says Shelly Woodworth, director at Vilar Center in Colorado, “Peyroux isn’t imitating anybody, she has her own story to tell and is proving herself to be an original interpreter and…
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Chassidic Jazz Project – combining Jewish music and jazz
Drummer Reuben Hoch leads a group called the Chassidic Jazz Project, which combines traditional Jewish music with jazz and classical influences. On their web site, Hoch describes two different audiences which can appreciate this music: Those completely at home in the world of Jewish music appreciate the group’s new perspective of classic Jewish music. On…
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The Smokes – Rock band from Vancouver
The Smokes, an indie country/rock band from Vancouver BC, have just posted three full length MP3 tracks on their web site. I saw these guys perform at the Pic pub last Friday night and they are great! (I should mention that I am now their webmaster so I may be a bit biased. But do…
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Interview with Tenor Saxophonist Houston Person
Found an interview with tenor saxophonist Houston Person, who is actually performing in Vancouver on this coming Friday and Saturday nights.
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Concert review: Steve Swell, Hamid Drake, Jemeel Moondoc
I have just witnessed one of the most spectacular live performances I have ever seen, of improvised music. The band was the New York trombonist Steve Swell’s group, with Hamid Drake on drums, Jemeel Moondoc on alto saxophone, and William Parker on bass. They gave a stunning performance at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, after…
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Saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenon
On saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenon, Branford Marsalis said, “I listen for musical intelligence. Lots of jazz musicians spend their lives studying and then trying to make music out of academics. Miguel just grabbed the music. He was able to take something intellectual and make it sound organic and natural.” Zenon, who is only 26,…