The Good Musician

The last time I heard Mose Allison live was at the Continental Club in ‘85 or so. I discovered Mose at college in ‘63, and the first time I heard him on 33-1/3 vinyl I could have sworn he was black. I was astonished when my friend showed me the cover. As I listened more closely, I was amazed at his unusual piano style, a fusion of jazz and blues. He hums and grunts along with his piano solos, kinda like Glenn Gould does in his definitive Bach recordings.
It’s a distinctive style that no one has been able to …read more

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James and Gus photo by John Katz. Used with Gus’ permission.
The Good Musician interview with Dallas-based composer and sound designer, James Neel, principal of James Neel Music House. James is the very definition of “a musician’s musician.” And he’s been doing it for a long time. Maybe this interview will stir up some of the old gang to comment, hint, hint.
1. Who is your greatest unsung influence (as opposed to favorite famous composer/performer)?
Richard King Hamilton – now living in Los Angeles (incredible musician – all world). When I was a junior in high school, he showed me …read more

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Image details: Mendelssohn served by picapp.com
Neighboring Georgetown is building a nationally recognized mega-festival of the arts. The Georgetown Festival of the Arts is an exemplar of community involvement producing a highly educational, thoroughly interactive, fun place to be for all ages. Kids can explore an instrumental petting zoo, learn the history of the dulcimer, and play along during a performance. Art in the Park ran May 31-June 1, and featured two days of fine arts shows and sales in the lovely San Gabriel Park. Georgetown even has it’s own Festival Pyrotechnician.
This coming weekend, June 5-8 is all about Mendelssohn in …read more

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Our good friend Lara at Crooner Culture is kicking off the festivities leading up to her first birthday at b5media with a contest to give away a $25 iTunes gift certificate. Should you prefer, she’ll make it an amazon.com certificate–either way, you can pick up some tunes you’ve been waiting to get.
The very modest rules to get your gift certificate are in Lara’s announcement. While you’re there, check out her post on Hairstyles of the ‘40′s. There’s even a tutorial on how to style an authentic hairdo just like the fabulous Andrews Sisters.

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Phoebe Snow is one of my favorite female vocalists. Her voluptuous voice wraps around cool licks and quirky lyrics. Snow’s “Poetry Man” was recently re-recorded by Queen Latifah. Probably the only contemporary singer who could live up to Snow’s musicianship.
Snow has returned to singing after a hiatus of some years, choosing to care for her daughter Valerie, who was born with severe brain damage. Her voice is older, wiser, with a touch of sadness that wasn’t there in the ’70’s, but she still has that quality of taking you places you’ve never been, painting sound pictures in your mind…
Phoebe’s MySpace …read more

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Austin songstress Libby Kirkpatrick is playing at the Ruta Maya coffeehouse this Thursday, May 15. Along with Kirkpatrick, Michael Shay (and the Just Desserts), Mark Utter, David Rothgeb, Geoff Union, and a talent show kick off at 9 p.m. as a benefit for Jim O’Brien.
Come early for a new Environmental Film Series, 6-9 pm, hosted by Texas Clean Water Action and CLEAN (Citizens League for Environmental Action Now). Each screening starts the Austin way, with music from local singer-songwriters, and is followed by a panel discussion with time for audience participation. Opportunities to take action on environmental issues is …read more

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Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald represent the ultimate in jazz. These two icons had a long career that impacted several generations of musicians. Every Good Musician library should have pretty much their entire discography.

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