Fire House 12
Posted on July 21, 2008
It’s been a little bit since I’ve posted anything so I thought I would fill you in on what we have been up to. Nick and I followed Robert O’Haire from straw2gold to film Bill Dixon record his new album at Firehouse 12 with the likes of Taylor Ho Bynum, Stephen Haynes, Graham Haynes, Rob Mazurek/cornets, trumpet, flugelhorns; Michel Côté/contrabass clarinet; Glynis Loman/cello; Ken Filiano/bass; Warren Smith/drums and percussion. Have a look at some pictures I took.
It was the first time I ever wandered the streets of New Haven and I have to say the concrete wood look is a strange variant of the New England architecture I grew up with. My people are big fans of the brick you see, and we never had a reason to build anything taller than 4 stories. The aesthetics of the studio where they recorded however, were of a much higher caliber. It was as if the whole Fire House had been designed as a functional art piece that incorporates every room yet serves as the supporting mechanism to segregate sound. Not to forget there is a dynamite bar downstairs.
Dr. Bob has me chopping away, and I’m glad to report we will have a nice piece to include with the upcoming album. As soon as I have a piece to share, you can find it right here.
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Filed Under film, jazz, straw2gold, Bill Dixon, Taylor Ho Bynum | Leave a Comment
What’s Doctor Bob up to?
Posted on June 10, 2008
Checking out the Steve Swell Trio.
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Filed Under film, music, jazz, straw2gold | Leave a Comment
Jazz and Film
Posted on April 19, 2008
Jazz and film were lovers, because they were growing through a lot of the same experiences. Jazz had trouble making friends in gym class, and Film lacked a sense of family history. The country itself was an accordion pulsating from puritanism to Id-tastic anarchy like a pubescent teenager on a field trip to the Hershey’s Factory.
A lot of folks picture Armstrong smiling on that big screen, or others might imagine the long flowing hair of Rippington’s finest Yanni playing on daytime talk television, but for me it was Gene Kruppa who gave an animated face to the music. He had already managed to push the drum set to the forefront of the big band, but he continued to contribute to the genre with his physical performance and overt expression. He did no less in Great Ball of Fire.
The movie follows a number of lexicographers finishing up their historic volume of encyclopedias, but after a trip to the speak easy they find that they have far from completed their project. At one point Gene steps away from his kit, and leads a chorus of drum boogie with a single matchbook.
Fantastic.
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Now Gene was something else, but far as cool factors, Cab Calloway has no match. Not even the Bill Cosby shuffle or the Fred Astaire anything holds a candle to the Calloway stroll. Just as incredible, Max Fleischer was able to catch that flow in perfect step.
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