Farewell and safe passage to a friend, a true legend. Red Holloway was a monster of a player and a really nice guy to boot.

I’ll never forget the time that he invited me to a party in Los Angeles, and introduced me to his friend Horace. Red brought me up to Horace and said “Horace, this is my friend Ken”. Horace turned out to be none other than Horace Silver. There I stood with these two legends, both treating me as though I was just one of the guys. This is the sort of guy Red was: kind, humble and unassuming.

One time, as he prepared to go on tour, he showed me a bottle of cyan pepper that he packed for the trip. He explained that he’d use it now and again on his food — to “keep things moving along”. Additionally, he explained, you could take a bit in your hand and throw it into the eyes of of a promoter if they failed to pay you after the gig!

The great guitarist Pat Martino tells a story about meeting Red, I believe in Jack McDuff’s band, for one of Pat’s first gigs. Pat stared at the charts for the gig, not knowing how to read a lick of music. Red, sitting nearby, realized Pat was having trouble — so he sat there and taught Pat all of the tunes before the gig.

Although we’ve only chatted sparingly on Facebook over the years, I’ll never forget him. My condolences go out to Sylvia, Tyler and the rest of Red’s family. Red, you will truly be missed.

There are a lot of famous chords in music: Scriabin’s Prometheus chord, Stravinsky’s Psalms or Petrushka chords, Strauss’s Elecktra chord, Wagner’s Tristan chord. In pop music, however, it can hardly be argued that the the most popular chord of all is the opening to the Beatles’ “Hard Day’s Night”;  a beautiful combination of George Harrison’s twelve-string, John Lennon’s six string and Paul McCartney’s bass. The chord is essentially an Fadd9, but it takes on more features, given John & Paul’s contributions.  There’s a lot of debate over this chord, but Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation — along with an audio sample.

I’d also like to add this really cool audio clip to the mix, courtesy of the great Lyle Workman (via Facebook). This is simply fantastic.

Enjoy!

Just found this fantastic site. This works really well if you use an RSVP reader like I do.

UPDATE: I’ve since incorporated instapaper into my online reading workflow. This has proven to be the most exquisite combination thus far. Look for a post soon about the entire workflow.

I had the distinct pleasure of attending a performance by The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma last night. This was a magical evening, as the music of this ensemble was comprised of works by modern composers, as well a piece written in the year 900 – found in a Buddhist monk cave in Mongolia. The musicians were exceptional, providing a transcendental pastiche of sound and rhythm that you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. The effect of multiculturalism on music is in full flight here, as you experience textures comprised of instruments you don’t often find in the same context. This really is a wonderful concept that I wasn’t hip to previously. Check them out if you get a chance. Amazing.

What made this night even more amazing was that it was a first date with someone I’ve known for some time now. She and I both proclaim it to be the best-ever first date in history. She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever known, it was a pleasure to share this music with her. Perfect.

Of note was the playing of Wu Man (pictured here). She’s a virtuoso on the pipa, a short-necked, ancient Chinese lute-like instrument going back as far as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.). She was truly amazing this evening.

I consider either of Glenn Gould’s recordings to be definitive where Bach’s Goldberg Variations are concerned. The “Open Goldberg Variations” project, however, is a great idea. The notion of setting this score free is a great one.

While you’re at it, check out Musescore, I use it and love it.

I have a new family member, straight from the Schertz pound. My cousin was the matchmaker, she called to sell me on the idea; she’s a good salesperson. Bella is at least partially Beagle and all love. She’s a wonderful dog that seems to be around a year old. Thus far, she’s been a delight to be around and certainly has added a great deal to the ambiance of my home and my life. I will never forget my first furry love, but it’s nice to have this little girl around.

If you know me, you  know I’m a McIntosh freak. McIntosh is my favorite audiophile pleasure, one I’ve been happily living with for a while now. I just dropped off my MC2105 & MX113 for repairs at Bjorn’s in San Antonio. While there, I checked out the Peachtree Nova. I have to say that it sounded pretty amazing at around $1100, even while being handicapped with a bass/mid-muddy room, and a 192k stream from Rhapsody. I don’t know that you could find that sort of audio goodness in that price range elsewhere. My only real complaint is that the USB port is limited to 24/96. The internal Sabre DAC will up-convert it to 24/192, but I’d by happier if it were simply there to begin with. Seriously considering this piece anyway.

On another note, I have to give Bjorn’s credit, as their staff was professional, knowledgeable and very friendly. I’m looking forward to doing business with them in the future.

It’s crazy how small this world really is. I was reminded of this fact this morning, quite out of the blue, as I browsed about with my Sunday coffee and found myself two steps away from John Coltrane.

Many years ago, I studied Shorin-ryu – a very agressive style of Karate from Okinawa. My sensei at the time was the great Gene Briscoe: the International Grandmaster of Shorin-ryu Karate. Gene’s lineage was directly connected with the legendary Grandmaster Hohan Soken, who actually appointed him the role of sole director of Shorin-ryu in The US. This is a profound honor, which Gene lived up to daily. He was a force of nature that had a major impact on my life.

I’ve been looking for a school in which to study WingTsun lately, which led me on my aforementioned Sunday-browsing-safari. Fueled by coffee and John Adams, I browsed around looking at various schools in my area; which got me thinking about Gene Briscoe. I wondered what ever happened to him and his dojo, as nostalgia tickled my brain and caffeinated memories flowed forth of his teaching and the sweat-drenched hours I spent studying kata with him. I knew Gene was a guitarist as well, as he knew I was. We talked about music at times, but I never studied music with him. He was all business when it came to my studies in the martial arts. He used tell me “you are one of my warriors”, which always made me feel good. We’d workout for four hours at a time, with a small break of a few minutes in the middle. It was serious.

As I continued to browse for information about Sensei Briscoe, I found out that he was taught guitar by the legendary Philly teacher/guitarist Dennis Sandole, one of John Coltrane’s most influential teachers.  This puts me literally two people away from John Coltrane, my most profound and lasting influence as a jazz musician! Not only that, but Dennis Sandole also taught Jim Hall, Pat Martino and Michael Brecker!

This is all too much for me to handle in one morning. While this may seem small and sort of inconsequential to some, it is a major revelation to me as a musician and human in general. Degrees of separation has always been an intriguing topic to me; to find myself smack dab in the middle of such a fortuitous chain of connections is fundamentally mind shattering and scary at the same time. Life really is crazy bowl of beans.

Sadly, in the course of my research, I found out that Gene Briscoe passed last year. I’d like to extend my heartfelt regards and respect to his family and friends. I cannot begin to put into words the impact he had on my life,  I will never forget him. Rest in peace my teacher, my friend.

I’ve been really looking for a viable looping solution for a long time. I’ve had a few different devices, but they all seem to fall short. Many of the features I’ve found are also really unnecessary for my particular mode of use. I’ve always wondered why, for instance, they bother with things like embedded drum patterns or dumping out waves externally. I’m looking for something truly for the performer.

It looks as though I may have found it – The Boomerang III Phrase Sampler.

I’ll report back as soon as I pick one up. I will pick it up.

I’ve heard of jazz referred to as the “triumph of the individual”. I’ve been thinking about this phrase lately; what it means and how people perceive jazz on the whole. I think you can find a good deal of hidden meaning in this phrase, as it describes jazz in way that I don’t believe is entirely honest.

Jazz isn’t just about the individual. It seems as though many people perceive jazz as a sort of masturbatory, self-gratifying style of music that allows  individuals to get up and play solos all night. The problem with this misconception is that it lends a sort of cheap and dirty smell to the genre. I remember a night at The Elephant Room in Austin, where I had the displeasure to hear some guy behind me repeatedly exclaim to his girlfriend “stop playing scales — all they do is play scales”. This is, I believe, indicative of the kind of attitude many people have about jazz; it’s just a bunch of guys up there playing too many notes.

If you feel this is what jazz is about, you’re missing the point entirely. Jazz is about movement, but that movement is a movement of the whole – the collective. The real crux of the matter is the interaction or interplay of the musicians. If you don’t hear that when you listen to jazz, you’re missing out on the whole shebang. This is something that has to be learned. This is something that you have to develop a habit for, as it’s not easily gained or acquired.

By the way, learning something in order to truly understand it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I understand the concept of immediate appeal, as I feel it every time I listen to the blues; there is, however, another mode of appreciation. The trick, I think, is to really find appreciation for the both of theses artistic modes of understanding. You must, for instance, be able to grok the beauty of Shostakovich as well as you can the immediacy of Howlin’ Wolf. These are fundamentally different modes of listening.

If you’re wondering how to start, I have a place for you. When I was very young, I read a book by the great American composer Aaron Copland – “What to Listen For in Music”; I actually still have my paperback copy. This book will give a fundamental basis from which to start, regarding art music in general. I contend that this is a great read, no matter your status as musician or listener.

Now, go forth and listen.