Sub-ject » Music

Birdland in Manhattan Rises Again

jeff — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 01:10:00 +0000

The historical and famous Birdland Jazz Club has gone through many lives, it’s current reincarnation, located on 315 W. 44th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenue, midtown Manhattan has been treated to some the the greatest jazz in the world, including the unforgettable sets by such musicians as Pat Metheny, Oscar Peterson, Diana Krall, Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland, James Moody, John Scofield, Tito Puente and Ron Carter, as well as big bands of Duke Ellington, Maria Schneider and Toshiko Akiyoshi. Plus, Birdland is host to the Umbria Jazz Festival and the Annual Django Reinhardt New York Festival. Many hotels are within walking distance of Birdland, click here for more details.

Birdland is not the original bebop club that hosted Coltrane and Basie, it’s so much more. The acoustically superb and brilliantly designed venue has great sight lines and yet feels intimate for a 4,000 square foot room. Not only does Birdland have veteran jazz names drop by, but they are home to several bands-in-residence. Chico O’Farrill plays every Sunday, with his Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band; Duke Ellington Orchestra plays every Monday evening, directed by Paul Mercer Ellington and Jack Jeffers and the early shows on Tuesdays and Fridays, only expect to pay a very inexpensive cover of $10, plus a $10 minimum. Regular prices are: cover – $20 – $40 for table seating, plus a $10 minimum; $20 – $40 for bar seating, which includes one drink. The average cocktail costs $8.

If your company needs a venue, Birdland is a perfect solution. They have 5,500 square feet of space with unobstructed view of the stage and can seat up to 200 people. Columbia Records, Atlantic Records, Warner Brothers Records, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science have all booked the venue for their annual corporate meetings. Birdland provides a very professional banquet staff and guarantees that everyone will have a memorable experience.

It seems ever since Birdland’s inception, in the roaring 20’s, and with all the trials and tribulations the club has gone through, that Birdland is analogous of the Rising Phoenix.

Birdland in Manhattan Rises Again is a post from: Sub-ject

Musicians should tell the truth in Nevada

jeff — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:29:12 +0000

As of June 2007, Nevada has become the latest US state to make it illegal for musicians to falsely claim they are connected to well-known groups. Bands and entertainers must now call themselves ‘tribute’ acts unless they have at least one member historically linked to the original band or act.

The “fake band” law covers Las Vegas, which is renowned for its top live entertainment shows.

Mary Wilson of The Supremes lobbied for the law after unsuccessfully suing five other acts performing as the group.

Surviving stars from The Drifters, Sha Na Na, and other bands also welcomed the move.

Platters star Sonny Turner said: “Nevada is the entertainment capital of the world, so this was one of our major goals.”

Maxine Porter, manager for original Drifter Bill Pinkney, said: “In a town like [Las Vegas], where you have a constant flow of tourists, this is a place where people expect to have authenticity.

“You don’t need to see the Drifters advertised on three different marquees,” she said. She added that she hoped to see the bill become law in at least 20 US states by the end of the year.

If bands make false claims, it will be considered as deceptive trading practice under the new legislation.

Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Illinois are among the other states with similar legislation.

Phoenix law firms and Las Vegas law firms have seasoned attorneys that can help you with a fake band case. Hey, it can happen.

Musicians should tell the truth in Nevada is a post from: Sub-ject

Music of Singapore

jeff — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:25:54 +0000

Singapore has just recently become a very hip and eclectic music center. Recently, is speaking in terms of the last fifty years or so. By the 1960’s the Beatles had taken their hold in many countries and Singapore was not left out. There were many genres born out of that fascination and wonder with the music in the sixties and now the scene on the island is very eclectic, from the tradition Malaysian to punk rock and jazz. There are art centers and concert halls being established to insure that Singapore has a place in the music world. The main center is The Esplanade. It houses the symphony on a regular basis, and brings in music from other parts of the world. The center is located in an area with some of the best Singapore hotels and other tourist attractions.

Alternative rock in Singapore took hold in the middle of the 90s. Underground rock festivals have dominated the music scene and feature local bands such as Anberlin and Sweet Charity. And as with the underground genre, hardcore punk is quite popular, rating in with the reputation of having the largest following. Battle of bands competitions are popular feature a famous punk band Rancor, and further insure the success of such programs and festivals. The punk rock band from the United States…backed by the drumming styles of Jeff Ferris, “Sick of it All”, is a popular and often emulated group, and perform in Singapore regularly. While the music is evolving, the flavor of the island and the influence it has on popular genres is what makes it so interesting. It’s the mix of culture in the art world that gives juice to the whole scene.

The Mosaic Jazz Festival has brought many enthusiasts out in support of furthering live music. This festival occurs each year at the Esplanade with ten full days of performances by masters of the jazz tradition from all over the world. The festival runs during the second week of March and is not about financial gain, but rather a meeting of artistic and creative minds. It has become important to the audience members, but more so to the musicians themselves. Often commented on that it is a time when they can gain inspiration and a place. A place where those with like minds feel that not only to they belong, but that what they do together can change the world.

Music of Singapore is a post from: Sub-ject

Archtop Bass Guitars

jeff — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:21:50 +0000

Here is a list of one of my favorite instruments – archtop bass guitars:

Pin Bridge Halfling

Bobby Vega Halfling

Azola Deco Bass

Bill Moll Archtop Bass

Uccello Grasso Archtop Bass

Vinny Colletti Archtop Bass

Jonas Hellborg Archtop Bass

Veillette ArchTop Bass

Any more suggestions??

Archtop Bass Guitars is a post from: Sub-ject

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MySpace / Facebook Music Contrasts

jeff — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:43:25 +0000

Facebook is now the largest social network in the world. But they continue to trail MySpace by a massive 36 million users in the U.S., and at current growth rates it will take them 18 years to overtake them.

Most of Facebook’s growth is international, where they’ve executed on a brilliant strategy for quickly rolling out localized versions of sites by getting their users to do the translation work for them (MySpace, by contrast, expands via a command-and-control infrastructure that puts people on the ground in each new international market). But the commercial value of some of those international users is far less than the U.S., the UK, Japan and a handful of other countries with robust online advertising markets.

Music is MySpace’s territory. They host millions of artist and band pages, and one of the first thing any new band does is create their MySpace page. MySpace says 35 million people per month visit their music sites, including MySpace Music and various artist pages. Some artists have millions of “friends” and the pages allow streaming music, artist control over the look and feel of the site, etc.
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Facebook, by contrast, has no real internal music strategy. Artists can set up Pages to promote themselves, but the pages are no different to any other fan pages (for example, no streaming music) – there is nothing music or artist specific on the site. More…

MySpace / Facebook Music Contrasts is a post from: Sub-ject

Jazz and Classical Music in Sedona, Arizona

jeff — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:28:42 +0000

The cream-colored cliffs and vermilion spires of Sedona will reverberate with classical music and jazz as the Red Rocks Music Festival opens Saturday and continues through Aug. 31.

“Typically, summer music festivals are staged in a beautiful area with cooler weather,” organizer Moshe Bukshpan said. “Sedona is so unique and beautiful, even if it isn’t quite as cool as other places, it’s still the perfect location.”

This year marks the seventh anniversary of the festival. Bukshpan started the event to enhance cultural opportunities in Arizona. Although its primary focus is classical music, he has incorporated jazz into the mix for the past several years.

“They aren’t always distinct styles of music,” he said. “Sometimes the elements of one can influence or be ingrained into the other, like with the music of (George) Gershwin and (Astor) Piazzolla.” More…

Jazz and Classical Music in Sedona, Arizona is a post from: Sub-ject