well, that might be a lie. Whenever I’m home I listen to WBGO, and 88.9 (Go Jersey!).
NPR’s hip, intellectual, and refreshing 24/7 radio station provides a mix of artists both very well known, and lesser so. Double points go to NPR for making it easy to see who the artist, album, and song is. I wish the interface wasn’t in a new window however.
For when you’ve listened to the starred tracks on Spotify too much, this station gives a much better mix than Pandora. Go NPR.
Because I’ll just regurgitate the article, I suggest you read it this short but compelling story. I will admit that I am not surprised about this, at all.
This is one of the best articles I have read in a long time. I will find the things I feel are worth note a bit later. When I’m not in the middle of both episode seven of Mad Men, and John Adam’s Grand Pianola Music.
Speaking of which, everyone should listen to that piece of music RIGHT NOW. I’m on my third listen of the whole piece. And it’s absolutely incredible.
I will finish this episode of Mad Men right afterwards… If I don’t listen to it again.
If I could learn how to solo like this on the drums, I’d be consider myself a great musician. Hell, this is straight up incredible.
This article points out several important things. First being the fact that the Academy Awards has elected only two movies to be included in the Orignal Score category. Are there no other movies worthy? It seems to be that part of the reason this happens is a technicality.
NPR states further in the article that what we’re in now is a “playlist culture”, which I believe full heartedly. I think the movies seem to have picked that up as of late. (Perhaps most notably starting with Forest Gump?) Apparently, if you use third party music in your score, you are ineligible from winning a nomination? It goes on to suggest that maybe they should add a new category for a score that uses this third party music in creative ways.
On top of that, here’s a part of the article I found to be most interesting:
Back in the 1980s, the Best Song lineups could have doubled as Billboard charts, filled with #1 hits and movie-defining anthems. Your “Against All Odds,” your “Flashdance (What a Feeling),” your “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.” All told there were twenty-one #1 hits nominated for Best Original Song in the ’80s. Since 2000, there has been a grand total of one (Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”).
Maybe this seems contradictory to what I saying before, but it also holds true. Either people aren’t paying attention to the scores as they used to, or maybe the way people score a film is totally changing. I mean, you can tell what decade a film score was used.
Not terribly sure what to think about the new category, but it’s a good point worth reviewing.
Want to hear a good joke? This guy. There are a few reasons why I can’t stand the jazz scene, and unfortunately, this interview highlights so much about what I can’t stand. The whole “I’m a true artist” nonsense, the whole “let me play all instruments on the record” nonsense, and the name dropping.
Nicholas Payton has caused a stir in the jazz scene lately, and perhaps that’s a good thing. But from what I’ve heard about his statements, I couldn’t disagree more.
Also, he has contradictory points. He says saying the word Jazz is like saying N***er. But he goes on to say later that “the name has nothing to do with the art, or the musicians.”
Also, (perhaps it’s because he played all the instruments on the record) but the recording and playing I think is shoddy, and lacks true ingenuity. It seems like a regurgitation of music that has already been made. aka NO ORIGINALITY. He may be “creative” but it lacks so much more.
An awesome list that covers the top 40 hits to the lesser known songs by Lisa Hannigan or Bill McHenry, but I would like to make one (and unsurprising) addition to list. I think Feist’s song Comfort Me or Caught A Long Wind from her newest album on it. It’s worthy of top 100 in my mind.
Check out Alan Hampton’s newest album “The Moving Sidewalk”. In the link above you can listen to one of my favorite songs from the album called “Change Your Mind”. He’s got an incredible voice.
I’ve also just learned that he played bass in the orchestra for Sufjan Stevens’ “BQE” album. Is there anything or any gig that this man can not get? What an impressively talented dude.
NPR constantly surprises me with all these little gems. Here’s another one. Every month they host a Live At The Village Vanguard set, where they stream it live to the world, and then archive it. So that means there are numerous sets online of what is possible the most famous jazz club in the world.
You’ve got Joe Lovano, Robert Glasper, and recently there’s Roy Hargrove. Basically, the heaviest artists on the scene. (see how I refrain from using the terms “Cats” and “Killing” this whole post.) Keep it up NPR!
