Graham English
Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
Today we lost a jazz lion, Freddie Hubbard. I’ve spent countless hours digesting his music and transcribing his solos so his death deeply touches me. His art was a major influence on my jazz vocabulary. If you don’t own Speak No Evil, you’re missing out.
The New York Times posted a beautiful sound collage featuring some of the musicians we lost in 2008. Just added to the list, Freddie Hubbard.
I’m not sure of the original source, but I just found these handwritten notes in the Delicious popular feed posted by thescotter. Awesome stuff!
Getting into the holiday spirit with Christmas Time Is Here from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Music by Vince Guaraldi.
The Sermon is a blues written and recorded in 1957 by jazz legend, Jimmy Smith. I haven’t learned the complete melody yet but I thought I would take a stab at playing it from memory. After all, it’s just an F blues.
Jazz is a music of integrity, and it teaches us to listen. -Wynton Marsalis
A late night interpretation of John Coltrane’s Equinox performed on my new Nord C1.
Some people will tell you the world is coming to an end. Some people will say you create reality so turn off the news and think nothing but good thoughts. I’m here to tell you to be optimistic, but be very concerned.
Mind Hacks pointed me to an interesting study by science journal PLoS One on the cognitive neuroscience of Jazz.
With subtle accompaniment by longtime friend Herbie Hancock, and a slide show that has opened the minds (and pocketbooks) of CEOs across the country, artist and youth activist Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music and unlikely partnerships.
How sad to read that Oscar Peterson is dead on Christmas Eve. He was 82.
Max Roach, one of the original bebop drummers, died early this morning. He played with all the greatest jazz musicians: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, and Miles Davis. I’ve personally spent many, many hours listening to him swing.
Not only am I a podcast author, I’m a podcast lover. And recently I’ve come across some podcasts that I’m really enjoying.
If you’re a jazz lover, then you’ll love both NPR: Jazz Profiles and The Traneumentary. NPR’s Jazz Profiles covers the lives and music of artists like Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald. It’s fantastic! The [...]
Jazz World Loses Sax Musician Michael Brecker
Tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker died Saturday at the age of 57. The artist was one of the jazz world’s most prolific studio musicians. He toured or performed with Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Herbie Hancock. Brecker was known for his powerful tone and his stamina for a solo.
This is [...]
I’m home and I’m back in business. I’m not entirely unpacked, but I’m finally functional. Get ready for some new and exciting directions to musical virtuosity.
Some interesting links while I was away:
MySpace to Let Members Sell Music:
A new partnership will allow indie artists and established rockers to sell mp3s of their songs directly to fans [...]
Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, known for his soaring high notes and for his hit recording of “Gonna Fly Now,” which lent the musical muscle to the “Rocky” movies, has died. He was 78.
Ferguson, who lived in Ojai, Calif., died last night (Aug. 23) at Community Memorial Hospital of kidney and liver failure due to an [...]
Duke Jordan, a pianist whose work with the saxophonist Charlie Parker endures in the jazz canon, died on Tuesday in Valby, Denmark, a suburb of Copenhagen. He was 84, and he had lived in self-imposed exile from the United States since 1978, continuing to perform in the musical tradition he helped create.
His death was confirmed [...]
The Library of Congress recently launched a new Performing Arts Encyclopedia on its Web site (loc.gov). It’s a grand resource for those interested in exploring the realms of music, motion pictures, broadcasting, recorded sound, manuscripts, rare books and other collections.
The site also includes an entire section devoted to jazz. Jazz fans can browse the site [...]
Practicing walking bass and soloing over Bb rhythm changes on the hammond organ at 195bpm.
Listen to the Oscar Peterson Trio ripping at tempos upwards of 320bpm! Let it inspire you to practice.
about grahamI'm a songwriter and recording artist who sings, plays keyboards, and explores the vast world of sound hoping to find some magical moments along the way. I'm also a Mac geek.
Scenes from the Gaza Strip - The Big Picture - Boston.com http://ff.im/-wKtu 27 mins ago
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