February 1 2012

The new Sony release "Miles Davis Quintet - Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Volume 1" is a must have.  The second great Miles quintet, with Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter is documented live on two cds and one extraordinary dvd.  The set list is virtually identical each performance, with radically different interpretations of each tune.  Miles would lead into each tune before the end of the last, creating seamless concertos.  Herbie has described what they did as controlled freedom; they would play within the form of the tune, and then go outside.  A look, or a motif, would signal when it was time to return to the form.  Weather Report would later incorporate this technique, as does The Kai Eckhardt Band, with whom I'm recording my latest cd.

Number 69 May 1, 2011

I haven't posted in a while, because we've been so busy with The Valence Project and our first gig at Yoshi's SF.  All agreed it was a huge success.  With band members Brain, Kai Eckhardt, Emily Palen, Melissa Reese, Baron Shul and yours truly, everyone in the band had a blast.  It also gave us lots of ideas for the future.  We did video the performance, and also recorded it on a Korg DSD 1 bit machine, so there will be youtube footage and downloads for theose who missed the gig.  I'll be writing about a couple of great shows I saw last month in the next few days.

Number 60 December 25, 2010

A couple of weeks ago I saw the great John McLaughlin & the 4th Dimension at Zellerbach.  With Gary Husband  on keyboards and drums, Etienne M'Bappe on bass, and Mark Mondesir on drums, the group is one of the more fully realized electric bands John has had in recent years.  They play with a high degree of empathy and energy.  Like his idol, John Coltrane, John has always had an overtly spiritual aspect to his playing.  He is trying to take you somewhere.  My label, Valence Records had an ad in John's tour book, which was a thrill.  Kai Eckhardt , who has recorded The Search and Reincarnation with me, is also on The Valence Project.  And of course Kai played with John on the legendary Live at The Royal Festival Hall and Que Alegria recordings.

Number 50 August 19, 2010

Tibetan Buddhism has a concept of direct transmission.  If you studied under a master, you have his wisdom directly transmitted to you.  If you studied under one of his disciples, you have an indirect transmission, which still can be just as valuable.  The American Dzogchen teacher, Surya Das , studied with the great Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.  I've had the privilege of sitting with Surya.  It has often amazed me how close the direct transmissions can be in music.  For example, I've had the privilege of playing with Ray Charles, (one night as a sub in England in the early 70's), jamming with Van Morrison and Jean Luc Ponty, and playing with Chico Hamilton.  Also with the organists Brother Jack McDuff and Jimmy McCracklin, who between them have hired just about every important guiarist you can imagine.  But what amazes me even more is how close the indirect, or just one step removed, transmisssions can be.  My dear friend Benny Rietveld, who produced my recording Come to Me, has played with Santana for twenty years, and before that with Miles Davis!  (There is a very short list of whom Benny has not played with).  Kai Eckhardt, who plays with me on The Search and Reincarnation, has played with John McLaughlin and Wayne Shorter (both of whom played famously with Miles).  And my dear Eddie Duran, who I call my root guru, played with Charlie Parker! 

Number 48 July 21, 2010

Today is the official launch of The Valence Project! http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/07/prweb4274354.htm

As you can see from the press release, the recording was conceived, written, and executed in a very innovative and unique way.  I've always loved the Duke Ellington quote, that "Success is doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right people."  With Brain, Kai Eckhardt , Melissa Reese , Emily Palen,  Jon Herrera, Deborah Charles, Eamonn Flynn and many other great musicians, the vibe was fantastic.  The cover art is by Krisztina Lazar. There was such mutual respect and admiration, and enthusiasm!  Engineered and produced by my dear friend and collaborator Cookie Marenco , I think you'll agree it has an awesome vibe.

Number 38 April 14, 2010

We are mixing a new song for The Valence Project.  It was written and recorded the way we have been working so far.  Kai Eckhardt  laid down eleven bass tracks.  Then Brain recorded a drum track, also to 2 inch tape.  While he was looping the tracks in Logic, Melissa Reese and I were writing lyrics.  We often like to incorporate several themes and even points of view.  I had been speaking with her about the origin of the words thugee and hashishin.  Also, a freind had mentioned to me that men looked at her as if they wanted to put her in a cage and own her.  We spoke of some people's need to feel betrayed. All of these ideas somehow wound up in the song, "I Am Shiva".  Our producer Cookie Marenco has been invited to be an Artist In Residence at Indaba  and will be writing a weekly blog for 2 months on how The Valence Project collaborates in the studio.  The blog will be entitled "The Art of Collaboration".