Another Year Without Jazz at Dubai Jazz Fest

Oh look! It's that time of year where I bash the Dubai Jazz Festival again.

It's not even been one year since my last post about this goddammed festival, but hey if it wasn't for beating on dead horses it wouldn't be the blues.

This year ladies and gents, without even announcing the full lineup, we get this for the 2017 edition:

Dear god they done fucked it up again. And get this: the cheapest ticket (per night of course, since Mariah and Enrique are playing on different days) is $90!

For comparison, at the Winter Jazz Festival in New York in January, you can buy an all-out pass for 5 full days with over 50 JAZZ artists for only $160 :

I don't wanna be too unfair about ticket prices, because hey, it's Dubai right? I mean... you can't compare it to New York fuckin' City right? (hint: sarcasm)

I still propose an anti-Dubai Jazz Fest be launched at the same day as the true anti-thesis of that watered-down, commercialized festival will be. But I digress, we know that won't happen.

So for a story 3 years running, this has been your grumpy neighborhood bluesman signing off. 

New Trailer for Miles Davis Biofilm

A while back (almost two years ago) I posted about how actor Don Cheadle was seeking funding to make a Miles Davis biofilm 'Miles Ahead'; well after a long wait, the film is going to be released in theaters on April 1!

Here's the epic 2 minute trailer that was posted last night:

Continuing the Tradition: 'Dubai Jazz Fest' Ain't Got no Jazz

Happy New Year folks!

I wanted to discuss this issue as my first post of 2016 because frankly, it STILL fucking bugs me.

It is said you should let things go, to leave people be, to let them do what their own thing; and that you shouldn't let anyone bother you.

But in our case, I cannot let the Dubai Jazz Fest debacle go. The sidelining of jazz music at a show that's supposed to be it's namesake keeps going on, with no end in sight.

I wrote about this many, many, MANY times. If you are unfamiliar, let me quickly break it down for you:

In 2012, I posted a news update about Deep Purple headlining the Dubai Jazz Fest ('DJF' from now on), and at my unhappiness about that. Later, and in several posts, I showed how bad the organizers handled criticism towards them, like by deleting posts or telling people to 'deal with it'. Also, I mentioned how they were trying to broaden the scope of the event without giving us the 'jazz' portion.

In 2014, they had  jazz artists finally, but were shoved in the "Jazz Garden", a separate venue from the main stage where the 'big' artists will perform, and gave them short playing time.

So, back again this year, LOOK WHO WE HAVE:

TOTO!? SANTANA? DAVID GRAY?! LA BOMBA DE TIEMPO? SITNG!? AGAIN!!?

Before you guys go apeshit on me, Chris Botti (headliner with Sting) is a jazz trumpeter, however most of his music is based on pop music. Plus Sting is with him so that doesn't count.

And Postmodern Jukebox, who mainly got famous for making viral Facebook posts on their covers of modern songs, while talented, if not gimmicky, are not hardcore enough for real jazz fans.

In 2003, Dubai Jazz Fest had FUCKING ARCHIE SCHEPP,  BILLY COBHAM, & STANLEY JORDAN for fucks sake. That is the kind of jazz we want to see. 

If I, a self-proclaimed blues and jazz fan, wants to dish out hundreds of dirhams to see such an extravagant event, it would be pretty much against what I would want out of a jazz event. 

My rant might be getting old and redundant, and falling on deaf ears. But the DJF is doing the same. 

The official website of the DJF is [here]. But until then, the real home of Jazz in the Middle East is at the Jazz at Lincoln Center - Doha, and the small hotspots in Beirut. 

Eid Blues Roundup

So it was a long break, and I've been slacking on the blog lately (i know, forgive me). I expect things to pick up by October.

I've gathered up some tidbits about some blues / jazz (and me, plugging shamelessly) for ya:

1) Radio Blues

Yep, I was on the radio (Kuwait FM 99.7) yesterday morning for some live blues and discussion on the Eid Special with Maha and DJ Aki. Props to them and 99.7 for the support and love!

Songs played:

1- Key to the Highway

2- You Don't Have to Go

3- Rollin' Stone

2- Jazz for Cows

It's not really a new video, but it just came across my feed again and thought it was cute. Bovines love jazz it seems!

3- Happy Birthday John Coltrane!

It was the legendary jazzman's birthday over the holiday, so mad props to the man who reinvented music with his nonstop search for enlightenment. Here's the full Blue Train album for your pleasure:

4- Dudley Taft's album confirmed for October

Blues-rocker Dudley Taft will release his new album 'Skull & Bones' on October 16! Here's a snippet of some hard rockin blues to come:

5- The Hurt Project releases EP

Marlon Hunt from the Hurt Project contacted me and informed me of their new EP release 'After the Storms' and features some old-school blues I'm sure you guys will enjoy. Their bandcamp site is [here] and you can hear the music below:

Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' the 5th Best Selling Vinyl in 2015

via Sinister Salad

So far in 2015, these are the top 10 most selling vinyls according to Nielsen Music:

1. Taylor Swift, 1989 (34,000)
2. Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell (32,000)
3. Arctic Monkeys, AM (27,000)
4. Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color (26,000)
5. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (23,000)
6. Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour (23,000)
7. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon (23,000)
8. Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack (22,000)
9. Father John Misty, I Love You Honeybear (22,000)
10. Hozier, Hozier (21,000)

My my.

We already know that this seminal jazz album by trumpeter and legend Miles Davis is the best selling jazz album of all time; but to still be this relevant in 2015? It seems it's relevance is still paramount, even after almost 60 years since release.

[SOURCE]

Imagination Express: Tarek Yamani Trio, Local Musicians Live in Kuwait

This Thursday, Tarek Yamani, Lebanese jazz extraordinaire, will perform with his trio (Elie Afif / bass and Rony Afif / drums) at the Al-Americani Cultural Center. This event is being managed by Nuqat. 

Supporting him are some of the best local musicians (humble innit):

1) Hussa Al-Humaidhi

2) Amin Fari

3) Basil Al-Hadi

4) Galaxy Juice Band

5) and me, Ali Sleeq

It's a free event, so don't say you have something better to do on a Thursday night!

'Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: Bootleg Series Vol. 4' Coming in July

It's official; another collection of bootlegs spanning 20 years at the Newport Jazz Festival from Miles Davis and his band.

From the official release:

MILES DAVIS AT NEWPORT 1955-1975: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOL. 4 SCHEDULED FOR RELEASE JULY 17 THROUGH COLUMBIA/LEGACY RECORDINGS FOUR-CD BOX SET TRACKS MILES’ ASCENDANCE OVER EIGHT LIVE FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES SPANNING 20 YEARS IN NEWPORT, NEW YORK, BERLIN, AND SWITZERLAND; 296-MINUTE PROGRAM INCLUDES NEARLY FOUR HOURS OF PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL.

Below is the full songlist and musicians:

CD 1: (July 17, 1955: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI)

Selections: 1. Spoken Introductions by Duke Ellington and Gerry Mulligan • 2. Hackensack • 3. ’Round Midnight (previously released) • 4. Now’s The Time •

(All-Star Jam Session: Miles Davis, trumpet; Zoot Sims, tenor saxophone; Gerry Mulligan, baritone saxophone; Thelonious Monk, piano; Percy Heath, bass; Connie Kay, drums.)

(July 3, 1958: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI)

Selections: 5. Spoken Introduction by Willis Conover (previously released) • 6. Ah-Leu-Cha (previously released) • 7. Straight, No Chaser (previously released) • 8. Fran-Dance (previously released) • 9. Two Bass Hit (previously released) • 10. Bye Bye Blackbird (previously released) • 11. The Theme (previously released) .

(Miles Davis, trumpet; Cannonball Adderley, alto saxophone; John Coltrane, tenor saxophone; Bill Evans, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums.)

CD 2: (July 4, 1966: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI)

Selections: 1. Gingerbread Boy • 2. All Blues • 3. Stella By Starlight • 4. R.J. • 5. Seven Steps To Heaven • 6. The Theme / Closing Announcement by Leonard Feather.

(July 2, 1967: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI)

Selections: 7. Spoken Introduction by Del Shields • 8. Gingerbread Boy • 9. Footprints • 10. ’Round Midnight • 11. So What • 12. The Theme/Closing Announcement by Del Shields 

(1966 & 1967: Miles Davis, trumpet; Wayne Shorter, tenor saxophone; Herbie Hancock, piano; Ron Carter, bass; Tony Williams, drums.)

CD 3: (July 5, 1969: Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, RI)

Selections: 1. Miles Runs The Voodoo Down (previously released) • 2. Sanctuary (previously released) • 3. It’s About That Time / The Theme (previously released) .

(Miles Davis, trumpet; Chick Corea, electric piano; Dave Holland, bass; Jack DeJohnette, drums.)

(November 1, 1973: Newport Jazz Festival In Europe, Berlin)

Selections: 4. Spoken Introduction by Ronnie Scott/Band Warming Up • 5. Turnaroundphrase • 6. Tune In 5 • 7. Ife • 8. Untitled Original • 9. Tune In 5/Closing Announcement by Ronnie Scott

(Miles Davis, trumpet, organ; Dave Liebman, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute; Pete Cosey, guitar, percussion; Reggie Lucas, guitar; Michael Henderson, electric bass; Al Foster, drums; James Mtume Forman, percussion.)

(July 1, 1975: Newport Jazz Festival – NY, Avery Fisher Hall)

Selection: 10. Mtume.

(Miles Davis, trumpet, organ; Sam Morrison, tenor saxophone; Pete Cosey, guitar, percussion; Reggie Lucas, guitar; Michael Henderson, electric bass; Al Foster, drums; James Mtume Forman, percussion.)

CD 4: (October 22, 1971 : Newport Jazz Festival In Europe, Neue Stadthalle, Dietikon, Switzerland)

Selections: 1. Directions • 2. What I Say • 3. Sanctuary • 4. It’s About That Time • 5. Bitches Brew • 6. Funky Tonk • 7. Sanctuary.

(Miles Davis, trumpet; Gary Bartz, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone; Keith Jarrett, electric piano, organ; Michael Henderson, electric bass; Ndugu Leon Chancler, drums; Don Alias, percussion; James Mtume Forman, percussion.)

Happy International Jazz Day!

Today is the official International Jazz Day, so to celebrate, I'll be hearing my playlists all day (I do that everyday but now with emphasis). I live in Kuwait so there's not much jazz going on around here.

If you are in Lebanon check out tonight's gig in Downtown Beirut.

If you want to watch the official Jazz Day concert in Paris, check out the live webcast!

Beirut Speaks Jazz 3rd Edition

The 3rd iteration of the famed 'Beirut Speaks Jazz' festival is coming soon to you!

On May 5, at Music Hall, prepare for a huge night of amazing musicians from across the local spectrum! Visit the official event page [here].

This year the artists will be:

Aziza
Chady Nashef
Edd Abbas (from Fareeq l Atrash)
Issa Ghandour
Poly
Ranine Chaar
Rayess Bek (from Aksser)
Tania Saleh
Wassim Bou Malham (from Who Killed Bruce Lee)
Ziad Ahmadieh

Tarek Yamani: Piano 
Raffi Mandalian: Guitar 
Ruedi Felder: Bass 
Khaled Omran: Bass
Paolo Orlandi: Drums 
Dani Shukri: Drums 


Tickets available at Virgin Ticketing Box Office
http://ticketingboxoffice.com/beirut-speaks-jazz-tickets/event/8063
01 999 666

Zone 1 - Free Seated: 60 000 LBP
Zone 2 - Free Seated: 45 000 LBP

Beirut International Jazz Day 2015

(click to enlarge)

In celebration of this years International Jazz Day, Beirut Souks will host the Beirut chapter on April 30. I wish I could be there to support my friends Ruby Road, and seeing the great Monday and Real Deal Blues Bands. It will be a free event in the heart of Downtown Beirut. 

I urge everyone to go and support the local music scene!

As described by the official Facebook page: 

For the third consecutive year, Beirut joins other cities around the globe in celebrating International Jazz Day under the patronage of the UNESCO. This year, the free event takes places in Youssef El Rami street (Behind the Municipality of Beirut) and showcases the best in local jazz talent.

Lineup:

RUBY ROAD : 7:00pm

RAFFI MANDALIAN JAZZ QUINTET : 8:00pm

MONDAY BLUES BAND : 9:00pm

REAL DEAL BLUES BAND : 10:00pm

XANGO : 11:00pm

IKLIL : 12:00am

Jazz & Blues Commentary from 1964

I have recently acquired two vintage issues of Down Beat magazine from August 13 and October 8, 1964. The ads, the fonts, the jargon... lovely stuff.

Reading through these issues I got a sense of the sign of the times back in the early 60's. Avant-garde and free jazz were taking swift advances at "old" jazz, and there was a folk / blues revival going on. 

Jazz (and to a lesser extent, blues) criticism was also just as harsh as today (see my article Blues Purism vs. Evolution on one angle of it). There's also some great commentary, especially if you compare it to the present time.

I tried to get approval to transcribe a full article for you but with no reply. So for this, I'm going to post some of the things I have seen in these magazines that sort of give you the impressions that still resonate with jazz and blues today. Remember, this is stuff written 50 years ago!

"Who could be surprised that Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie beat all other trumpeters by a wide margin? Polls simply give established names a recognition they do not need."

"Most people haven't the faintest idea of the talent in their own towns. Why aren't they being covered?"

"It is foolish to call music you cannot understand "garbage" as it is to call it "genius". Jazz has evolved with one essential objective- to make clearer and more musically accessible the individualism of the performer."

"If the 'new thing' (ed: Free/Avant-Garde Jazz) musicians have really succeeded in blowing their own problems out of life, then they have every artistic reason to exist."

"There is a definite increase in interest of jazz records. We expect huge increase in sales going forward. People are more and more turning to jazz."

"Actually, I haven't seen anything spectacular yet. The coming year's jazz picture looks pretty dismal, as it's been for the last three or four years".

"It's people like John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor and others that jazz clubs are closing all over the country!"

"Is it good for the blues to change like this? I don't think so. Back in the day, that was the real blues. Everything now seems commercial."

"I think the blues, the old country-style blues, will die with the original players." 

#JazzChops - New Jazz Lingo Video Series

The EFP London Jazz Festival (due to start from 13-22 Nov.) have started a new video series called #JazzChops, a set of interviews with top jazz musicians discussing certain jazz jargon.

Here's the first one, being : What does it mean to have "chops"?

'Gangsta's Paradise' - Schmoove 1920's Jazz Version

Imagine you were in some speakeasy, drinking illegal moonshine, got some mobster on your tail; and listening to this version of the insanely popular song by Coolio "Gangsta's Paradise".

Not only is the music pretty much spot on for the Jazz Age of the 20's, but Robyn Adele Anderson and the Post-Modern Jukebox Band look the part as well! The song has gone viral too.

PMJ Website: http://www.postmodernjukebox.com/
Robyn's Instagram account : https://instagram.com/robynadele19/

Jazz Has Become the Least Popular Music Genre in the USA

According to the latest Nielsen Music US Report, jazz has become the least popular music genre in the US in 2014. Jazz currently represents just 1.4% of total US music consumption. 

Although Classical music is also at 1.4%, it just barely outsold jazz albums by 100,000 units, putting it at the bottom.

5.2 million albums were sold by all jazz artists in 2014 in the USA. In comparison, the best-selling artist of 2014, Taylor Swift, sold 3.7 million copies of her latest album ‘1989’ in the last 2 months of 2014 alone.

This is sad news, especially that many reports have shown that jazz listeners are declining year after year. 

It brings up the age old question again.... how do you save jazz?

The Sonos Blue Note Limted Edition Speaker

Audio company Sonos and legendary jazz label Blue Note Records have announced a collaborative effort to bring high quality jazz audio to the masses, with the Blue Note Limited Edition Play:1 speaker due March 5 (update: already sold out!)

Staying true to the Blue Note aesthetic, the design features a smooth vertical faded finish reflecting the deep bass and richly detailed highs and lows that come through the immersive sound of the PLAY:

All PLAY:1s come with two custom-designed drivers with dedicated amplifier

Contains exclusive playlists, hand selected by legendary Blue Note artists and famed record producer Don Was to commemorate their 75 years (available for one year)

Stream your entire music library, popular music services, and internet radip

Start with one, add more over time to fill your home with music

Simple to set-up; control from anywhere with your smartphone, tablet or PC/Mac

Paris Named Host City For 2015 International Jazz Day

UNESCO Goodwill ambassador Herbie Hancock has announced that this years International Jazz Day host city will be Paris, France. Last Year, it was Osaka, Japan.

April 30 has been officially announced as International Jazz Day, where a massive concert and other jazz related events take place to celebrate the contributions of this great music.

The concert will feature:

The 2015 All-Star Global Concert will feature a cast of internationally renowned jazz artists including pianists John Beasley (Music Director), A Bu, Antonio Faraò and Herbie Hancock; trumpeters Till Brönner, Ibrahim Maalouf, Hugh Masekela and Claudio Roditi; vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Al Jarreau, Rudy Pérez and Dianne Reeves; saxophonists Igor Butman, Ravi Coltrane, Femi Kuti, Guillaume Perret and Wayne Shorter; bassists James Genus and Marcus Miller; guitarist Lee Ritenour; drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and harmonica player Grégoire Maret.

For more info click [here].

Whiplash Wins, Jazz Loses

The Huffington Post published an article discussing the realism of the Oscar winning film Whiplash, drawing how the film portrayed jazz musicians and teachers in a wrong way. In the film, an aspiring jazz drumming student gets in a heated rivalry with his instructor at a music conservatory. The film won 3 Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, Film Editing, and Sound Mixing.

I do agree that the film overdid what real jazz players and instructors do; instructors don't call students names or be violent, and students have rarely (if ever) bled while practicing their instruments.

One jazz professor at Julliard, Mark Sherman, says:

"If Wynton Marsalis, who's my boss here at Juilliard, did that, called kids "cocksuckers" and badgered kids like that -- he'd be thrown out."

The good thing about the film is that is brings jazz into the big screen, something missing from today's media. And although the film went overboard with the drama for the sake of pulling in the audience, it might not have portrayed it in a way that might let people actually go out to listen or buy jazz records.

The full article is [here], what do you think?

50 Years On... 'A Love Supreme' Reigns Supreme

by Edward Shin

In February 1965, John Coltrane released his ultimate album, 'A Love Supreme' and the music world was never the same again. 

I have covered this album extensively on the blog, so instead of repeating myself and telling you how it's rated 47 in Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums of All Time, how it's one of the top selling (probably second best after Miles Davis' Kind of Blue) jazz album of all time, and how it's not just jazz but a transcendence to a higher space etc etc.

Here's a roundup of the articles related to this great recording, plus the whole album to listen to:

1 - A Love Supreme - Spiritual Guidance
2 - Rare: Live Footage of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme"
3 - John Coltrane's A Love Supreme : Deluxe Edition
4 - John Coltrane’s "A Love Supreme" among Titles Remastered for iTunes
5 - Read all about the Font on the Cover of Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'
6 - John Coltrane's 'Love Supreme' in Graffiti Art
7 - New Photos Found from Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' Session

Hard-Bop Classic - 'Cool Struttin' / Sonny Clark

In 1958, Jazz pianist Sonny Clark released his hard-bop classic 'Cool Struttin' on Blue Note Records. The album features alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Art Farmer and two members of the (then) Miles Davis Quintet, drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Paul Chambers. 

 The album four tracks aside from 'Deep Night' are all rooted in the blues as harp-bop tends to sway, and remains one of the more hardcore jazz recordings of the era. 

 Here's the title track off the album:

Blue Note's Iconic Jazz Cover Designs

In the 1950's and 60's, Blue Note Records was at the forefront of jazz music in the United States and the world. 

Besides their great musical power, they also were known for their iconic album cover designs. The designer Reid Miles was the one who pioneered modern jazz covers; known for the sharp fonts and minimal design, these album covers have become works of art on their own. 

His work with Blue Note ended in 1967 after more than 10 years of design work.

Here are a few of his major covers: