In
recent years, many jazz venues have added live video streaming as a way
to add to their revenue and recognition. Theoretically, a live feed
should be the next best thing to being there, but that's not always the
case. In this month's Sidetracks, Thomas Cunniffe discusses the highs
and lows of video streaming, and spotlights a club that's trying to set
the bar higher.
POETIC JAZZ
In
addition to being brilliant poets, Emily Dickinson and Carl Sandburg
shared a deep appreciation for music. Dickinson was an amateur pianist
and reportedly, a skilled improviser in the classical sense; Sandburg
was a jazz fan, and an avid performer of American folk songs. In their
latest albums, Jane ira Bloom and Matt Wilson celebrate Dickinson and
Sandburg respectively, using stunning mixtures of poetry and music.
Thomas Cunniffe spotlights both albums in this Sidetracks essay review.
THE PROCESS AND THE PRODUCT
Boulder
pianist Art Lande refers to jazz as a process not a product, meaning
that exploration continues on the bandstand long after recording the
final accepted take on a CD. Lande plays a central role in the latest
albums by vocalists Tina Phillips and Bonnie Lowdermilk. In this
Sidetracks article, Thomas Cunniffe examines how each singer realizes
Lande's theory.
THE QUIET REVOLUTION
There’s a lot of screaming happening in our world right now, but
sometimes, a whisper can be as effective as a scream. The two albums of
protest jazz reviewed here generally make their points without raising
dynamics. Thomas Cunniffe examines new recordings by Dominque Eade/Ran
Blake and Ryan Keberle's Catharsis.
RETRO TECHNOLOGY
Invent
a new recording technology and someone will claim that the old
technology was better. The CD vs. LP discussion has gone on for the past
several years, but Sony Music is going one step further, claiming that
Miles Davis' first 9 Columbia albums were designed to be heard in mono,
and issuing a new box set with single-channel versions of classic stereo
albums like "Kind of Blue" and "Sketches of Spain". Thomas Cunniffe
speculates on Sony's reasoning in this month's Sidetracks.