LINKS

Here are some links to sites of people, places and things I find interesting. Maybe you will, too.

People

Gary Burton – Playing with Gary, Mick Goodrick, Michael Moore and Ed Soph when we were on the faculty of the National Stage Band Camps in 1972 was a real treat. Gary recommended me to set up the Jazz Studies Programme at the New South Wales State Conservatorium in Sydney and I’m forever grateful.

Mark Dresser – I can’t think of anything Mark can’t already do on a bass, but he’s still searching for more. Unfortunately, we only seem to play together once or twice a decade. The last time was in 2004 at Symphony Space in New York with Skuli Sverrisson, Jim Black and Gerry Hemingway. His work in the area of telematic performance has expanded the potential for creating all kinds of exciting music.

Jim McNeely – When Jim was a freshman and I was a grad student leading one of the bands at the University of Illinois, he was the piano player in my band. I’m happy to know I didn’t do anything to impede his development. Jim is a fantastic piano player, a creative composer, and he used to be one hell of a clarinet player.

Pat Metheny – Pat is a master of melody, both as a performer and a composer. From his own groups to collaborations with Ornette Coleman or Derek Bailey, or on solo recordings ranging from “One Quiet Night” to “Zero Tolerance for Silence,” the music Pat makes is always engaging because he completely immerses himself, musically and emotionally, in everything he does.  As an irrelevant aside, Steve Rodby (bassist with the Pat Metheny Group and co-producer on many of Pat’s projects) was a student in one of the bands I directed at the National Stage Band Camp many years ago.

The next three people are special because of the almost magical way we have been able to communicate whenever we make music together. Most important to me, they’re all my friends.

Mike Nock – I felt that Mike was a kindred spirit the first time I heard his music, and that was long before we ever met. After many years of our paths failing to cross (he was in the U.S. when I was in Australia and vice versa) we finally got to play together in Sydney in 1988. Our collaborations since that time have been few and far between, and that’s unfortunate. The affinity between us always leads to some very special music.

Morgan Powell – Morgan had a voice all his own, both as a trombonist and as a composer. Whether it was in the context of a jazz quintet/sextet or part of a project with the Tone Road Ramblers, every musical moment was a joy. I always looked forward to the next thing he would play, write or say because I know it would be something to remember.

Scott Robinson – Scott excels on an unbelievable number of brass and woodwind instruments, and he plays inside or out with a sense of joy and total commitment. He is an unsung hero in jazz only to those who have never heard him play. Those who have, sing his praises immediately, as I’ve done since we first played together over 30 years ago. And no matter what you may hear, Scott is from New Jersey, not Saturn.

Gear

Applied Microphone Technology – Their wireless microphones are simply the best on the market.

Yamaha Musical Instruments – I switched to Yamaha saxophones over 40 years ago and they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them ever since.

Music Sites

Advance Music – One of the best publishers in the music business.

Jamey Aebersold – In addition to his Play-along series that continues to grow, Jamey offers a wealth of materials for jazz instrumentalists, vocalists, writer/arrangers, and educators.

All About Jazz – This is an excellent source of jazz news and information on the web.

AllMusic.com – Lots of information here. And everything is cross-referenced by performer, composer, song and album title.

Discogs – An up-to-date database that includes over 13 million releases by more than 7 million artists. I use it constantly.

Mosaic Jazz Gazette – Jazz news, blogs, recordings, videos from various sources over the past century.

Jazz on the Tube and YouTube Jazz Video Search – If you’re looking for jazz clips on YouTube, these are two good places to start.

Miscellaneous

Astronomy Picture of the Day – An archive of images and photographs of our universe, provided by NASA, that began in 1996 and continues to grow.

Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Section – Imagine my surprise when I discovered I wasn’t the first person to apply these to music. Without these principles, many of my compositions would never have been written.

Raymond Scott – Composer, engineer, inventor and musical pioneer.

Snopes – The place to check for authenticity before following the instructions to forward the email message you have just received.