Located on Tatum and Mayo Boulevards in Phoenix, Arizona, the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is the only museum in the world devoted to global musical instruments. MIM opened its doors to the public on April 24, 2010, and immediately became recognized as a fun, family-friendly, worldwide tourist destination. It includes exhibits for every country in the world, along with exhibits that offer an insider’s view of how some instruments are made, how they are played, or the varied contexts in which they are used. -Ron
It’s got to be a gas to be in an arena with many hundreds of drums in all varieties and sounds… eg., full trap sets, snares, toms and big bass dudes!… Never knew about this event until this week… cool man, Drum On!
“They’re loud!” the Duvall boy shouted over his fellow musicians with a smile that stretched between his orange ear plugs.
The 2013 Woodstick Big Beat, in its 11th year, has been held in Tacoma some years, farther north in others.
It set the world record for the most drummers playing at once, with 533 in 2005 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle (Qwest Field at the time). A British charity broke that record last year when 798 drummers gathered in Manchester, England…
The history of the Hammond Organ goes beyond the iconic double level keyboard… Hammond patented over 100 product ideas, including… (in 1922) 3D movies and a few years later he was first to market the electric clock!
Ironically, the syncronistic motor in the clock contributed to his insights in the development of the Hammond Organ (in the 1930s). An interesting note is the fact that Lawrence Hammond was never a musician and never thought a musical instrument was in his future.
Of course, the B3-Hammond went on to become the most classic ‘jam Organ’ of all times with the help of Jimmy Smith’s Jazz electric keyboard intro… Then rock opened the doors even further.
And… the history of Hammond, well… here’s the ‘History!’
I especially love the part about how Hammond was able to use the word ‘Organ’, whereby before, the word was reserved for pipe organ manufacurers only. Also includes the first lady of the Hammond and the most interesting, early conflicts with Hammonds important counterpart, the Leslie speaker enclosure… Wow! Ron-
Further citations for your reference… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_organ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_speaker
I just knew that someday a (capable) Jazz group would render a Classical movement justice. In this instance… the Bad Plus has taken it upon themselves to really encapsulate the works of Stravinsky. Now, there are a lot of considerations when taken-on a task of this magnitude. For instance: the very thought that a modern-day acoustic Jazz trio could even approach the powerful scores of Stravinsky’s orchestral may seem a tad silly, until you consider how interestingly enough the composer’s other works sound in similarly to existing sounds of the Bad Plus’ 3-piece jams. Ron-
Listen to the entire movement of Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ by the Bad Plus here -> https://youtu.be/DdE49jdfn6Y
AND… read an in depth review in Chicago Tribune ( by: Howard Reich October 22, 2013) “Stravinsky’s orchestral score – with its convulsing rhythms and shattering dissonances – will be delivered by the bare-bones instrumentation of Ethan Iverson’s piano, Dave King’s drums and Reid Anderson’s bass. While they’re trying to capture the savage intensity of Stravinsky’s original, a series of abstract videos will play on two screens, just as an orchestra 100 years ago accompanied members of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes during that notorious premiere of Vaslav Nijinsky’s provocative choreography…” Read article in its entirety here -> https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-jazz-stravinsky-reich-20131023,0,4995862.column
Some of the old entertainers laid it down for many of us musicians to take note and to follow in their footsteps… Now, iOS Universal has created an app that gives you free access to over 50 plus episodes of Spike Jones performance. And they have a list of some earlier great works available… (see story lead, below) Ron- btw, here’s an earlier clip of Spike Jones doing his thing. If you get an opportunity, check out a couple more clips to witness his cleaver works of yester-year…
https://youtu.be/BHTryPVFMao
The very name of Spike Jones became synonymous with crazy music. While he enjoyed the fame and prosperity, he was annoyed that nobody seemed to see beyond the craziness. Lindley Armstrong “Spike” Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in performing satirical arrangements of popular songs. Ballads and classical works receiving the Jones treatment would be punctuated with gunshots, whistles, cowbells, and outlandish vocals… Free App and more info here -> https://appshopper.com/music/spike-jones-collection
Les Paul guitars are what legends are made of… From the earliest LP Junior to the classic Standard Les Paul’s, the original electric guitar and the maker thereof has deep roots in music history, to say the least. This article investigates a new book about Les Paul, written by Jim O’Donnell… Ron-
What comes to mind when you hear the name “Les Paul”? Maybe the iconic guitar, launched at the dawn of rock and roll and played by many of music’s most talented guitarists. Or perhaps you think of the musician, the performer, the songwriter – or the man who invented the aformentioned Gibson guitar, multi-track recording and a host of other musical innovations… More Here ->s https://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/features/music/review-les-paul-the-lost-interviews-by-jim-odonnell.html
You’d have to admit that Joan Jett (whether you like her or not) is considered one of the main women Rockers of all time. Here’s a quick recap of her October (’13) tour gigs with pics… Ron-
(By Cassie Carpenter for Online Mail @ dailymail.co.uk) She penned The Runaways’ Cherry Bomb in 1976.
And 37 years later, Joan Jett still looked toned and taut in her red catsuit as she rocked out Santos Party House in New York Wednesday.
The 55-year-old guitarist – born Joan Larkin – finished off her signature slinky look with a silver belt and Converse high-tops…
Often regarded as one of the most important recording engineers in music history, Van Gelder has recorded several thousand jazz sessions, including many widely recognized as classics, in a career spanning more than half a century… per Wiki: Rudy Van Gelder A great interview regarding insights thereof… – Ron
Rudy Van Gelder’s name appears on more jazz albums than any other engineer, producer or musician. In all Rudy has recorded thousands of records for Blue Note, Prestige, Hank-mobley-a-caddy-for-daddy_5024Impulse, Verve, A&M, CTI and other labels—which means he has been personally responsible for a sizable chunk of post-war jazz history… More Here -> https://www.jazzwax.com/2012/02/interview-rudy-van-gelder-part-1.html
The Heavy Metal minority includes women and blacks. Interestingly enough, some music does have a fair amount of race and gender exclusions… some that you’d never think would be the case…
Ron-
(by Mike Bell, Postmedia News)
What shouldn’t happen and what is entirely inexcusable, though, is when the self-proclaimed gatekeepers of a certain musical style let more important things such as race and gender enter into their “membership requirements,” and do all that they can to make sure those who don’t fit the bill know they’re interlopers… Read On Here -> https://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/heavy+metal+minority/8975442/story.html
Janis Joplin… “You are only as much as you settle for.” Check out this excellent (video/audio) biography of one of our era’s most influential musicians and most tragic cultural icons… (click image above)
Ron-
(by blank on blank) On September 30, 1970, four days before her death, Janis Joplin gave her final interview, a profound conversation about creativity and rejection with Howard Smith of the Village Voice, found in the altogether fantastic The Smith Tapes Box Set — an archive of Smith’s restored interviews with such icons as John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Jane Fonda, James Taylor, Jerry Garcia, and more.
