Creativity and the Mad Genius…

Combining the left and right brain in songwriting, jamming and listening to music, promotes a deep and meaningful fascination. Where does creativity and mad genius start and stop? What do you feel and think when you are jamming… Are you a participant or are you the observer? This article gives more to ponder on this subject matter.
Jam On!
-Ron

(The Imprinted Brain by… Christopher Badcock Ph.D. via:psychologytoday.com)

Can You Be Both Mad and Creative?

How genes set the balance between autism and psychosis… A study of all major British and Irish poets born between 1705 and 1805 found a strikingly high rate of mood disorders, suicide, and institutionalization within this group of writers and their families. By comparison with the rate of manic-depressive illness in the general population, these British poets were 30 times more likely to suffer from manic-depression…
… read rest of article here:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-imprinted-brain/201408/can-you-be-both-mad-and-creative

Music celebrities creating silly waves…

The events of popular musicians making outrageous publicity due to their ridiculous adventures, eg., Justin Beiber finding himself in more-than-once trouble… one has to wonder if these shenanigans are nothing more than a way to draw attention, albeit negative, to their cause of creating silly waves of publicity to sell more stuff… Is it really worth it?
This recent article from Chicago Tribune sums it up…
Jam On!
-Ron

(via: Chicago Sun Times – by: Mikael Wood)

“Sorry seems to be the hardest word,” Elton John once sang, but for celebrities that no longer appears to be the case.

Apologies from high-profile musicians and actors have been piling up recently, reflecting regret (or at least its image) for a wide variety of perceived offenses, from the seriously damaging to the laughably slight.

There was Justin Bieber seeking atonement after videos surfaced…
-> read the complete article here… <-

Saxophonists, Clarinetists and other Wind-Instrument players, Beware…

‘Saxophonist Lung’ can afflict wind-instrument players…

Wow, this is quite interesting (subj.)… Wind instrument players please keep your reeds and mouth-pieces very clean. You could be affected by this ailment. If you blow with a reed (or any wind band instrument) this short article may be very beneficial reading…
Jam On!
-Ron

(By Marc Lallanilla, Assistant Editor – via lifescience.com)
A man in Atlanta had been diagnosed with a severe case of saxophone lung. Though the name of the condition seems odd, it’s quite appropriate, since saxophonists, clarinetists and other wind-instrument players are among those who contract the illness most often…

More on this peculiar ailment here…
https://www.livescience.com/41057-what-is-saxophone-lung-hypersensitivity-pneumonitis.html

Music Instrument Museum (MIM)…

Music Instrument Museum

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

https://mim.org/

YouTube video

The history of the Hammond Organ…

the Hammond Organ

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

The Bad Plus finding jazz in Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’…

the Bad Plus

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

Spike Jones and his City Slickers, free App…

Spike Jones

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

Drummer in the Band…

Would you consider the drummer the backbone of the band? Obviously, these statements could be applied to all instruments, but it is arguably more of a truism (in general) when applied to drummers. I have to give the drummer in a band credit for their, forever being a part of the groove… I mean, none stop involvement gives them an important position in the group’s partnership…
Ron

(By Erik Stams… Rhythm Magz. via Music Radar)
By providing secure time, dynamic intensity and the right feel a drummer can make a song come to life. Why else would producers continue to use live drummers when everything else is programmed?…

More Here…
https://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/why-drummers-really-are-the-backbone-of-the-band-580362

Sad Music Makes Folks Happy…

I found this research rather interesting. Gives another meaning to music theory. Sure hope happy music also makes people ‘happy’!
Ron

(By Kenny Doan via VR-Zone)
A recent study conducted by researchers from the Tokyo University of Arts has revealed that sad music does, in fact, invoke ‘pleasant emotion.’ …
more on this story here:
https://vr-zone.com/articles/sad-music-makes-people-happy/46646.html

Keeping Time and Playing by Feel in Music…

Keeping time and playing by feel… continues to be a fair conversation amongst musicians…
I personally see where ‘both’ have their merits in playing music. A grove can be an ever elusive dance. Being ‘locked-down’ using a metronome can also have its ups and downs!
Ron

(… provided by Whisky Sage)
“Playing by feel,” or trying to express emotion is the primary concern of music. Music itself an expressive form, so it’s nigh impossible to play or experience it without any sort of feelings involved…”
… read more here:
https://blognamedmort.com/2013/07/11/playing-by-time-is-what-counts/