My favorite quality of inside-out jazz is that even while it's wandering around and searching out new direction and perspectives, I can still tap my foot to it. Rich Halley's offering today embraces that quality and is well worth the listen. This tune is a great example of where the AAJ dotd introduced me to a musician I'd never heard of before and got his name on my to-purchase list.
His site gives ample opportunity to stream music from his various projects...
Needing some of that moody jazz to fill those quiet introspective nights when all you want to do is lean back with a drink and enjoy the view from the window? Start with this duo. Kris's trumpet eases nicely between bold pronouncements and soothing words of comfort, and Mike's guitar, much harder to describe... he doesn't really sound like anyone else (which may be the best reason to give him a listen). Mike played on Jeremy Udden's "Plainville", which I've been crazy about since it came out.
I'm not gonna try to suggest who this album might appeal to, 'cause I'd be listing out all types of jazz sub-genres and ear-groups.
You can stream the entire album (and purchase it in any file format) on their Bandcamp page...
Hetty Kate (vocals), Art Hirahara (piano), Tal Ronen (bass) and Dan Aran (drums).
Fun little tune. This song is one of a couple vocal jazz tracks that AAJ will be featuring in the coming weeks, and each time I hear a song like this, it inspires me to start making plans to revisit my prior opinion that I'm just not that into jazz vocals. I mean, I've listened to Kissing Bug a couple times in a row now and my foot keeps on tappin'.
Mark O'Leary on guitar, Senol Kkyldrm on drums, Murat Opur on bass and electronics, and Can mer Uygan on trumpet and electronics.
Moody piece. Bass and drums keep a frenetic but even cant as trumpet soar overhead, guitar slices and drones, and mild electronic effects fill the gaps in between. Should appeal to fans of ECM small-combo albums, fans of Roy Montgomery and Explosions in the Sky, and maybe even those whose favorite Miles Davis album is "In a Silent Way."
After Bill Mays joined the Phil Woods Quintet a few years back Phil started sounding Bill out about doing a duo recording. The two came together at Maggie's Farm on September 7, 2010 and spent all of three hours recording this joyful music. The warmth and excitement of the session was captured perfectly by producer Matt Balitsaris.
For fans of Brad Mehldau and EST. Piano is the ringleader, but the bass and drum duo really carry the show. Exhilarating tune that builds subtly up to its peak.
Modern fusion from world jazz musicians. Incredibly tuneful, this song has a cool stroll from beginning to end, hanging back and telling it like it is. Crossover appeal to fans of rock band Morphine. Obscure music reference: Reminds me of MC 900ft Jesus's jazz jam "Bill's Dream," from One Step Ahead of the Spider.
From the Artist:
The first Album from the Wilson Huggett Project was nominated for Jazz CD of the year in South Africa. Their new release is Field of Hope and is the result of 2 years of writing and performing. Part of the album was recording in South Africa during their successful recent tour.
A large ensemble flush with strings. Would be completely unsurprised to find lots of Abdullah Ibrahim cds on Waller's shelf. Uplifting tune, can almost imagine wide smiles on the ensemble as they perform it. Jazz from the UK.
You can stream (and purchase in any file format) the album on his bandcamp page...
Originally intended as a rumbling afrobeat tune for string quintet and percussion, the end result might be something more like a sweeping cinematic afro-jazz affair.
We've been tinkering around with the dotd page formats, adding some new functions to it. One change is that people can now comment on the respective dotd pages. I am going to dispense with subtlety and blatantly ask that if you like a dotd track, just say so in the comments box. It can be as simple as GP's comment two posts above. It'd be nice to see those comments sections on the dotd get a little bit of response. Sometimes once one person speaks up, all the other people hanging back start talking, too.
Song has the wild exhilaration of a Tom Waits song and the experimental whimsy of Kamikaze Ground Crew. This is the kind of tune to get your Big Band Friday night started. Jazz from the Brooklyn jazz scene.
Artist Comment:
2nd movement of 4 part suite about NYC Chinatown funerals. Scaring evil spirits is a purpose of music in certain Chinese Buddhist funerals. With original themes written in a Chinese folk style, using four soprano saxes to mimic the oboe-like suona.
Soloists: Fred Ho, bari sax; Erica von Kleist, alto sax. Includes 3 sizes of gongs.
Jonah, I just grabbed a big swath of these, having fallen behind. 6 of the 30 have almost no tags at all, 13/30 are missing the year, and 10 missing the genre. I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but do you have the capacity to ensure the tracks are fully tagged before offering them for download? If these are meant as a sort of sales tool, tags could easily improve their utility (I'm sure a fraction of dl'ers would not go through the effort of retagging, and instead just end up not knowing what was playing later).
Jonah, I just grabbed a big swath of these, having fallen behind. 6 of the 30 have almost no tags at all, 13/30 are missing the year, and 10 missing the genre. I don't mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but do you have the capacity to ensure the tracks are fully tagged before offering them for download? If these are meant as a sort of sales tool, tags could easily improve their utility (I'm sure a fraction of dl'ers would not go through the effort of retagging, and instead just end up not knowing what was playing later).
Hey, Karg.
What exactly is missing? Are you talking about when it downloads into your itunes, there's certain fields like genre=jazz or release date=June 2010 that are missing? Or are you saying there is information missing on the AAJ screen?
If it's the AAJ screen, please let me know specifically what is missing. If it's how the downloaded track is populating fields in your iTunes library, that might be more problematic. Is that something I could edit on my end or is that something that only the artist can change? We do upload each mp3 track onto an AAJ platform, so if proofreading the info is reliant on hosting the song, then I do have access to it.
I have to be honest... when it comes to basic tech knowledge, I'm actually pretty stupid. There's a lot I don't understand.
You can edit mp3 tags in almost any player software (like iTunes or winamp). If you load the mp3 on the hosting site into a local player like that, then you will see the mp3 tags right away, and can edit them if necessary to match the info on the screen. If you drag the mp3 into the player, and it shows up without obviously correct info, then you need to edit the tags (which is very easy).
Do you download or play these tracks locally? You would see the problems right away if so.
Basically, at some point in the upload chain to the hosting site, it should pass through a software player to verify tags. One fix on your end prevents hundreds of individual fixes on the downloaders' ends.
What I usually do is take the mp3 and ftp it to the AAJ site. From there, I slot it onto a dotd submission form and then take the url address, stick it into a web browser and listen to it to be sure it plays okay.
Should I change the process to do something like this...?
1. Take the mp3 file and play it through my iTunes player.
2. Hilight the song and "Get Info".
3. Edit the appropriate fields in the Get Info screen.
4. Save the track with the corrected info.
5. FTP it over to the AAJ site.
6. AAJ members download track with correct information and tags.
If that will solve the problem, I'll totally do that on tracks going forward (I don't know that I'll have the time to fix past ones).
That'll do it. The more complete the better: I shoot for a minimum of track, artist, album, year, genre (and you might want to add "allaboutjazz daily mp3" or something sensibly descriptive in the comments field).
I want to add album artwork to the track, but I'm pretty sure it won't work because I can only choose an image off my hard drive and once that gets uploaded onto AAJ and then downloaded, it won't show up.
Is that right? Or by choosing a jpg on my hard drive, iTunes actually loads it onto the file and it no longer is associated with my personal computer?
I don't use iTunes for that (I use MP3Tag) but in principle it should work the same way, i.e. yes, the image should get embedded in the file.
ETA just checked, yes, iTunes does embed the image in the file. Just tried changing an image in iTunes and then opened the file in MP3Tag and it showed.
By the way, MP3Tag is free and fairly intuitive for handling tag changes, artwork, etc. I find it easier than iTunes with all its tabs for different kinds of info.
I'm going to see how much time is involved in doing ones already loaded into the system (both recently featured and ones upcoming). if it doesn't take too much time, I'll go for it. Here's what I've been adding/confirming is there...
Song title
Artist
Album Title
Year
Track number
Album number (one of one in just about every instance)
Genre
Comments = AllAboutJazz Free MP3 of the Day
I'll probably add artwork, but that's gonna be a going-forward type of thing.
it should look a lot nicer going forward. I can't make any promises on tracks scheduled to run prior to July 28th.
Feedback on the AAJ dotd is strongly encouraged and appreciated.
Okay, that wasn't too bad. If I keep up with it, it'll be much easier. I updated the files on 27 recent tracks, either featured over the last couple weeks or are scheduled to run in the next couple. Now that I've got the process down, I'll do the rest. I think I'd like to at least edit the tracks which happened under my watch, especially those which signed up as a result of my invitation (which is a large majority).
Only some are going to have art. If it's convenient, I'll get it in there on the old ones. Going forward, say starting on August 1st, they'll all have artwork.
If anybody has been holding off on downloading a bunch of these because of the tagging issue, by the end of this weekend, I'll have a bunch more edited, and I'll put up a list of those that have edited tags and info.
That's really useful Jonah.I have tended to downlaod a week or so at a time - it's just easier that way. But as I have had a lot of work in the last ten days or so I haven't done it for a couple of weeks. I'll wait another few days as the info does help a lot. The AAJ downloads are making some great playlists for long car journeys, so thanks
Comments
Song = "Requiem for a Pit Viper" and can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6624
My favorite quality of inside-out jazz is that even while it's wandering around and searching out new direction and perspectives, I can still tap my foot to it. Rich Halley's offering today embraces that quality and is well worth the listen. This tune is a great example of where the AAJ dotd introduced me to a musician I'd never heard of before and got his name on my to-purchase list.
His site gives ample opportunity to stream music from his various projects...
http://www.richhalley.com/Audio.html
Enjoy!
Track = "Suenos", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6626
Albert Cirera sax
Paco Weht bass
Dani Dominguez drums
Nico S
Song = "Bridges", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6616
Kris Tiner: Trumpet
Mike Baggetta: Guitar
Needing some of that moody jazz to fill those quiet introspective nights when all you want to do is lean back with a drink and enjoy the view from the window? Start with this duo. Kris's trumpet eases nicely between bold pronouncements and soothing words of comfort, and Mike's guitar, much harder to describe... he doesn't really sound like anyone else (which may be the best reason to give him a listen). Mike played on Jeremy Udden's "Plainville", which I've been crazy about since it came out.
I'm not gonna try to suggest who this album might appeal to, 'cause I'd be listing out all types of jazz sub-genres and ear-groups.
You can stream the entire album (and purchase it in any file format) on their Bandcamp page...
http://tinbag.bandcamp.com/
Enjoy!
Song = "Kissing Bug", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6635
Hetty Kate (vocals), Art Hirahara (piano), Tal Ronen (bass) and Dan Aran (drums).
Fun little tune. This song is one of a couple vocal jazz tracks that AAJ will be featuring in the coming weeks, and each time I hear a song like this, it inspires me to start making plans to revisit my prior opinion that I'm just not that into jazz vocals. I mean, I've listened to Kissing Bug a couple times in a row now and my foot keeps on tappin'.
Good stuff.
Song = "Obesssion," which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6633
Mark O'Leary on guitar, Senol Kkyldrm on drums, Murat Opur on bass and electronics, and Can mer Uygan on trumpet and electronics.
Moody piece. Bass and drums keep a frenetic but even cant as trumpet soar overhead, guitar slices and drones, and mild electronic effects fill the gaps in between. Should appeal to fans of ECM small-combo albums, fans of Roy Montgomery and Explosions in the Sky, and maybe even those whose favorite Miles Davis album is "In a Silent Way."
Song = "Blues for Lopes", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6649
Song = "The Big Picture", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6636
For fans of Brad Mehldau and EST. Piano is the ringleader, but the bass and drum duo really carry the show. Exhilarating tune that builds subtly up to its peak.
Song = "Tribute to Andy Goldsworthy", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6612
Modern fusion from world jazz musicians. Incredibly tuneful, this song has a cool stroll from beginning to end, hanging back and telling it like it is. Crossover appeal to fans of rock band Morphine. Obscure music reference: Reminds me of MC 900ft Jesus's jazz jam "Bill's Dream," from One Step Ahead of the Spider.
From the Artist:
Song = "As the Crow Flies", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6628
A large ensemble flush with strings. Would be completely unsurprised to find lots of Abdullah Ibrahim cds on Waller's shelf. Uplifting tune, can almost imagine wide smiles on the ensemble as they perform it. Jazz from the UK.
You can stream (and purchase in any file format) the album on his bandcamp page...
http://joller.bandcamp.com
From the Artist:
We've been tinkering around with the dotd page formats, adding some new functions to it. One change is that people can now comment on the respective dotd pages. I am going to dispense with subtlety and blatantly ask that if you like a dotd track, just say so in the comments box. It can be as simple as GP's comment two posts above. It'd be nice to see those comments sections on the dotd get a little bit of response. Sometimes once one person speaks up, all the other people hanging back start talking, too.
Cheers.
Song = "Mulberry Street Pt. 2", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6650
Song has the wild exhilaration of a Tom Waits song and the experimental whimsy of Kamikaze Ground Crew. This is the kind of tune to get your Big Band Friday night started. Jazz from the Brooklyn jazz scene.
Artist Comment:
Song = "Crawling", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6661
Stan Muncy on Vibes, Steve Slater on Drums, Jason Countryman on Guitar, and Nick Underwood on Bass.
This song is so joyful. A real Springtime album. The partnership of guitar and vibes wins again!
You can stream the entire album (and purchase in any file format) their album on their bandcamp page...
http://parksttrio.bandcamp.com/
Song = "For the Meantime", which can be downloaded from AAJ here...
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6638
Andrea Wood: vocals; Noble Jolley: piano; Nathan Jolley: drums; Blake Meister: bass.
This is music that effortlessly slides right up to the ears and makes nice.
Hey, Karg.
What exactly is missing? Are you talking about when it downloads into your itunes, there's certain fields like genre=jazz or release date=June 2010 that are missing? Or are you saying there is information missing on the AAJ screen?
If it's the AAJ screen, please let me know specifically what is missing. If it's how the downloaded track is populating fields in your iTunes library, that might be more problematic. Is that something I could edit on my end or is that something that only the artist can change? We do upload each mp3 track onto an AAJ platform, so if proofreading the info is reliant on hosting the song, then I do have access to it.
I have to be honest... when it comes to basic tech knowledge, I'm actually pretty stupid. There's a lot I don't understand.
Do you download or play these tracks locally? You would see the problems right away if so.
Basically, at some point in the upload chain to the hosting site, it should pass through a software player to verify tags. One fix on your end prevents hundreds of individual fixes on the downloaders' ends.
Should I change the process to do something like this...?
1. Take the mp3 file and play it through my iTunes player.
2. Hilight the song and "Get Info".
3. Edit the appropriate fields in the Get Info screen.
4. Save the track with the corrected info.
5. FTP it over to the AAJ site.
6. AAJ members download track with correct information and tags.
If that will solve the problem, I'll totally do that on tracks going forward (I don't know that I'll have the time to fix past ones).
So, am I understanding it?
I'll start doing that. I like the idea about the AAJ tag, too.
Cheers.
I want to add album artwork to the track, but I'm pretty sure it won't work because I can only choose an image off my hard drive and once that gets uploaded onto AAJ and then downloaded, it won't show up.
Is that right? Or by choosing a jpg on my hard drive, iTunes actually loads it onto the file and it no longer is associated with my personal computer?
ETA just checked, yes, iTunes does embed the image in the file. Just tried changing an image in iTunes and then opened the file in MP3Tag and it showed.
By the way, MP3Tag is free and fairly intuitive for handling tag changes, artwork, etc. I find it easier than iTunes with all its tabs for different kinds of info.
Song title
Artist
Album Title
Year
Track number
Album number (one of one in just about every instance)
Genre
Comments = AllAboutJazz Free MP3 of the Day
I'll probably add artwork, but that's gonna be a going-forward type of thing.
it should look a lot nicer going forward. I can't make any promises on tracks scheduled to run prior to July 28th.
Feedback on the AAJ dotd is strongly encouraged and appreciated.
Only some are going to have art. If it's convenient, I'll get it in there on the old ones. Going forward, say starting on August 1st, they'll all have artwork.
If anybody has been holding off on downloading a bunch of these because of the tagging issue, by the end of this weekend, I'll have a bunch more edited, and I'll put up a list of those that have edited tags and info.