Jump to content

CJ Shearn

Members
  • Posts

    4,628
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Donations

    0.00 USD 

Posts posted by CJ Shearn

  1. 3 hours ago, danasgoodstuff said:

    Nice work, as always, your passion comes thru loud and clear.  Still not my cuppa, but more palatable to me than DB's studio work with the Mizell Bros.  I probably shouldn't, but I have to say that DB's attempts here and elsewhere to be something more than a very good post-bop trumpet player mostly make him something less.  Not unlike Artie Shaw thinking he had something better to do than playing clarinet and bandleading, he didn't.  That said, I love Byrd's two excursions into choral music - New Perspective and Trying to Get Home.  Wonderfully quirky and totally his in a way the work with the Mizell Brothers just isn't for me, YMMV of course.

    I think the Mizell Brothers work is what it is... this album is just a refreshing change of pace. I can't see myself getting too many of their sessions either but I sort of try to listen for what they are. This album is a fun listen. 

  2. 4 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

    I’m not CJ, and I don’t know what’s ‘right’ — but right or wrong, I have a tendency to capitalize the ‘B’ in ‘Black’ in most cases when using it as shorthand for African American (just a habit I’ve had for 20-30 years) — and I’d do the same with Black British (a term I have less need to use).

    That said, if I’m already capitalizing ‘Black’, I think(?) I would naturally be tempted to capitalize the ‘E’ in ‘Excellence’ too — because “Black Excellence” looks better to me than “Black excellence”.

    Also, as it’s used here, doesn’t “Black Excellence” sort of feel like a collective noun almost?  Not technically probably right, but that feels right to me.

    Anyway, I probably would have capitalized the whole term too — even if that’s not what style guides say to do (fwiw).

    THAT SAID, there are a few other proofreading things I noticed too (though god knows I don’t proofread my own stuff enough most of the time).

    Not only that but Donald Byrd represented something that a lot of other jazz musicians didn't necessarily, he was more than a musician, a renaissance man who took the opportunities to expand himself using what was available to him. Cornel West, Dr. Claud Anderson and countless others I probably am not aware of are examples of this. And given that I am half Black myself it's only appropriate to capitalize. Maybe i hung around the Lenny White orbit a bit too long (I no longer do- still love the guy's music) but there was  a definite pro Black bias, in his Zoom group... there are experiences he's had as  a player and as a person I can't imagine 

  3. Just now, Rooster_Ties said:

    I’m not CJ, and I don’t know what’s ‘right’ — but right or wrong, I have a tendency to capitalize the ‘B’ in ‘Black’ in most cases when using it as shorthand for African American (just a habit I’ve had for 20-30 years) — and I’d do the same with Black British (a term I have less need to use).

    That said, if I’m already capitalizing ‘Black’, I think(?) I would naturally be tempted to capitalize the ‘E’ in ‘Excellence’ too — because “Black Excellence” looks better to me than “Black excellence”.

    Also, as it’s used here, doesn’t “Black Excellence” sort of feel like a collective noun almost?  Not technically probably right, but that feels right to me.

    Anyway, I probably would have capitalized the whole term too — even if that’s not what style guides say to do (fwiw).

    THAT SAID, there are a few other proofreading things I noticed too (though god knows I don’t proofread my own stuff enough most of the time).

    I'll check out the other errors you may have mentioned

  4. I sampled a few tracks streaming. And actually, my friend got it for me for Christmas and I cheated, opened and played it and it's quite good. Surprisingly so. "Kwame" is my favorite cut. Have any of these Byrd originals presented here circulated before? Now the question is if they will reissue the Hutcherson, Foster and other associated titles physically so new audiences can check them out? Might have to write up on this one

  5. 9 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

    Thanks for this.  I am curious if you have ever purchased lossless files from Qobuz, and if you have any insights into whether they upsample mp3s also.  I have bought a few things from them that I could not find elsewhere.  

    No clue

  6. Beware, some albums that are marked HD I have found to be upsampled MP3's, of things I had in my pre fire collection like Earland Intensity I found sounded like badly encoded MP3.  I have a contact there and complained, and things have been corrected.

  7. I love Blu Ray Audio for music, I wish more albums would be issued in the format.  I have the capacity to play both SACD and Blu Ray  both with my system's Sony Universal player.  I only have 2 of the Blu Ray Audio, The Alan Parsons' Project's Tales of Mystery and Imagination and Ammonia AvenueTales of Mystery and Imagination sounds STUNNING! Only way to relatively easily get the original 1976 mix which is what I grew up on, and it has the 87 remix which I don't like, but it's rich and dynamic.  The MoFi CD is so expensive.  Also the Tales blu ray is not compressed to shit like the Deluxe Edition from the 00's.  To me, SACD and Blu Ray Audio sound very different, neither one is worse than the other, I'm happy to have both, and can hear the benefits of both.

  8. 6 hours ago, Dub Modal said:

    Hard to find any real positivity when thinking about ai produced art and potential effects and outcomes. Yet it's being heavily financed into existence despite a clear lack of demand. 

    Exactly and I think people will always listen to music made by real musicians and I need to edit my piece to reflect that, I didn't mean to imply younger audiences won't listen to human made music, but the fact people are moved by AI generated music is fascinating to me because for me, its devoid of emotion. 

    1 hour ago, danasgoodstuff said:

    As always, thanks for putting yourself out there and giving us something to think about.

    Thanks again. BTW, does anyone remember that Dozo thing I mentioned in the article as a precursor to all this when it was shown in real time in 1989? I never saw it until 15 years ago and that bizarre long necked CGI singer image stayed with me. 

  9. 1 hour ago, Chuck Nessa said:

    I defer to your expertise,

    The original McMaster isn't bad, but the more recent version is the best, but any more recyclings of this, I'm out... don't need any more recyclings.  Tony's cymbals sound better to me on the more recent version that is the topic, for me, the RVG just has too much treble.

  10. 23 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

    Discovered today I had 2 Out to Lunch cds and wondered why (old guy brain fart) so I put each in the cd deck. After comparing the first 40 seconds of the first track (Hat and Beard) I understood the reason for keeping the RVG. Rudy's focus on Tony's cymbals won the war. Not even close.

    I disagree Chuck, The RVG is awful.  I had the 2017 SHM CD of Out To Lunch and it's a little bright, but overall better than the RVG.  IMO.  It's one of the worst RVG's, Empyrean Isles is another.  Since the 75th Anniversary CD was the one I lost in the fire (along with Speak No Evil) from the same series, I have to get those again at some point.

    3 hours ago, bresna said:

    The 2 alternates on the UCCU CD are only available there. That would be the main reason to have it.

    I remember the "Hat and Beard" alternate being more interesting than "Something Tender", but that's just me.

  11. 2 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

    Well, the music is really what could be played in a let´s say Pharoah Sanders memorial concert, I mean with regular instruments and of course a saxophonist who might continue with the message of that master. 

    About composing, I couldn´t do it with all them modern equipments. I had to play some electronic keyboards when I played in a jazz-rock/funk band, but my love is natural instruments. I didn compose the one or other tune, two of them even got radio playing during the time they were recorded, but for composing I never composed or compose from the piano, it just comes, it be that I dream it and remember it when I get up, it can be if I´m just walkin´ around, anything. Than it´s in my mind, with the chords and the way I want to have it played with a group. If I think it´s fit for being presented, I ask a fellow musician who can write, to write it down, since I only can read some sheet music (if I know the tune by ear), but writing is not possible with my rudimentary knowledge of written music.....

    Technology is absolutely essential for me besides my voice for creating music because  I'm disabled... natural or "acoustic" instruments as I tried playing them in highschool really didn't work for me at all 

  12. On 9/29/2022 at 7:05 AM, Ken Dryden said:

    Gerry Mulligan felt the same way, even about the Mosaic box which restored Dick Bock’s edits to his Pacific Jazz recordings. Artists now know that if you don’t want alternates, false starts and breakdowns issued, have them destroyed once an album has been completed and released. Though sometimes the master take selection seems a bit arbitrary and a case can be made that another take is just as good, if not superior to a master take.

    I think although some alternates and outtakes can be worthwhile, when I review Blue Train The Complete Masters soon for example, not all of that is necessary. Though with that, I like Take 7 quite a lot.

  13. On 10/1/2022 at 2:23 AM, Gheorghe said:

    Just have listened to it ! Is this synthie in studio ? Anyway, it is something I can imagine very well and it has the spirit and message of Pharoah Sanders in it. You almost can feel when Pharoah comes in and starts playing. I just imagine this on stage with a live band with piano, bass drums and percussions and maybe a small vocal group, laying down the mood for a while and then Pharoah..... he would have appreciated it ! 

    Thanks for sharing ! 

    Thank you so much for listening. I've written 20 or 30 compositions since last summer, 2021.  This was all created with my MIDI controller, VST's and DAW in my bedroom! I layered and mixed  4 synth sounds together  (including a Moog bass patch)for the lead/improvisation.  The changes, with the floaty synth sound is the famous Roland D-50 Soundtrack patch, what sounds like a gunshot is actually a sample of Antonio Sanchez's deep snare which I heavily modified through a Marshall amp simulation, EQ'd and processed with reverb, then of course the ride and cross stick triplets are me doing my best Elvin impersonation :)

  14. On 9/26/2022 at 5:01 PM, Ken Dryden said:

    Sue Mingus was not the typical “jazz widow” but an activist who fought to get her husband’s music performed, recorded, reissued and respected. She will be missed.

    Her stories of wishing the alternates and unreleased takes were not released in the Mingus Columbia box booklet are very interesting 

×
×
  • Create New...