Robert J

Matthew Shipp is playing 2 dates in Toronto this weekend, both of them solo piano. I've never seen him live so I am really excited. I can't make the Saturday one but I am going to catch the Sunday matinee at a different and much smaller venue (80 people max). It is actually the same room where I spent a weekend taking the Barry Harris Jazz workshop - same Steinway piano. So I'll probably get to chat with him. From what I hear/have read he's quite an articulate man. Also it's only $11

The bad typing, sympathetic plea, and brotherly jazz love paen flagged me right away. The website looks like nothing special: Welcome to DigitalRuckus.com the fastest growing site on the web for the "Road Warrior". DigitalRuckus.com is a place for connections, whether your are a musician or nightclub looking for a free and simple way to connect with other artists & fans or a travelling professional looking to keep intouch with new friends. DigitalRuckus.com is the perfect place to interact with like minded individuals, find local live music, and tapping into your local nightlife. When you mix a fun community atmosphere with a growing suite of tools to help you connect it's immposible not to make some noise. Also it says he's a Libra - the only inanimate sign of the zodiac

It's online for those who like to view JPEGs.

Forget the men's hockey! GOLD!

Gimme that!

OK, then a variation? With extra or no slide grease? Left hand slides, right holds? WWED? (What would Eno do?)

I found a fun thing - soloing by using one or two fingers in my right hand only. I've even tried a thumb only solo!

I was in an overall slump for the past 2-3 years creatively, and not just music. I felt difficulty in writing words, communicating freely and I could no longer do the book and music reviews that came automatically for me. Some of it was attributable to an increase in my alcohol and weed consumption – a vicious cycle of trying to find a solution and creating another problem. One thing that helped me out was Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way”. It is a 12 week program (chapters in the book - not 12 step AA!) to help people in a range of fields get unstuck. You don't have to be an artist. There are various exercises, but 2 constants are the “Daily Pages and the “Artist Date”. The Daily Pages require you to write 3 pages freehand every day, whether you want to or not. The point is regular work. It could be any old crap that comes to mind, but often you get in a groove by the 3rd page. I’ve been doing this for the past year now, helped by a 40 minute train commute. The Artist Date is treating yourself to something once a week – usually something you’d think of as frivolous or even selfish. It could be going to an art gallery, buying a book, taking a stroll in the park, buying some candy you enjoyed as a kid, etc. It’s not a major item/activity, but something regular to feed the soul. I was reluctant at first, but oddly things started to happen. She mentions certain “co-incidences” that will come about in this process as well. I’d say a big one – among others - would be meeting Barry Harris on my Chicago trip and having him invite me to his Toronto jazz workshop. Now I feel a real burst of energy after that weekend workshop and through using his book/dvd (see the other thread). Anyhow – I found that stressing about the slump is not the solution. The groove will come back if you’re open to it. Even if you experience the dark days for a long time. Unfortunately I wasted much time learning that – but I’ve also learned not to stress over the past either. That’s pretty bad energy too.

I wish - but it would be pay per view if that was the case. They may repeat on CBC late tonight, but I know that right now Slovakia vs Czech Republic is playing on CBC now.

No problem. Did you switch your alliances now that the US lost or were you always with the motherland?

I am building webpages now and am away from a TV at work. The Toronto Star has a text version of the play, but that's not the way to view! Dmitry - you watching? It "reads" exciting with the shots and hits - let me know what you see out there.

As much as I like hockey, I wish the overpaid NHL-ers at the Olympics could play like this during the regular season.

Too bad you don't get the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) as they do have some great commentators on the sport/strategy. Becuase it is not a traditional "babe" sport (sisters aside), beyond explaining definitions, the US networks don't really know how to promote the excitement well enough IMO.

OK - here's a start. I’ll add more when I’m at home tonight. The 2 DVD/Book packages are reasonably priced at 100-125$. You get a workbook and 4 DVDs per set - about 4-5 hours worth of material. The DVDs reinforce what the book shows, but not everything in the book is on the DVD. It starts off with the master talking directly to you, after a piano intro, about his thoughts on jazz education. What I do like is that you can tell it’s not completely scripted, so there’s pauses where Barry is thinking aloud, or sometimes correcting himself – what does actually occur in his workshops. This is not to say the video doesn’t have a form, it does. Here’s the Table of Contents for Vol 1 http://www.jazzworkshops.com/workshop_toc.html and Volume 2 http://www.jazzworkshops.com/workshop_part2_toc.html At first glance the workbook seems small (100 or so pages) . But that’s deceiving. There’s enough material in there to keep you very busy. Part of it has to do with the fact that Harris makes you rethink your approach to theoretical material - not just bebop, but jazz in general. Personally I am taking a slow approach to the first book and I am transposing all of the C examples into every key. I am at the point now where I realize I have certain strengths that I keep relying on, but many obvious gaps I want to correct. Some of what Harris outlines I’ve always felt intuitively (ie. his ½ step approach to improv) but did not have the framework to execute it properly in improvisation). I feel it is a bit of a “new” beginning for me, and I’ve been through a number of books and methods (in the book part of my study – listening is obviously my primary teacher). I really think more players should be into this method – so many piano players (me included) go right for the Mark Levine books(s) out of habit. Even Levine himself said that one weekend workshop with Barry changed his whole approach. I’d thoroughly agree. It is applicable to all instruments and the DVDs has an ensemble workshop, so no one gets ignored. There’s even sections specifically on rhythm. Back to work – I’ll continue this later.

I have them - bought them this past fall, and then I went to his Toronto workshop. The books and videos were made/shot in Toronto with Harris disciple Howard Rees. I'm kind of swamped at work at the moment, but I'll weigh in soon. A friend of mine has the whole series and has been to dozens of the workshops. Here's the link to Howard's website where you can order the stuff. http://www.jazzworkshops.com/home.html (click the navigation tab on the left)

I do have kids, but I guess I don't want to live completely paranoid for them as well. Nor do I want to assume a vigilante mentality either. (See some of the quotes on the Testimonial page.) I am not opposed to registries, just one like this that is publicly available with an quasi-defined purpose. Here's the RCMPs stance on the Canadian registry: Q. Does the National Sex Offender Database respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Privacy Act? - The National Sex Offender Database complies with the provisions of the legislation as approved by parliament. - There will be criminal penalties for the misuse of the data either by persons authorized to have access to it or by third parties who may acquire National Sex Offender Database information. - Access to this personal information will be tightly controlled and used for police investigation purposes and as authorized by law. We have one in Ontario too. ONTARIO'S SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY Christopher Stephenson's Death was Catalyst - Ontario's Sex Offender Registry, the first of its kind in Canada, was sparked by the tragic 1988 murder of 11-year-old Christopher Stephenson at the hands of a convicted pedophile on federal statutory release. At the 1993 inquest into his death, the coroner's jury recommended creating a national registry for convicted sex offenders, requiring that they register with their local police service as soon as they are released from jail. - With the support of the Stephenson family, victims' groups and law enforcement organizations, the government proclaimed Christopher's Law (Sex Offender Registry 2000), on April 23, 2001, making the Sex Offender Registry a reality. Role of the Local Police Service with Ontario's Registry - Ontario's registry gives police the crucial information they need to investigate and solve crimes of a sexual nature. It is designed to provide a reliable current address and photo of an offender, aiding police in monitoring sex offenders in their community. The database is only accessible to the police. - Police services are responsible for establishing at least one registration site where offenders are required to report when they have taken up residence in the community for 15 days or more. The onus is on offenders to comply with designated times and locations for registration, as set by the local police service. Offenders must re-register within 15 days of relocating to a new jurisdiction. An offender moving out of the province must advise police 15 days prior to leaving. Finally, an offender must report at least annually to update the information in the registry. - The Ontario Community Safety Act, which amended the Police Services Act, empowers local police chiefs to publicly disclose information on offenders considered to be a significant risk to a community. Such disclosure must be done in accordance with the Police Services Act and its regulations.

I also agree with Weizen et al. In Canada it is not published - "The public does not have access to the National Sex Offender Registry. It is a database that provides Canadian police services with important information that will improve their ability to investigate crimes of a sexual nature. " http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/techops/nsor/index_e.htm

So yesterday I take off my jacket at lunchtime because I am sweating, it was 9C/48F. This morning I am shoveling snow off my driveway and am pelted with freezing rain. I see tomorrow night it will be -15C/4F!

Skiing kind of sucks for us in the Toronto area Too much man made snow on the few hills we have north of us. Though we are taking the kids to Bristol Mountain, NY this March Break and I hope they'll have some decent amounts of white stuff.

Probably had a speech writer. But who knows? Just before this article was published, she starred in a movie with Ben Affleck - 200 Cigarettes - so maybe his intelligence rubbed off on her. Reminds me a bit about Steve Albini's rant from 1993. Albini, of course, produced Nirvana's In Utero

His book on Jazz Piano made an impression on me in high school.

... Jim was called B3-er

Believe me - after cherishing those Xanadu LPs, I never thought I'd get the opportunity to actually study with him. He is very funny - and had some great anecdotes too, as you could imagine or already heard.

You're probably correct. Another gentleman at the workshop who lived in Michigan and knew Barry, told me that he doesn't really collect much in the way of royalies off his back catalogue, but one year in the early 90s he did do well enough that he hired an accountant. Sadly, I don't think that's the case today. Beautiful man. I'll keep going to the workshops, which probably does not make him rich either - just us attendees.

That's probably what I'll do. Though I wouldn't have minded if Barry got a few more royalties if I bought the CDs! Still - I made it up to him by going to his jazz workshop in Toronto this fall and buying the books and DVDs