Suzanne Vega

[brownie]

Blue Note's diversification goes on and on...

From Reuters/Billboard:

SUZANNE VEGA SIGNS WITH BLUE NOTE

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega has signed a new deal with jazz specialist Blue Note, which is eyeing a spring 2007 release for her label debut. It will be the follow-up to her 2001 album "Songs in Red and Gray," her last with A&M, to which she had been signed since 1984.

Vega is best known for her left-field 1987 hit "Luka," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. DNA's 1990 remix of her track "Tom's Diner" was a No. 10 hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks tally.

Vega will spend the summer on tour in North America and internationally, including an appearance June 10 at the Isle of Wight festival in Britain.

Reuters/Billboard

[sidewinder]

Jeez !

[king ubu]

[Dan Gould]

Allright! Next up, Edie Brickell!!

[jazzbo]

Who will be next? Gitte?

[Claude]

At least Gitte Haenning has a little bit of jazz credentials, because she recorded a jazz album, called ... "Jazz"

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00031R5HC/

[sidewinder]

At least Gitte Haenning has a little bit of jazz credentials, because she recorded a jazz album, called ... "Jazz"

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00031R5HC/

Kurzbeschreibung

„Ich hatte immer das Bild im Kopf, dass ich als alte Lady enden möchte in einer Hand eine Flasche Whisky und in der anderen eine Zigarre - singing the Jazz. Schon als Kind mochte ich den Jazz. Er gab mir viel für Körper und Seele und auch für den Kopf. Die Songs auf diesem Album habe ich schon vor Jahren für mich entdeckt - sie sind besonders und haben eine Geschichte zu erzählen. Ich ging auf Tour und machte einen Mitschnitt. Auf diesem Album öffne ich die Zigarrenkiste ein bisschen für sie.“ Gitte Haenning

Hmmm...

[jazzbo]

Oh yeah Claude, I think she'd be an okay choice. A better choice than ____________ _________ (several possible entries here).

[Rooster_Ties]

Whatever about Suzy Vega signing with BN. What really does bother me is who ISN'T signed to Blue Note (or somebody like Blue Note).

How about more people like Billy Harper??

Why isn't someone like THAT on Blue Note (or a label like Blue Note).

They could sign Melissa Etheridge, or Joss Stone, or anybody you'd care to name for all I care. (And Norah Jones on BN bothers me not one bit.) It's who they AREN'T signing that bugs me.

[Aggie87]

Who is on their active roster these days? Here are my guesses:

Jackie Allen

Anita Baker

Patricia Barber

Terence Blanchard

Robert Glasper

Stefon Harris

Andrew Hill

Dr. John

Norah Jones

Keren Ann

Amos Lee

Joe Lovano

Wynton Marsalis

Pat Martino

Marissa Monte

Jason Moran

Greg Osby

Dianne Reeves

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Suzanne Vega

Cassandra Wilson

Wood Brothers

They just recently unloaded Medeski Martin & Wood, and I'm guessing Chucho Valdes, since his last album was on another label ("Virtuoso", unless it was a reissue).

[paul secor]

Who is on their active roster these days? Here are my guesses:

Jackie Allen

Anita Baker

Patricia Barber

Terence Blanchard

Robert Glasper

Stefon Harris

Andrew Hill

Dr. John

Norah Jones

Keren Ann

Amos Lee

Joe Lovano

Wynton Marsalis

Pat Martino

Marissa Monte

Jason Moran

Greg Osby

Dianne Reeves

Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Suzanne Vega

Cassandra Wilson

Wood Brothers

They just recently unloaded Medeski Martin & Wood, and I'm guessing Chucho Valdes, since his last album was on another label ("Virtuoso", unless it was a reissue).

If this is their "roster", it's pretty sad.

[Niko]

Who is on their active roster these days? Here are my guesses:

...

Keren Ann

that's funny - Keren Ann is one of the two CDs I most often listened to these days when I wanted to hear something other than jazz (the other being Fehlfarben "Monarchie und Alltag", not yet signed to BN) - looks like I'll have to resort my CDs once again... now that Keren Ann is Jazz

Edited June 8, 2006 by Niko

[JSngry]

Suzanne Vega is a not uninteresting talent.

Rooster's point is a good one though - if they were signing artists like this to "subsidize" their less profitable yet worthy (or more) acts, I'd be a lot happier.

Still, Suzanne Vega is a not uninteresting talent.

[Joe G]

Suzanne Vega is a not uninteresting talent.

Strangely, I was thinking about that Tom's Diner remix just yesterday.

[Claude]

Her website says that "Tom's Diner" has been remixed 30 times. Maybe we will finally get a big band version

[ghost of miles]

I agree with Jim's assessment of Suzanne Vega. I'm not too worried about BN's direction right now--what worries me is the future, when people such as Bruce Lundvall aren't there. What happens when the next generation of "suits" takes over? I'm afraid then that we'll see the label tipping even more in the direction of sophisticated & veteran singer/songwriters. That's a genre for which I have an appreciation, but it's not "jazz," most of the time, anyway.

[Aggie87]

Her website says that "Tom's Diner" has been remixed 30 times. Maybe we will finally get a big band version

I think about half of them ended up on the Tom's Album release, which was basically remixes or alternate versions of this song by various artists (R.E.M. included).

PS I have the R.E.M. version on the original source concert (performing as Bingo Hand Job in a promotional acoustic show in 1991 I believe), and it was pretty much an impromptu joke, that somehow got an official release on Tom's Album.

[JSngry]

I agree with Jim's assessment of Suzanne Vega. I'm not too worried about BN's direction right now--what worries me is the future, when people such as Bruce Lundvall aren't there. What happens when the next generation of "suits" takes over? I'm afraid then that we'll see the label tipping even more in the direction of sophisticated & veteran singer/songwriters. That's a genre for which I have an appreciation, but it's not "jazz," most of the time, anyway.

Hey, most jazz isn't jazz anymore either.

The "suits" will be in their element!

[Rooster_Ties]

Whatever about Suzy Vega signing with BN. What really does bother me is who ISN'T signed to Blue Note (or somebody like Blue Note).

How about more people like Billy Harper??

Why isn't someone like THAT on Blue Note (or a label like Blue Note).

They could sign Melissa Etheridge, or Joss Stone, or anybody you'd care to name for all I care. (And Norah Jones on BN bothers me not one bit.) It's who they AREN'T signing that bugs me.

PS: Somebody (Chuck, probably) will remind me that maybe Harper doesn't want to be tied down to the limitations that being on a label like BN might necessitate. (And you could be right, Chuck.)

But absent a reason like that, seriously folks, why the hell isn't Billy Harper on Blue Note???

Joe Lovano isn't my favorite tenor player ever, but he's great in many respects that are hard to argue with. So then, if Lovano is on BN, why isn't someobody like Billy Harper on Blue Note?? - thereby gaining the notoriety that being on such a label would afford??

(I mention Joe Lovano becuase I suspect that by being on BN, Lovano's name is better known than Harper's -- and maybe by some margin too. Note, I'm NOT arguing that Lovano is incredibly well known (though he always does place VERY high in the jazz mag polls), just better-known.)

Maybe if the new Tolliver big band album turns out to be on Blue Note (which I suspect it will, since MC is producing), and with Harper confirmed to be on the Tolliver BB project -- perhaps someday Harper will be on Blue Note (as a leader). Why that hasn't happened already sometime within the last 10 years, I'll never know.

(Hell, Billy has Eddie Henderson with him quite a lot, and Eddie's been on BN for at least two runs if I remember right, in the 70's and again in the early 90's.)

Edited June 8, 2006 by Rooster_Ties

[GA Russell]

Allright! Next up, Edie Brickell!!

Perhaps you know that Edie Brickell recently signed with Concord!

[JSngry]

And yet Monday Michiru (who smokes all their asses - as well as those of most of today's "jazz artists") hasn't got a deal.

The ignorance spawned by the cycles of endless inbreeding. Gotta love it!

[jazzbo]

Yes, Monday. . . man. . . she deserves the treatment for sure by just such a label as BN!

I do believe the suits could find themselves happy with the results. And record buyers too. . .

[kulu se mama]

i will know i will probably get flamed for being a dissenting voice, but in these tough times for musicians and record labels, i have no problem with anyone that blue note signs if it means that they will be profitable.

they could sign black sabbath for all i care as long as they are still able to release albums from their prime.

there is always the possibility that if they were to go under, maybe none of the reissues see the light of day.

keep in mind that jazz makes up only about 3% of record sales, and that's including most of what we would not call jazz.

besides, suzanne vega is talented.

if you all you know is "luka," then you have missed out on a very interesting singer songwriter.

[GregN]

i will know i will probably get flamed for being a dissenting voice, but in these tough times for musicians and record labels, i have no problem with anyone that blue note signs if it means that they will be profitable.

they could sign black sabbath for all i care as long as they are still able to release albums from their prime.

there is always the possibility that if they were to go under, maybe none of the reissues see the light of day.

keep in mind that jazz makes up only about 3% of record sales, and that's including most of what we would not call jazz.

besides, suzanne vega is talented.

if you all you know is "luka," then you have missed out on a very interesting singer songwriter.

I concur.

I am no Jazz historian by any stretch, but hasn't jazz music alway had it's finger on the pulse of popular culture and concerns? And in turn, influenced pop music to some extent? Wasn't Barry Gordy a huge jazz fan? Wouldn't drawing in the singer songwriter cohort/fanbase likely lead to some converted jazz listeners?

They aren't mutually exclusive categories afterall.

So,

I don't find Vega's presence on Blue Note to be that alarming. It's not like they had a slot open, and she took it over some jazz musician. It is a business and they need to make money. She's artsy, quirky, and bends some ears. hmmm

I am looking for a Hip Hop* group right now for Big O Records, so Root Doctor and organissimo can continue to lose money gracefully.

<running and hiding now>

*not really

[fasstrack]

Allow me to digress from the vagaries of Vega, because:

I don't know why people aren't talking about the overarching issue, namely:

Record companies=no more, el dinosaur, thing of the past, put an x over the eyes and bury them, etc. etc.....

Hiring singers by jazz labels is IMO a red herring, or a way of buying a little time on the way to the boneyard. It may help a little but the problem is much bigger. All the majors are so desperate generally that we're seeing the dying gasps of Tyranosuarus Rex as he does pathetic things like suing a grandmother in Yonkers whose grandson downloaded from Napster or Kazaa (anyone remember that?, wasn't so long ago). Indies, for their part, are well-menaing but so cash-starved that a lot of unknown musicians aren't even bothering with them, preferring to put out their own product and sell it at CD baby or on gigs. I myself am planning to do this with an upcoming recording. I don't see that I have much choice.

The Internet, listener over-inundation, access by 20-somethings and people younger than that to cultural instant gratification have all conspired to make not only profitable record companies but, sadly, also live music endangered species. The real fight, and perhaps only salvation, for musicians and record companies alike is to get into schools and be creative as hell in getting kids to 1. know what music and instruments really are (things that don't come from a computer, though the computer is a great means of dissemination) and ditto the people that perform on them and 2. get excitied enough to go hear live music and purchase CDs. Also musos need to find more and more creative ways to get their music to people, since everybody and hisd brother has a hawking website. I think getting gigs some kind of way and creating a buzz will create a demand for one's CD if the music is happening and communicates.

I don't care what it takes, this is what I think we ought to be doing and talking about. Record companies have already written their own death warrants by years of price fixing and general greed, not to mention a total lack of imagination even in the presentation of pop music. Now the access to and expectation of instant info has told us what needs to be done.

I don't care how much technology there is extant, people still need to be reached, hit in the heart. Now is the time for musicians to work overtime to create audiences, to teach, to inspire. Otherwise we'll be in the graveyard right behind the companies.

Edited June 9, 2006 by fasstrack