When I was in high school in the early 60's in Chicago I spent a fair amount of time in the Hyde Park area. My cousins lived there, and a particular cultural and artistic vibrancy existed that was absent in much of the city. Musically, I stumbled on at least several public outdoor events, some at a park area along Lake Michigan referred to as "The Point," that involved musicians associated with the AACM. It was at one of these that I first heard the great Lester Bowie play his horn. Last night, out of pure randomness I played a CD called Zebra by Jack DeJohnette featuring Lester Bowie. It's lovely, minimalist, repetitive melodic music, designed and produced by Tadayuki Naitoh, among others. Several hours later my son called from New Jersey, having just returned from a concert at the Blue Note featuring Jack Dejohnette, Larry Goldings and John Scofield. I had no idea he was going to the show.
It is perhaps a bit strange that I grew into young adulthood with the Art Ensemble of Chicago as my favorite jazz band. Not your typical entry into jazz, but one that has served me well. And Lester Bowie has remained a favorite, his Avant Pop album is simply fantastic. So Lester and Jack DeJohnette will float through this day.
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You've gotta check out:
The Weepies
whose Deb Talan wrote the song "Tell Your Story Walking" after reading
Jonatham Lethem's
Motherless Brooklyn. Which you should also check out.
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2 comments:
I had never heard of the Weepies (and I still don't know how to pronounce their name). I've now listened to their music and actually like them. Thanks for the introduction.
I think that, for pronunciation, we've got two options--as a variation of the verb "to weep", and as wee pies, which sounds like something you might find in Scotland somewhere.
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