Monthly Archives: January 2009

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The Sunday Soundtrack – Jazzin’ It – The 51st Annual Grammy Awards

Welcome all, to this special edition of The Sunday Soundtrack. I’ve been graciously asked by The Grammys to do a special podcast featuring the jazz nominees. This Grammy podcast mini-collective also includes three other podcasters in our massive – Fave of The Friday Favecast, who will feature the R&B/Soul nominees, Todd Kelley of Flowink, who will feature the Hip-Hop nominees, and Macedonia of BSOTS (Both Sides Of The Surface), who’ll be producing a “Grammy-on-shuffle” podcast of various category nominees.

I think I can speak for all us in extending thanks to The Grammys for bestowing upon us such and honor as this It’s definitely with great pleasure that I bring to you my picks in each Jazz nominees category. I think you’ll like the colors on this musical palette.

My picks, in Categories 45 – 49, comprise the following playlist-on-shuffle:

  • Lazaro – Yellowjackets/Lifecycle (feat. Mike Stern) Best Contemporary Jazz Album
  • Gone With the Wind – Cassandra Wilson/Loverly Best Jazz Vocal Album
  • Son of Thirteen – Pat Metheny/Day Trip Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
  • I Love You Porgy – Chick Corea & Gary Burton/The New Crystal Silence Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
  • Sub-Conscious Lee – Bill Frisell/History, Mystery Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
  • Awful Coffee – Carla Bley and Her Remarkable Big Band/Appearing Nightly Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
  • Mean What You Say – The Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra/Monday Night Live At the Village Vanguard Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
  • Maharina – John McLaughlin/Floating Point Best Contemporary Jazz Album
  • All Blues – Miles from India Best Contemporary Jazz Album
  • So Romantic – Stacey Kent/Breakfast On the Morning Tram Best Jazz Vocal Album

    • On Feb 3rd, my podcast will be featured by The Grammys during their Salute To Jazz.

    Special thanks to The Grammys for selecting me to feature the Jazz nominees via The Sunday Soundtrack. Thanks to all for checking out the podcast. Definitely tune into The Grammys next Sunday, Feb 8th, and most definitely check out my fellow podcasters doin’ it big, representing The 2009 Grammy Awards, podcast style.

    Lastly, if you’re on Twitter, we’re all there too:
    Fave/The Friday Favecast
    Todd Kelley/Flowink
    Macedonia/BSOTS
    The Grammys
    The Sunday Soundtrack

    Be sure to check out all the other podcasters in my blogroll!

    peace.
    F!

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    Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 25 Jan 09

    Welcome crew…
    Sunday…Sunday. I hope everyone’s doing well and that you’ve been enjoying (if u choose) the historic transition into the new leadership of this country. I chose not to get “in the mix” (no pun intended) of the live events of the Inauguration, but took it all in from my family room in HD. Either way, it was exciting to say the least.

    I have a bunch of new tracks this week, compiled via my internet and satellite downlink journeys over the last two weeks…I hope you enjoy them, as well as the commentary throughout the podcast. Without further adieu, let’s jump in to the playlist:

    1. Breakin It Down – Miguel Migs/Colorful You
    2. Schooled In TheTrade (v.3) – People Under the Stairs/Best of Mushroom Jazz Vol. 1-5
    3. Feeling Good (Joe Claussell Remix) – Nina Simone/Verve Remixed (Box Set – Deluxe Edition)
    4. Cheeky Quarter – Bullitnuts/’A Different Ball Game
    5. Reel Life (Evolution II) – The Cinematic Orchestra/Man With a Movie Camera
    6. Blue String Pudding – Momma Gravy/The Chill Lounge – 26 Chilled Euro Tracks
    7. East River Drive – Stanley Clarke/East River Drive
    8. Motion Dub – Soundsfiter/Floating Couch – First Cushion
    9. Be Like That – Clara Hill’s Folkwaves/Sideways
    10. That’s All – Jua Howard/Anticipation

    As usual, all commentary is welcome, track suggestions are not barred. Toss them my way for consideration and it’s all good.

    The Sunday Soundtrack is now on Twitter
    Please consider following there for updates regarding everything about the podcast.

    Have an enjoyable balance of the weekend, week, day, hour, minute, second….

    Keep it chill…

    peace,
    F!

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    The oPhone!

    First there was the Blackberry, the cash cow of Research In Motion (RIM), a mobile phone of immense popularity. Now, arguably the best mobile phone ever created, the iPhone has taken the mobile phone community by storm (no pun intended, RIM). Now…introducing…the oPhone. Yes, President Obama will be able to keep his Blackberry (he told the NY Times that it will have to be pryed from his hands), but due to the lack of secure architecture of his Blackberry, Mr President will be issued another phone, a securely pimped out version of his current phone. The new substitute or secondary device for Mr Obama’s Blackberry, The Sectera Edge, by General Dynamics, could cost as much as $3,350 (talk about pimped and tricked out!).

    Here’s the full story…

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    Time Management – The Elusive Continuum

    It’s about 11:05 am on the night of the Presidential Inauguration. I took off from work today to take in the events and festivities from home. It was a very good day, historic to say the least. I’m determined to be in bed not to long from now, but wanted to finally get around to completing this post. The topic is one I thought of doing for some time, but have been only mildly energized to do so…until now…mainly due to a question posed to me from a follower on Twitter. One day last week, he posed this question to me:

    How do you balance a real job and music career? I’m supposed to audition Tuesday and am thinking of bagging it due to no time!

    That question…is one I constantly ask myself as time goes by. I often wonder, simultaneously, get the things done I do…and at the same time, fail to get things done as well (strange huh?). I have a to-do list to do everyday. I keep one because it is the only way I can ever get things done. There have been days where I havent accomplished a thing on that list (I’m sure I am not alone), but suffice it to say, I’m one of those people that can not operate without a daily to do list.

    The music career my friend speaks of amounts my musical world – weekly podcaster (as u know), working on a CD project with my partner, playing in a band, being a musician for various music ministries in my church, writing my own material, doing recording session work for other artists as asked, and working on my own material for a future solo release. Add to that fatherhood, husbandhood, Parent/Teacher school board member and a demanding day job and….enuff said, huh?

    There are many books written on time management none of which I read. I even wrote a paper on time management as my first ever assignment as a young engineer, my first job as an engineer in my mid-20s. My boss at the time was very impressed on the paper, as well as my presentation of it to my peers and suboardinates. So….(I laugh still), why does it seem so difficult to manage my time. For me, I’ve come to realize it has to do solely with steadfastness and habit, along with the continual dissipation of the sin I call procrastination (LOL). Procrastination is a thorn I have not yet withdrawn from my side, but glad to say I am making strides to realize it’s removal. Since I have always, and still do, enjoy my solitude, gaining it on the regular (even a lil bit), has become incentive to get done what I set to every day. I’ve learned to adopt the mindset try and stick to a to-do list as best as I can…the realization of crossing things of that list regularly is also incentive. Another important aspect is to truly prioritize items. I try to forecast larger things that need to be done, and break them down into smaller items to manage easier. Basically, that is the approach I take to best manage the time I have. It’s been said that each of us get the same amount of time…24 hours in a day….sure doesn’t seem like it at times 🙂

    In any event, to my Twitter friend, I hope that helps. Schedule/to-do list/steadfastness. I know that you desire to make time in your life for more creative pursuits. Try these few things I’ve mentioned, if you haven’t already and let me know if they work for you….maybe you can teach me some things along the way….I’m game!

    peace…
    Fresh!

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    Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack (24Feb08 recast) -18 Jan 09

    Welcome! Always good to have you back. I hope this netcast finds you in good health and good spirits. It’s Inauguration Weekend here in the Nation’s Capital and metro area is quickly filling up. For those friends and family in town, have much patience, take LOTS of pics AND video, have fun, and be safe. Me, I’ll be checking out all the grand festivities from my family room in high definition television (heh).

    I’ve decided to kick it up a notch and add a video clip of one of the artists featured in the podcast. The featured artist from the playlist is Vargo. This clip is entitled “The Flow”. I believe this is the radio edit, which is different from the remix I am presenting in the podcast. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to let me know what you think.

    The playlist is as follows:

    1. Living Waters – Mike Hawkins/MHJ Music
    2. Love On My Mind – Freemasons (f/Amanda Wilson)/MC Chilled
    3. Incident At Gate 7 – Thievery Corporation/Incident At Gate 7
    4. Monkey Business (Original Mix) – Racoon/Summer Chill – A Jazzy Descent Into Chill
    5. Yesterday – Rara Avis/Shaktified EP 1
    6. The Flow (The Guitar Mix) – Vargo/Beauty
    7. Simplesmente (Tom Middleton Balearic Mix) – Bebel Gilberto/Remixed

    It’s always my wish that you enjoy the musical offering. Special shout out to all my podcasting crew (check the blogroll), Gen Kanai for the musical knowledge, and all of you, the listeners….

    peace,
    F!

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    Mo’ music musings – studio recording/business activities

    Ok…following up from the last post on this subject, the track we recorded here actually had enough content to be approved by the head of the music department at my church, so it will eventually be taught to the mass choir for Resurrection Sunday. That’s cool in that I now got to see the work gone into producing something of at least decent quality for a scenario such as this. Next steps will exercise more of a serious set of mix and production skills in that we’ll have to turn a four-voice quartet into sounding like a mass choir via duplicating the vocal tracks, recording some alto and tenor sax parts, and to give it a more live feel, importing some hand clap samples, the best vocal clips I can lift from our sermon DVDs of the pastor’s wife introducing the choir, and lastly some crowd applause for the end. In a way, this’ll be fun to do, but will feel more like work ;-).

    As for my me and my partner’s CD project, “What Love Is”, we still have some work to do for two more tracks, mix them, then send the project out for mastering and duplication. Lately we’ve been learning the business side of things that will necessary not just for distribution of the CD, but for our new record company, Hall Effect Records. We’re in the midst of completing the business plan to reflect the next two years of activity with us as the sole artist on it … again…work!

    On a different creative note, I got a call yesterday from a friend and talented sax player, Harron Evoria, who asked me to lay some guitar tracks on her second upcoming CD. That should cool and, if it jumps off, will be the 4th CD I’ve done as a session guitarist, a dream I had as a teen that has finally come true.

    Now……if I can work in the time to get my solo project started….hmmm 😉 Makin’ moves to change some daily habits to realize more time to complete this thing I am passionate about.

    Stay tuned for some various clips from everything I’ll have and had cookin’ up in The ‘Lab… If you are interested in here some of the tracks I’ve written, check out the links for my music production pages. Thanks for the read.

    peace….
    F!

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    Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack (08 June 08 recast)

    rainonwindow

    Hello Listeners…

    Thanks for checkin’ out the Sunday Soundtrack today. As I have mentioned in previous posts (and whined to some of you about personally…LOL) how I was going to rebuild the deleted archives from the first year of The Sunday Soundtrack, comments and all? Well, I’ve come to the decision that it is too much trouble (part of it is laziness…I WILL ADMIT). So…from time to time (especially due to bloody procrastination during the week), I will do a recast of a show that was lost. This way I will kill two birds with one stone. Cool? (betta be….hmmph!) Heh!

    I am excited about some very recent news I received. I’ve been contacted by The Grammys to do a special podcast for those nominated in the Jazz category. They will market the podcast on the net about a week before The Grammys. I’m happy I was asked, now to step up and kick it up a notch! Hah!

    That being said…the playlist is as follows:

    1. Make It So (2008) – Chevalier
    2. Love Is Stronger Than Pride – Sade/The Best Of Sade
    3. Aztec – Jens Buchert/Sunrider
    4. Smooth Department – Jens Buchert/Intersphere
    5. The Last Three Minutes – Chris Botti/The Groove Boutique – Vol. 1
    6. Falling Man – Espresso Del Lago/Yeti
    7. Moving – Espresso Del Lago/Electrolux presents Chill Out Essentials, Vol.1
    8. Solitaire – Monte la Rue/Interludia (Disque Deluxe)
    9. Reflections – Jeff Lorber/Kickin’It
    10. Wasted Time – Jazzanova feat. Vikter Duplaix

    The following video is by Jens Buchert, the title of the selection is called “Reflections”

    Whenever and wherever this podcast and post finds you, I hope your mind is in a great state.

    Keep it chill….

    Best,
    Fresh!

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    Mo’ music musings – studio recording

    Ok, so we’re into ’09 and already I’m tryna capitalize on the usage of time management and prioritizing in order to get more material out, as said in my last post. My partner and I just finished recording a four voice ensemble for the submission of a new welcome song for the church I attend. This was probably the first real exercise in recording vocals in Logic Pro 8, though we’ve been using it over the last few months to record a vocalist for our own CD project. Only one of the four vocalists did any studio work, so it was a set of lessons learned in really taking into consideration all necessary during the process to get the best vocal levels down, as it is not always that easy to “fix it in the mix”. I’ve got to tweak one more track before a burn a draft CD mix for submittal tomorrow morning. The keyboardist sent me a MIDI track of the piano and I played the rest of the instruments (rhythm guitar, bass guitar), as well as drum programming. If the approval goes through (as we hope), we’ll substitute some vocalists to lay down all the vocal tracks for final mix in a few weeks.

    Meanwhile, I’m finishing up recording the music for a duet one of my other vocalists wrote, for a song he and a British female vocalist will be doing for her CD this year. Hopefully we can wrap that up and ship it to the UK by month’s end.

    Danny and I are pushing to finish up three more tracks for our LONG awaited CD, “What Love Is”. There have been some CRAZY lessons learned (life gets in the way, etc) of the last few years (yes “years”) in tryna wrap up this project. At the same time we are in the midst of putting together a business plan for our record label, Hall Effect Records (we just became an LLC last year)…. I’ve got a few tracks in my head I am definitely wanting to record, get up on myspace, as well….so yeah…this is…”musique non-stop”.

    Oh yeah, did I mention I got get ready for band rehearsal tomorrow night?

    Out…

    peace…
    F!

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    Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 04 Jan 09

    Happy 2K9 to all. I trust the new year has started off great for everyone…and…if not, there are still 361 days left! I’m excited, despite the fact I brought over a few things from ’08 that I would have preferred not to be, but hey…time to (continue) to work it out! 

    I’m looking forward to a great year, musically, especially with my own material as well as with The Sunday Soundtrack. Hopefully, we’ll enjoy the ride together. The assembly of tracks for the podcast follow. I hope the combination thereof is fitting for some mellowness…

    • Circular Motion  – Nuspirit Helsinki/Nuspirit Helsinki
    • Journey Into Day  – Seek/Journey Into Day
    • LIke Wind To Rain – Shang/Beautiful
    • The Raw Perspective – Vision
    • 1000 Islands – Monte la Rue/Interludia (Disque Deluxe)
    • Lean On Me (f/Colein) – Sounds From The Ground/Ultra Chilled [Disc 2]
    • Alternate Thursday – Platonic/Sound In Color/Mu.sic 
    • Flit – The Solid Doctor/Beats Means Highs
    • Afterlife – Jon Hopkins/Opalescent

    Wishing u a great Sunday, or any day you are listening to this. As mentioned a few podcasts ago, I’ll looking to do some new things to present in the Sunday Soundtrack, in terms of features. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any ideas, I just might use a few.

    Again, wishing u a Happy New Year…

    peace.
    F!

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