Play It Like It's Music

Back in NYC this week like: In this edition: * An oldie but a goodie. * A comparison of implements. * A gig for Friday in NYC. a lumberjack has no use for a butterknife. I was surrounded by horn players last night. Great ones. Saxes, trumpets… they can play lead or blend into a nice punchy section in a funk band. The sound is loud and faces forward. The horn is always ready to cleave through space...

Sending love from Eagle Rock! Overheard: New Yorkers are not "nice", but we are friendly. Angelenos are not friendly, but they are "nice". [last word spoken through a clenched perma-grin] In this edition: * Some happy cello * A bit o’ moanin * A podcast I listened to twice [ the Santa Monica beer kundalini is strong. Horchata? ] It's easy to look at the music career landscape these days and feel l...

Sending love from Seattle. In this edition: * A tiny sting [press play]. * A pep talk to go deeper. * An array of gigs for June. [ tea in the Sahara with you… ] No Giving Up. People become friends with me for whatever reason, but the meat of our relationship often consists of a shared contention with the musical beast inside ourselves. I'm blessed with a few world-class friends: violinists, engine...

Beautiful day in New York today. In this edition: * A little melody. * An oldie swipe. * An awesome invitation for the cellists. [I promise I’m just keeping an eye on the group here. Not trying to look colonial or anything.] What is hip? Classic song, timeless message. Except maybe for the word "hip". But I propose that the older that word gets, the better (as in hipper) it gets. Because it was al...

Beautiful day in the Sahara today. In this edition: * A song called “Train Stations” * An ostrich * An underwater show to listen to on your desert island. [Today’s location: Morocco. More on that in future.] Ostrich A friend once compared playing the cello to making out with an ostrich. And I get it, because these things are super awkward. After decades on the chase, I finally feel somewhat natura...

Beautiful day in NYC today. In this edition: * A quick jam with my friend @digifiddler , who was my guest on Episode 7 . * Nostalgia for the future. * Some amazing new music from another podcast guest. [Today’s guest violinist in action. Press play above!] It is a luxury to listen to music. But making music is a healthy pursuit. Not luxurious. From the making and the playing, many benefits flow as...

Today has been a day of cranking things out. Thus: a bit tardy. * A new sung song of mine you may not have heard. * Nostalgia for the future. * Triplets from Brazil, animated and beautifully sung. [Cellos must relax! Lie down, little cello.] Nostalgia When I hear good gypsy jazz I get flooded with nostalgia for a time I never knew. Good music does that: it makes us time travel. 90’s hip hop will f...

Greetings from an LA café. In this edition: * Some sunny day cello. * Some freedom of epression. * A movie to not sleep on. [Serious-er times with John Kimock] Freedom Of Expression The more smart and connected one gets, the more elusive our freedom of expression. It's a slippery sword we try to wield: as long as the music means little and is heard by few, total freedom is possible. But as it acqu...

A long time ago… In this edition: * Fresh music: a Mancini-inspired cello “big band”. * A single recommendation * (That’s all. I hope you like it too.) [John Williams conducting Star Wars] Big time podcast recommend: I just fell in love with this thing, so I’m dedicating this week’s email to it. It’s a blockbuster. Actually, it’s THE blockbuster podcast: It’s immersive, imaginative, a bit campy an...

Hot days, cool evenings. Best time of year. In this edition: * An instrumental soundtrack. * A riff on headroom and overtones. * A beautiful cello video. Headroom You could say that a musician has found their "voice" IF their sound feels like home to them AND they can find a circumstance where it can do some good for an audience.   I've owned my sound for a long time and explored a number of place...

I’m about to look at a beautiful sunset here in NYC, and it was approaching a welcome 70 today. Here’s a tune for that. In this edition: * A little lush sound. * A touch o writing * A pod recommend * A GREAT cello video (by a musician I hope you’ll already know about.) [getting ready for some big stuff...] When you're making music, it's so easy to get caught in the pursuit of control. When playing...

In this edition: * Some cello textures and melodies for your face. No talking today. * A bite o writing * A pod update and recommend * Another amazing short video. [2007 was a trying year, though I tried not to show it.] Responsibility It's a leap to take responsibility for the sound we make in this world. Can’t hide anymore. If we make sound just for ourselves it's ok, but the implications of mak...

In this edition: * A taste of a vibe (no talking on this one) * A bite o writing * A video morsel (hungry, trev?) [I did not buy this shirt at the sample sale. Vegas can wait.] springtime travels I don't know about you, but I have to go places in order to find myself in music. The music in my head just doesn't make sense to me until I bounce it off some other ears in other places. Touring helps, o...

In this edition: * A narrated beat, or a beaten-up narrative? You be the judge… click play and follow the blog/script (blipt? scrog?) below. * A very cool video [Last year’s summertime train season] Truth in tension The pursuit of music reveals an essential life truth to us, over and over again: that it's impossible to stay 100% true to ourselves. Before we manifest our music, we may hear or feel...

Just music this time, couldn’t get my narration together today. Here’s the vibe from home this week. [click play] In this edition: * a bit of a track for you [see above] * a bit of writing for you * a beautiful performance I just watched [Paris circa 2010] Changes We are not all so strongly affected by music. But for those of us who are, it's scary to admit the power it has to change us. Besides t...

In this edition: * Edition #two of my “email exclusive” sonic dispatches (press play and then scroll to follow the written version.) * A treat for your face and what’s behind it [me, sometime in the 80’s] Peace of mind I don't always remember the incredible peace of mind that comes from playing. Life makes me lose the plot and forget what's missing until I find the sound again. But man, when it co...

In this edition: * A short riff on silence, complete with narration and musical accompaniment * You read that right! (Press play dear friends, and engage those headphones.) * A sweet recommendation. The blank canvas Some people feel they need to make a loud sound in order to feel beautiful. For them, the power they put into and extract from an amp is the only way to experience an honest sound. Thi...