Category Archives: NY Musicians

Follow Up of NY’s Brass Band The RED BARAAT

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

RED BARAATRED BARAAT a unique (brass) band with a unique sound. A hardworking band for about 6 years.
Please watch the two videos below which will tell you visually the new musical developments of this band. This band could be a role model of “how to succeed in today’s music business.”

What’s so great about this band is that they are not afraid to experiment with new sounds and musicians. Not maintaining the status quo, repeating themselves but reinventing themselves. By doing so they may lose some fans who can’t accept the new musical changes, but this is something a band should never consider as a minus in their career.

It’s great to see one of my NY favorite drummer Chris Eddleton joining the RB. Continue reading

Farewell, Ornette. Meditations on a Giant Who Walked Among Us

Ornette ColemanText by Dawoud Kringle

On the morning of Saturday, June 27th, 2015, I attended jazz legend Ornette Coleman‘s funeral.

It somehow seems inappropriate to write a “play by play” about this event. Sure, I could list those who spoke, sharing beautiful and sometime hilarious anecdotes, or described his genius and influence. I could talk about the beautiful music offered by Pharaoh Saunders, Cecil Taylor, Henry ThreadgilBachir Attar, Geri Allen, Ravi Coltrane, and others. Somehow, that doesn’t quite work in the context of Ornette.

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Brother G (P.2): Giuseppi Logan and the Gift… that reunited him with his own gift, the ability to play the sound of his very soul

Giuseppi LoganText by Matt Lavelle

My journey to deliver an alto saxophone to Giuseppi Logan began on my lunch break. I caught my breath from the hazardous selling floor and quietly made my exit towards Herald Square. I waded through the river of tourist consumer zombies. Three of them blew smoke in my face with their usual haughty vibe. Do you addicts even know how pernicious you are? I made my way up to John Baltimore Music on 46th street. John is one of the last men standing from the purge of the fabled Music Row at 48th street. When I arrived at his showroom of hornucopia, I was immediately greeted with a hug. John and I have history. Somehow we ended up talking about Miles son Gregory, and John told me a quick story.

Miles bought a brand new Red Ferrari at one point, right before he hit Europe for a tour. He left with explicit orders to Gregory that he would not touch the car. After Miles had left, Gregory took the car all over Canada. Afterward, Gregory was at Rod Baltimore’s shop. Rod was John’s Dad, and the king of music row at the time. Miles called Rod and said he had a trumpet emergency and was flying back to New York to fix it. Gregory heard the call and ran home to clean up the car. He thought he was in the clear until Miles looked for two-quarters that he had taped to the top of the front right tire. When Miles saw the missing quarters, he knew that Gregory disobeyed him, and he threw him out of the house.

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Cooplog #9 : A very brief view of blizzards and improvisation

Constance CooperText by Constance Cooper

Amidst snowstorm forecasts last February, a friend of mine was driving off for the President’s Day Weekend amateur string-quartet-playing fest, which is an annual reunion of devotees of the summer Chamber Music Conference at Bennington College.

The only concern my friend expressed about snow conditions was whether the people responsible for bringing all the string-quartet parts would be able to get there.
I thought, fine if they don’t! How wonderful it would be to improvise all weekend, night and day!

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