Nighttime Jazz- Mike Freeman , Zonavibe “The Vibesman”

So this afternoon I was doing some work in the office so I turned to some jazz on the iPod. Last week I had added a  jazz vibes player Mike Freeman Zonavibe The Vibesman to the iPod so that was what I turned on. Once again if you’ve read any of my past posts you know that vibes are one of my favorite instruments, making Gary Burton and  Milt Jackson among others favorite artists, and now I may have to add Mike Freeman to the list!. Mike is known for his recordings of original music (ranging from jazz, Latinjazz, salsa, Brazilian,…

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Life’s Soundtrack: running with the blues of Poppa Dawg!

So I will say it now I’m a very temperate runner, I don’t like to run in the cold or the heat! Basically, I like to run in the fall and the spring! Anyway, last week was out because it was too hot and for several of the days I was outside most of the day! So today, when the weather was a little cooler I figured I better run. When I was coming home it seemed like it was pretty nice in the shade but forget it when the sun was out in full force. So I tried to…

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Lunchtime Music from Molasses Creek “An Island Out of Time”

  The other band that I’ve been listening to over the last few days is Molasses Creek and their new album An Island Out of Time.  The island in question is Ocracoke Island, NC. which according to their website is: Only accessible by ferry, Ocracoke is an enchanting step out of modern times into a world of captivating natural beauty, rich maritime history, ghostly shipwrecks, heroic lifesavers, crafty pirates, and a community of 900 independently minded residents.  An Island Out of Time is  the twelfth albums they’ve recorded over the past 19 years. In April of 2012, An Island Out…

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New Blues – Backtrack Blues Band – Captured Alive

So Alabama says “If You’ Gonna Play in Texas you gotta have a fiddle in the band” and I agree wholeheartedly and for me ” If you’re gonna have a blues band, you gotta have a harp in the band!” Well, let’s see did Stevie Ray have a harp? Joe Bonamassa? Eric Clapton? Well let’s just say that if you have a good harp, Edward will like it! So when I heard the intro to the first track on the Backtrack Blues Band‘s album Captured Alive, I knew I was going to be a happy camper!! I saw the band’s…

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Blues – Running and Falling with Walter Trout – Blues for the Modern Daze

So yesterday afternoon we had a thundershower, but by the time I wanted to run the sun was out and the temperature had dropped appreciably. Oh, I should preface this by saying that the morning starting with my wife telling me that son two, Andrew was at Underwood Hospital in terrible pain! By mid-morining we knew that he was ok. It was a gallbladder attack and will require a one day surgery, but at this point the date is unknown! Anyway by 5:15 or so everything was calm so I went for a run, and everything was fine during the…

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Life’s Soundtrack – Running and Falling with Walter Trout – Blues for the Modern Daze

So yesterday afternoon we had a thundershower, but by the time I wanted to run the sun was out and the temperature had dropped appreciably. Oh, I should preface this by saying that the morning starting with my wife telling me that son two, Andrew was at Underwood Hospital in terrible pain! By mid-morining we knew that he was ok. It was a gallbladder attack and will require a one day surgery, but at this point the date is unknown! Anyway by 5:15 or so everything was calm so I went for a run, and everything was fine during the…

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Does Jazz have an Audience?? Long Live Jazz!!

NPR Music: Kurt Ellenberger: ‘It Can’t Be Done’: The Difficulty Of Growing A Jazz Audience So in this articles Ellenberger asks the question – “How can we convince people to embrace music that is no longer part of the popular culture?” and I ask the question is that true?  is jazz  not a part of the popular culture? can the same thing be said about folk? certainly within their niches both are still vibrant, but neither have the mass appeal that they once did, can it be restored? or is it like Ellenberger says make the music you love and…

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2012 Blues Challenge Gibson Guitarist Wiinner – Bart Walker and Band

Always the one to stay on top of things, I checked last night to see when the International Blues Challenge was this year. (Note to self-mark February 2013 on calender so as to not miss the Blues Challenge like you did this year!) Amway I was glad I checked  here is the list of winners: Band Winners First Place – The Wired! Band (Washington Blues Society) Second Place – The Bart Walker Band (Nashville Blues Society) Third Place – Paula Harris (The Golden Gate Blues Society) Solo/Duo Winners First Place – Ray Bonnsville (Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas) Second…

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