en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal The Last.fm journal for DetroitSoulJazz. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal/2010/07/31/3ta463_if_not_now%2C_when%3F_an_update_on_christian_scott Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:32:12 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal/2010/07/31/3ta463_if_not_now%2C_when%3F_an_update_on_christian_scott Review of Christian Scott
by DetroitSoulJazz

Some things have happened since trumpet player Christian Scott toured the world in early 2009. Having the opportunity to watch them live once, perhaps the most lasting experience with this band then was their way to create an urgent sense of political engagement that has seldom been prominent since the days of civil rights activism by the many great jazz musicians of the 60s and 70s. Scott even introduced the songs and explained how they related to his political views and reflections on the state of contemporary American society. This is probably what I appreciate the most with this band, and something which will make me continue to follow what happens with this group, and particularly Mr. Scott.

The bands playing was then divided into two sets, one of which (the audience was later told) was a rehearsal for a forthcoming concept album that was to be recorded with Rudy Van Gelder (sound engineering legend). Consequently, these songs have now been released on the album Yesterday You Said Tomorrow. The concept, as Scott then told the club audience, was to be centered on the vibe from Coltrane's A Love Supreme album with influences from bands such as Radiohead. The sound was indeed something of that sort.

Now the concept has been further elaborated, which is evident in an interview with him where he explains his choice of album title. Scott invokes the fight for equality, civil rights, and justice from the 1960s which inspired, and was vividly pronounced among many contemporaneous musicians of that time. That struggle is still unfinished business, Scott says, and should go on, hence the title. His explanation reminds me of the saying: if not now, when?

The notable showmanship of Scott on stage between the songs reminiscent of players such as Dizzy Gillespie, who could also go on forever with sketches, is further sharpened by political statements in order to remedy the lack of inspiring continuity of the civil rights-era. For instance, Scott noted the particular demeaning labor imposed in correctional facilities in the U.S. where prisoners, of whom disproportionately many are still Black much due to the unfinished business of racial discrimination, are forced to pick cotton -- apparently seen as legal under the Thirteenth Amendment's exception for convicted persons. Although not explicitly mentioned by Scott, it is unavoidable not to draw the conclusion that he must have felt particularly insulted by the justice system's deliberate choice of exploiting this historically laden practice alluding to Blacks' enslavement in the South. On his homepage he is quoted saying it is the "plight" of people whom he knows are wrongfully convicted to "perform daunting manual labor" that "shame" him as "an American," but behind those words I sense there's more where that came from.

Some really great performances from the band were also shown that evening last year in February. Notable is Matt Stevens’ guitar playing (a fellow composer of many of the songs), and how it creates the very original sound of this band which blends contemporary rock with jazz. Along the lines of Miles Davis and a few other creative jazz muscians, this band has certainly realized the potential of cross-fertilizing with popular music styles -- something which is as rare as it is exiting, when being done as tasteful as by this group. The bass player (who, among others, has played with Kenny Garrett) contributed with a very stable, yet flexible and formative structure. The drummer had a very funky and loose percussive style reminiscent of Jack DeJohnette, and also stuck out as an engine of ingenuity. The pianist, of course, played with an excellent combination of McCoy Tyner-style comping and more flexible styles introduced by players such as Herbie Hancock and Kenny Barron.

Scott's trumpet playing was highly engaged, versatile, and interesting. Some might say it had a tendency of becoming slightly monotonous after a longer while, although that depends probably of state of mind of the listener. Nonetheless, Scott has a strong fonky "touch" on his instrument, reminiscent of the flamboyancy and dynamism of Freddie Hubbard, Booker Little, and to some extent Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. However, it is to be expected that his playing, just as the struggle for equality, civil rights, and justice, is unfinished business because he's still merely in his twenties. So look out for more! This also holds for the guitarist Matt Stevens, and the pianist, who were not as prominent soloists although as a band were very tight, and really did inspire in many ways.

This group will continue to make great music, grow, and inspire. Don't miss them!

DetroitSoulJazz]]> http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal/2009/04/09/2mus6v_why_we_are_upset. Thu, 9 Apr 2009 14:03:00 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal/2009/04/09/2mus6v_why_we_are_upset. Why has this thang' on subscriptions felt so important for so many ("way over the top" according to some), despite not being an issue of life and death? My suspicion, based in part on my own feelings and analysis, is that the principle dilemmas undelying these problems are, if not in analogy, nonetheless very descriptive of the current global political situation (i.e., typical) .

Last.fm could definitely do better than charge everyone the same, regardless of purchasing power, since everyone contributes equally with tagging and other "community work" such as creating fan- and group pages; e.g., the Brazilian users created several stations like the "Manguebeat", from South Africa we got "Township Jive" and "South African Jazz," and from Portugal we got "Capo Verde" and so on, not to mention all the groups. This work we all do can be seen as an analogy to the global work done, wherever work is done and whatever it is, be it tilling the soil, child-rearing, working on an assembly line, or reviewing the legal aspects of a big merger/acquisition deal for a transnational company producing shampoo or cell-phones. All work is needed to create the global wealth and growth that is currently trickling down, albeit in unequal numbers, to rich people living in the already rich parts of the world. It's just a matter of indirect or direct power, however illegitimate, who get's what portion of this accumulated labor surplus.

It is NOT EQUAL to demand that these listeners mentioned pay the same as listeners in Sweden, the U.S., Germany, or Canada, similarly as it would not be authentically equal to demand from a female sweatshop-worker in Vietnam to pay the same price for grain, salt, or milk, as stock-brokers pay on Manhattan. That is formally neutral but comes with a discriminatory impact. There is even a legal doctrine outlawing such practices in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, India, and in International Law, among other jurisdictions. This law is referred to as substance equality law, or the "disparate impact doctrine".

There might even be legal remedies against this new scheme from Last.fm, but I think it is premature to discuss such action at this moment. Indeed, this is not about life and death, but the whole fee-issue is very symptomatic for neo-liberalism which, not least in these days, finally seems to have reached a dead end.

Sincerely
DSJ]]> http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal/2009/04/02/2m8bm9_make_subscriber_policies_more_fair Thu, 2 Apr 2009 19:01:37 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/DetroitSoulJazz/journal/2009/04/02/2m8bm9_make_subscriber_policies_more_fair Dear Management,

Last.fm could raise the subscription fees in industrialized nations and lower those for non-industrialized, e.g., based on country-GDP or other measures available. User Alatelen calculated the relative costs for a Brazilian subscriber, taking account of the present economic situation visa-vi the "Big Three," and found that the former pays $19.96 considering the Big Three's $3 in terms of the share of her/his monthly income. That is equivalent to buying a full price album in a country where people are starving on the streets. Since Brazilian subscribers have been tagging music so we, living in former colonialist countries, are able to find accurate world music, residents in the "Big Three" could be regarded as benefiting from an unfair surplus.

As a comparison, several academic associations offer reduced rates for participation at conferences for third-world residents. Because all Last.fm-users are more or less contributing equally to the site, there should ideally be no discrimination based on nationality. Everyone should ideally have a de facto equal opportunity to enjoy the stations. Reducing the fees for non-industrialized countries would substantially promote this goal.

Sincerly,
DetroitSoulJazz

Edited on Nov. 28, 2010, and Apr. 16-17, 2011 (cutting unnecessary hyperbole, making proposal more realistic)]]>