HENRY ROLLINS

Last night I went to see Henry Rollins at Iriving Plaza talk about life, politics, sex, tolerance, traveling, music, LIFE...
it's hard to say something about someone that touches so many aspects of life in such a deep level and in such natural way.
I've read some of his books, I've heard some of his music (which by the way I don't like,) and I've heard him speak.
No one is as visceral as he is. The way he express his thoughts and experiences, and how he loves himself and makes fun of himself is just admirable.
One of the best experiences so far this year, I hope there were more people like him in the world.
He's the kind of person that will inspire you and make you think and reflect not only about your life, but he will open your eyes (and ears) and remind you that no matter what's going on in your life you can´t forget the world around you. He'll simply make you want to wear life out and be a nerd.
I want to have a friend like him.
He's the reason I'm posting again.
Thanks Henry

FOLLOW THE PURPLE LIGHT ROAD TO UGA BOOGA

When I first got to New York City I thought I would find the best Dj's in the world, but I confirmed my ignorance on electronic music when I got here and found a very poor techno music scene.
Bad taste is the rule for booked Dj's in NYC, and after some months of searching, and thanks to a friend, I came across Wolf+Lamb:Zev Eisenberg and Gadi Mizrahi, two Newyorkers who come from Egyptian and Jew cultures who had to find their own venue to perform decent techno. They created "The first label of it's kind, Wolf + Lamb Music a label designed as a no-frills distribution medium that reflected their ideals: a simple, single release oriented, open source music label offering free source downloads for all releases."
I wouldn't say they play straight ahead minimal techno because their BPM (beats per minute) are slower and they use some nice warm extra layers and a special characteristic bass, specially Gadi, who played a remarkable set the second weekend of September. But besides the sub-genre names, they're heading a nice electronic music field that needs more "good taste" explorers.
Last Saturday Wolf+Lamb reached their party number 50. I hope they keep it up.
If you want to find their catalogue go to beatport.com or to their homepage http://www.wolflambmusic.com
Just click on the title of this post and you'll be there.

DEGENERATES ARE BACK...FINALLY

After a long break my favorite party's back. Moby and Aaron J of Brazilian girls. Yeah!
Don't forget it's Thursday September 18 @ Hiro Ballroom 371 w16th street. At 9th Av.

ANARCHIST SOUND SPONSORED BY ANDY WARHOL

Yes, it's true I should know these things but I didn't, so I'm thrilled 'cause I just found out Andy Warhol was manager and self proclaimed PRODUCER! of The Velvet Underground. Can you imagine? I knew the sixties where surrealistic but this is just too much. Warhol got the Velvets a deal with Verve records and he was labeled as their producer,liberating the band so they could explore their raw sound.
Now, lets go back.
By 1965 Warhol was VU's manager and he also suggested that the band featured the german-born singer Nico, so the Velvets recorded in three days in New York City their debut album "The Velvet Underground and Nico" which was released in May 1967.
The symbiosis between Warhol and VU is shown in "a symphony of sound" a video that captured a rehearsal of the band at The Factory in NYC with Nico and her son Ari which off course was filmed by Warhol.
Here's the Youtube video for you to watch

MORE LOVE WE GET,MORE LOVE YOU GET

"More love we get, more love you get" said bassist Avishai Cohen last night during his last performance at the NYC's Blue Note where he presented his most recent recording "Gently disturbed". The trio,with Shai Maestro on piano and Mark Guiliana on drums, played music so intimately that a spiritual vibe got into me, specially when they presented "Eleven Wives" where Mark, as usual, extended on an impressive solo, not only as a virtuoso but also as an explorer of the spiritual mood that the music lead to.
Bass intros. as well as Shai's introduction to the last tune they played ("Nunu"), explored extreme dinamics in the pianissimo range and brought to life the intimate sound of souls.


Here´s a picture of Shai while listening to Avishai's solo that was then joined by Mark...Shit...as usual I can't seem to upload it. I guess I'll have to hang it on my next entry

MUSIC THAT FITS THE WEATHER

Bajofondo performance last Friday at Summerstage (Central Park NYC) was very intense.
After a rainy afternoon the band showed as usual the best they had.Santaolalla, composer of award winning soudtracks souch as Brokeback mountain and Diarios de motocicleta, said it: "esta música es perfecta para este clima" (This music fits the weather) or something like that. Eventhough I was unconfortable because I was soaked and all the tall Newyorkers (or visitors) where in front of me, the concert was worth it. The band is better live than on a CD, and the energy I got from them is more uplifting that the usual tango music. It's a very interesting and original art form that comes straight from Argentina and Urugay.
Here´s a video. Hope you enjoy!

JAZZ: TODAY

The jazz world has lost many of its great figures in the past year, not only musicians but also producers and high executives that believed in jazz. Although it's been a great loss for all of us (the jazz lovers), there's a new brood that's making and playing real jazz with all it's tradition but with all it's new sounds,and by this I mean the inclusion of lots and lots of experimentation. It's not easy to find this visionaries but they exist and I had the pleasure to hear them on Monday night at the Blue Note (New York). It really made me happy to see that this club is opening it`s doors to musicians that are experimenting with new sounds such as the Jason Lindner's band.
The concert was full of energy, as the usual concerts of Mr. Lindner are, but the most stunning thing to hear was the incorporation of new technologies into jazz music, as well as rediscovering a new repertoire that in a certain way, although I'm sure it's not a conscious thing that Mr. Lindner did, they're including movie songs into their performances souch as the Kill Bill song they played last night. And that's exactly what the traditional jazzmen did at their time with the "Standards".
The band that Mr. Lindner brought together was a perfect blending. Avishai Cohen playing trumpet with his 1.000 effects, Panaiotis Andreou playing bass and singing beautiful mediterranean and middle Eastern tunes, and off course, Jason Lindner on the piano, Nord Electro, Moog and synths.
It was a great experience to hear them play and a great relief to know this musicians will continue to develop a music that's been loosing it's icons because their time on this world came to an end.
No wonder why Chick Corea called Mr. Lindner a "musical universe"
Thanks for your music and your energy Jason!

NEW YORK HAS IT'S OWN SOUNDTRACK

Just listen to the milieu and its enviroment

ROMERO LUBAMBO EN CARTAGENA

Festival internacional de música clásica de Cartagena
ENTREVISTA CON EL GUITARRISTA BRASILERO ROMERO LUBAMBO
Por: Andrea Baquero

El guitarrista brasileño Romero Lubambo es considerado uno de los mejores guitarristas del momento. Su técnica y la emoción con la que interpreta su instrumento lo han llevado a participar en grabaciones con músicos como Astrud Gilberto, Paquito D´Rivera, Diane Reeves y Harry Belafonte.
Lubambo nació en Rio de Janeiro en 1955 y es uno de los músicos invitados al festival de música clásica de Cartagena, el único músico que aunque con formación clásica, interpretará música popular durante la semana del festival.
El 30 de diciembre estuve conversando con Lubambo sobre música y sobre su visita a Cartagena.

A: ¿Porqué lo invitaron al festival de música clásica de Cartagena si su especialidad es la música popular?
R.L: yo llevo trabajando 15 años con Charles Wadsworth- el director musical del festival- además él es muy buen amigo del trío con el que vamos este año a Cartagena, por esta razón, siempre está tratando de promover nuestra música. Además, el año pasado a la gente le gustó mucho la música que tocamos, por lo que desde ese momento Julia Salvi nos dijo que para el 2008 estábamos invitados.

A: ¿Cuál es la importancia de tener un grupo de música popular brasilera en el festival de música clásica de Cartagena?
R.L: hace algunos años, los festivales de música clásica eran muy cerrados, pero para mí es muy importante mostrar nuestra música. Música popular del Brasil llevada a los auditorios de música clásica.
La música popular del Brasil puede sonar a veces como música clásica pero en verdad es música que suena en las calles, es lo que yo llamo “cross over” , no es música clásica pero suena como si fuera.
Esta es música que se ha comprobado que le gusta a la gente, y a los músicos clásicos les gusta mucho, siempre dicen: “wow...suena muy bien, es música cool”. Por esta razón me gusta promover la música que no es estrictamente clásica en el ambiente elegante de la música clásica, ese ambiente que es tan hermoso. Creo que es algo muy importante.

A: Para usted ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre la música clásica y la música popular?
R.L: Existe una GRAN diferencia. Aunque la música clásica te da técnica, lectura y sonido, en la música clásica no puedes cambiar las notas porque están escritas, debes tocar exactamente lo que el compositor escribió, pero en música popular y en el jazz, puedes cambiarlo todo, hasta puedes cambiar la melodía. Para mí la música popular es música más abierta.

A: Para la fundación Salvi- organizadora del festival de Cartagena- la función social es el objetivo principal, ¿cómo cree usted que la música afecta una sociedad?
R.L: La música afecta muchísimo. La música puede hacer que la gente se ame al igual que puede generar una guerra. La música que se promueve actualmente en América es muy agresiva, por lo que es muy importante promover otro tipo de música, como la nuestra, porque nosotros llevamos amor.
En Brasil por ejemplo, se hacen conciertos hermosos en la playa, como en Ipanema que se pueden juntar dos millones de personas que se conectan por un momento al oír cosas hermosas, por lo que estas personas están pensando en amor y en cosas bellas, no en matarse unos a otros.
Recuerdo cuando tocamos en Cartagena el año pasado, a pesar de los problemas que tiene Colombia, ese día había mucha gente en la plaza, y todos estaban gritando de emoción. Esa es la gran misión que tiene el músico.

A: ¿ Qué podemos esperar este año de su trío en las presentaciones del festival de música clásica de Cartagena?
R.L: Vamos a tocar básicamente el mismo tipo de música que el año pasado pero vamos a llevar canciones diferentes. El año pasado teníamos miedo porque no sabíamos cómo iba a ser la reacción de los espectadores, pero este año llevamos una canción colombiana. Además, el percusionista va a llevar instrumentos diferentes para mostrar sonidos diferentes y yo también voy a llevar un sintetizador para conectar la guitarra y así poder agregar diferentes sonidos a ese color que presentamos el año pasado. Esperamos que a la gente le guste.