MUSIC UNDER NY

You better start turning your ipod off while you catch the train because there's a lot going on under New York.
Today I randomly took off on Atlantic Av train stop which transfers to Atlantic-Pacific in Brooklyn, and while I was walking I had the good fortune to hear the Alex LoDico ensemble. This trombonist leads different ensembles and today what really made me stop and listen was Kazuki Kitamori's alto saxophone solo. I've never seen a street musician playing the way he did. UNBELIAVABLE!!! and the band was just the Real thing. They where really swingin' 'till they drop. I guess they all follow their band leader's advice who said to NPR "You see the crowd...you get the beat right, you touch their heart. You try to put everything in that one note; the whole world in that one note."
I wish I had my camera but I din't. Good thing youtube exists so here's a video with Kazuki playing

For more info on Music on the MTA go to http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/muny/bios_samples.html?l=-2112758760
And if you want to know more about trombone player Alex Lodico here's his page
www.alexlodico.com

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!