by Mike Errico | Mar 4, 2012 | So Good
I was very lucky to get hooked up with Angie through a mutual friend. A little out of the blue, really – he’d never mentioned other writers, so I was particularly interested in what caused him to connect us. He just said it was a gut reaction, which is the best answer. She lives in the UK, we emailed back and forth a little, swapped mp3 files while she toured with Goldfrapp, and then Peter Gabriel. “Count to Ten” is our first cowrite – one of many more I hope. She did backgrounds on “Wander Away” by recording them in a studio in England and shooting them back here. The first time I ever saw her, she was on stage at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. She was in silver pants, with a white keytar, synth-battling another band member in a strobe light. I wish I could make that kind of first impression more often. Today this video surfaced, with Angie working with Peter Gabriel. Enjoy. Hear our song, “Count to Ten”:...
by Mike Errico | Feb 14, 2012 | So Good
One of those moments when I realized that music is even bigger than I thought. Side note: David Gilmour is one of my all-time favorite guitarists. Here’s another reason...
by Mike Errico | Feb 4, 2012 | So Good
The seventh and final chapter of “But Beautiful,” by Geoff Dyer deals with Art Pepper. My guess is that Dyer put him last because he seems to embody so much of the other six players – his sound has hints of each, and his life had chaos and jail and tragedy to burn. ~FIN~ There is an afterword that discusses the major themes in jazz history, and also includes a great discography that I’ll be listening through, perhaps over years. I didn’t know some of these players, but I know them now, far better than I would have by simply listening. I’m going to miss this book. You really should pick it up. More video accompaniment to the jazz artists in Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful”: http://www.errico.com/tag/but-beautiful/ More So Good:...
by Mike Errico | Feb 3, 2012 | So Good
Chapter six of “But Beautiful,” by Geoff Dyer finds a way into the void of Chet Baker’s tone, vocally as well as on the horn. He’s just…gone, ghost like and out of frame. A glimpse. More video accompaniment to the jazz artists in Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful”: http://www.errico.com/tag/but-beautiful/ More So Good:...
by Mike Errico | Jan 27, 2012 | So Good
Chapter five of “But Beautiful,” by Geoff Dyer: Mingus is hard. There’s a bullying, angry quality to him, an angular poke in the chest at each chord change, a snarl in the attack of his bass. Meanwhile, the form feels like it’s deconstructing as he pushes it relentlessly forward. Dyer captures it in lines like, “If he had been a ship the ocean would have been in his way.” More video accompaniment to the jazz artists in Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful”: http://www.errico.com/tag/but-beautiful/ More So Good:...
by Mike Errico | Jan 24, 2012 | So Good
Chapter four of “But Beautiful,” by Geoff Dyer: I’ve had a love affair with Ben Webster from before this book, mostly from his recordings with Duke Ellington. His lines ache, swoop, then dissolve into breath and vibrato, as if they went up in smoke. To me, he is the sound of late nights. “If you love jazz, you have to love Ben. You could love jazz and not like Ornette, maybe not like Duke even, but it’s impossible to love jazz and not love Ben.” – Geoff Dyer, “But Beautiful” “When he played the blues or “In a Sentimental Mood,” you realize how irrelevant the entire notion of sentiment is. He was never cloying, because no matter how soft he played, that growl was always lurking somewhere.” – Geoff Dyer, “But Beautiful” More video accompaniment to the jazz artists in Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful”: http://www.errico.com/tag/but-beautiful/ More, because how can I not: “Perdido” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CeSrOAcTXI “Over the Rainbow” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXUOJa_XgGU w/Oscar Peterson, “I Got It Bad” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LUr6czjwlA “Cotton Tail” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_W1lQc_7yU Ben, Rehearsal in Holland, calling out arrangement, tempos etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEobA-dU1d0 More So Good:...
