In commemoration of drumming legend Tony Williams’ birthday, we look back at his momentous career of innovation and exploration. Source: Tony Williams In Five Songs
Category: Great Musicians Performing
What Makes Bach So Great?
Also check out: What Bach and Charlie Parker had in common: (hint: Octave displacement)
On the Road with Duke Ellington (1967)
Interesting documentary a fellow musician told me about (Thanks, Tim!). Recorded the year I was born. Louis Armstrong makes an appearance and Duke admits to stage fright. So may performances and the man still gets the jitters. Like Louis said, it’s all about using that energy. Some good insights into Duke, his process, and his…
What’s Better: Practice or Performance?
Something I learned when researching The Practice of Practice is that many of the best musicians don’t make a distinction between “practice” and “performance,” and if they do, most strive to have more performance in their playing. This was driven home most by…
Lady Gaga Channels Bach by way of Fibonacci
Lady Gaga is a consummate performer and a smart composer. She’s a Julliard-trained pianist, after all. Gaga has pulled a neat compositional trick out of the bag for the video below, the title song from her new album, Perfect Illusion. It’s likely she learned about it at Julliard when she studied the work of JS Bach, Beethoven, and other…
Evidence of Play In Practice: Allen Vizzutti Mugs for the GoPro
Most mammals use play and playfulness in practice, including the musician in this amazing video, the great trumpeter, educator, and composer, Allen Vizzutti (discography/bibliography):
Hang Up Your Hangups
How many thousands of hours of practice do you think are represented in the serious groove laid down by the master/monster musicians in this video?
International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert Osaka 2014
“Hang Up Your Hang Ups”
Herbie Hancock – piano
Roy Hargrove – trumpet
Kenny Garrett – saxophone
John Scofield – guitar
Sheila E – percussion
Terri Lyne Carrington – drums
Drive By Preachers: Om Johari
Om used a brilliant strategy to help get her guitar chops together, make some money for her efforts, and pass the flame along, too.
Want to know what her guitar chops look/sound like? Here’s a full length video of Om in action, singing and playing on her song Drums, Bass & Guitar:
Create (and Understand) Polyrhythms
One way to understand polyrhythms is to mess around with the Polyrhythm Beat Generator. Or check out these amazing videos.
637 GB of (free) Classic Jazz (1921-1991)
Want to hear what Billie Holiday sounded like when she just started out? Ooo, are you in for a treat. There’s a bit Ms. Holiday’s tough history before the music starts. Have a listen. There’s way more music and history in this archive, but this is a great place to start. You can download or stream any…
The Practice of Practice 