New Music Alert! 10 years or so ago I was asked to come jam by a lanky fellow named Rory. I didn't know what to expect. Would we play Stones tunes? Jazz standards? Funk? Blues? To my surprise Rory – a drummer - just wanted to play. Free jazz. A beloved idiom but not one... Continue Reading →
On April 5th, the great American musician and poet Cecil Taylor passed away at the age of 89. An appropriate lifespan, perhaps, for the legendary free jazz pianist, so willing to push the boundaries of his instrument's 88 keys. During his long and rich life spent trespassing on the outermost frontiers of coherence and... Continue Reading →
Last night Annie and I attended the opening of the Biennale. Its distinguishing conceit is that the work on display represents a selection of recent (2014-17) acquisitions by the National Gallery. So, not a truly contemporary biennale, but for all that a powerful one, featuring some exciting and intriguing artworks. The best work is –... Continue Reading →
On June 3,1989 I spent the better part of three hours onstage at Alice Tully Hall in New York's Lincoln Centre alongside Gunther Schuller, John Handy, Wynton Marsalis, John Abercrombie, George Adams and literally dozens of other legendary jazz musicians in what was called by the New York Times, “the jazz event of the decade.”... Continue Reading →
In my book Digitopia Blues – Race, Technology and the American Voice, I described Dylan's impact this way: Dylan signaled the triumph of oral poetry for white America, the reconciliation of the word and the body, of the singer and the song, of the poet and the community. From here on in, it was a... Continue Reading →
This is the fourth in a series of new posts that explain how you can apply the lessons of jazz to collaborate successfully. * Never Say No “It’s impossible for me to feel like there’s only one way to do a thing. There’s nothing wrong with having one way of doing it, but I think... Continue Reading →
This is the third of a series of new posts that explain how you can apply the lessons of jazz to collaborate successfully. * Make Room "Only play what you hear. If you don't hear anything, don't play anything." Chick Corea A collaboration is a set of relationships and as in any relationship both parties... Continue Reading →
I turn 50 today. Ta-da! Not such a big deal to me, but hey, it's an excuse to share this little compilation of some 21 recordings from my lifetime as a musician and performing poet that I have recently compiled in a SoundCloud page. The tracks date from 1981 to 2013, and cover some of... Continue Reading →
If I have been away from this blog for a while (I have) it's only because I have been so totally focused on The Media League, my brand new digital business/digital culture venture, which has been exciting but all-consuming. Happily, here's a link to a new article about us featuring an interview with yours truly:... Continue Reading →
Thanks Max. Thanks Phil. Max is Max Middle, poetic curator, and Phil is Phil Minton, veteran vocal confabulator from the land beyond the sea and maestro of Ottawa's briefly resplendent Feral Choir, which I was part of, one of 25 growling, howling vocalists in sensible shoes. (Nikes in my case. Phil wore Chinese slippers.) We... Continue Reading →
YOU ARE YOUR MEDIA 