The Trumpet

Here are three great albums for a romantic dinner:

1. Roy Hargrove with Strings – Moment to Moment on Verve Records

2. Miles Davis – Love Songs on Columbia/Legacy

3. Chet Baker & Strings – Columbia/Legacy

Yes, all three are trumpet players. I love the sound of the trumpet. Only one of the above is still alive – and in my opinion the best trumpet player alive today: Roy Hargrove. You will marvel at his tone and ability. Put the three albums on a CD changer, open a bottle of wine, light some candles and enjoy…..

PS: Most of the Miles Davis pieces on this compilation were recorded in the Fifties and Chet Baker’s album was originally released in 1954 – all on Columbia Records. In those days even the head of Columbia was a musician. Now it seems all of the record companies are run by business men instead.

Compilations

It had to happen sometime. Tomorrow Higher Octave Music is releasing a compilation with the rediculous title “Barcelona Nights – The Best of Ottmar Liebert Volume 1”. They only released two albums and a Christmas CD (Nouveau Flamenco and Poets + Angels in 1990 and Borrasca in 1991) – so how many volumes of compilations can they possibly be planning.

The sad part is that I had to find out from a fan, who informed me about this compilation, and I can tell you it depresses me. The record company put this album together without any input from me: they decided on the songs, they did the cover etc…..I had nothing to do with it. As an artist I feel violated. But I have some ideas…..watch this space in 6 months……….

Music

What are some of your reccomendations -as far as independent labels and artists?

Here are a few albums I enjoy. None of them are flamenco albums, but all of them are creating a wonderful new mix out of many influences.

1. Bebel Gilberto “TantoTempo” on Six Degrees Records. Six Degrees seems to have a lot of brasilian music – I also enjoy “Brasil 2mil”.
2. Compilation “Om Lounge 2” on OM Records. I also bought “Om Lounge 4” but didn’t like that 1 @ all……
3. Peace Orchestra “Peace Orchestra” on G-Stone Recordings. I have most albums by Kruder & Dorfmeister and this one is by Peter Kruder.
4. The Cinematic Orchestra “Remixes 98-2000” on Ninja Tune. Jazz in the 3rd millenium. Yes, one can remix Jazz. Actually not that new, since Miles Davis approched many of his records in he seventies as if he was remixing the performances……..
5. Compilation “Hi:Fidelity Lounge, Volume 1” on Guidance Recordings
6. Compilation “Jet Society” on ESL. If I understand this right Eighteenth Street Lounge is a club in Washington DC, and also a record label – www.eslmusic.com.
7. Thievery Corporation “The Mirror Conspiracy” on ESL.

If you are interested about what is happening on the flamenco front I would recommend the new album, “Ciudad De Las Ideas” by Vicente Amigo on the BMG label.

Pricing

If it’s getting cheaper to produce cd’s, why does the price for them continue to go up???
In regards to the majors it is because they are greedy, in regards to the independent labels – they have a higher price point because they don’t usually own their own manufacturing plants like the majors do and don’t sell as high a volume. To tell you the truth I am a little tired of the supposed price controversy of CDs for the following reasons:

1. Outside the USA, anywhere else in the World CDs are much more expensive than here.

2. It costs $20,000-$500,000 – and in case of some pop records much more – to record an album which obviously needs to be recouped BEFORE there is any profit. It’s like medicine…..the first little pill may cost millions of dollars in research, the second one costs only pennies to make……..

3. People seem to have no problem paying hundreds of dollars for an art print and upwards of $25 for a hardcover book – why this discussion of the price of a CD? I think a CD for around $15-18 that may last 10 to 20 years is not expensive.

Febuary First

It’s my birthday. I am 42 years old.

One should try to dispel the fear of people that they ARE their cultural identity.

Isn’t cultural identity something we learn and wear like clothes, something that changes when we move to another country or visit other cultures? Don’t we adapt our sense of cultural identity to the location and time we live in? Rather than something cast in stone isn’t it a personal, a flexible skin we wear and shed from time to time like a snake? When we are kids we adopt our family’s cultural identity. As teenagers we rebel against that identity and begin to create our own. As we age we keep adapting and changing that identity until we die. Some people seem to grow old or die exactly because they refuse to change/grow/learn……

Restless the mind is……
Truly I think
The wind is no wilder
– from the Bhagavad Gita