Anders Swanson requested “Blame It On My Youth” last week, so he’s the big winner. He’s two for two in the high-quality-request department. This is a beauty of a tune that we made our way through. It’s not bad for a first run ever, but again the horn is very low in the mix. There are two solutions to that, come to the show and hear us live, or maybe teach me how to place the recorder! I hope you enjoy this one. Want to hear more? Just hit me up on Twitter or FB and suggest a tune. 

2 years ago

The big winner this week is Sharon Cline!  Thanks for the suggestion.  The trumpet is a little low in the mix, in order to fix this, you’ll just have to show up to the gig!

Anybody else want to hear something? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.

2 years ago

Last week’s winner is “Nature Boy,” requested by Christina!  Submit your requests this week for a chance to win a trip to Spain!*

*actual trip may resemble listening to a live recording of your requested song.

2 years ago

New Experiment: Virtual Requests

So you want to hear a song, do you? It’s simple, follow me on Twitter (@TheRealRyanRost) and send me a request, for example:

Hey Ryan, here’s my #request, “Here’s That Rainy Day.”  Thanks for being you!

Or if you’re only into Facebook, post to my wall (www.facebook.com/rkrost).

I’ll play your song over the weekend.  Come out to hear it for the real deal, either Friday or Saturday at Parkers’ Lighthouse.  If you can’t make it out, don’t worry.  I’ll record it and post it here at Tumblr on Monday or Tuesday!  It’s that simple.

As for what songs to request, the easy answer is jazz standards, but if you want to hear a pop tune, go ahead and ask and I’ll do my best.  If you request a really good tune, I might do a big-time arrangement of it and record Japanese Game Show doing it! Those take a long time, though, so don’t look for it the following week.

I’m starting off slowly, so one a week for now.  Send those #requests in!

2 years ago

Today’s Big Influence

Gary Peacock

This is long overdue, but it’s probably about time that I really dig into this guy’s bass playing.  I’ve always appreciated it, but I haven’t really dissected it.  By the way, this is Gary Peacock.  Serious playing from one of the masters of the instrument, he’s been a member of the Keith Jarrett Trio for what seems to be forever.  The group is ridiculous, and Gary’s playing never seems tired or contrived.  My playing, however…

2 years ago

Hierarchy of Production

I have noticed that my silly arrangements have outnumbered my original songs. This is unacceptable. It’s much easier to alter tunes that have already been written and have a good melody than to write everything from scratch. It’s also much more daring to attempt creating a new piece that hasn’t been tested. That’s probably why so many musicians like to play Beatles songs — they know the tunes already work.

So I’m stepping aside from these pop tunes for now and getting back to the trickier stuff.

Thanks for caring.

2 years ago
Dear Everyone, I’ve decided that since you’re doing it, so am I.  From now on, I will be correcting all my pitches on the upright bass via Auto-Tune.  In fact, I’m starting a band where everyone will run through the can, including drums.  This is going to sound amazing.  We’re calling ourselves “Bokanovsky’s Process.” So there.

Dear Everyone,

I’ve decided that since you’re doing it, so am I.  From now on, I will be correcting all my pitches on the upright bass via Auto-Tune.  In fact, I’m starting a band where everyone will run through the can, including drums.  This is going to sound amazing.  We’re calling ourselves “Bokanovsky’s Process.”

So there.

2 years ago
The practice of writing down what is played on a recording (called transcribing) is invaluable to any musician, especially jazzers.  It allows us to see and hear what note choices a particular musician is making at a given time.  We can also see how they might make the same choice over the same set of chords across their career.   I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who suggested that it’s a much wiser decision to transcribe, say, Coltrane, or Stan Getz, than Miles Davis.  He argued that Miles, while great, was more influential as a band leader than a trumpeter.  I understand the point, but my thought is that we spend so much time trying to play notes, that we often forget to play space.  Why don’t we spend time transcribing simple melodic material that emphasizes space?  To see on paper a whole rest, quarter rest, eighth rest, then eighth note can be just as enlightening as seeing an “E” on a C minor chord.

The practice of writing down what is played on a recording (called transcribing) is invaluable to any musician, especially jazzers.  It allows us to see and hear what note choices a particular musician is making at a given time.  We can also see how they might make the same choice over the same set of chords across their career.  

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who suggested that it’s a much wiser decision to transcribe, say, Coltrane, or Stan Getz, than Miles Davis.  He argued that Miles, while great, was more influential as a band leader than a trumpeter.  I understand the point, but my thought is that we spend so much time trying to play notes, that we often forget to play space.  Why don’t we spend time transcribing simple melodic material that emphasizes space?  To see on paper a whole rest, quarter rest, eighth rest, then eighth note can be just as enlightening as seeing an “E” on a C minor chord.

2 years ago
There’s nothing like seeing the process. brokencolumn: Amazing So Cal artist Brandi Milne on Sketch Theatre. Check out the video to watch her create a story in pencil. Brandi recently had a show at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. My favorite piece at the gallery was Shadow of Your Smile, which I believe is a very touching tribute to her mother. If you want to check some of her work out in person, she’s part of a show called Art on the Edge, going on now through July 27th in East Hampton, NY at the Vered Gallery.

There’s nothing like seeing the process.

brokencolumn:

Amazing So Cal artist Brandi Milne on Sketch Theatre. Check out the video to watch her create a story in pencil. Brandi recently had a show at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. My favorite piece at the gallery was Shadow of Your Smile, which I believe is a very touching tribute to her mother.

If you want to check some of her work out in person, she’s part of a show called Art on the Edge, going on now through July 27th in East Hampton, NY at the Vered Gallery.

2 years ago

Sometimes You Need A Lot Of Notes

I’ve been in a love affair with simplicity for about 4 years, and I finally realize, if everyone is playing one note every seventeen bars, things can get a little boring. Sometimes you should just get up there and burn your butt off, that is, wail away and stoke the fire.

Monochromaticism can be dull or beautiful, but it depends upon the surroundings. Overall texture is just as important as what notes we play. Each musician has an opportunity (and indeed, a responsibility) to influence the texture.  If a tempo is at 400 beats per minute, and swinging, do I have to walk the whole time?  Of course not.  Should I? Depends on the texture. I mean the textures: section of the song, this particular solo, all the solos, this song, last song, this set, whole gig. How important is the big picture? Isn’t it everything?

2 years ago