Blog
Time, Music and Space (or How To Audition a Drummer) - Part 1
There are great places in a few recordings where the sound and pulse come to an end. Usually this is only for a second or a few seconds but the lack of drums / lack of drummer / lack of percussion can be suspenseful - why is there this unusual space in this musical context? In most popular music, this space - this quiet, empty space - is infrequent and often undesirable to many. I find it the opposite. I also find it a brilliant means to determine if a drummer (as well ash other musicians) can reenter at the same speed.
Twitter In The Classes I Am Creating
I am creating a master list of Twitter accounts to follow for students in the classes I am creating. These Twitter accounts are from the eleven (11) categories of Twitter users I follow and from one, two or three of the following fields: Music/Entertainment, Technology, and Intellectual Property. To my way of thinking, selecting and categorizing, MusEnt subsumes "art" & "arts," Tech subsumes "business" & "communication" and IP subsumes intellectual property & law that interests me. I am trying to keep this master Twitter list at or near one hundred (100) members.
Why 10 Ft Ganja Plant, Gibson Brothers, Booth Brothers & James Ingram Should Sue Rick Ross For Copyright Infringement
Today we turn the tables and illustrate a few recordings released prior to Rick Ross' Hustlin' (2006) which also feature the lyric, "Everyday I''m." Using the soft and breezy music of The Gibson Brothers, gospel music of The Booth Brothers, the cannabis reggae-tinged music of 10 Ft. Ganja Plant and the sexy love stylings of James Ingram we will turn the tables on Rick Ross and illustrate why Rick Ross can be sued for copyright infringement.
Will Rick Ross Sue Other Artists For Copyright Infringement?
Using a minuscule degree of evidence and logic similar to that used to sue LMFAO, it would follow that Rick Ross could initiate three (3) more copyright infringement lawsuits - against Maysa, Jeremy Fisher and Little Big. This post examines these absurd possibilities.
Happy St. Patrick's Day from Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Lennon, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Chieftains, Van Morrison, Govinda & Mary & Mars
For St. Patrick's Day 2014, I have compiled six (6) musical works I own that are in a direct or indirect way pertinent to Ireland, Irish music or St. Patrick's Day. The music is from The Band, The Chieftains, Govinda, Mary & Mars, John McLaughlin & The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van Morrison and The Rolling Stones.
My Take On Pearl Jam's Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
My take on the Pearl Jam song, "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town," a beautiful but poignant portrait of a woman who has lived her entire life in the same small town. I chose the cover photograph of this attractive woman who would only be considered "elderly" by someone young writing a song about an elderly woman. She is elderly to a teenager.
Names Of Songs Used As Names Of Bands - Can't Think Of A Name For Your Band, Copy One
Even though many do not believe this, and some even suffer fear and trepidation over the subject of copyright and copyright protection, it is LEGAL and COMMON to copy a name and use it as another name. In fact, copyright does NOT protect names, titles, or short phrases or expressions.
Tracing The Origins Of Blues Songs: Culture Or Copying?
Many songs' origins can be traced to earlier sources and often specific authorship, or authorship as a mighty fortress that had to exert its mighty power, was a foreign concept. Ideas and the expressions of ideas are often regarded as benevolent entities and means by which a society builds its culture.
Dr. Dre Should Have Hired Me
The moral of the story below? Not hiring me can cost money. Dr. Dre hired a musicologist for an opinion on whether he could use a bass line from another song, one that Dr. Dre had not composed. That expert told Dr. Dre that the bass line was not original and therefore Dr. Dre was free to use it. I would have told Dr. Dre that that bass line WAS original and that Dr. Dre should NOT use it. But, Dr. Dre did not consult with me. Dr. Dre took the advice of a different expert witness and it cost him $1.5 million.
Music Discovery
I have added a new category to www.emichaelmusic.com. "Music Discovery" will feature music which I know, from a few minutes or a few decades ago, that I find intriguing, inspiring, innovative, beautiful, novel or just cool, and for which I want to advocate.
Christmas Music - Dave Brubeck, John Lennon, Cuba LA, The Monkees, Donny Hathaway & more
Here are twelve (12) of my favorite Christmas recordings, from Band Aid to Poncho Sanchez. (My list ends with the letter, "S?!?" No Tchaikovsky and nut cracking? And none of the letters post-S. That means no Van Halen, Vivaldi, Webern, Xenakis, Neil Young, Frank Zappa or Jan Dismas Zelenka.)As with most music, what attracts me to many of the recordings below is creative, surprising and atypical uses of chords, melody, rhythm, tone color, lyrics and/or structure. And in the case of Bob Dylan's "It Must Be Santa" recording and video, great humor.
Thanksgiving 2013 & Music Expressing Thanks
I thought to celebrate this wonderful day of Thanksgiving, I'd compile music with lyrics that express thanks in various ways. Music from these artists (arranged alphabetically):Louis Armstrong, J. S. Bach, Charles Ives, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Pat Metheny, Charles Mingus, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Sam & Dave, Hank Williams
Copying & Using Lyrics As Lyrics, Names Of Bands, Magazines & Organizations
I want to mention and briefly discuss the copying of lyrics.Many questions can arise pertaining to the copying of lyrics, questions that can be extremely wide-ranging. For this space today, I am mostly concerned with identifying a few examples of copying that I find constructive, reconstructive and progressive, i.e., these examples of copying do not infringe copyright or constitute laziness on the part of the new author/creator.Why are lyrics copied? Are lyrics copied for some of the same reasons that music is copied? I will pose a few possible answers as to why lyrics are copied:
My Favorite 9 Minutes of George Duke - Did A Vehicle Did A Vehicle Did A Vehicle
Yesterday, August 6, 2013, I learned that George Duke had died. George Duke, to me, was a mythical character. I loved so much of his playing and singing, and I couldn't figure him out because of his great diversity and depth. He was a great pianist, keyboardist, singer, band leader, sideman, creator, performer, improvisor, persona and, according to so many who knew him, wonderful and kind man. By "persona," I am referring to George Duke as an actor, and by "actor" I mean "live musician on stage with Frank Zappa." In addition to being a musician in any of Frank Zappa's bands over the decades, one had to be able to act. One had a persona and maybe a changing persona over time.
Yesterday, Another Day, John Lennon Fires & Ends The War on Paul
Unlike Paul McCartney in Too Many People, John Lennon in How Do You Sleep? is blunt and direct with no room left for subtlety or interpretation. John brings on the blunt immediately beginning with the word, "so," as if the conversation had been ongoing - John had been in the room already letting Paul have the benefit of his wisdom.So, Sgt. Pepper took you by surpriseYou better see right through that mother's eyesThose freaks was right when they said you was dead
Piece of cake, copulating beetles & Paul McCartney attacks John Lennon
McCartney, perhaps in a brief effort to ameliorate some of the pain he may have caused Lennon (the guy who was lucky to have been a Beatle), might be assigning blame for the legal and financial problems that the Beatles experienced near the end of their time as Beatles (the death of Beatles manager Brian Epstein and the hazards of new management, the establishment and serious problems of future Beatles' management, the dissolution of the Beatles, etc.) to business managers and lawyers "breaching practices."
The Amorphidity of the Organic Internet, Christian Tiger School, Tom Jones & Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Singing A Song of Paranoia
This performance of Tom Jones with CSN & Y was new to me but my respect for Tom Jones was boosted post-1960's as I learned of Tom Jones' friendship, collaboration and/or work with other artists including The Chieftains, Frank Zappa and Janis Joplin. I have enormous respect for Tom Jones, the superb, creative and original musical artist.
Why Would An Artist Re-Record Portions Of Her/His Own Music?
I want to briefly explore the different means, causes and reasons why music is re-recorded. As always, I welcome readers' input. So far, I have been able to identify more than one dozen reasons to re-record music. This might be tantamount to saying, "more than one dozen categories of re-recorded music." I'm not ready to shout out, "Here is the definitive list of how, why, what, where and when music is re-recorded." For now, this is just a beginning and an interesting pursuit into an area of creativity and originality.
Which words work with which music? W. W. W. W. W. M. ?
How do we react to music based on the WORDS used to describe the style, genre, time period, composer, songwriter, musician, improviser, pianist, keyboardist, singer, soprano, mezzo-soprano, diva, chick singer, etc.How do we react when we are told little? Very little? Nothing? When we see a video BEFORE we hear the music? AT THE SAME TIME as we hear the music? AFTER we hear the music?How do we react when we are told what to expect from the music? From the musical performance? About the music? About how the music was composed? Whether the music was composed or improvised? Whether the composer is young, middle aged or old? "Trained" or "untrained?" From the European Union? United States? Latin America? (Latin America is Flavor Of The Month in classical/art music in the past few years.) Asia? The Subcontinent?
My friend Mulgrew Miller died today (May 29, 2013)
I always felt lucky to see and interact with him. As quickly as possible, I realized that this musical hero to me, who was now a colleague, was just such a great and modest guy. His charm was disarming as can be. I was comfortable with Mulgrew immediately.As I got to know Mulgrew better, I had to ask him - no, tell him - to stop calling me "Doctor" or "Professor." I told him that you are Mulgrew Miller and I call you Mulgrew. I should call you SIR. He laughed. He told me I deserved the titles and the respect.