Relatively Insignificant EC Stuff. . .

[johnfoyle]

http://www.audaud.com/article?ArticleID=7850

August 30, 2010

Mingus Big Band- Live At Jazz Standard – JSM 370701, 71:53 ***½:

-- Robin Margolis


(Randy Brecker, trumpet; Kenny Rampton, trumpet; Earl Gardner, trumpet; Wayne Escoffery, tenor Saxophone; Abraham Burton, tenor Saxophone; Vincent Herring, alto saxophone; Douglas Yates, flute, alto and soprano saxophones; Lauren Sevian, baritone saxophone; Ku-umba Frank Lacy, trombone and vocals; Conrad Herwig, trombone; Earl Mcintyre, bass trombone and tuba; David Kikoski, piano; Boris Kozlov, bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts, drums)

On Live At Jazz Standard, we are given an excellent chance to hear Sue Mingus’ vision for how to best preserve the legacy of Charles Mingus in practice. Starting with the formation of the original Mingus Dynasty shortly after his death in 1979, Sue Mingus has worked tirelessly to assure that the full range of her husband’s compositions will continue to be heard live. Mingus Big Band arose from that original ensemble.

Live at Jazz Standard is taken from a 2008 NPR New Year’s Eve broadcast and locates the listener in the environment of a particular performance better than most live recordings are able. Rather than beginning with music, what we hear first is the applause of an excited crowd already anticipating a memorable event. Before the applause dies down, the band is introduced with the bass— a confident Boris Kozlov on Mingus’ own lion’s head bass.

As always, the line-up of this version of the Mingus Big Band reads like a primer of contemporary players to look out for in New York including Jeff “Tain” Watts, Conrad Herwig, Vincent Herring, though Randy Brecker alone holds down the role of musicians who played with Mingus while he was still alive. While Boris Kozlov is given impossible shoes to fill, he rises well enough to the occasion for the bass parts not to fall flat, unlike some of his predecessors. Lauren Sevian holds down the low end of the arrangements with an exuberance that earns her a believable place in the strong Mingus lineage of tenor players like Booker Ervin. Wait for her to be let loose on “Moanin” - it is well worth it. Still, the only member of the band to do more than uphold the tradition is Jeff “Tain” Watts, who brings his personality to the music in a way that is new and welcome.

In contrast to other Mingus Big Band recordings, many of which have been themed or aimed to draw out overlooked elements of his compositions, here the group aims to present Mingus at his most crowd-pleasing. The repertoire is mostly up tempo, high energy material and includes better known works like “Moanin’”, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, and “Hora Decubitus”—the latter two songs featuring Ku-umba Frank Lacy on vocals penned by Joni Mitchell and Elvis Costello respectively.

TrackList: Gunslinging Bird, New Now Know How, Self-Portrait In Three Colors, Bird Calls, E’s Flat Ah’ Flat Too (AKA “Hora Decubitus”), Cryin’ Blues, Open Letter To Duke, Moanin’, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Song With Orange


http://mingusmingusmingus.com/MingusBan ... liner.html

[johnfoyle]

Well intended, if a little bit creepy -

http://blog.theparisreview.org/2010/08/ ... -costello/

A Love Letter to Elvis Costello

August 31, 2010 | by Adam Wilson

[docinwestchester]

Well intended, if a little bit creepy -

http://blog.theparisreview.org/2010/08/ ... -costello/

A Love Letter to Elvis Costello

August 31, 2010 | by Adam Wilson

Great picture. Where's it from?

[krm]

Well intended, if a little bit creepy -

http://blog.theparisreview.org/2010/08/ ... -costello/

A Love Letter to Elvis Costello

August 31, 2010 | by Adam Wilson

Great picture. Where's it from?

Amsterdam 1977. Photo: Anton Corbijn

[Jeremy Dylan]

A quick sketch I did during a ten minute lunch break:

[And No Coffee Table]

From an interview with Dave Wakeling of The (English) Beat:

Several big names have covered your music, have there been any you were particularly excited about?

It’s one of the biggest thrills, hearing Pete Townshend or Elvis Costello performing your music. It sends shivers all over your body like blowfish sushi.

Elvis' version of "Stand Down Margaret" is on the Rhino Punch The Clock.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... ouble.html


David Miliband interview: 'If I say older brothers come first, I’ll cause trouble'

David Miliband talks bananas, Premier Inns and his Labour leadership rival, sibling Ed. Kate Weinberg finds him quite human

11 Sep 2010

(extract)

First record he ever bought? “Oliver’s Army – Elvis Costello and the Attractions.”

[johnfoyle]

A touching tribute to the relationship strengthening affect of , er, Mighty Like A Rose -

http://paperbackrioter.wordpress.com/20 ... 15-albums/

[oldhamer]

Thanks for linking to my blog John!

It's not MLAR that's relationship strengthening though, it's KOA. It just happens that (goodness knows why) the person who put the Indoor Fireworks video on Youtube set it to the MLAR album cover.

Hope you liked my blog though

[johnfoyle]

Sorry - another rushed lunchtime post, I'm afraid. Lovely writing.

[johnfoyle]

Mandy blogs -

http://redroverstyle.com/2010/09/galia-arad/

20 September 2010

Galia Arad is a New York treasure. I went to her show on September 16th at The Living Room with my favorite accessory in tote – my sister. I felt like I was in a sweet dream for 46 minutes, and I was sad when I had to wake up and carry on with my real life.

A true alto, Galia Arad started off her set with an original song called “Ooh La Baby” – the title track on her album and my personal favorite. I’m a sucker for a good doo-wop, ah, la, or ooh, and Galia’s music is full of them.

A few other favorites: “Ain’t Quite a Broken Heart,” “Leave the Light On,” and “The Elvis Costello Song.” The latter was particularly hilarious, seeing as how it was based on a true story of when a friend pranked Galia into thinking Elvis Costello himself had written her an email. She was, of course, devastated to find out that Mr. Costello had not actually reached out to her. The song recaptures her feelings of joy and rapture and talks about cheering with co-workers at her hedge fund and toasting wine out of coffee mugs.

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/GaliaArad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLnmE3iSoj0

[johnfoyle]

The forthcoming autobiography of Irish DJ Dave Fanning features, as this scan from a newspaper serialisation shows, a rather scarey Beardy Elvis photo -



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thing-Dave-Fann ... =8-1-fkmr2

The Thing is...
Dave Fanning , Bono (Foreword)

30 Sep 2010

[johnfoyle]

http://pcm-music.com/2010/09/styrofoam- ... new-album/

Sept. 22 '10

(extract)

Belgium-based indie-electro pop artist Styrofoam (aka Arne Van Petegem) is set to release his new full-length album Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers on October 12. The first single, “Get Smarter,” will be out August 24, along with five remixes of the track and b-side “Kids On Acid,” featuring Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols on drums.

Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers (named after a line in Elvis Costello’s classic “This Year’s Girl”) introduces a different Styrofoam, one with a harder edge and darker sound. Co-produced and mixed by Wally Gagel (Eels, Folk Implosion, Muse) of WAX LTD, he and Arne set out to produce a timeless electronic album inspired by classics like New Order, Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, and their shared love for early Electro Hiphop and Postpunk.

[johnfoyle]

Neat analysis of '80s albums -

http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/conte ... e=Features

(extract)

Blood & Chocolate ranks among the most vicious albums ever made; the most virulent heavy metal seems like James Blunt by comparison.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/the ... 31798.html

The Irish Times - Friday, October 1, 2010

(extract)

Yet unsurprisingly, he’s receptive to compliments on his album. Carl Barât is something of a different direction for the musician, seeing him largely discard his punky, rock‘n’roll image for a more melodic approach. The cover sleeve suggests an homage to Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model (although he denies it was deliberate), there’s an indie-pop bounce to Je Regrette, Je Regrette, Bond theme-style strings bring Carve My Name to a crescendo, and Run with the Boys could almost pass for a collaboration with The Style Council and – don’t laugh – Billy Joel.

[Jeremy Dylan]

The new Ben Folds/Nick Hornby track 'Your Dogs' has been compared to AF-era EC.

[scielle]

"Similarly, Krall says that she and her husband, Elvis Costello, have been giving house concerts in support of their close-to-the-heart charity, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. The star musicians auction off their talents for such intimate shows because in 2002, Krall lost her mother, Adela, to the disease, an incurable blood cancer. Adela Krall was barely into her 60s."

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacit ... ormal.aspx

[johnfoyle]

http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/10 ... /news4.txt



Local graphic artists release children’s book

By LIZ SWITZER

Sunday, October 10, 2010

(extract)

You’re never too old - or young - to rock ’n’ roll, according to Print Mafia.

Print Mafia is the Bowling Green graphic artist team of Connie Collingsworth and Jim Madison, who have been creating rock ’n’ roll art since 1997.

Their list of clients includes Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, The Raconteurs, The Smashing Pumpkins, Lucinda Williams, Mastodon, Andrew Dice Clay, Kiss, Poison, Motley Crue, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Willie Nelson and others.

They’ve done work for major record labels and big promotion venues, but now they’re hitting the print big time with an illustrated book for little rockers ages 4 to 8. “The ABCs of Rock” hits the nation’s bookshelves Tuesday from Tricycle Press of San Francisco.

Collingsworth and Madison will be on hand at 5 p.m. Tuesday to sign copies of the book at The Great Escape, 2945 Scottsville Road in Bowling Green.

It is the culmination of three years’ work by the illustrators and friends of the author, Melissa Duke Mooney, a Los Angeles resident and music promoter who died last year before finishing the project.

The idea is to reference one artist for each letter of the alphabet: A is for AC/DC; B is for David Bowie; C is for The Clash, and so on. Some of the other artists featured in the book are Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, The Go-Gos, Heart, Joan Jett, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, Nirvana, Ozzy Osbourne and The Police.


http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Rock-Melissa ... 475&sr=8-1

[And No Coffee Table]

"Clubland" played briefly in last night's episode of The Simpsons ("MoneyBART").

[johnfoyle]

A tweet from @madisonlovo:

Diana Krall and Elvis Costello were at my work like 2 hours ago picking pumpkins out. Best thanksgiving ever!

[verbal gymnastics]

Pumpkin Up!

(where's Misha?)

[sulky lad]

Time for a new topic -Costello vegetables
I offer radish and chip paper (sorry !)

[verbal gymnastics]

And not forgetting Peas, Love and Understanding, Peas In Our Time and Parsnipbuilding.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/arc ... ce_in.html

October 14, 2010

Wesley Stace Interviews John Wesley Harding

In the "Largehearted Boy Cross-Media Cultural Exchange Program" series (thanks to Jami Attenberg for the title), authors interview musicians (and vice versa).

Wesley Stace is an author, his forthcoming novel Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer will be released in the US on February 1st.

John Wesley Harding is Wesley Stace's stage name when he performs as a singer-songwriter. His most recent album is John Wesley Harding Sings to a Small Guitar Vol II, a collection of 15 unheard originals from acoustic demos spanning 15 years of his career.

Wesley Stace interviews John Wesley Harding:


Largehearted Boy asked me, Wesley Stace, writer, to interview me, John Wesley Harding, musician, for his "Largehearted Boy Cross-Media Cultural Exchange Program" for which authors interview musicians. I liked the idea, without working out what I was going to ask myself.

(extract)


WS: People have often compared you to Elvis Costello. That must be very annoying.

JWH: Yes, even Elvis Costello has compared me to Elvis Costello. And he also once called Bret Easton Ellis "the John Wesley Harding of Literature", which is quite funny but very wrong. Bret Easton Ellis may in fact be the "Elvis Costello of Literature" – I say that as a fan.

I used The Attractions when Costello wasn't, and it did get me a good deal of publicity during what, on reflection, was probably one of the troughs of his career, so I can understand his annoyance. But I never listened to half as much Elvis Costello as people imagined. I got off around "Mighty Like A Rose". At the time I was desperately trying to sound like The Kinks and The Lovin' Spoonful, and probably getting it wrong. Nick Lowe is certainly as much of an influence as Costello; Ray Davies much more so than both, not that it's mentioned. In my mind, however, aside from Dylan, Bowie is the biggest influence of all, and that apparently doesn't show itself at all since no one's ever referenced Bowie. So I suppose it is a little annoying, but it doesn't actually annoy me. It's much more annoying when people ask me if I'm annoyed by it.

One funny thing was that just after you got your first book deal for Misfortune, there was a couple of articles saying that Costello had just signed a two-book-deal for a book of memoirs and a book of short stories. I remember thinking at the time that the timing was possibly not to our advantage. But, six years later, no sign of the books. Perhaps you'll be asked to review one.

WS: As a writer, I'd do it.

JWH: Good, because as a musician I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

[the_platypus]

I wonder if he's aware of the fact that EC has also been interviewing himself lately