Spotify for lunch
Years ago, in a bar in Tokyo, the owner having discovered I was a musician searched me on Spotify, played me, and I got good approval among the patrons who nodded, smiled, and bought me drinks. All night.
The power of being that accessible on the other side of the world and with such speed is quite underrated. It’s miracle like. Of course it comes with costs. I have a few music buddies who are high ranking on the streaming leader in the 10’s of millions. They make enough to buy a fancy lunch once a week. Mind you, they don’t complain as most of them don’t know how much $ you could make printing and selling your own CDs just 10 years ago. You could pay a mortgage with that.
This isn’t “the old days were better” rant either. Things, from where I sit, are great. There have been so many people who have come out of the woodwork to show their support to me and in so many ways.
In a salut to the old days, word on the street is that Grog’s done with music. Of course, you may remember I stopped playing there in 2017, but still there were a few remaining residency establishments have gone with it….we raise a glass to you!
2017 flashback
Someone wrote me a note on “Burn” and it was clear that they thought that it was a recent record.
2017 was an epic year for me -the United Nations concert in Boston, the gigs with African poet Marc Alexandre in NYC, the massive St. Barths bucket concert, (which was a kind of culmination of 10 years of work) and so much more.
“Burn” was released and it was my first time away from the group formation that I had been with for 8 years prior. It was a big and crucial step for me, not unlike breaking out of a bad marriage, both hard to do and an obvious move in retrospect.
If someone hears one of my creations for the first time and cut “place it” time wise….that might be a good thing.
You can buy “Burn” from me on my own Album Page.
10 Great guitarists in no particular order
I started as a guitarist before singing and then eventually writing. There are many great guitar players spanning many great styles. This group of ten are interlinked within the jazz and blues world and what that makes them “stand out” is their ultimately unique approach to the guitar.
In no particular order, 10 great guitarists:
- John McLaughlin
- Paco De Lucia
- Kenny Burrell
- Django Reinhardt
- Joe Pass
- Skunk Baxter
- Derek Trucks
- Freddie King
- Jeff Beck
- Wes Montgomery
I get a bit infuriated at the internet conversations of “who’s better: Jeff Beck or Pete Townsend?” I think it’s a colossal waste of time.
On the other hand…exploring some of these guitar players…that’ll make your life richer.