I remember when the first Marshall Micro stacks came out - great portable tone but they did sound a bit like an angry bumble bee trapped in a jam jar - these days though these little unit's can create some great sounds - I tried out the VOX amplug and it sounds really great - shanzuguitars has got a great list up and running showing the mini guitar amp range available - which is growing all the time so if your looking for great guitar tone in your pocket check it out.
Coltrane was one of the most creative of Jazz musicians ever - If you ask people on the street to name a famous Jazz sax player chances are they'll pick Coltrane.
So if your just starting out and are looking to start your Coltrane collection why not start here on this great DVD set featuring Coltrane, at the height of his powers, live in the early '60's
John Coltrane provides an epic 95-minute overview of a true giant of 20th-century music. Three separate shows reveal Coltrane's ascending creative arc from hard bop innovator as a member of the Miles Davis Quartet in 1960 to consummate bandleader in 1961 to unrivalled jazz visionary in 1965. This DVD not only features Trane's classic quartet with Elvin Jones (drums), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and McCoy Tyner (piano), but also spotlights him onstage with other jazz legends including Stan Getz, Eric Dolphy and Oscar Peterson. Includes mind-blowing versions of his signature tunes "My Favorite Things" and "Impressions".
For me I'll always prefer Jazz guitar to sax but as an innovator and a true man of jazz Coltrane can't be beat.
For those who just need that little extra for thier daily jazz fix be sure to check out http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/ which is a lively little blog devoted to the world of jazz - with some great music reviews coupled with warmth and affection for the best musical genre - theres allways some great content to perk up your day.
There's a ton of CD reviews on thier and with such an eclectic mix you'll be hard pressed to not find one record that would interest you.
Go check it out!
Ok so we all know that music festivals are all the rage - it seems as though you cant go by without another music festival cropping up - (hey we don't mind - anyway of listening to great music is fine by us) but perhaps this one is the most unique.
Now nepal isn't renowned for it's Jazz but Jazzmandu The Kathmandu Jazz Festival is an idea put together by some young people in Nepal with an ambition to bring the joys of Jazz to the Himalayas.
Running from the 22nd to the 28th October the festival has live events, workshops and jams running throughout the week - given that Nepal has some of the most stunning vista's combining Jazz with this stunning country has to be a great idea - sure it might be a bit of a trip - but surely one that you wouldn't forget!
For more info check out the official site http://www.kathmandujazzfestival.com/
Any lovers of Django Reinhardt should check out the new CD by Hot Club of Detroit - titled "Night Town".
Featuring whiz guitarist Evan Perri - fans of Quintette de Hot Club de France - will spot the influences from the off. Best known as a 5 piece including accordion and clarinet - the band effortlessly weave through the 15 tracks on show here.
For me I love the sound of Gypsy jazz - it all sounds so effortless - effortlessly fast that is and if you want to learn swing and great rhythm - it's all here. There really is great groove here and this should bring a smile to jazz lovers everywhere.
Click the link for their myspace page
OK so youtube and myspace have been around for absolutely ages and features some great Jazz guitarists that we've never heard of - so we thought we'd start an irregular feature of "Great Jazz guitarists - we've never heard of and found on Youtube or Myspace!" - first up is the Robin Nolan Street Project - OK so this is a bit of a quirky one because we actually found out about them from this video featuring the absolutely killer guitarist carlos vamos fitting a Floyd Rose to his Gypsy guitar - yep we think it's a crazy idea to......anyhow the music featured on the vid is Robin Nolan Project - great band lovely sound - check out the Robin Nolan myspace site here
So if you like your jazz loud and fast and energetic you cant go far wrong in checking out "soil and pimp sessions" - a japanese collective which mix a brash cutting jazz sound with some funked up (dare I say punked up) rhythms - there new record Planet Pimp is released on 1 September and is available on import.
The band features 6 members and conjures up a latin sound mixed with enough melody and tongue in cheek style to keep you enthralled.
The band are a bit of a cult at the moment but based on the positive reviews that this record has bought about could be about to get a bit more well known -
Why they may not be to everyones taste - they bring some really refreshing positive energy to thier tracks and as a live act are said to be awesome (but loud!)
If you want to know more check out thier myspace page here
Hot on the heels of yesterdays post on Stan Getz bossa nova record is a look see at 2007's Putumayo Presents: Latin Jazz.
Featuring Afro-Cuban jazz the record features some great cuts from some really cool artists such as Machito, Tito Puente and Hilton Ruiz.
One of the things with Jazz is that there are so many different styles but if your looking to explore your latin side this is a great start. Compilation records like this are a great taster to a musical genre and you cant go wrong with records like this featuring some killer tracks.
The albums strong point is in its selection of its artists - and while the focus here is on trumpets and sax - for those looking for a few latin licks its certainly worth investigating - especially if you havent got into latin jazz yet.
For more check out amazon at Putumayo Presents: Latin Jazz
