lintonchiswick.org

On Microsoft Vista...

... for The First Post.

On LinkedIn

... which seems to be gaining serious traction. Here's a Mouse column guide for beginners.

Michael Brecker has died

Like all jazz fans, I'm very, very sad at the news of Michael Brecker's death. Not only was he arguably the most advanced tenor saxophonist alive - still pushing forward the boundaries of what was possible on the instrument and within a chord sequence - but he was a very nice and incredibly modest man, too. I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing him in Scotland a few years ago. I brought with me the big book of his transcribed tenor solos and got the "official" interview out of the way as soon as possible, so that I could ask the questions all the amateur tenor players wanted to ask... like who do you need to pray to/what do you need to eat/what magic words to you need to chant to play this stuff? He flicked through the book of solos he'd improvised over the previous 15 years, occasionally stopping to examine a bar or two, as if they were entirely new to him; before shaking his head and telling me he couldn't play them again, either. Clearly, this was music in the moment. On the subject of his music, he was funny and interesting. On his tone, he described how he was working on the "feminine" side... the softer-edged tone of his later acoustic work (compared to the cutting edge of his session or electric recordings). The jazz scene was a better place when he was around.

There's an interesting interview with Michael Brecker here.

The MacWorld Expo and the iPhone

Reporting for The First Post, I actually had an excuse to indulge my nerdy side and follow it live from my laptop.