RIP: Jodie Christian, jazz musician and co-founder of the AACM

By Shane Mack on

RIP: Jodie Christian, jazz musician and co-founder of the AACM

From the Examiner:

Jodie Christian, the protean jazz pianist who bridged the hard-bop and avant-garde eras in Chicago, died early Monday morning. He had marked his 80th birthday less than two weeks ago, on February 2.

The pianist had an enormous impact on Chicago music of the last half-century. As a collaborator with Ira Sullivan in the late 1950s, and as a regular “house pianist” with visiting soloists in the decades after, he exemplified the bold and brawny Chicago approach to mainstream jazz. As a sideman for several of saxophonist Eddie Harris’s projects — including Harris’s first foray into electronics — he contributed to recordings that helped pave the way for the jazz-rock fusion. And he unassumedly mentored two generations of younger musicians who have in turn made significant contributions to the Chicago scene.

But Christian truly secured his spot in history in 1965, when he and three other Chicago musicians — Muhal Richard Abrams, Phil Cohran, and Steve McCall — initiated the discussions that became the groundbreaking Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. As documented in George Lewis’s AACM history A Power Stronger Than Itself, Christian’s was one of the five names that appear as signatories on the AACM charter granted by the State of Illinois on August 5, 1965.

• AACM: http://aacmchicago.org
• Jodie Christian: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodie_Christian

The Chap aren’t really nobodies, but they’re releasing an album called We Are Nobody; I’m so confused

By Caroline Rayner on Feb 14 2012

Quick confession: sometimes I zone out when listening to a mix full of new tracks. Don’t get me wrong — new music rules, and I always toss mixes into my iTunes library, but after listening to a track or two off someone else’s mix, my attention tends to wander. Hell, it’s wandering now; I’m thinking about how it’s supposed to snow this weekend and how I might be getting a cat soon and how much I could use a cup of coffee.

But anyway, mix CDs. That’s how I first heard “Fun And Interesting” by The Chap, a song off their 2008 7-inch of the same name. Last year, the slightly off-the-wall synth-pop group released We Are the Best, a greatest hits compilation, and on March 6, they’re set to release their seventh LP, We Are Nothing, on Lo/Loaf Records. Check out the video for “What Did We Do?”; it’s a charming and catchy track off the new album.

We Are Nobody tracklist:

01. Rhythm King
02. What Did We Do?
03. Better Place
04. Talk Back
05. We Are Nobody
06. Curtains
07. Painkiller
08. Running With Me
09. Hands Free
10. Look at the Girl
11. This Is Sick

• The Chap: http://www.thechap.org
• Lo Recordings: http://lorecordings.tumblr.com

CocoRosie want to play music to your silent movies, so draw on a mustache and fire up that camcorder

By Ryan A. Detwiler on Feb 14 2012

Austria’s Donau Festival has announced that their 2012 artist-in-residence, CocoRosie, will partner with Australian filmmaker Emma Freeman for a special live performance called Harmless Monster. The conceit is that you, the PEOPLE, can send in any video (without sound) that’s under five minutes, and if your video is chosen, CocoRosie will play a live score to it during the performance. The puppet masters in charge of selecting the film docket are Freeman (naturally) and Rupert Casady, one of the alter-egos of CocoRosie member Bianca Casady, who enjoys tarot cards and can see the future.

Without any additional constraints beyond the absence of sound, the possibilities of what you could send in are literally endless. CocoRosie tend to like unicorns, fake mustaches, and parasols, so if you can squeeze any of those items into your clip, you’ve probably got a winner on your hands. With Rupert on the judging panel, though, the final selections are technically already known…. If you think he’s conjured up a vision of your work, submissions should be sent using MediaFire to harmlessmonster.donau [at] gmail.com before March 30.

The festival goes from April 28 to May 5, with the Harmless Monsters concert taking place on the opening night. Other highlights on the bill include performances by Atlas Sound, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Squarepusher, among many others.

• Donau Festival: http://www.donaufestival.at
• CocoRosie: http://www.myspace.com/cocorosie

Sony bums people out by allegedly price-gouging Whitney Houston’s greatest hits album after her death, which sucks to hear because Sony was my hero

By Nobodaddy on Feb 13 2012

I know this is a contentious position to hold right now, but I think major labels might be… kinda shitty??? See, pretty much immediately following the death of singer Whitney Houston, the price of Ultimate Collection, her (you guessed it) ultimate collection of greatest hits, kinda-sorta-maybe, um, went up. Like significantly. Like from £4.99 to £7.99 (sayeth The Guardian), or roughly $8 to $12.

Yikes. Okay, so then, Whitney’s fans did what all civic-minded people do in 2012 and (you guessed it again!) complained on the internet. And on Sunday afternoon, the adults that run Sony responded, presumably by texting their nine-year-old children from the golf course and asking them to issue a statement because their parents were too drunk. The idea that these kids cooked up is that the price set on Ultimate Collection before Houston’s death was actually cheaper than it was s’possda be this whole time and that they were just finally (coincidentally) fixing it now. Yeesh. They also suggested that maybe when the record ascended iTunes’ sales chart in the hours following Houston’s death, the evil, fascist, artificially intelligent mainframe computer that runs iTunes raised the price itself automatically because of its popularity.

Yeah… uh, but then after that, I guess the parents came home, because Sony just admitted they raised the price. And then, after that, the price went back down to where it was because of spooky action at a distance. The end. OR IS IT???

• Sony: http://www.sony.com
• Whitney Houston: http://remembering.whitneyhouston.com

Montag offers up monthly single series on Carpark Records, but he’s STILL not my real dad

By E. Nagurney on Feb 13 2012

Canadian ambient artist Montag hasn’t put out any music under his own name in four years. He says he’s been working on other projects. Nice try, bozo, but I know the truth! You’ve been dating my mom! Hell, you even married my mom! Now you’re my step-dad! But you’re not my real dad. I don’t want to toss the ball and I don’t want to listen to your new singles series, Phases.

Sigh. Fine, mom. I’ll be nice to Montag (even if he’s totally not my real dad). Hey everybody, my step-dad has a singles series called Phases coming out through Carpark Records. On the last Tuesday of every month, he’ll put out a new single. The first of these is already out and it’s called “New Design.” That single’s B-side is a cover of new wave outfit The Spoons’ “Nova Heart.” If you’re interested in buying it and finding out more about Phases, check out Montag’s website for the series. While you’re at it, why not watch the “New Design” video? Because he’s not my dad, that’s why not!

• Montag: http://www.montag.ca
• Carpark: http://www.carparkrecords.com

[Photo: Jeremie Battaglia]

Sun Kil Moon to release new LP Among the Leaves this spring (even though the title is misleading and evokes fall)

By Caroline Rayner on Feb 13 2012

I picture Mark Kozelek (a.k.a. Sun Kil Moon) riding a bicycle along a narrow road that curves around a rocky hill and overlooks the ocean, because that’s how I picture Northern California, which inspired much of Sun Kil Moon’s upcoming LP, Among the Leaves. The album’s 17 tracks, which Kozelek played almost exclusively on a nylon string guitar, reveal a candid sense of humor and continue his distinctively melancholy mood. It’s alt-folk that’ll be perfect for your coastal bike rides or walks through the woods or whatever else you might do for nature-y fun in Northern California. Among the Leaves will see a May 29 release via Caldo Verde Records — just in time for summer activities.

Among the Leaves tracklist:

01. I Know It’s Pathetic But That Was the Greatest Night of My Life
02. Sunshine in Chicago
03. The Moderately Talented Yet Attractive Young Woman vs. The Exceptionally Talented Yet Not So Attractive Middle Aged Man
04. That Bird Has a Broken Wing
05. Elaine
06. The Winery
07. Young Love
08. Song for Richard Collopy
09. Among the Leaves
10. Red Poison
11. Track Number 8
12. Not Much Rhymes With Everything’s Awesome at All Times
13. King Fish
14. Lonely Mountain
15. UK Blues
16. UK Blues 2
17. Black Kite

• Sun Kil Moon: http://sunkilmoon.com
• Caldo Verde: http://www.caldoverderecords.com

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