Oldies but Goodies

Once Upon A Time....

Here are some choice blog posts I did for the Free Music Archive a few years back (2009, that was so long ago!)

6.29.2009

Pandora Records: Variations on a Theme

via flickr

 

Pandora Records is one of the more recent new additions to the Free Music Archive. The label, which is now defunct, had an extensive library of classical music -- posted here under an EFF License -- that I have been rummaging through with the hopes of bringing the cream of the crop to everyone here at the FMA. So now I present to you the first of many more works recorded for the Pandora label.

I’ve chosen to start out with a piece written for two pianos. I’ve always had an affinity for piano…always wishing my parents had molded me into one of those child prodigy piano virtuosos, who play repetoire like Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev at age 8, but instead I chose to play viola and the rest is history. Anyway, what could be better than one piano but two? Pandora has a wide selection of works for two pianos by the duo pianists Neal and Nancy O’Doan. I did a quick google/wikipedia search on these two but was unable to find any dirt on them. So here is what I know from listening to their recordings: The pair are very sensitive to each other; balancing their individual sounds off of one another. One pianist will take off on a scale run while the other plays a lyrical melody all while making a seamless transitions in the music; It’s almost as if it’s one player (Liszt anyone?). Don’t believe me? Take a listen for yourself.

The first work from the duo I’ve chosen to bring to the FMA is Lutoslawski’s Variations On a Theme by Paganini. The piece is just under five minutes, but explores the theme in depth in a variety of different lights. It’s definitely worth a listen, so get to it!

Check back on the FMA in the coming weeks for more from Neal and Nancy O’Doan and the Pandora archives. Happy Listening!

7.12.2009 

Arbiter Channels Blues Roots

Reverend Gary Davis aka Blind Gary Davis

 

Some recent additions to the FMA I’ve been working on are coming from a small non-profit arts organization that goes by the name Arbiter of Cultural Traditions. This organization was created in 2002 by Allen Evans as a way to preserve the late record company Arbiter. In Evans own words, the record company specialized in “saving performances by musicians both living and from the past whose work embodies classical music at it’s height”. The website of the organization offers sample tracks from many of their featured CDs…all of which will be uploaded to the FMA for your listening pleasure!

Now to the music…

This past week I uploaded a track from World Arbiter, a sub-label of Arbiter Records, that really caught my attention.  Fast Blues in A is a toe-tapping, bluesy-folk improvisation on guitar performed by Reverend Gary Davis. This tune features Davis’ famous and influential finger-picking guitar style, which I found to be an addictive listen. The song hails from The Sun of Our Life: Solos, Songs, A Sermon, an album recorded between 1955 and 1957 that features many more of Rev. Gary Davis’ lively performances. The FMA only has this one little tidbit from the album for download, but fear not, the entirety of the album can be purchased online through Qualiton Imports!

JCI Jack Parsons article

Here is an article I wrote for The Jersey City Independent in October:

After More than a Year, Jack Parsons Moonchild Reunites for a Show at Art House Productions

It’s an unusually warm and sunny October day in Jersey City. Members of a band slowly trickle in to a rehearsal space; it’s been a while since these old friends have all been in the same room together. The seven members chat and catch up before taking out their instruments. The drummer counts off: 3… 2… 1. No one misses a beat.

It’s been over a year since the original members of the Jersey City band Jack Parsons Moonchild have rehearsed together, but it seems like not a day has passed. Jack Parsons, whose members act more like a family than a band, are practicing for their first live show since May 2010. They’ll be performing their debut album in its entirety at Art House Productions this Friday, Oct. 21.

At any one time Jack Parsons Moonchild may have between four to eight band members, but the nucleus of the group consists of three musicians: lyricist Cris Nyne, guitarist Colin Comstock and singer Sarah Comstock. The band came to be in 2009 after Nyne had an extended stay with Colin Comstock.

“I’d known Cris through the Jersey City arts scene for a few years and was a huge fan of his work,” Colin says. “He was traveling for a bit and when he got back he ended up crashing at my place for a little while. One day I picked up my guitar, started playing a groove and he started putting words to it effortlessly.”

After a few weeks of nonstop writing, the pair asked fellow musician Sarah Comstock to join their collaboration.

It’s hard to exactly peg the sound of Jack Parsons Moonchild. Nyne, with his background in poetry, wrote and MC’d the hip-hop-tinged lyrics. Colin Comstock, who has a solid background in rock and soul, laid down the basic guitar grooves. And Sarah Comstock added her haunting and beautiful vocal harmonies to the mix. It took only a few months before they started frequenting Jersey City open mics and live music venues, building up a small, but dedicated fan base in the process.

“After about three shows, the feedback that we had and the following that we built up gave us the confidence to know that we were on the right path,” says Nyne.

Colin Comstock agrees. “The Jersey City arts scene is an incredibly vibrant and unique place, filled to the brim with characters,” he says. “We couldn’t have chosen a better city to be from. There has been a very mutual relationship with love and support between us and the folks in Jersey City.”

Encouraged to grow by the positive response to their Jersey City shows, Jack Parsons added a drummer and a bassist to the mix. Now they had all the trappings of a traditional rock ‘n roll group.

In early 2010, about a year after the first initial musical meeting between Colin Comstock and Nyne, Jack Parsons Moonchild released their self-titled debut album. The 11 tracks on the album were cut from about 30 songs the pair had written together. The debut included even more sonic layers beyond guitar, bass, and drums with instrumentation that included the saxophone, flute, and cello.

“It was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before,” says Sarah Comstock, the lead vocalist. “We have several other super talented band members now who have brought all kinds of other things. It makes for a very fun, experiential sound.”

Although Jack Parsons Moonchild was a relatively young band then, the amount of works created and general buzz surrounding their live shows was substantial. After only a handful of shows in Jersey City they were approached to open for some up-and-coming bands in New York City.

But some differences within the core of the band kept Jack Parsons’ rocket from going up any further, and the band played their last show in May 2010. During their break, the band reached an almost cult status within the Jersey City arts scene and many of their fans wondered if they would ever play together again. It seemed as though the short, prolific life of Jack Parsons Moonchild had ended.

But after Nyne took time off to travel and Colin and Sarah started a family, the pull of their once beloved music collective got the better of them. Nyne says there was a need for a break. “I feel like it’s only human for the transition. There just needed to be time for us to re-evaluate what we all wanted,” he explains. “Within a few months, we still felt strong about our music and we didn’t want that to die. “

Art House Productions will host the band’s first live show since the break. Art House’s artistic director, Jack Halpin, is a longtime friend of the band and will be helping them set up the show.

“I think they’re smart, original and daring,” says Halpin. “We’re excited and grateful that Jack Parsons Moonchild will be playing at Art House.” Not only is this the band’s first show in more than a year, it will also serve to raise funds for Art House’s largest fundraising event of the year, the Snow Ball.

So what will come of the band after the show? No one knows for sure, but if a recent rehearsal, full of influential musicians and artists, can serve as an indication of the band’s longevity, it seems like Jack Parsons Moonchild will have many more moon-children to come.

“That rehearsal blew my mind, how cohesive it was. It was so reassuring,” Nyne says with a look of amazement of his face. “This show is going to be magic.”


Jack Parsons Moonchild performs at Art House Productions this Friday, Oct. 21 at 8 pm. Tickets are $5; all proceeds benefit Art House Productions’ 2011 Snow Ball gala. Art House is located 1 McWilliams Place, Jersey City.