Blog

It's been busy...

Concerts
italics = gigs I played :)
* = gigs I put on

January
[[ exams ]]
18 - Dub From Atlantis + The Hit-Ups; The Croft, Bristol
19 - The Haggis Horns; Native, Bristol
21* - The Blessing; epi bar, Bristol
22 - Ruckus Collective; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
23 - Ruckus Collective; Moles, Bath
25 - Hélélé; Oppo, Bristol
31 - Powerplant w/ Elysian Quartet; St George's, Bristol

February
4* - Spokinn Movement; epi bar, Bristol
7 - Mankala; The Attic, Bristol
9 - Ruckus Collective; Anson Rooms, Bristol
9 - Spokinn Movement; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
12 - The Blessing; Thekla, Bristol
16 - Ruckus Collective; Oppo, Bristol
18 - Ruckus Collective; Joe Public's, Bristol
20 - Roni Size & Reprazent; Thekla, Bristol
21 - Tribal Underground; Tao Bar, Bristol
23 - Ruckus Collective; a beer festival, Bristol
27 - Ruckus Collective; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
28 - Ruckus Collective; The Attic, Bristol (w/ Anomaly + The Scribes)
29 - Ruckus Collective; The Golden Lion, Bristol (w/ CCQ)

March
4 - Ruckus Collective; student ball, Bristol
6 - King Porter Stomp; Tao Bar, Bristol
7 - Ruckus Collective; student ball, Bristol
8 - Mark Wingfield; Avon Gorge Room, Bristol
9 - Kokolo; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
12 - Songwriter Session; The Lansdown, Bristol
14* - Anomaly; The Attic, Bristol (my birthday party!)
16 - Ruckus Collective; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
17* - Mankala; epi bar, Bristol
20 - Sheelanagig; Grain Barge, Bristol
25 - Joe Driscoll + Gideon Conn; Vibe Bar, London
27 - Tony Allen; Jazz Cafe, London
28 - Acoustic Ladyland; Vortex, London
29 - John Scofield; Jazz Cafe, London
30 - Richard Bona; Jazz Cafe, London

April
1 - Robert Mitchell & Omar Puente; St Cyprian's Church, London
4 - Ruckus Collective; Brixton Jamm, London
5 - Ruckus Collective; Bar Sonic, London
6 - Ruckus Collective; Thekla, Bristol (w/ The Apples)
7 - Polar Bear; Ronnie Scott's, London
10 - jam session; Harris jazz bar, Krakow
17 - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings; Jazz Cafe, London
18 - Led Bib; QEH Front Room, London
19 - Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra + The Budos Band; Jazz Cafe, London
20 - Polar Bear; Colston Hall Bar, Bristol
22 - Ruckus Collective; Timbuk2, Bristol
26 - Ruckus Collective; Phoenix, Exeter
28 - Dr Doctor; Joe Public's, Bristol
29 - Ruckus Collective; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
30 - The Zen Hussies; Old Duke, Bristol

May
1 - Talibam! + Ashowka + Sweet Potato; The Croft, Bristol
4 - Ruckus Collective; Jester's, Bristol
8 - Ruckus Collective; The Croft, Bristol (w/ Bizali + clayton blizzard)
[[ exams ]]
26 - Edenheight; The Full Moon, Bristol

June
7 - Ruckus Collective; street party, Bristol
8 - Ruckus Collective; live radio session, Bristol
12 - Ruckus Collective; Lakota, Bristol
13 - Ruckus Collective; Mr Wolf's, Bristol
16 - Ruckus Collective; Tiger Tiger, Cardiff
17 - Ruckus Collective; The Croft, Bristol
28 - Ruckus Collective; The Golden Lion, Bristol

July
2 - Kenny Garrett; Ronnie Scott's, London
11 - NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL, Rotterdam
Charles Lloyd, David S. Ware, Led Bib, Herbie Hancock, Bootsy Collins,
12 - NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL
Pat Metheny, Victor Wooten, The Bad Plus, David Sanchez, Finn Peters, Wayne Shorter, James Carter
13 - NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL
Lefties Soul Connection, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Gary Burton, Mark Helias, Brad Mehldau, Maceo Parker, Branford Marsalis, Buddy Guy
16 - Samay; Dingwalls, London
20 - Neil Cowley Trio; Koko, London
21 - BBC Jazz Awards; Mermaid Theatre, London
[[ including: Return to Forever, Guy Barker, Empirical, Fraud, Tommy Smith, Charlie Haden, Tony Kofi, The Blessing... ]]
22 - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble; ICA, London
23 - Youngblood Brass Band; Jazz Cafe, London
27 - Ealing Jazz Festival, London
29 - Grupo Fantasma + BROWNOUT; Jazz Cafe, London
30 - Portico Quartet; Rough Trade East, London
31 - Hot 8 Brass Band; Cargo, London

August
6 - Ruckus Collective; The Old Blue Last, London
15 - Ruckus Collective; The Griffin, Frome
16 - Ruckus Collective; The Yardbird, Birmingham
17 - Ruckus Collective; party, nr Brighton
19 - Ruckus Collective; The Croft, Bristol
20 - Maceo Parker; Pigalle Club, London
23 - Hélélé / Edenheight; Old Duke Jazz Festival, Bristol
24 - Compadres; The Tobacco Factory, Bristol
27 - Ruckus Collective; Mr Wolf's, Bristol (open mic)
28 - Ruckus Collective; Ride Cafe, Plymouth (w/ The Scribes)
29 - Ruckus Collective; The Good Ship, London

September
4 - Roots Manuva; Rough Trade, London
4 - The Apples; Cargo, London
11 - Ruckus Collective; Joe Public's, Bristol (w/ Toyface + The Hats)

October
2 - Clayton Blizzard; The Junction, Bristol
22 - Arun Ghosh; Vortex, London
23 - Adam Waldmann Quartet; Charlie Wright's, London

November
6 - Jim Hart + jam session; Charlie Wright's, London
7 - Spokinn Movement; Ginglik, London
13 - Spokinn Movement; Pangea Project, London
[[ London Jazz Festival starts ]]
14 - Ken Vandermark, Barry Guy, Mark Sanders; Vortex, London
15 - Bill Frisell; Barbican Centre, London
16 - Richard Galliano & Gonzalo Rubalcaba; Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
17 - Chris Potter; Ronnie Scott's, London
18 - Robert Glasper; Cargo, London
19 - Herbie Hancock; Barbican Centre, London
20 - Courtney Pine; Barbican Centre, London
21 - Matthew Herbert Big Band + José James; Royal Festival Hall, London
22 - Chucho Valdés; Barbican Centre, London
23 - Biréli Lagrène, Martin Taylor; Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
[[ end of London Jazz Festival ]]
24 - a concert featuring works of Morton Feldman and Earle Brown, taking place as part of the Mark Rothko exhibition at Tate Modern, London

December
4 - Erik Truffaz; 16 Tons, Moscow
5 - The Bad Plus; 16 Tons, Moscow
12 - jazz showcase, Moscow


Ruckus Collective
The band really took off in 2008, playing over 30 gigs (actually only up til August/September), visiting a few different cities and recording a full-length studio album, Stop, Drop, Dance!, during a crazy period after uni exams in June. Earlier in the year we also self-produced a five-track EP, Rise Of The Ruckusaurus. Apart from that I played the odd function gig here and there around Bristol, and plenty of jams - always good fun.


Journalism
I had quite a few articles published throughout the year, writing for publications including London Tourdates (LTD), Jazzwise, All About Jazz (AAJ) and Fly. Not sure if anyone's going to check these out, but here's a list (in order of publishing):

28/2/08 - CD: The Blessing, All Is Yes [AAJ]
29/3/08 - Live: Acoustic Ladyland @ Vortex, London [AAJ]
8/4/08 - Live: Richard Bona @ Jazz Cafe, London [Fly]
9/4/08 - Live: John Scofield @ Jazz Cafe, London [AAJ]
15/4/08 - Live: Tony Allen and Antibalas @ Jazz Cafe, London [Fly]
19/4/08 - Live: Polar Bear @ Ronnie Scott's, London [AAJ]
23/4/08 - Live: Robert Mitchell & Omar Puente @ St. Cyprian's, London [AAJ]
15/5/08 - Interview: 'These Acoustics Can Electrify' - Pete Wareham of Acoustic Ladyland [LTD]
15/5/08 - Live: Antibalas and The Budos Band @ Jazz Cafe, London [LTD]
24/5/08 - CD: James Carter, Present Tense [AAJ]
30/5/08 - CD: Ponto de Equilíbrio, Abre a Janela [Fly]
21/6/08 - Live: The Heliocentrics / Flying Lotus @ Venn Festival, Bristol [Fly]
9/7/08 - Live: Kenny Garrett @ Ronnie Scott's, London [Jazzwise]
11/7/08 - CD: Blink, Blink [LTD]
21/7/08 - Live: North Sea Jazz Festival 2008 [Jazzwise]
22/7/08 - Live: Latin Funk Spectacular to hit Jazz Cafe [Fly]
24/7/08 - Live: Neil Cowley Trio @ Koko, London [Jazzwise]
24/7/08 - Interview: 'What's In A Name?' - Neil Cowley [LTD]
31/7/08 - Live: North Sea Jazz Festival 2008 [AAJ]
8/8/08 - Live: Samay at Dingwalls, London [LTD]
8/8/08 - CD: Polar Bear, Polar Bear [LTD]
22/8/08 - Interview: 'Mercury Rising For Hang Men' - Portico Quartet [LTD]
27/8/08 - CD: Avishai Cohen, Gently Disturbed [AAJ]
5/9/08 - Live: Maceo Parker @ Pigalle Club, London [LTD]
1/10/08 - Interview: Taking Off - James Morton [Jazzwise]
3/10/08 - CD: Alex Wilson, Salsa Con Soul [Fly]
4/10/08 - Interview: '77 Not Out' - Omara Portuondo [Fly]
24/11/08 - Interview: 'Freedom First, History Later' - Manuel Mengis (Manuel Mengis Gruppe 6) [AAJ]
2/12/08 - Live: London Jazz Festival 2008 [AAJ]
21/12/08 - Live: Moscow City Jazz Festival 2008 [AAJ]


Broadcasting
While I was in Bristol, I had a weekly show on BURST Radio called Off The Hook. It was a really cool experience and I played a lot of different tunes, as well as being joined by several guests from the local music scene. I won't go into detail here, as this is already too long, but you can see the myspace page for info and playlists. [Some of my friends have taken it over this year, as I'm not attending uni at the moment, so tune in!]


Many thanks to anyone who's had a look at this post - all the best wishes for Christmas and the New Year!

peace,
frederick

I've had quite a few interviews published recently:

Omara Portuondo - "77 Not Out"
Link: Fly, 4/10/08

James Morton - "Bristol Fashion"
Link: Jazzwise magazine, October 2008

Portico Quartet - "Mercury Rising For Hang Man"
Link: London Tourdates magazine, 22/8/08

Neil Cowley (Neil Cowley Trio) - "What's In A Name?"
Link: London Tourdates magazine, 24/7/08

Comments and feedback are always appreciated!

peace,
frederick

Preamble : SiR HendRix Rating System

SiR HendRix Rating System employs a 50–100 point quality scale for individual musical tracks. the common 5-star rating points — [* to *****] — are not sufficient for rating the complexity of music and results in very subjective measures and inflated ratings. there is not so much 5-star [*****] music around as is rated in this world.

this rating is very serious. it’s not about “best rock song ever. period” or “my personal top 10” or something similar.

SiR HendRix takes a hard, very critical listen at tracks in order to underestimate and not overestimate the musical quality. if possible, in a peer group setting, i.e. comparing the track to be assessed with other representatives of the genre or style or with different covers resp. the original version.

my own personal subjective 5-star rating goes into the whole rating with 10-20 percent only. 80 percent of the rating process is in-depth assessment of musical motif, arrangement and structure, variety and dynamics, development and depth/breadth of the theme, expression and feel, uniqueness and/or innovativity, and performance. last but not least, i rate overall quality and lasting impression. this is not done by one autition only. up to 5 malus or bonus points may be subtracted or added according to two lists of 10 criteria each (including sound quality, metrics, virtuosity, instrumentation, interplay, expression of heart, genius work, simplicity/pureness, overdo, etc.). don’t ask for the specific point ratings for a track, i won’t reveal them, only the end result.

please note carefully : the ratings reflect a critical *listen at the music* and not just my personal opinion or taste. neither reputation nor being a fan nor the latest hip genre affect the rating in any manner. i don’t care. on the other hand, if a mainstream artist outside my listening habits performs well, he/she will get my points, no matter what. possible high ratings do not necessarily go with my love for the particular piece of music or the artist. i even could nearly object giving points and might be surprised or angried by my own rating results for artists i normally don’t care much about. my loved tracks would yield a different list, and i admit, i even do love mediocre music, we all do. but it simply won’t get my high ratings. i hope this clarifies the difference between love and assessment, it’s two different worlds.

once again : SiR HendRix Excellence Rating is not about “music i like”. it’s about a deeper understanding, appreciation, acknowledgement (and objection) of music performances beyond personal tastes. otherwise we wouldn’t need the Rating System.

the scoring of music is a professional task with applying a numerical system to it on a consistent basis. the advantage is rapid precise communication of quality to experts and amateurs alike, nothing more, nothing less.

music rated over 85 points is very good to excellent. please mind that the majority of quality music usually doesn’t cost more to listen to than to mediocre music. we don’t need to settle for less.


[*****]

98-100 points
unbelievable (AAA)
the top of the crop. music in this range is jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, really more than we could reasonably expect ...

95-97 points
extraordinary, profound (AA)
the very best, a rare level of greatness and elegance. music in this range has very high caliber, is overwhelming and might blow you away (or knock your socks off) ...

90-94 points
outstanding, high quality (A)
this is where special effort begins. music in this range is exceptional and terrific, but only few will make it into this category ...


[****]

85-89 points
flawless, very very good (BB)
great value for the price. music in this range is very satisfactory and hardly objectionable ...

80-84 points
slightly above average (B)
better than the bulk. music in this range has some redeeming features and is worth to be collected ...


[***]

75-79 points
very average, straightforward, mediocre and unremarkable (CC)
music in this range is generally pleasant but lacks complexity, character, or depth. this is where most of the mainstream music resides. just switch on the radio or TV. if you want to become somewhat famous and rich as an artist, go here.

70-74 points
slightly below average (C)
music in this range is imbalanced and should be less expensive to pay for ...


[**]

60-69 points
definitely below average (D)
music in this range is flawed, amateurish and to be avoided at all costs ...


[ * ]

50-59 points
poor, unacceptable, terribly dull (E)
words are insufficient to describe the inadequacy of this music ...


➤ List of Quality [****] published in the House of Quality
➤ List of Excellence [*****] published in the _ Center of Excellence _


i never ever will rate music upon request. so please don’t ask.
if you told me this reminds you of Robert Parker’s wine rating system, i would respond: exactly.


**** The List of Quality Music ****

this list is ever evolving and so are the rating points.


**** BB : very good ****

89 points

89 - Aretha Franklin - People - a bit schmaltzy but her great voice wins over
89 - De-Phazz - It Will Turn Out Right
89 - Dinu Lipatti - Piano Sonata No.8 in A minor K310 II. Andante cantabile con espressione - by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
89 - Enigma - Mea Culpa
89 - Grover Washington - Just Enough
89 - Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble - Credo
89 - Jazztronik - Someday (Etude for the Right)
89 - Jean Boguet - Le Vent Dans La Plaine - by Claude Debussy
89 - Joan Armatrading - Cool Blue Stole My Heart (Live) - Joan’s studio tracks mostly don’t compare to a vibrant and emotional live version with a particular band to be found on her album Performance Classics: Steppin' Out Live
89 - Omar Sosa - Mis tres Notas - this cuban pianist is amazing, more to expect ...
89 - 坂本龍一 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Lorenz And Watson
89 - Trần Thu Hà - Without


88 points

88 - John Abercrombie - Carol's Carol
88 - Mark Isham - Barcelona


87 points

87 - Angélique Kidjo - Summertime
87 - Pink Floyd - Interstellar Overdrive
87 - Rosalyn Tureck - Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 - Fugue #13 In F Sharp, BWV 858


86 points

86 - Omara Portuondo - Killing me Softly - nice cover version by a charming cuban lady


85 points

85 - Mo' Horizons - Bosshannover


**** B : slightly above average ****

84 points

84 - Rhythms Del Mundo feat. Chris Martin - Clocks - sweet & groovy cuban cover version which balances Chris Martin’s poor singing performance. truly alternative.


83 points

83 - La Capella Reial de Catalunya & Hesperion XXI - Mille Regretz (Chanson) - by Josquin Desprez (1450-1521)


82 points

82 - Rhythms del Mundo feat. Sting - Fragilidad - Sting’s own cuban cover version seems to be better than the original


81 points

81 - Caetano Veloso - Haiti
81 - Cesária Évora - Miss Perfumado (4 Hero remix)
81 - Cesária Évora - Petit pays (Chateau Flight remix)
81 - Doruk Somunkiran - Strange Company
81 - El Lele De Los Van Van & Radiohead - High and Dry - Radiohead’s cuban cover version, happily doing without Thom Yorke’s falsetto


the purpose of the House of Quality is to collect and document above-average music performances. don’t settle for less.

for outstanding performances [90 and above = *****] refer to the List of Excellence, documented at the _ Center of Excellence _.


SiR HendRix
//

This week on [url="http://toasterheadsblogosphere.blogspot.com/2007/10/una-seleccin-de-hermosos-sonidos.html";]Dance, You Fools! For This Is Club Toasterhead!, we salute my soon-to-be better half with a selection of beautiful Cuban music, for your aural pleasure. From the lazy sweetness of Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer to the uptempo romps of Celia Cruz and Rubén González , we guarantee some foot-tapping and rump-shaking this week. So fry up some tostones, pop a can of Iron Beer, and enjoy!

Celia Cruz - La vida Es Un Carnaval
Buena Vista Social Club - Chan chan
Ibrahim Ferrer - Dos Gardenias
Compay Segundo - Orgullecida
Rubén González - Mandinga
Omara Portuondo - He Perdido Contigo
Celia Cruz - Mambo Del Amor
Omara Portuondo - Canta lo Sentimental
Irakere - Boliviana
Buena Vista Social Club - Candela
Ibrahim Ferrer - De Camino a la Vereda
Compay Segundo - Macus
Rubén González - Como Siento Yo
Eliades Ochoa - El Carretero
Los Van Van - Bailando Moja
Sierra Maestra - Tbiri T
Los Guaracheros de Oriente - Patria Querida
Irakere - Bacalao con pan
Afro Cuban All Stars - Alto Songo
Arturo Sandoval - Martebelona

1. List your top 20 overall artists

2. For each, list the 8 most similar artists

3. Delete any repeated artists (or artists you know you hate)to get an idea of how eclectic your music listening habits are

A score of 9 represents an extremely unvaried musical taste while a score of 160 represents an extremely varied one.

Top 20

1. The Flaming Lips
2 Inti-Illimani
3 Gomez
4 Starlight Mints
5 Compay Segundo
6 Beck
7 Belle and Sebastian
8 Lambchop
9 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
10 Alfie
11 of Montreal
12 Ryan Adams
13 Susana Baca
14 Calle 13
15 Bright Eyes
16 Neko Case
17 Ambulance LTD
18 Stereolab
19 Spoon
20 The Autumn Defense


1. Modest Mouse
2. The Arcade Fire
3. The Shins
4. Radiohead
5. Pixies
6. The Decemberists
7. Illapu
8. Violeta Parra
9. Quilapayún
10. Sol y Lluvia
11. Víctor Jara
12. Los Jaivas
13. Mercedes Sosa
14. Doves
15. Eels
16. Elbow
17. Snow Patrol
18. The Dandy Warhols
19. Beulah
20. The Unicorns
21. The New Pornographers
22. Mates of State
23. The Apples in Stereo
24. Eliades Ochoa
25. Ibrahim Ferrer
26. Rubén González
27. Omara Portuondo
28. Buena Vista Social Club
29. Manuel "Puntillita" Licea
30. Afro Cuban All Stars
31. Ibragim Ferrer con los bocucos
32. The White Stripes
33. The Strokes
34. Weezer
35. Architecture in Helsinki
36. Neutral Milk Hotel
37. Yo La Tengo
38. Camera Obscura
39. Calexico
40. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
41. Wilco
42. Giant Sand
43. My Morning Jacket
44. M. Ward
45. Tindersticks
46. Magnolia Electric Co
47. Nick Cave
48. PJ Harvey
49. The Cure
50. R.E.M.
51. Jeff Buckley
52. The Smiths
53. The Charlatans
54. The Electric Soft Parade
55. The Bees
56. Mull Historical Society
57. Super Furry Animals
58. The Divine Comedy
59. The Stone Roses
60. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
61. Whiskeytown
62. Johnny Cash
63. Josh Rouse
64. Elliott Smith
65. Rufus Wainwright
66. Lila Downs
67. Totó La Momposina
68. Cesária Évora
69. Lhasa
70. Omara Portuondo
71. Africando
72. Celia Cruz
73. Don Omar
74. Death Cab for Cutie
75. Sufjan Stevens
76. Iron & Wine
77. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
78. Neko Case and Her Boyfriends
79. Cat Power
80. Lucinda Williams
81. The Walkmen
82. Broken Social Scene
83. The Stills
84. Interpol
85. Broadcast
86. M83
87. Four Tet
88. LCD Soundsystem
89. The Books
90. Björk
91. Air
92. Wolf Parade
93. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
94. Pernice Brothers
95. The Clientele
96. Field Music
97. Loney, Dear
98. Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham
99. Midlake
100. Mojave 3
101. Jay Bennett

Take your top 20 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 5 similar artists. The resulting number of unique artists is your eclectic score. If the score is small (extreme = 5) your musical preferences are very limited, and if it is large (larger than 80, extreme = 100), then you have an eclectic musical preference. You can compute your own score at http://anthony.liekens.net/pub/scripts/last.fm/eclectic.php

My eclectic score is currently



The 93 related artists for my profile are Acoustic Alchemy aiko (2) Al Di Meola Alexander von Borsig Barbara Bauhaus (2) Belle and Sebastian Björk Blixa Bargeld Bob Dylan Brendan Perry Buena Vista Social Club BUMP OF CHICKEN Burt Bacharach Bénabar Cat Power Charles Mingus Charlie Parker Cocteau Twins Compay Segundo Coralie Clément David Bowie (2) Dead Kennedys Django Reinhardt Doris Day Doves Eliades Ochoa Eric Clapton Esquivel Flogging Molly FM Einheit Georges Brassens Gry Henry Mancini Herb Alpert Herbie Hancock Howlin' Wolf Interpol James Taylor John Coltrane John Lee Hooker John Mayer John Williams Johnny Cash Kaki King La Rue Kétanou La Tordue Leonard Cohen (2) Les Ogres de Barback Lisa Gerrard Meret Becker & Ars Vitalis Misfits Mississippi Fred McDowell Mr.Children Muddy Waters Nick Cave Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nirvana Oblivians Omara Portuondo Paco de Lucía Peter Murphy Pink Martini PJ Harvey Portishead Radio Birdman Radiohead Rubén González Sanseverino Sex Pistols Shane MacGowan and the Popes Siouxsie and the Banshees SMAP Son House Sonic Youth The Arcade Fire The Clash (2) The Detroit Cobras The Dirtbombs The Dubliners The Futureheads The Psychedelic Furs The Sisters of Mercy The Sonics The Velvet Underground Thelonious Monk Thomas Fersen Tom Waits Tones on Tail Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart スピッツ (2) レミオロメン 平井堅 (2)