My feud with Jane Martin
Readers, as some of you may know, I decided to have a go at “producing” and my first artist to take on was Jane Martin. To be honest, I felt sorry for her, being that she lives in Fairview, OK, population 5,000 (?), probably barely enough technology to get online and share her music. On many occasions she stated “thank god for wireless internet,” so I have an inkling this is probably true. Nonetheless, her music was of a quality level and I felt she would make a great candidate for JC Combs Productions.
Anyway, getting to the point…. I have decided to go public with our feud that has been going on for two months, since the release of her self-titled album, Jane Martin. I’m not sure what to do, maybe drop the album, free my hands of her! This is an example of what I have been dealing with. A conversation from February 28, 2010:
JM: Hello JC, this is JM. I don’t believe you are doing everything you can to promote my album and, frankly, I am this close to firing you as my producer. I believe there are thousands of idiots who are more fit to take on my level of genius. You see, JC, its my vision. When I make music, Mother Earth and I are one, Space and I are one, Venus, Jupiter and all the planets in the galaxy are one.
JC: Jane, I am doing but everything in my power to promote your works. You may not understand, since social interaction is somewhat new to you. You live in a hobbit hole, Jane, maybe you should get out more before you insult me and threaten to fire me as your producer. But, alas, if you feel there are more qualified producers out there, have at it, don’t let me stand in your way.
JM: I will consider that as an option, JC. Not only are you standing in my way, but this whole town, this state, the idiots who sit outside the barbershop on a lazy Sunday afternoon and rattle on about John McCain and Sarah Palin. I wasn’t born to live in Fairview, JC! Get me out of this hell hole. But you can’t and take this as a warning, I’ll give you a year to make something out of me. And if you haven’t performed up to standard, you’re fired! Click.
You see what kind of a predicament I am in? I just want to let it all “out there,” for people to know that producing, be it independent artists, whatever, is not an easy job! Maybe I need to get out of that game.
CD – Benjamin Smith – Improvisations
One of the finest new music releases this year came via the NIWO label, a set of 12 improvisations from pianist Benjamin Smith. I think of Benjamin as a modern day Chopin, the way he masters both the melody and harmony of an improvisation. The music is straight up jazz at the intersection of classical music (new music).
Benjamin had this to say about the release:
“I’m a music feeler and improviser interested in spreading the learning and practice of music improvisation (not only jazz) in the world. In 2006 I decided to awaken my musicianship and find an organization that shares and promotes improvisation in music for anyone interested, so I joined David Darling’s Music for People — a nontechnical, non-genre community — and am a Mentor in the leadership program.”
“I am interested in expanding and facilitating improvisation, collaborating with others who passionately share what they do in art, health, or any field that promotes healthy collaboration in a community.”
Click here for a sample: October 20th, 2009
IF Live Concert Series Presents: Steve Moyes
Steve Moyes kicks off the 1st live streaming performance for ImprovFriday’s new concert series. The concert will be held on the front page @ ImprovFriday. To attend, visit IF at that time period (4 PM PST, 7 PM EST) and you’re set! For the event time in your part of the world, check here.
No sign up or joining required. Cheers.
Doing the Technological Limbo
Recently, through participation in the event ImprovFriday and experimenting with what I’d term is a mixture of plunderphonics, sound art, glitch, soundscapes, field recording, electroacoustic, music concrete, acousmatic, ambiance and noise (!), I’ve piled up quite a bit of works which are now organized fairly neatly into albums at my Bandcamp site.
At the moment all the albums are works in progress. Minstrel Nomadic is set for release the summer of 2010, but is almost finished and I decided to set a price of $10.00. The other two albums, “Jane Martin” and “File Under” are free.
On another note, the site “bandcamp” seems to be a work in progress as well. For instance, just a month or two ago they came up with the idea that they could add tags to our music. They still have smart ass comments for people downloading, error messages, etc., which are sort of hip, but can be annoying (especially the error messages). However, they are one of the few sites sprouting up to offer lossless file storage.
I guess what I’m getting at is the fact that so many musicians are in a sort of limbo with the unfinished concepts for storage, tagging, etc., in a world of increasing bandwidth (soon we will be surfing on crazy Google speed with the capability of downloading a HD movie in 5 minutes) and faster computers (mp3s are a dying breed). If that picture isn’t big enough, I think we could reach the same conclusion regarding technology in everyday life, from transportation to communications to energy (whats this Bloombox anyway??).
In closing, I think our time more the quadruples the developmental speed of any other time in history and so long as humans are tied to organic bodies (am I digressing?), we are going to suffer from the headache of constant change and progress. We should not forget that progress drops off more than its fair share of waste, things we have learned and adapted to and subsequently had to forget (if forgetting is really possible).
Piano Reconstructed
Gust plays piano, inside piano, tape recorders, and electronics.
He is an improviser and he composes and performs new music. And it looks like Gust now has a blog that’s a keeper titled, “Piano Reconstructed.” So far, Gust is providing some tasty audio treats of live performance and, personally, I think that’s a great concept.
Jane Martin Rumors
Dear Readers,
Let me make one thing clear: Jane Martin is Jane Martin. Jane Martin is NOT, I repeat NOT J.C. Combs. And once and for all, she’s no dummy!
What Jane Martin really is…is really, that is, she is an album. Now trust that I am not mixed up but the album alone is mixed up of mixes and strange, disturbing events. On with the show.
Signed,
JC
2008
2009
2010
2011
2011
2011
2012
2011
2010
