#alto clarinet drawing

[justsingersandbeats]

Care to talk to him...?

First (You are here!) / Next

[jamestheartsdealer]

Alrighty campers, band camp has wrapped up and I now have a few days before the semester starts to quickly draw some stuff. I have a few ideas for a few different fandoms.

One of them is to make a Deadpool variant that's pretty much just from a College Marching Band AU (gee, I wonder where I got THAT idea from). My biggest question however is:

[burlveneer-music]

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1 - massive (52-track) new album with an amazing cast of guest musicians (Brainfeeder)

14 years in the making, “Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1” comprises 52 tracks / 3.5 hours of music composed, arranged and produced by Miguel with contributions from 50+ friends including Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, DOMi & JD Beck, Jeff Parker, Carlos Niño, Austin Peralta, Bennie Maupin, Gabe Noel, Jamael Dean, Jamire Williams, Burniss Travis II, Deantoni Parks, Josh Johnson, Marcus Gilmore and many more. Based in his hometown of Los Angeles, Miguel is one of the preeminent musicians, orchestrators, arrangers and composers of our time. “Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1” is his long-awaited inaugural album. It presents us with a passionate statement of intent, a labor of love, and a realm of beautiful possibilities. “Les Jardins Mystiques” is a project that throws open and shares Miguel’s musical universe. It took shape over a dozen years, largely self-funded by Miguel, and showcasing his distinctly elegant musicianship (on violin, viola, cello and keyboards among other instruments) alongside his free-spirited dialogues with more than 50 instrumentalists. Volume 1 is the first in a planned triptych, which will collectively comprise ten-and-a-half-hours of original, refreshingly expansive music. Miguel connected with his guest musicians in versatile ways: through convivial studio dialogues; over remote communication during the pandemic era; and via the energy of live performances at LA venues including Del Monte Speakeasy (the gorgeously invigorating, piano-led “Dream Dance”) and Bluewhale (including “Ano Yo” with vivacious alto from Devin Daniels, and the cosmic harmonies of “Cho Oyu”). Bennie Maupin, the legendary US multi-reedist whose repertoire includes Miles Davis’s fusion opus Bitches Brew, plays bass clarinet on the entrancing opening number, “Kiseki”. “Les Jardins Mystiques” reflects Miguel’s ethos that music is a natural, vitally unaffected life force. The titles across Volume 1’s tracks draw from international languages and traditions, including Spanish, Swahili, Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, Japanese and Hebrew, as well as the Buddhist practice that has been key to Miguel’s life since his twenties (“It’s very joyous and very hard, because it says that there’s no retirement age in human revolution,” he says). The tracks contrast in length, from “Zarra”’s vivid burst of analogue synths to the alluringly chilled melody of “Kairos (Amor Fati)”, yet there’s a gloriously unconstrained flow throughout, and each piece seems to unfurl and blossom into its own wondrous world.

[royallygray]

Royal remember when we would send asks to each other with a bunch of questions? Well I'm doing that again now. As always, no pressure and feel free to just answer a few instead of all of them :D

Do you keep plants? And do they actually live or do they just die?

What's your favorite instrument?

Something you wanna do this summer?

Do you have a bucket list? And if you do, what's the thing you wanna do the most on it?

What songs always make you feel better?

What type of art do you enjoy making the most? (Drawing, knitting, writing, etc)

One of the best things you've ever bought?

What year of your life was your favorite, and why?

What color is your room painted? And what color do you want it to be painted, if you'd want to change it.

Are you really silly (really silly)?

Did you know that you have a pretty singing voice and I love listening to the stuff you make? And that it makes me really happy that you get really happy from me saying that?

Do you have a favorite scent, and if you do what is it?

My noise is so itchy right now. I hate having allergies to outside and dust lol. Do you have allergies too?

What's your favorite meal with chicken?

What's a weird collection you have/had?

What's your favorite sea creature?

Okay that's all for now!! Feel free to send these same ones or different ones back to me lol. I'm getting fishies todayyyy am very happy. Also I just gave my Grandma's dog Hermione a bath, so I now smell like wet dog. But it's okay. She had SO MUCH fur that needed to get off. She was shedding so much.

I keep trying to figure out somewhere to work around me thats not loud but. do you know how impossible that is. it's so bad. Like. Sensory issues suck

But it's okay

Because I'll be okay

I just want money cause I want a crested gecko lmao

But they're so cuteeeee!!!!

Okay this is me actually leaving (probably)

Bye Starsightttttttt

- Mysterious <3

OOOH QUESTIONS

[do I keep plants] Not really, but I keep flowers that people give me/are trinkets at fairs or smth. I have a dead one on my desk from a fair thingy that I totally need to throw away, and I have one in the freezer that was a gift from a fellow cast member of a play I was in. The one in the freezer still looks intact.

[what's my favorite instrument] Mysterious how am I supposed to answer this :( I play clarinet. I have an oboe that I'm trying to learn this summer, but I haven't been doing that a lot lol.

I have a list of instruments I want/want to learn. I used to play violin but I don't anymore bc we returned the violin and I would like to pick it up again. I'd also like to learn viola because it looks cool but apparently they have an entire different fucking clef?? called an alto clef??? like wtf why would they do that to me

I'd also like to learn saxophone. Either soprano, alto, or tenor, idrc. But it's a cool instrument. Id also like to play bass clarinet because it is literally the same as normal clarinet just Big. it's in the treble clef and everything. It's just Big clarinet. I would love to learn guitar. it seems like such an important piece for like background music on tracks and just. I wanna learn it. and its the most common thing that people use for chords. I have a piano that I fuck around with, but I don't know how to use chords and shit but I know how to play the shit out of the melody.

I also need to learn to read the bass clef. I played flute in 4th grade and I'd kind of like to play it again

that's a lot of words about instruments lol😅 idk what my favorite one is but I hope that was enough info to make up for it

OMG WAIT. KAZOO.

Also my dad wants me to learn piccolo. which is actually interesting

[smth I wanna do this summer] um. idk. well I wanna try to learn oboe, as said. OMG ALSO

So I have the goal of transcripting the life series and I wanna do that :] I'm failing so far but ITS ALRIGHT YKNOW I GOT TIME also I need to clear out my storage bc I have too much shit on my phone and 2 ipads (I don't have a laptop :()

[do I have a bucket list, and what's on it] uhhh not rly but I wanna meet you irl someday. also prolly go to Europe. Maybe also either Taiwan or China so I can improve my Chinese a lot. also I do wanna have a first kiss because like I'm intrigued. what does it feel like. OOH also I wanna write a full fledged story or smth. and a story in Mandarin Chinese. because like. you'd think I'd be fluent enough after ten fucking years but NOOOOO

also last night apparently I had a dream where an author (maybe Brandon fuckin Sanderson?? idk) wrote The Rescue Princesses and also was mentioned in the Aru Shah books like. what the fuck was that dream. it was weird ASF (I just saw the Aru Shah books on my shelf and I was Confused)

[what songs always make me feel better] okay okay okay. So. If William Gold wasn't a fucking piece of shit, Warsaw, Your Sister was Right, For Memories, Concrete, You'll Understand When You're Older. Not necessarily make me feel better, but like. resonate somewhere deep within my soul. As it is, I feel like throwing up when I hear his voice. Genuinely, acoustic Sex Sells came on a few days ago and I was like "oh nice it's a good song I can totally listen to it right" and then he started singing and then I like. couldn't it was so bad.

Someone to You by Banners. Just. it's so. sjqieowhads

Also In My Dreams by Precious Jewel Amor is really good

Honestly Get Used to It by Ricky Montgomery. like one of my favorite songs. also I'm aware that most of these aren't rly happy--

STARLIGHT BY TAYLOR SWIFT. IT IS. A BOP.

[what art do I enjoy making the most] I like to crochet :) i also like drawing. one of my favorite mediums is oil pastels lol. But my favorite has to be crocheting bc I use it as a stim and also like. it makes warm things :D I tried to make a sweater and if you scroll to the second post I ever made on this blog I think you can find it lol. I'll continue it some day. ooh but I do also kind of enjoy writing. but I need to have the like brain flowing. which I almost never have. so my answer is still crocheting :D

[one of the best things I've ever bought] Tied between my Techno plushie ($40) and life series hoodie ($55). mcyt hyperfixation made me broke o7 but it was totally worth the money

[what year of my life was my favorite and why] damn idk. I don't rly have a favorite, but it's more. this happened. idk.

Probably 2021, if I had to say. It was 3rd Life, Among Us, me finding dsmp, just a ton of things and I started figuring more out about myself. pretty decent year. but this year (2023-2024) was also pretty good. I made a lot of friends

[what color is my room painted, and what would I like to change it to] okay. so. like AGES ago we were gonna paint my room. and we painted two walls. we got light blue on the east and marshmallow white on the west. the other walls (North and south) are painted VERY VERY light pink so light it is white. since that's the color my sister had. we were gonna paint the other window wall (north) blue and the non-window wall white (south) but it never happened. so now I have mismatched walls.

The blue is rly nice, but if I moved, I think I'd paint three walls light lavender, and one the marshmallow white.

purple is god tier

[am I really silly (really silly)] yes. sometimes. like inside my soul yes outside my soul not rly

[did you know

EDIT: I PRESSED SAVE DRAFT BUT APPARENTLY I PRESSED THE BUTTON TWICE AND ACCIDENTALLY POSTED IT SORRY LOVE ILL ANSWER THE REST LATER

[hhhemberhhh]

INTRO POST 👁️👄👁️

I’m redoing my intro since the old one is kind of… eh. So allow me to REINTRODUCE myself !! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standard stuff

Name’s Ember

She/her

I ain’t exactly gay but I ain’t exactly NOT gay either

Writer and artist

Band kid

Author of The Whispers in the Wind, a medieval fantasy book that is the first of a series called Ancient Kingdoms. It’s now on AO3 if you want to check that out :3

@emberscientificexperiment is my side blog, where anything writing related is to be discussed EXCLUSIVELY

Fun facts

Single and perfectly fine with it

I’m in marching band and I march clarinet

Relating to the point above, I also play alto saxophone in jazz band and bassoon in concert band. I’m a band geek. Get over it…

I have a cat and a dog

I MAY post art of some of my gooby snoobers (ocs) on this blog. Of course that only applies to the ones that aren’t relating to my book since I have a blog for that already

I’m always open to chatting with those who share my interests. Don’t hesitate to DM me if you ever wanna talk about silly things

Fair warning: I’m not afraid to use the F slur on this blog, but don’t worry, I can reclaim it

Things I’m into include…

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon

The Witcher

Minecraft (yes.)

Percy Jackson

Keepers of the Lost Cities

Anime (KNY and AOT)

Band

Pokémon

A bunch of other silly goofy stuff that I’m not listing out

My rules are pretty much the same as they are on my other blog but I’m gonna state them here as well…

Think before you speak. This applies to asks, comments, etc.

No hate speech (homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc.) on any of my posts. If you have a problem, DM me, such as if I say/post something that makes you uncomfortable. (I’ll trigger anything that is considered triggering to some, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.)

Do not badmouth about me to the public. Like I said, state your grievances to me directly before you spread rumors about me or something.

Do not ask me to do anything NSFW, whether it involves drawing art of my ocs or NSFW in general. Please just… don’t.

If you know me IRL, please don’t share personal stuff about me with the public without my permission. I don’t want people knowing ALL of my business, after all.

Your opinions are your own, and so are mine. Don’t discriminate me for my beliefs, and I won’t discriminate you for yours.

Don’t tell me that you want to do the nasty with ME (especially) or my ocs. Think what you want about my characters, but don’t tell that to me directly.

Respect me and respect my boundaries, rules, etc. when it comes to my ocs or other content.

Don’t steal my ideas or concepts.

DNI with me or my content (this goes for BOTH of my blogs) if you are…

Homophobic

Transphobic

Racist

Ableist

Proshipper

Pedophile

Zoophile

Pro-SH

Links to important stuff

Socials

@emberscientificexperiment (my writing blog)

Good morning/day/night !!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

MARSHALL ALLEN, À LA DÉCOUVERTE DE NOUVEAUX MONDES

"Imagination is the magic carpet. It'll take your soul to distant lands. And outer space."

- Marshall Allen

Né le 25 mai 1924 à Louisville, au Kentucky,  Marshall Belford Allen s’était installé à Philadelphie avec sa famille au cours de son enfance. Allen avait suivi ses premiers cours de clarinette à l’âge de dix ans.

À l’âge de dix-huit ans, Allen s’est enrôlé dans l’armée, où sa carrière de musicien avait débuté. Dans l’armée, Allen avait joué de la clarinette et du saxophone alto dans le 17th Division Special Service Band qui faisait partie de la 92nd Infantry Division, mieux connue sous le nom de Buffalo Soldiers, un régiment de couleur créé durant la Guerre civile et dont il était éventuellement devenu un des seuls survivants.

Alors qu’il était stationné à Paris, Allen s’était produit avec le pianiste Art Simmons et les saxophonistes Don Byas et James Moody. Il avait aussi enregisté avec Moody à la fin des années 1940. Après sa démobilisation, Allen s’est inscrit au Conservatoire de Paris, où il a étudié la clarinette avec Ulysse Delécluse.

Après avoir passé près d’une décennie à l’extérieur des États-Unis, Allen était allé rejoindre sa mère à Chicago en 1951. Son père vivait toujours à Philadelphie à l’époque. Allen expliquait: “When I came back home, after staying two or three years at the conservatory, I passed [through] Philadelphia because they had my ticket written to Chicago instead of Philadelphia.” À Chicago, Allen avait dirigé ses propres groupes, se produisant dans les clubs et les salles de danse. Il avait aussi commencé à écrire ses propres compositions et arrangements.

UNE RENCONTRE PROVIDENTIELLE

Après avoir joué durant quelques années avec des groupes locaux de Chicago, Allen avait entendu dire que Sun Ra, qui pratiquait presqu’à chaque soir avec son groupe l’Arkestra dans une salle de danse des environs et était en train de devenir un pilier de la scène du jazz de la ville, était à la recherche de musiciens. Comme il l’avait expliqué lui-même, Allen était déjà très familier avec la musique de Sun Ra à l’époque. Il avait déclaré: "Every night I got off from work I went over to see Sun Ra — ask him, you know, I wanna play with the band. He talks about the Bible, and he'd talk about ancient Egypt and the space age."

Né sous le nom d’Herman Blount en 1914, Sun Ra était convaincu être né sur la planète Saturne, et ne se considérait pas comme un être humain comme les autres. Comme Sun Ra l’avait expliqué au cours d’une entrevue qu’il avait accordée à la fin des années 1980, "I'm really not a man, you see. I'm an angel. If you're an angel, you're a step above man." Combinaison hybride de boogie woogie, de stride, de blues, de bebop, de free jazz et de Nouvel Age, la musique de Sun Ra s’était mérité le qualificatif d’Afro-futuriste. La musique de l’Arkestra faisait également de nombreuses références à l’Égypte ancienne.

Fasciné par le personnage de Sun Ra, Allen avait ajouté: "It was something about him that I couldn't get away — It was like a magnet. He draws you right in. It changed my whole destiny. He said, 'We're gonna play this music for the 21st century' — which was about 50 or 60 years away. And I was thinking to myself, I gotta wait that long?"

Anxieux de rejoindre le groupe de Sun Ra, Allen avait rencontré le chef d’orchestre après son travail et avait passé toute la nuit avec lui. Allen précisait: “He was talking about the Bible, ancient history and all these different things. You know, and music and stuff. And I’m just standing there listening. Every night, I get off from work, I’d go over there and practice.” Éventuellement, Sun Ra avait demandé à Allen de venir le rencontrer à la résidence du saxophoniste John Gilmore. Lorsque Sun Ra avait demandé à Allen d’apporter sa flûte lors de la rencontre, Allen avait répondu: “All I got is a clarinet and an alto.” Allen s’était rendu dans un magasin du centre-ville pour s’acheter une flûte lorsqu’il avait soudainement réalisé qu’il n’avait même pas l’embouchure qui était nécessaire pour en jouer. Il expliquait: “I didn’t have the embouchure. I knew the keys and everything, but I didn’t have the chops.”

Après s’être procuré une embouchure, Allen s’était trouvé un professeur au Chicago Symphony Orchestra qui opérait une école de musique pour enfants. Allen n’ayant pas d’argent, le professeur lui avait proposé de lui donner des cours gratuitement. En échange, Allen s’était engagé à enseigner la musique aux enfants en guise de paiement. Allen poursuivait: “That’s what I did every day for a couple of weeks, and I got my chops up, a little bit.”

Par la suite, Allen était allé voir Sun Ra pour pratiquer. La première pièce qu’Allen avait interprété avec Sun Ra était “Spontaneous Simplicity.” Après qu’Allen ait interprété la pièce note pour note, Sun Ra lui avait demandé de la jouer de nouveau, mais cette fois de façon plus spontanée. “You did something right, now make wrong right”, avait expliqué Sun Ra. Allen, qui avait rejoint l’Arkestra  en 1958, n’avait jamais oublié cette leçon tout le long de sa collaboration avec Sun Ra.

Parmi toutes les leçons qu’Allen avait apprise lors de sa collaboration de trente-cinq ans avec Sun Ra, la discipline était certainement l’une des plus importantes. À l’instar de John Gilmore, l’autre grand leader du groupe, Allen avait joué presque exclusivement avec l’Arkestra au cours de sa carrière, remplissant à la fois un rôle d’éducateur, de chef d’orchestre et éventuellement, de successeur de Sun Ra lui-même après la mort de ce dernier en 1993. Comme leader de la section de saxophones du groupe, Allen avait un peu assumé le même rôle que Johnny Hodges dans l’orchestre de Duke Ellington des décennies plus tôt. C’est d’ailleurs beaucoup grâce à Allen que l’Arkestra avait remporté les sondages du magazine Down Beat comme meilleur big band de jazz en 1988 et 1989.

Évoquant les débuts de sa collaboration avec Sun Ra, Allen avait précisé: “He stayed on my case to keep my discipline up. [Sun Ra] rehearsed every day, seven days a week. That kind of put a dent on me ’cause I was kind of wild in [those] days. I would be mad, because I couldn’t run and he would keep me at it — music, music, rehearse, rehearse . . . every day. So I’d finally give up and say, ‘Oh, I may as well go on and do it, and try to do it right.’ ” 

Décrivant la méthode d’apprentissage de Sun Ra, Allen avait commenté: “He used to tell me, ‘Oh, you play nice’ or ‘You got a nice tone, but it’s not what I want.’ ” Allen avait ajouté: “He didn’t want you to play what you know in your head, but the real feeling, the soul, the heart. I would always get confused by that, but really, he just wanted me to play from my heart. When I began to quit fighting him over that ‘what I know’ stuff, I began to please him a little better.” Définissant la musique de l’Arkestra, Allen avait précisé: “We call it space music. Call it whatever you like, but it’s space. It’s dealing with, (not these earthly things) those things that we don’t know.” Situant l’oeuvre de Sun Ra dans le contexte plus large de l’amélioration des conditions de vie du peuple afro-américain, Allen avait commenté: “You want a better world. You create a better world.”

Même s’il avait surtout été associé à l’Arkestra, Allen avait enregistré avec le pianiste Paul Bley en 1964 ainsi qu’avec le groupe Drums of Passion du batteur nigérien Babatunde Olatunji au milieu des années 1960. Allen a également souvent collaboré avec le contrebassiste Henry Grimes. Évoquant sa collaboration avec Olatunji, Allen avait précisé: “I was playing this great big bell: bang, bang, bang, ba-bang, bang, bang, di-di-di-di. Standing right over there next to Olatunji, with that great big ol’ giant drum that he played: bam, bam . . . oh yeah! If I missed a beat, then ‘bam,’ he’d [take] a swing at me!” Olatunji est mort en 2003. Dans le cadre de sa collaboration avec Olatunji, Allen était devenu un des premiers musiciens de jazz à jouer de la musique traditionnelle africaine, annonçant ainsi l’avènement de ce qu’on appelle aujourd’hui la ‘’World Music’’ ou musiques du monde. Allen est également un des seuls musiciens de jazz à avoir fabriqué et joué de la kora, un populaire instrument à cordes d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Considéré comme un pionnier du free jazz, Allen avait également inventé un instrument à vent appelé ‘’morrow’’, qui était composé d’une embouchure de saxophone rattachée à une armature en bois. Malheureusement, Allen ayant négligé de faire enregistrer son brevet, l’instrument s’était fait connaître sous un autre nom.

Le fait d’appartenir à l’Arkestra avait toujours été entouré d’une certaine mystique. Le joueur de cor français Vincent Chancey, qui avait commencé à jouer avec le groupe en 1976, expliquait: “I first became aware of Sun Ra, just from his [album] covers. I was interested in a lot of Eastern philosophy and mystical readings. I was [also] interested in ancient Egypt and its relationship to the African diaspora and our history.” 

PASSEUR DE FLAMBEAU

À la fin de 1992, Sun Ra était retourné dans sa ville natale de Birmingham afin de vivre avec sa soeur aînée, Mary Jenkins. Devenue son infirmière, Mary avait pris soin de son frère avec ses cousins jusqu’à ce qu’il soit admis au Princeton Baptist Medical Center de Birmingham à la suite de problèmes cardiaques, respiratoires et de circulation sanguine. C’est là que Sun Ra avait rendu l’âme le 30 mai 1993. Il a été enterré au Elmwood Cemetery. On peut lire sur sa pierre tombale l’inscription "Herman Sonny Blount aka Le Sony'r Ra". Sun Ra n’avait jamais été marié et ne semble pas avoir laissé de descendance. Après la mort de Sun Ra, c’est d’abord John Gilmore avait pris la direction de l’Arkestra. Après le décès de Gilmore en 1995, Allen avait repris le flambeau. Quatre ans plus tard, Allen avait enregistré un album intitulé ‘’Song for the Sun’’, qui mettait notamment en vedette le batteur Jimmy Hopps et le joueur de trombone Dick Griffin. Expliquant pourquoi il avait accepté de prendre la direction du groupe, Allen avait précisé: ‘’I'm carrying on his work — because he worked very hard and he wrote a lot of good music."

Il avait fallu vingt et un ans pour qu’Allen enregistre un nouvel album avec le groupe en 2020. Intitulé ‘’Swirling’’, l’album publié en pleine pandémie de la Covid-19, avait contribué à démontrer qu’Allen avait encore beaucoup de musique à donner. L’album a été enregistré aux studios de Rittenhouse Soundworks à Philadelphie. Loin de se limiter à jouer sur l’album, Allen avait également contribué au mixage, à l’enregistrement, à la production et aux réarrangements de plusieurs classiques de l’Arkestra.

Se décrivant lui-même comme un passeur de flambeau, Allen expliquait: “Like the virus going on right now, it don’t bother me. I’m used to staying in the house, doing the work, because I have much work to do to keep Sun Ra’s music alive.”

En mai 2004, Allen avait célébré son 80e anniversaire avec le groupe dans le cadre d’une performance au Ninth Vision Festival de New York. Allen avait présenté d’autres performances lors de son anniversaire de naissance (en 2008 à Sullivan Hall et en 2018 à l’Iridium Jazz Club en 2018). Allen a également fait des apparitions avec l’Innerzone Orchestra" aux côtés de Francisco Mora Catlett et Carl Craig dans le cadre de différents hommages à la musique de Sun Ra.

À l’été 2004, sous la direction d’Allen, l’Arkestra était devenu le premier groupe de jazz américain à jouer à Tuva, dans le sud de la Sibérie, dans le cadre du Ustuu-Huree Festival. L’Arkestra avait continué de présenter des concerts et de faire des tournées jusqu’en juillet 2019.

Même si la majorité des membres de l’Arkestra, y compris Allen, disposaient d’une formation classique, ils s’écartaient souvent des partitions écrites pour partir à la recherche du ‘’feeling’’, comme pour rappeler que la musique était à la base de tradition orale. La joueuse de viole Melanie Dyer, qui s’était joint à l’Arkestra en 2019, plus de deux décennies après la mort de Sun Ra en 1993, précisait: “It was definitely like baptism by fire. As a string player, I wasn’t able to learn from a whole lot of charts. Even if [alto saxophonist] Knoel [Scott] gave me a chart, it didn’t necessarily mean that that chart was going to be played that night {rires}. So I’ve had to learn a lot on the bandstand and that’s been really an old-school kind of process.” Le fait d’avoir un musicien aussi expérimenté qu’Allen comme collègue et mentor était d’ailleurs considéré comme un privilège par les membres du groupe. La chanteuse et violoniste Tara Middleton, qui a adhéré à l’Arkestra en 2012, confirmait: “When you try to think about talking about Marshall, because it’s so personal, it really gives me a moment to kind of think about what could I say or how do I express that more than just, ‘Oh, he’s a great guy.’ ” Middleton avait ajouté:

“It’s so much deeper than that. To have the opportunity to be in that inner circle and learn from someone who is a legend, who’s an innovator of music, of this avant-garde saxophone, of something that no one else is doing. And also from someone who effects change, like Sun Ra effected change in music, he effected change in his mind, he effected change socially. Marshall has a way of being able to effect such change. If you think about creating an art form — and Sun Ra created an art form — something that no one else was doing. Marshall has created a sound and a style, something that no one else was doing at the time.”

Collectif de musiciens qui avait toujours été à la recherche d’une certaine ‘’vérité’’ à travers sa musique, l’Arkestra continuait en 2020 de chercher une nouvelle façon de se transformer. Allen expliquait: “I’m not a Sun Ra, but I know one thing, I want them to pay attention and I want them  [to] when I say play, play.”

Durant la pandémie de la Covid-19, Allen avait tenté de passer le temps en faisant de la course à pied et en prenant de l’air près de sa résidence. Mais loin d’être découragé par la quarantaine qui s’éternisait, Allen, à l’âge avancé de quatre-vingt-seize ans, avait profité de ce moment de répit pour jouer encore plus de musique. Mais si après quatre-vingt ans de carrière, Allen n’en avait toujours pas assez de la carrière de musicien de jazz, ce n’est certainement pas aujourd’hui qu’il allait commencer.

Caractérisé par sa sonorité explosive, dissonante et souvent chaotique au saxophone alto, Allen avait déclaré lors d’une entrevue accordée en 1971 qu’il désirait jouer ‘’on a broader sound basis rather than on chords". Souvent qualifié de ‘’pyrotechnique’’, le jeu d’Allen avait été comparé par le critique Scott Yanow à un ‘’Johnny Hodges issu d’une autre dimension.’’

Avec les années, Allen ne s’était pas contenté de jouer de la clarinette, de la flûte et du saxophone alto, mais il était devenu un véritable multi-intrumentiste. Il expliquait:

“I’ve got 15 to 20 instruments I gotta play. Oboe, flute, piccolo, trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, baritone, three or four altos, soprano. . . . I even got my kora to play during the day. I’ve got enough instruments to keep me busy 24 hours a day.” Allen joue également de l’EWI, un saxophone électronique qui a été popularisé notamment par Michael Brecker avec le groupe Steps Ahead.

Au cours de sa carrière, Allen a enregistré des centaines d’albums comme leader et accompagnateur. En plus d’avoir participé à plus de deux cents albums de l’Arkestra, Allen a fait des apparitions comme artiste invité dans des concerts et des enregistrements avec des groupes et des artistes aussi divers que NRBQ, Phish, Sonic Youth, Diggable Planets, Terry Adams et Medeski, Martin & Wood.

Depuis les années 1940, Allen s’est produit dans des milliers de concerts à travers le monde.

Allen vit toujours dans la maison de Philadelphie où l’Arkestra avait emmenagé en 1968 après son départ de New York. Décrivant la maison comme un véritable laboratoire, Allen avait commenté: "They went on for all day, all night — 'cause he wrote music like you would write a letter. Every day it's a new tune. Every day the same tune is being changed." Allen a d’ailleurs conservé d’anciennes compositions manuscrites de Sun Ra qu’il entend utiliser dans le cadre des futurs albums de l’Arkestra. Il expliquait: ‘’I had a treasure house of ideas and things that I could use, so I used them. And I changed them — the arrangements a little bit, like he does. I had all the music, so it was my turn to do my best." Reconnaissant comme seules limites celles de son imagination, Allen avait ajouté: "Imagination is the magic carpet. It'll take your soul to distant lands. And outer space."

En 2022, l’édifice qui avait abrité l’Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra au 5626, de la rue Morton à Philadelphie a été reconnu bâtiment historique par le Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

[projazznet]

Hal McKusick Octet – In A Twentieth-Century Drawing Room

A timeless jazz gem from 1956, this album by the Hal McKusick Octet seamlessly blends cool jazz with chamber music. The ensemble features alto saxophone, clarinet, bass, cello, and drums, creating an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere. Imagine sipping a martini in a dimly lit drawing room while this music envelops you—nostalgic, yet fresh. Perfect for those who appreciate the intersection of jazz and classical influences.

Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Hal McKusick Bass – Milt Hinton Cello – Abraham Borodkin , Bernard Greenhouse, Harvey Shapiro, Lucien Schmit, Milton Prinz, Sidney Edwards Drums – Osie Johnson , Sol Gubin Guitar – Barry Galbraith

[lartedellascolto]

LONG NIGHT TALKS. FOR ROBERT ADRIAN has been created during a residency at TONSPUR - Q21/ MQ MuseumsQuartier Wien in 2017. The piece is composed by a 8-channel sound work and 7 images. In addition to it, the ORF commissioned a radiowork to be broadcasted on Ö1 Radiokunst Kunstradio on the opening night. It features Fennesz, Susanna Gartmayer, and Robert Lippok. Long Night Talks is dedicated to Robert Adrian X (1935-2015) a pioneer in art and telecommunications. The Canadian artist lived in Vienna since 1972 and his contribution to the art world has been also witnessed by a large retrospective at Kunsthalle Wien back in 2001. Through more that two decades Adrian and Paci Dalò shared a close friendship also working together on several projects including a film Paci Dalò especially created for Adrian's major retrospective. The two used to sit in Adrian's studio in the Wiednerhauptstrasse and share long night talks dicussing passionately about art, radio, transmission, technologies, web, surveillance, sound, warfare, and conflicts. In LONG NIGHT TALKS. FOR ROBERT ADRIAN, Roberto Paci Dalò worked on Adrian's voice using it as a main material for the installation. The visitors had the opportunity to immerse themeselves in the grain of the voice together with field recordings, instrumental and electronics sounds. A journey into fascinating times and experiences where visitors are surrounded by sounds in the unique TONSPUR multi-channel audio environment. Parallel to the sound work, the artist created a series of 7 drawings conceived as a constellation. A nocturnal sky which is also a graphic score for the piece. The seven drawings remind to the 7 days of an imaginary week together with Robert Adrian in his studio in the Vienna's Wiednerhauptstraße. on-air Ö1 Radiokunst - Kunstradio 30.7.2017, 11:00pm -11:59pm CEST  kunstradio.at Visit album's website: giardini.sm/projects/longnighttalks

released: 19 September 2023 Long Night Talks 8-channel sound work, 7 images series, radiowork idea, composition, images: Roberto Paci Dalò voice: Robert Adrian bass clarinet, clarinet, electronics: Roberto Paci Dalò contra-alto clarinet: Susanna Gartmayer guitar, electronics: Fennesz piano, electronics: Robert Lippok (recorded at Farmhouse Studio Rimini) installation set up: Peter Szely technical collaboration: Stefano Spada, Andrea Felli text: Lucas Gehrmann (Kunsthalle Wien) production: TONSPUR Kunstverein Wien for the series TONSPUR für einen öffentlichen raum artistic director: Georg Weckwerth in collaboration with: Ö1 Kunstradio, Giardini Pensili, Usmaradio L'Arte dell'Ascolto LADA005

[theloniousbach]

COUCH TOUR: JAZZ IN JULY ALL-STAR FINALE, 92NY, 27 JULY 2023

BILL CHARLAP with Jeremy Pelt, Nicole Glover, Steve Wilson, Ken Peplowski, John Pizzarelli, Renee Rosnes, David Wong, and Dennis Mackrell

I signed up for this wrap up to the 92NY series which BILL CHARLAP curated evidently for the last time. I swapped out last Thursday’s piano extravaganza for the Veronica Swift/Caleb Teicher set which wasn’t technically part of the program. I forewent the multiple piano set for the same reason that my expectations were muted for this show—lots of folks to shepherd across the stage, juxtapositions that would be more curious interesting than successful interesting. Last year Charlap had tenor favorites Chris Potter and NICOLE GLOVER together with guitarist Mike Stern and that was, er, interesting. There were some moments like that, but it worked.

‘S Wonderful was the opener and everyone got solo space. Ken Peplowski’s clarinet was, here, kind of clunky and old fashioned and John Pizzarelli’s vocals were charming but thin though his chordal guitar solos was fine. I am very fond of Jeremy Pelt’s smooth tone and improvisational ideas and Glover’s overall edge. It has been good to see her in Artemis, with Allison Miller, and in these settings with Charlap where she exhibits that she sure can play standards.

But the revelation was Steve Wilson whose alto work was lyrical and fresh. I didn’t hear much Charlie Parker in him, but also not Lee Konitz nor Paul Desmond. I have to then guess that he perhaps draws on Johnny Hodges. In any case, Charlap said that no one sings with the horn like Steve Wilson. He always captures something about his bandmates in his always generous comments, but they do sometimes seem over the top. Still, in this case, yes, Steve Wilson sings—on that opener, A Time for Love, a blues, and the closer.

Pizarelli sang the opener, It Had To Be You with Jeremy Pelt as his foil, and Three Little Words with Ken Peplowski’s clarinet beginning to grow on me. I was fully in his camp as he took up Rosnes’ Life Does Not Wait with Glover. It was a very different tune with each horn, including how the composer comped for them, and that widened my ears.

Rosnes and Charlap reprised Lyle Mays’ Chorino from their Double Portrait album with projected camera shots of each keyboard above the stage to help sort things out. Piano duets are risky but one was worthwhile. Rosnes has brought Mays’ Slink into the Artemis book so I have to think she’s the one with the appreciation of him and so it is for her that I will do my homework on him. It was she not her husband who had the piano seat for the A Time For Love with Steve Wilson and the It Had To Be You.

But it was Charlap who was on the bandstand for Kenny Dorham’s Windmill, a Sweet Georgia Brown contrafact, perfectly suited to Pelt and Glover. As with the John Scofield gig on Tuesday, Charlap, of course, knows and can play jazz compositions. That was a fun one, in part because I enjoyed seeing Glover on a bigger stage.

Charlap offered extensive appreciative comments for any and all concerned in the production of the series, including the stage crew, but also his family, including Rosnes, he reflected on inheriting this series from Dick Hyman and in turn that Aaron Diehl will do just fine (and he will, but he’s not as special to me as Charlap). But then he, David Wong, and Dennis Mackrell played a whisper quiet, simply exquisite Some Other Time which I last heard from Tony Bennet and Bill Evans on a 1976 Canadian television program.

The rollicking closer was inevitable and just fine, well played all around. But it was a reminder of how crowded the stage can get particularly when there’s magic like the Dorham or the two sides of Rosnes’ tune or especially that magical Some Other Time.

I’ll see Bill Charlap next season at Jazz St Louis, maybe twice. He’s worth it as he proved over these two weeks with 92NY.

[juliansiegel]

UPCOMING DATES 2023

CLICK BELOW FOR TICKET LINKS

TUESDAY 7th FEBRUARY BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL STAGE

THURSDAY 9th FEBRUARY TURNER SIMS, SOUTHAMPTON

FRIDAY 10th FEBRUARY SHEFFIELD JAZZ

SATURDAY 11th FEBRUARY DERBY JAZZ, DEDA STUDIO THEATRE

SUNDAY 12th FEBRUARY LONDON, RONNIE SCOTTS JAZZ CLUB

BBC Jazz Award winning saxophonist Julian Siegel embarks on a major tour in February 2023 with the Julian Siegel Jazz Orchestra celebrating his acclaimed album Tales from the Jacquard (Whirlwind Recordings). The Orchestra features some of Julian's favourite musicians from the UK and European scenes and presents a rare opportunity to see this handpicked, stellar line-up perform together (see full tour line up below).

The tour will feature Julian’s music for Jazz Orchestra from the new album, from expansions and arrangements of music written for small band to the suite commissioned by Derby Jazz composed especially for the orchestra ‘Tales from the Jacquard’ plus new arrangements and compositions written for this tour. ’Tales from the Jacquard’ draws inspiration from the lace-making process and the Jacquard cards, which controlled the lace knitting machines. (Julian’s parents and family ran a lace manufacturing business in Nottingham for over 50 years).

Julian gratefully acknowledges the support of Arts Council England in making this tour possible.

“One of the major highlights of this year’s jazz calendar”  London Jazz News

“Essential listening”  The Jazz Mann 

"A beautiful balance between an open writing and more traditional pictures." ★★★★ All About Jazz 

"Razor-sharp section work and a string of superlative solos." Bebop Spoken Here

The JULIAN SIEGEL JAZZ ORCHESTRA contains renowned bandleaders, composers and soloists in their own right. Conducted by Nick Smart, the band features saxophonists Stan Sulzmann, Tori Freestone, Nathaniel Facey (Feb 7, 10 + 11 ) Paul Booth (Feb 9 + 12), Michael Chillingworth and Gemma Moore, Trumpeters Tom Walsh and Steve Fishwick alongside Claus Stötter and Percy Pursglove from NDR Bigband Hamburg, Trombonists Mark Nightingale, Trevor Mires, Harry Brown and Richard Henry, Guitarist Mike Outram, all based around the dynamic and creative rhythm section of his long standing group the Julian Siegel Quartet, featuring pianist Liam Noble (Feb 7 + 12), bassist Oli Hayhurst and drummer Gene Calderazzo. The highly in-demand pianist Ross Stanley also features on three dates of the tour (Feb 9, 10+11)

(see below for full line up)

JULIAN SIEGEL JAZZ ORCHESTRA - LINE UP

Saxes / Clarinets / Compositions / Arrangements   Julian Siegel

Conductor  Nick Smart

Trumpets Tom Walsh, Percy Pursglove, Steve Fishwick, Claus Stötter

Alto Saxophone Mike Chillingworth, Nathaniel Facey (7th, 10th, 11th) Paul Booth (9th, 12th)

Tenor Saxophone Stan Sulzmann

Tenor Saxophone and Flute Tori Freestone

Baritone Sax and Bass Clarinet Gemma Moore

Trombones Mark Nightingale, Trevor Mires, Harry Brown

Bass Trombone and Tuba  Richard Henry

Guitar Mike Outram

Piano  Liam Noble (7th, 12th) Ross Stanley (9th, 10th, 11th)

Double and Electric Bass Oli Hayhurst

Drums Gene Calderazzo

JULIAN SIEGEL SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Julian Siegel is an in-demand saxophonist on the UK and European Jazz scene who has worked with many of the top figures in the music. In 2007, he was awarded the BBC Jazz Award for Best Instrumentalist. He is currently touring with the Julian Siegel Quartet, featuring pianist Liam Noble, bassist Oli Hayhurst and drummer Gene Calderazzo.

As a sideman Julian has played in large ensembles led by Kenny Wheeler, Andrew Hill, Hermeto Pascoal, Michael Gibbs, Django Bates, John Taylor, Nikki Iles, Stan Sulzmann, NDR Big Band, Colin Towns and Jason Yarde to name a few. Inspired by these great experiences and coupled with a long standing wish to write for larger ensemble, Julian formed the Julian Siegel Jazz Orchestra embarking on its debut UK tour in March 2017.

READ MORE ABOUT THE WRITING OF TALES FROM THE JACQUARD

COMPOSER BLOG

[fafaweng]

S'yo Fang 方斯由

► [ https://linktr.ee/syofang ]

❖ Single "1" Red ：「 You Are the April of This World

feat. Nubim will be released online on all platforms 」

♪ [ http://bit.ly/3U60MLK ]

“You Are the April of This World” is the only mandarin-sung piece of my upcoming album “I Prefer”. It’s a L~A~R~G~O ballade blended with the color of Jazz and Classical Lied.

The collaboration with Nubim gives the electronic taste to it‘s own universe. Thanks to ZenneZ Records and John Weijers for the supports. Sharing is caring, and Sharing is, Loving.

Producer：S'yo Fang 方斯由, Nubim

S’yo Fang Group

Composition & Piano：S’yo Fang

Electronic Composition：Nubim

Vocal：Priscilla Nokoe

Flute/Alto Flute：Yoojin

Clarinet/ Bass Clarinet：Emilio Parrilla

Acoustic Bass：Alessio Bruno

Drum：Richie Struck

　　　　

Mixing Engineer：Udo Pannekeet

Mastering：Udo Pannekeet

Recording Studio：Wedgeview Studios

Drawing & Graphic Design：Szuyi Wang

Global Distribution：Zennez Records

Business Advice：Tami Toledo Matuoka

×

❖ Single "2" Blue「 I Prefer 」

♪ [ https://open.spotify.com/album/3Pek6VfEVnbX96rByaIzxF ]

PIANO/COMPOSITION：S’YO FANG 方斯由

VOIX：PRISCILLA NOKOE

FLÛTE：YOOJIN KO

CLARINETTE：EMILIO PARRILLA

SAXOPHONE：ALBERT KEREKEŠ

GUITARE：DIMITRI ELEGHEERT

CONTREBASSE：ALESSIO BRUNO

BATTERIE：RICHIE STRUC

S’yo s’est fait une place parmi les meilleurs musiciens de sa génération, notamment avec sa formation internationale. Avec sa musique, il souhaite révéler la gamme complexe des émotions humaines en les transformant enun son à la fois vintage et moderne. Ils se sont produits dans de nombreux festivals tels que Taichung Jazz Festival TaIwan ou encore So What’s Next Festival Eindhoven. Leur album Lonely Country est sorti au printemps dernier chez Zennez Records (NL).

@syo.fang

#SyoFang #Syo #方斯由 #SyoFangGroup

#YouAreTheAprilOfThisWorld

#你是世界四月 #你是人間四月天

#林徽因 #詩作

#IPrefer #我喜歡 #我偏愛

#周夢蝶 #詩歌

@zennezrecords

#ZenneZ #ZenneZRecords

🎹

[justsingersandbeats]

Lav: oh, hi Alto ^^

Alto: Hey, nice to see you're back!

Alto: ...Well, at least they didn't break it. I would not have liked explaining that to Cello.

@dracanianwyvern

Alto: I... I swear, I really tried to rest.

Alto: I just... couldn't. Not after what happened today.

Alto: If Timpani had been seriously hurt - no, and Clarinet was hurt, at least emotionally, and...

Alto: Look, these past few days have just been... so much. We're all still reeling from what happened.

First / Previous / Next

[zu-is-here]

OK thanks Zu! I'll dm you about it.

Thanks Zu, yeah I'm working on references for god dream and nightmare, since killer and cross got one I've been working on ones for Dream and nightmare.

Oh I'd rather not talk about them, but thank you for asking. I've already talked things over with my mother and also Jan. But thank you for asking, I always appreciate it.

I'm not actually sure what it tastes like. We are trying it for the first time. It's basically taking frozen banana slices and blending them into something ice-cream like. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Ohh I'm sorry heh.... Would you believe that your songs had completely slipped my mind XD I'm really sorry about that.

Ten years is impressive, when did you start?, I used to play the clarinet.

You did it absolutely great (〃ω〃)☆

Sounds cool! Did you try this already? *^*

Oh no need to apologize! (ówò) It started when my mother gave me to sing in the choir xp but I was interested in the music itself so my teacher agreed to teach me how to play the piano. She was old, strict, banging her cane on the floor every time I played wrong, and I tried so hard until one day I burst into tears right in class. And then she said something so soft and warm like "Why can't you try again?" and then I did it! So many years have passed... guess I've learned this lesson ☆

The clarnet! Wowie *0* How was it?? How long have you played? Can you now? ♪

Hi again! Sorry I didn't reply last night, and thank you for checking in!╰(*´︶`*)╯I appreciate it a lot <3

Yep, we're doing grrreat! Dis lady was outraged I didn't get up early in the morning for work and didn't feed her (gasp), so she woke me up herself XD but then, full, she went to sleep, and I stayed awake :'))

How are you doing today? ♡

UPD:

Oh that's a really nice idea! ☆ Do they taste sweet?

Oh yay! *high five* Were you alto or soprano? :'D It didn't last long but we've taken part in an international competition in Vienna! That was niccce *^*

True <3 Oh that's cool! *0* Guess that was a good experience ☆ And a purple clarinet! Aww beautiful! (*'▽'*)

Oh yeah!! Can't wait to see it \(//∇//)\ Keep up the great work but remember about taking breaks! ☆ And have a nice evening with your dad <3 What do you prefer to eat at pub btw? *^*

And the rest of the day was good too! Had some time to draw as well (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) Ah nooo, there won't be hot water for another week ot two,,, this happens every year :') but not in the area I lived before! xd Yesterday I was lucky to visit my parents but tonight I'll warm water in a kettle x)

Oh this makes sense (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Same here! <3 Sans impressions xd That's actually so sweet and nice! Both in German and English *^*

Good luck with drawing! (๑>◡<๑) Sounds so tastyyy gonna have a lunch *w* And thank you twice! <3

[piccolosniccolo]

The Wreckers, but they’re a High School Jazz Band

Who do I need to sell my soul to for a Wreckers cartoon? You’ve got all the good ingredients for an excellent show just sitting there! We’ve got a well-rounded cast, giant weapons, badass female characters, space adventures, sexual tension, disturbing villains, and war crimes (basically, a combination between MTMTE and Cyberverse)! Additionally, I want to see Verity kick someone’s ass again. I want Rotorstorm to dab and be the Cybertronian equivalent of a tik toker. I want Springer back on TV. I want Overlord to randomly show up and screw with everyone. I want to have more options for procrastinating my engineering homework. Is that too much to ask? Fine, I’ll do it myself… eventually…

I referred to the IDW 2005 and the Aligned Wreckers roster to make this list.

Voice

Moonracer: Soprano, but she also preforms on strings (string bass, violin, and viola) when there is not a soprano part in the music. Before rehearsal starts, you can find her congregated in front of the band hall with the saxophones. They’re typically encouraging someone to chug some ungodly mixture of red bull, monster, and rockstar energy drinks.

Strongarm: Alto, but she also plays guitar when there is not an alto part in the music. She’s the only freshman who practices for rehearsal.

Sixknight: Tenor, but he plays alto saxophone when there is not a tenor part in the music. As the only freshman saxophone, he is constantly volunteered to put whatever plan the section concocts into action. The amount of energy drinks he has consumed is questionable.

Ultra Magnus: Bass, but he performs on trombone when there is not a bass part in the music. When he’s not singing, he’s attempting to reign in the hot mess that is the low brass section.

Clarinet

Ironfist: The nerd™ of the ensemble. His locker is basically a music library with music stemming from all eras of jazz history. His bucket list includes mastering every single instrument in a jazz ensemble.

Bass Clarinet

Broadside: He’s the band kid you didn’t realize was a band kid until you read the program for the performance.

Alto Saxophone

Sandstorm: He has the lowest attention span out of everyone in the program. When you hear him practice, he’ll sift between 20 different pieces in four minutes trying to find something that matches his mood. You never know what you’re going to get when he does improv, his playing drastically changes every single time.

Rotorstorm: Responsible for dragging his section into 95% of their shenanigans. He has memorized very single band pun you can think of, and he spends most of rehearsal putting them into practice. When he’s not making quips, he’s working on improv in spite of a teacher who looked down on him.  

Breacher: Makes sure Sixknight does something first before doing it himself. Yes, he’s down to do whatever the other Wreckers are doing, but just in case Prowl walks into the room, he doesn’t want to get caught doing something wrong. He’s got a reputation to make for himself!

Tenor Saxophone

Hubcap: As a result of Roadbuster’s teaching, he’ll feign a fever to get out of rehearsal when the guy is scheduled to lead rehearsal. I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t want to go through that either.  

Verity Carlo: She snuck into the band bus for a competition and the group decided to add her to their ranks. She’s either practicing with Springer and/or Ultra Magnus, or she’s causing some type of chaos with Miko.  

Baritone Saxophone

Guzzle: He was chill for the first two years of high school. Then junior year attacked, and his personality was drained away by stress, all nighters, and AP exams. Oof.

Trumpet

Pyro: The arrogant™ member of the group. He says he’s the hot stuff, acts like the hot stuff, and is on the hunt to prove that he’s the hot stuff.

Twin Twist: Joined the program as soon as he started high school. He is the definition of a band kid and proud. He has a bad habit of practicing his instrument until midnight, much to his brother’s and neighbor’s chagrin.

Topspin: His twin joined band first. He decided to join because he had to stay after school anyway to drive him home, plus his brother kept insisting it the greatest thing ever. He’s the only quiet trumpet.

Roadbuster: When he’s in charge of rehearsals, the only thing he focuses on is sixteenth note patterns. In his opinion, if you haven’t developed arthritis by the time you graduate high school, you didn’t practice enough.

Trombone

Miko Nakadai: Typically drags Bulkhead into some type of trouble. She’s got a ton of energy and band is her place to burn it off. She also plays electric guitar.

Bulkhead: He means well, but he’s often dragged into some ridiculous scheme with his friends. He goes along with them until the risk of getting hurt gets too high, then he steers them away so they won’t get expelled. Sometimes, though, he’ll accidentally start their next big quest and he’ll go along with it as if it was intentional. This is often stealing snacks from the teacher’s lounge.

Wheeljack: When he’s not blowing something up in the chemistry lab, he’s in the band hall playing stand tunes in “blastissimo” with the other trombones. Ultra Magnus has tried to get him to stop, but he has yet to be deterred.

Bass Trombone

Arcee: She isn’t an official member of the group, but she’s around often enough that she might as well be. She’s either joking around with the trombones and/or saxophones, or she’s getting into fights on behalf of her friends before rehearsal starts. You want her on your side, not as an opponent.

Tuba

Kup: He graduated from high school a long, long, long time ago, but he’s good friends with the directors and teaches private lessons. He’s a welcome member of the group and gives the best advice. Additionally, he can play the banjo.

Guitar

Springer: He’s the dad of the group. He can be tough on you, but he does it because he genuinely cares about the growth of the program. He also has the type of personality that draws people in and keeps them hooked on band.

Bass Guitar

Impactor: He’s an enigma. He’ll regularly attend rehearsal, then he’ll go off the grid for a few weeks. He’ll either be relaxed about practicing, or he’ll be strict. You never know what you’re going to get when you’re talking to him, but one thing remains consistent: he’s a damn good bass guitarist.

Piano

Perceptor: He has never missed a note. Ever. If you ever listen to him play, you’re always in awe, regardless if he’s a soloist or an accompanist.  

Drum Kit

Rack’n’Ruin: You’ve got trouble, now make it double! Sometimes their coordination is a bit of a problem, but they manage to work around it.

Vibraphone

Whirl: He’s vibing.

Extras:

First Aid: He shows up to every performance, every contest, and sometimes sits outside the band hall and listens to rehearsals. He has all their covers downloaded on his phone and listens to them when he studies. He has considered joining, but his pre-med teacher gives him excessive amounts of homework.

Drift: He was a member for a few months, but he had to switch out of jazz to incorporate a PE credit into his schedule. He’s still in the wind ensemble, so you can find him hanging out in the band hall.

Prowl: He’s the assistant band director, so a majority of his responsibilities include making sure the various band programs aren’t wasting their limited funding. He occasionally pops into Jazz rehearsal to make sure no one lit the building on fire, but you’ll hear from him most of the time through ominous emails.

Overlord: When he isn’t in the Decepticon Wind Symphony, he’s terrorizing the Wreckers. Megatron has threatened to kick him out of the program if he doesn’t get in line, but this only encourages Overlord to continue being awful.

Tarantulas: Prowl’s ex who will randomly show up on campus so they can talk about their divorce. You can sometimes hear them arguing during rehearsal. It’s awkward and no one wants to get involved.

[ksmutclub]

Artist Spotlight - Stutterfly

Congratulations To @stutterfly​ for this Il-LUST-rious banner!

What sparked your initial interest in art/graphic design?

I watched a lot of Sailor Moon as a child and was convinced the show would still be running and I would be an animator for it at like, 26.

What programs do you use to make your work and would you recommend them for anyone just starting?

I use Adobe Illustrator almost exclusively now to make my graphics because I genuinely love the program to bits, but I use Photoshop to do photo-editing and painting. I'd actually recommend Photoshop for those just starting out. It was my favored program for a long time and I learned a lot of the skills that got me into the industry by playing with it. If you're not about the expensive price tag, a free alternative online is "Photopea" and it's actually fairly close to the real thing. You can also do a free trial of Photoshop for 30 days and look up a bunch of tutorials to familiarize yourself with the setup to see if you like it enough to buy.

Do you prefer to work off sparks of creativity/inspiration or do you like commission-based projects?

So often I feel like I'm going to mess up people's creative vision when I do commissions, so much so that I give myself anxiety over it. Imposter syndrome is real. I prefer having a vague concept where I can take creative liberties because I feel like I don't have pressure to live up to another person's vision.

Do you have any hobbies/interests besides art and design?

I write and play a lot of video games these days, but I also enjoy kickboxing and playing instruments--I know how to play 4: alto sax, clarinet, guitar, and piano. I don't have the proper space to practice in my apartment but I hope to pick them all up again once I have a place to do so. I'm also low-key obsessed with geology.

What is something you would like to learn by simply don’t have the time/ability/availability?

Dance! I'm so bad at it.

Do you only work digitally or do you also like to use traditional media?

I like drawing and painting with a pencil or brush rather than a tablet, but I think it's just the years I spent filling up sketchbooks that make me biased.

What got you interested in Kpop?

A friend showed me "Gee" in college and it was stuck in my head for eternity. I fell away for a bit but then one of my best friends begged me to go to a BTS concert with her even though I'd never heard them perform. It was the best concert I'd ever seen live and I fell in love with k-pop all over again.

Which group/member is your ult bias?

BTS and at this point I think Seok Jin has solidified his position as #1.

What is your favorite story/fairytale?

Honestly I think it might be Shrek.

Here are some other pieces Kristi has created:

[launaej]

I realize I never really introduced myself on this tumblr.

I like to go by Ren. She/her/they. I’m 23, turning 24 in Feb. & I’ve decided to start a fresh tumblr. My old one I’ve had since like 2011 & I feel like it had posts & phases of so many closed chapters in my life that I decided to start a new one. So I’ve been on tumblr for a long while. It’s honestly wild to think about my time on this social media platform. Started using it when I was a wee lil freshman in high school with goals of becoming a drum major for my high school marching band & becoming a music teacher. I’d come home afterschool, drink mi cafesito with my mom, take a nap, finish my homework, then spend the rest of my time on tumblr or watching youtube. I’d have long school days, waking up at 5am, to really get ready and sneak some tumblr before school, then be at the bus stop by 6:15 and get the day started. Like holy crap, what a different change of pace life is now. Now I’m 23 & still find this website to be a humble lil sanctuary to unwind & draw inspiration from. Crazy to think I’m now the same age that Lana del Rey was when she was posting Video Games on tumblr back in 2011. What is time??? 

 Tumblr has seen me through my best times, like finally reaching to be drum major, and some of the worst, like finding out financial aid changed its rules and suddenly you can’t finish school. I have yet to still reach the finish line with my academic goals. Still have yet to get that piece of paper, but I know it’s in the horizon. 

For now, I hope to soon make Youtube content on some of the things I've been learning this quarantine. My goal is by the end of this year to be a full on ~interwebs~ person & hopefully make a little money doing it. After 2 years of trying to save up money working a call center job & STILL not being able to save money to finish school (I wasn't trying to take out loans) and then losing my savings in this pandemic, I figure you know what, if people are out here making money doing what they love, maybe I can too. The goal for me is to still get my Bachelor's in Music Education but I'm not trying to break myself over it. Not that I need a degree for music, but my parents never finished college & I really want that degree for me & for us. I was supposed to walk across the stage spring of 2019, but financial aid decided to add some new rules at my community college where if you had over 24 elective credits, they wouldn't pay for anymore electives . At that point, I had 36 elective credits & basically that rule fucked over a lot of art students who were close to finishing. ANYWHO, at the time (Fall 2017) I said no problem, I'll work extra hours at work, save money & take 1 class at a time. & I did. Spring 2018, I was able to take 2 classes. Fall 2018 & Spring 2019 I didn’t take classes but I picked up a LOT of extra hours to save money. Then I got into a car accident on July 4, 2019, which ate up my school savings. But whatever, I kept going. Saved up again & then the pandemic happens & I had to leave my job in April after confirmed cases in the call center & lack of enforcing safety measures. Loved the job, but I didn’t feel safe. Fast forward now to January 2021, my savings are eaten up again. Not only that there was a whole thing where the college I wanted to transfer to was shutting down its college of education, and honestly at that point I laughed out loud when I read the article. Feels like my simple little goal of getting a degree to be a music teacher keeps running away from me. I graduated high school 2015, like this was supposed to be an easy journey. But yet here I am, in 2021, somehow without the degree & you know, I used to curse a lot at the events that lead me to not finish my goal; just so many factors out of my control. But after 2020 & seeing a lot of close friends start their teaching careers in this mess, I can’t look back at those setbacks with the same sourness I had before. I am now more of a believer in divine intervention. I'm still going to answer the same call in life, I just have to take a different path. A path I hadn’t planned for at all, but you know, we out here, winging it. 

So for now, I’m unemployed. BUT I’ve been learning a shit ton on an assortment of various topics. I don’t think I could have made some serious headway on some of these topics if it were’t for 2020. At this point, this is how I see things. I could spend my time trying to look for a job, & work at a place I couldn’t care less for + isn’t helping me grow & where i risk my life over something I don’t love. OR, I can simply grow & follow what I love & figure out the rest as it may. If it’s one thing I’ve learned, is that just as things can fall apart, they can fall into place. I’ve had many MANY moments where I’ve found solutions just in time. After 2020, I am definitely more of a believer in ‘Rejection is God’s protection.’ & somehow, after this crazy year, I’m here. I have to make it count, & I owe myself my dreams.

Soo I’m going to posting random things I find on some learning I’m doing. Even though I don’t have the money to go to school, doesn’t mean I still can’t learn my lil heart out. Topics I’m currently researching / learning more on that you’ll probably see posts about:

Music Theory {I'm trying to learn more about atonal / microtonal music / tonnetz / harry partch / erv wilson / abstract music notation systems / ancient music theory}

Puerto Rico {trying to learn more history & more about my lineage / trying to learn about how my family's history in Aibonito y Corozal / trying to dig deeper into the history of Sephardic Jews on the island & the influence of Jewish music & Ladino music on Jibaro music / taino mythology & history / santeria / 21 divisiones / Brujeria}

Physics of Sound / Sound Architecture / {kepler / acoustics / resonance / harmonic oscillations}

History of Latin America & Spanish Conquistadors / Black History in South America & the Caribbean / Antilles History {SO much history I'm still learning that I never learned in A.P. U. S. History or A. P. Euro. in 2020 I learned about how many places in FL are named after some really bad conquistadors i.e. Hernando de Soto who was such a bad dude !! so much to still learn}

Astrology / Tarot {being raised with watching Walter Mercado in the background, astrology has been a part of life since I was really little. But I've been heavily studying astrology since 2016 & tarot since 2018.}

Self-sufficency {farming / solar punk / fermenting foods} 

Feel free to ask me any questions about music education, music theory, college experience, etc. I also have played clarinet for the past 12+ years & have played alto sax, euphonium & piano for a bit. Know about that band geek/drum major life. Big DCI fan. Recently borrowed my dad's cuatro to start learning how to play some Puerto Rican classics.  También hablo español. Aunque nací en Nueva Orleans, crecí en Aibonito y Corozal y más tarde en Florida. Ahora, estoy en FL, pero toda mi familia es de la isla. Si eres puertorriqueño o de FL, ¡no tengas miedo de decir qué pasa! Social medias @launaej

Hope to have some videos & content up soon! Feel free to send me suggestions! Not used to being a person on the internet. But here we go! :)