5/13/08

Yeah...that index page may not be permanent, just trying stuff out.
I've moved the image map over as the home page. I'm sure it's
already confused some folks - but hey...it's something fun.
(In case you're confused, see this.)

Also - just a note that the Shenole Latimer gig in Hartford
has been cancelled (May 18th). It's a recession thing.

No time for pictures today but here's

what I'm listening to...

Copland/3rd Symphony, Music for the Theatre - Atlanta Symphony Orch
Vivaldi/Eleven Concertos - Anner Bylsma, Tafelmusik
Vivaldi/Concertos and Sinfonias - Capella Savaria
Mozart/Oboe Divertimenti - Octophoros (about 9 million times...)
Antheil plays Antheil (a bit of a let down...)
All the other Antheil I currently have.
Most of the Reich I have.

5/1/08

Apologies to those who tried to download yesterday & this morning. Trying
to get rid of some major hot-linking offenders. Downloads should be back to normal
now (The "face to shine" link is fixed too!).

4/29/08 -

There's a very nice review of "Closer to the Day" in this weeks (issue 989)
Good Times Magazine - which is a weekly NY publication. A quote:
"This is true jazz, full of improvisational brilliance, real soul and
expert playing." Woo-hoo! Thanks, Bob Smith!

4/28/08

evil song stuck in my head:
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton

4/22/08

~ Happy Birthday! ~ to Fran Doyle - the artist who made the beautiful painting
on the the inside of "Closer to the Day".

For the sake of myspace I made a new master of "Olive Green"
from the 'parakeet' cd. Peeps on myspace can only hear
the degraded, myspace encoded, so-so sound version but...

anyone that's reading this must be a fairly devoted friend or fan
so you can have a nice juicy 220kbps download of it for nuttin'.
It's a big file (10mb+) ~ I've been into higher sound quality lately.
After listening to 128-190kbps mp3s for a long time, listening
to an actual cd on an actual sound system is bliss!

4/17/08


There is a new review of "Closer to the Day" in the current issue of
quarterly music magazine Cadence! Here's the first sentence:

"Pianist Kenny MacKenzie presents a varied program of inventive
original music on ("Closer...") that brings to mind the angular
style of Keith Jarrett and the groovy appeal of Ramsey Lewis."

Wow! Actually the review is so good it's humbling and all I can
feel is thankful to God for his gift.

Cadence: www.cadencebuilding.com
(ps the review is not available online)

There are some minor changes on the listen page...
older songs in the player have been remastered for
continuity in volume... and the free download from
our latest album has changed!


Bigger changes: tomorrow night (friday april 18th) the archives of this page
(thoughts page) will be removed...for one thing, the files, photos & mp3s have
become too numerous to manage; rendering it nearly impossible for me to find any
pertinent file I'm looking for, and all the crawlers and bots troll these files
and link to them.

I'm leaving them up for the next 2 days so fans, friends and stalkers can look
through them and see if there's anything you're missing or have overlooked.
A good many of the links are quite dead anyway...if there's something you've
just got to have shoot me an email and I'll see what I can do.

The title of this page will also change.



4/7/08

what I'm listening to...

Most of these albums I've listened to on my Vestax handy trax turntable
while doing dishes...a task I loathe, lately.

	Yep - that's a freaky cover; and that is/was his newly found guru back in '71. Yippee... My experiences with this Englishman have been mixed at best but after 2 recent listens this is an overall very fine album. One side is all John - overdubbing on acoustic guitars and percussion...with jazz standard covers like "Blue in Green" and more oddball covers like an arrangement of "Hearts and Flowers" (yes that one) and a trio of originals. The playing is of course top notch, the harmony is jazzy and typically terse. One is mildly reminded at times of Phil Keaggy's "Master and the Musician" but of course this predates that one by 7 years. Side 2 has two lengthy jams entitled "Peace" with full band including Charlie Haden, Dave Liebman, Jerry Goodman on violin (I'm so thankful it's not Ponty), Billy Cobham and Airto among others. The music is a mix of jazz/fusion and Indian classical, the soloing is strong and great. One can't help thinking this music is a logical and positive step forward from what Coltrane was doing say, '60 - 64 (before the freakage was complete). Jam band lovers will gobble the "Peace" side up. BTW my vinyl copy is a 1982 re-release with a much less disturbing cover.
	As you might know by now I'm a Joe Farrell fan. But this album is exactly what the cover looks like, a waste of time. Not a complete waste of time, but close. Amid all the Weather Channel reject muck (mostly due to producer Trevor Lawrence), there are 2 Farrell originals: "Silver Lace" which is a really nice composition, with an unfortunately annoying processing on his otherwise cool flute solo; and Herbie swingin' on Rhodes (again); and "Casa de los Sospensos" which tries but really isn't that good in spite of Lee Ritenour's standout turn. There is also a brief solo sax version of "Come Rain or Come Shine": definitely not his best but welcome after the disco schlock. About the other tracks? You mean the completely uninteresting cover of Rod Stewart's "You're In My Heart", or the Bee Gee's "How Deep Is Your Love" ? (with Flora Purim on "Vocal..." - it might as well be Elmo for it's obscurity and lyricless-ness.) The rest really is just plain horrible. Oddly, Farrell's best solo's are on the miserable songs rather than the ok ones. Don't waste your money or precious life - go to Amazon and get "Moon Germs" instead.
	Sorry I'm really short on time so I yoinked these images off the internet...This one certainly looks like it could be cheese but wow! The leadoff track makes this one worth any price. I doubt it's in print but I recommend it! It is not a flawless masterpiece, but the first few tracks had me asking myself how I'd ever done without it before! Fabulous compositions!! George Cables on piano - sounding very McCoyish to me but still playing very well, James Leary on bass - never heard of him before this (and there's not much of him to be found) but a really good, enjoyable bassist, Eddie Marshall on drums with Kenneth Nash and Bill Summers on percussion. There's also a big band in the background arranged by Cedar Walton (!) and most often featuring a fiery Hubert Laws soloing on flute. I will have trouble discribing the music - so I'll just say - pick it up for yourself, you won't be dissapointed! Not your typical smarmy vibraphone jazz...
	Just found this last night on Calabash - looking for some music that wasn't completely westernized...hard to find these days even on Calabash. Iraqi music by currently exiled musicians (extremists have been targetting musicians and record shops in Iraq since the 2003 invasion). Mukhtar's oud playing is generally simple, yet pleasant and evocative, and his overseeing musicianship gives the album a feeling of refinement and grace. In contrast Al-saadi's percussion work (on various instruments including tabla & riqq) are spellbinding and virtuoistic, often making the times when the two play together (there are frequent solos) sound like there's at least one other musician playing. Fascinating rhythms, pleasant melodies, good stuff!
	I sometimes shy away from albums I know to be classics, just coz I'm contrary and rarely believe in the taste of mobs...(I still have never watched Titanic for the same reason). I like Stan, tho. Like a lot of people, I have to be in the mood for the whole Gilberto aesthetic. "It Might As Well be Spring" is lovely and gorgeous, "Telephone Song" and "One Note Samba" are fun. All very tame, all very pleasant, all very Brazilian. What's not to like? The Gary Burton originals are "eh..." tho mildly interesting. The real treasures here are the longer, jazzier instrumentals: "Summertime" is perfect, not jaded, and "Here's That Rainy Day" is gripping and hypnotic, slightly devestating emotionally just like it should be. Ah Verve, you've done it again!

if you like jazz trumpet watch this video!

video

3/18/08

what I'm listening to...

	A recent acquisition...there's a very nice 75 year old lady on ebay who's selling a lifetime of music collecting, most of it vinyl & all of it classical. I have Rübsam's "Liepzig Manuscripts" disc and really enjoy it so I got 2 more by him. This particular one has Bach's transcriptions for organ of some of Vivaldi concertos (which sound quite unusual on the organ and perhaps a bit stronger than one is used to hearing Vivaldi executed), a few by Ernst and some scattered movements by Telemann and the likes. It's nice; not everyday listening though. The quieter moments and stop choices are what make Rübsam's style so appealing.
	Joe Farrell Quartet (Chick Corea, McLaughlin, Holland, De Johnette) I had to do dishes yesterday - didn't want to, this album got me through it! I have it on vinyl, so I brought my little portable vestex into the kitchen and indulged in some spacey sambas and all out freakout sessions. Some reviewers complain about the uneveness of this set. It is mixed to be sure, but I'm not sure why every album has to have a continuity of style anyway. The disc flows nicely; Farrell sounds lovely and tears it up on sax and flute; and look at that lineup!! (McLaughlin only plays on 2 tracks). Albums from this period have a certain vibe I can't resist. This is not another Return to Forever disc, but don't let it stop you from trying to find a copy (out of print), if only for "Molten Glass".
	Joe Farrell - Moon Germs (Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, DeJohnette) The above album made me do a web search on Farrell. A friend told me the album "Outback" is stellar, but it's currently going for $150 a copy! I came across this, which is a recent remaster (!) and is available as a download on Amazon for about $4. Nice quality at 256kbps. As you might imagine from the cover, there are more freakouts here, nothing quite like the above album. Farrell is on fire here, reaching for things he doesn't always nail, but the zeal is contagious! My appreciation for Stanley Clarke has waned over the years, and he's way too up front in the mix (van Gelder). Dejohnette is once again not offered a solo but has some bright moments. It is odd to hear Herbie on Rhodes piano, it does seem at times that he is trying to sound like Chick, there are riffs and licks that are unmistakeably Corean; but overall you know it's Herbie from the much more cerebral & angular approach. (What?!) The tunes are moderately strong. I found the highlight of this album to be the last few minutes - the recap of the melody of Clarke's "Bass Folk Song"; it's sweet and calming after all the powerful searching and sonic warfare of side one. Also real nice is Farrell's version of Corea's "Time's Lie". A recommended listen and the price is right!

The search on Farrell turned up this video on youtube. You really should listen.

3/8/08

Just a quick note ~ today's performance features most of the lineup
from our latest album...it's gonna be something! The previous gig
with the same crew was spectacular. You should brave the rain and
make it out east to Martha Clara Vineyard and catch some rare jazz.
1 pm - 3 pm

3/6/08

This person is trying to kill me!!

3/1/08

recent musical acquisitions

	Bach: Magnificat, Easter Oratorio ~ Taverner Consort & Players I bought this at one of Border's irresistable 40% off all cds sales a few months back. It contained 2 works I loved and 2 more I didn't know. On first listen I barely got through the 1st track before ejecting it... I was quite unprepared for the lack of a full chorus on the Magnificat. (I don't always read labels so well...although this one is deceptive). I didn't listen again until a few days ago...after the initial shock of having only one voice assigned to each part - I've taken a shine to it and think it's a neat idea. I'm also surprised at how strong the choruses still sound. (I'm having trouble pulling myself away from the 'Omnus generationes'). Some of the tempo choices are unusual (a bright 'Et misericordia' for instance). The orchestra is quite exuberent, and frankly, Bach's genius shines through even more on the choruses which are not weighed down by big beefy bass & alto sections...and the ornamentation and fugal sections seem to be much clearer. It's cheap pick it up! (although to be truthful I haven't gotten past the Magnificat yet!).
	Ives: String Quartets ~ Blair String Quartets I'm on another Ives kick...this was a consolation purchase, I went to finally pick up a Bernstein conducts Ives cd that was getting dusty in the bin, but alas it was gone. I've only listened once which is not nearly enough to absorb Ives' compositions, but the quality and performances were both very good, and the pieces are exciting and typically programmatic. Cheapish...remember when naxos cds were $4.99? Still affordable at $8.99 and well worth it, but you can't leave the store with a fistful of music anymore for $20. Ahh me...
other stuff:	If you are looking for more stuff to listen to I can make the following recommendations: If you are lacking in your Steve Reich collection and can't abide by the un-bargains currently on ebay... Amazon has an abundance of affordable downloads available if you are able to part with the need for a physical hard copy. Very good stuff. Also I can again recommend Eclassical.com for an excellent version of "Different Trains" at $0.79 a movement (there are 3). I also just picked up this weeks offer there for Vivaldi violin sonatas opus 2 - 2 hours of music for $5.99! Haven't had the time to check it out yet. And finally, if you want to have some of the most beautiful music ever recorded at your disposal, go to Calabashmusic.com and buy some downloads (20 for $14.99 is a good deal) and spend some of it on Ensemble Ibn Arabi; and get ready for aural bliss. Don't expect anything even close to adequate customer support over there though...;) They do eventually get around to helping you if you should need it. I don't get money for these drops I'm just lettin' you know where some good & affordable music can be found. Peace - Kenny

this came in the mail today (vinyl from ebay) I'l let you know how it is later...
but what an interesting painting on the cover!!

(things you may not see...the clock reads 2:00 and the angelic figure has
Columbia written on the hem of the skirt she's clutching. The little boy is holding
what appears to be a divining rod. )

An interesting thought: although I don't look forward to a world without physical media,
and honestly I'm not sure if that'll ever happen; I've been thinking lately about one up side
to the digital media tsunami. I see no reason why record labels wouldn't eventually release
their entire catalogs in digital format (and dare I say it? gasp! even eliminate the middle men
such as itunes?). In other words, music that's been out of print for ages, and music that
never was considered financially worth re-releasing on cd format would suddenly all
be readily available and enjoyed! Labels would get nothing but profits, we'd get the music,
artists would get their royalties. Just about everyone wins. Why this hasn't happened yet is a bit
of a mystery to me. Maybe it has and I'm just oblivious. Labels are sitting on big reserves of
untapped consumer spending by keeping all that music 'in the can'. Anyway, It would be nice
to get something other than convenience and mediocre sound quality out of this
supposed future of music!

2/21/08

This Saturday I'll be at Milk & Sugar in Bay Shore NY with
Paul Micca on drums and Colin Dean on bass.
Come on down, say hey, relax on the sofas, dig on the tunes...
Peace - Kenny