Friday, June 19, 2009

RIAA, Angst, Audacity, and Jim Snidero


Okay, that was quick. In about a half hour's time I managed to produce an MP3 clip from Alto man Jim Snidero's version of 'Round Midnight', on the marvelous album Standards + Plus. I am pretty sure I can post this under fair use law, as this is a scholarly website. Trust me, I am a scholar. It strikes me that there are advantages in this procedure. I can talk more or less intelligently about portions of a jazz number. Maybe the RIAA has done us a favor.

I have been listening to Standards + Plus today, and it is, as the Penguin Guide puts it, "a strong, vibrant set." Everything on the album is good. Here is some of the information at the Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians:
Snidero is on the faculty at the New School University, is an active jazz clinician for the Selmer Company, and author of the best selling Jazz Conception and Easy Jazz Conception series, published by Advance Music. As a side man, he has worked with some of the biggest names in both jazz and rock. He was in Frank Sinatra's orchestra for 4 years. He has been a member of the Downbeat poll winning Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra for 20 years, and toured extensively with The Mingus Big Band.
This is a jazz academic who walks the walk. Anyway, here is the clip:
Jim Snidero/Round Midnight/Standards + Plus/solo
Was that not enough? Well here is Mike LeDonne's piano solo.
Jim Snidero/Round Midnight/Standards + Plus/piano solo (Mike LeDonne)
Backing Snidero and LeDonne were Dennis Irwin on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums.

Okay, readers, I really need your input on this. Is this kind of thing worth coming to the site for? It will be interesting to see if this affects my traffic. Like I said, it may make the site better, as I can focus on some bits of music that seem most interesting to me. Anyway let me know.

2 comments:

  1. Well, although the whole song usually gives a much better impression about the music, a clip is better than nothing. It's completely understandable for you to CYA. There's something rotten in denmark here in the US with respect to copyright law and its repercussions. It's an absurdity of revolution-inducing proportions. And I strongly suspect the revolution will not be televised

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  2. Thanks. You are right that the whole song is better. But these clips are a lot better than what you get on the music services. I am quite sure the industry will fail in its attempts to regain traditional control of the medium.

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