Tag Archives: product

Brian Newman, Showboat

March 1, 2019 IM

A fixture of New York’s music community, jazz trumpeter Brian Newman of Local 802 (New York City) is known for pushing the boundaries of the genre. Showboat clearly displays influences of Miles Davis and Chet Baker, and also pays homage to Newman’s love of rock bands like Nirvana, NOFX, and Thin Lizzy.

Released on the Verve label, Showboat contains 11 eclectic tracks, from the jazz instrumental “Spooky” to “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” Songs like “San Pedro” capture his quartet’s hard-earned musical abilities and thrilling power, while tunes like “Sunday in New York” showcase Newman’s vocal warmth and evocative lyrics.

Close friends with Lady Gaga, Newman occasionally appears in her live shows. His quartet recorded and toured with Gaga for Cheek to Cheek, her 2014 album with Tony Bennett.

Cool Tools, Products

Musicmaide Stand Clips and Portfolio

July 28, 2018 IM

Now that it’s the outdoor performance season, musicians are challenged with finding a way to clip their music to their stands on breezy days. Musicmaide Stand Clips and Portfolio are simple, hassle-free solutions to this problem. They firmly secure sheet music and books against the wind, while allowing for fast song transitions and easy page turns. You can see the clips in action on a demonstration video at www.musicmaide.com. All Musicmaide products are made in the US.

www.musicmaide.com

Cool Tools, Products

Grandma of SyNths

July 2, 2018 IM

A semi-modular analog synthesizer with built-in arpeggiator, sequencer, and spring reverb tank, Grandmother harks back to Moog’s modular roots. While capable of highly complex sounds and modulation, it requires no patching. The endlessly reconfigurable front panel provides an infinite sonic playground. Grandmother is also an ideal analog audio processor for external sound sources, and a powerful keyboard front end for expanding a Mother-32, DFAM, or Eurorack modular system.

www.moogmusic.com

Books-Resources, Products

Rhythm First! A Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Improvisation

July 2, 2018 IM

In a step-by-step fun method, Rhythm First! builds up the student’s library of rhythmic figures and has them playing along with the accompanying CD to get the sound and feel of jazz soloing under their fingers. The book starts with playing simple rhythmic figures on any note and progresses to show how and when to use three kinds of blues scales. The book is available in C, Bb, Eb, and bass clef versions.

Rhythm First! A Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Improvisation, by Tom Kamp, Sher Music Co., www.shermusic.com.

Books-Resources, Products

Pearl Jam FAQ: All that’s Left to Know About Seattle’s Most Enduring Band

July 2, 2018 IM

Spanning the band’s entire career, each chapter of Pearl Jam FAQ explores a different aspect of the band’s history. It covers members’ successes, failures, and tragedies, from their pre-Pearl Jam days to today. Each of their albums are analyzed as the book explores how the band has adapted to changing media as well as its socio-political activism.

Pearl Jam FAQ: All that’s Left to Know About Seattle’s Most Enduring Band, by Thomas Edward Harkins and Bernard M. Corbett, Backbeat Books, www.backbeatbooks.com.

Books-Resources, Products

Kalmen Opperman: A Legacy of Excellence

July 2, 2018 IM

Kalmen Opperman is remembered for his dedication to teaching. This biography explores his story, from self-taught musician to a 50-year career playing in orchestra pits for Broadway musicals and ballets. The book includes interviews with former students and reflections from those closest to Opperman. Author Denise Gainey, his longtime student and research colleague, explores his pedagogy and countless contributions to the clarinet’s canon.

Kalmen Opperman: A Legacy of Excellence, Passing on the Flame,
by Denise A. Gainey, Carl Fischer, www.carlfischer.com.

Books-Resources, Products

Scoring the Screen: The Secret Language of Film Music

July 2, 2018 IM

Through extensive and unprecedented analyses of original concert scores, Scoring the Screen offers aspiring composers, music educators, and media content creators a view from inside the actual process of scoring to picture. Written by Grammy Award-winning producer Andy Hill, the book follows the core thesis that music for motion pictures is a language developed to communicate ideas and emotions to the audience.

Scoring the Screen: The Secret Language of Film Music, by Andy Hall,
Hal Leonard Corporation, www.halleonardbooks.com.

ER20XS High-Fidelity Earplugs

July 2, 2018 IM

According to the experts at Etymotic Research, the company’s ER20XS high-fidelity earplugs allow people to hear loud music better. At high levels, the human ear overloads and distorts, “smearing” the details of the music. “Industrial” earplugs alter the fidelity of the music by reducing high-pitch sounds more than low-pitch sounds. ER20XS earplugs have a balanced response and reduce the sound to an optimal range that allows the ear to process sound without distortion and the listener then hears the music more clearly.

www.etymotic.com

Books-Resources, Products

Steinberg’s UR-RT2 & UR-RT4

July 2, 2018 IM

Steinberg’s UR-RT2 (four inputs/two outputs) and UR-RT4 (six inputs/four outputs) interfaces offer a production studio solution for any situation. Featuring durable full-metal casing and quality components, including Rupert Neve Designs transformers and studio-grade Yamaha D-PRE preamps, both offer USB 2.0 and MIDI connectivity and a range of input/output options for laptop and iPad, as well as provide DSP-powered effects for zero-latency monitoring. Included is Cubase AI DAW software download version for Mac and PC and Cubasis LE DAW app for iPad.

www.steinberg.net

Cool Tools, Products

Washburn Revival Series Guitars

June 1, 2018 IM

The Washburn Revival Series guitars bring back inspirations and designs of classic models from the 1930s. The Revival Solo Deluxe Grand Auditorium is an electric/acoustic version of the 1939 Solo Deluxe guitar. It features torrefied Sitka spruce top and bracing and solid mahogany back and sides, with a 1930s style sunburst design. It employs a Fishman GT-2 under-saddle pickup and comes with a deluxe arched-top hard case.

AFM