Ever since the series of American Pie movies came out, band camp has been stereotyped as a place for musically talented geeks to fiddle on their instruments, march around, and then return from band camp with stories that no one else cared to hear.
Band camp has changed…well, at least one “band camp”.
Medeski, Martin and Wood recently accepted applications to the Second Annual Camp MMW, running from August 4th through August 9th. This is not your everyday camp, as you can probably already guess.
For starters, you are at camp with Medeski, Martin, and Wood. I’m sure that being said, we have already taken any music camp up about twelve notches. The camp takes place at the Full Moon Resort, the foreground to 80,000 acres of New York State’s stunning Catskill Mountain wilderness.
The camp is all about musical exploration, growth, and interaction. This is not some camp where a well known band puts their name on it and shows up for an end of the week concert. On the contrary, MMW is intensely hands on. As the website for the camp boasts, I could be a trumpet player working on mastering rhythm with drummer Billy Martin, a guitarist studying melody with keyboardist John Medeski, or a pianist that wants to develop my groove with bassist Chris Wood.
Discovery is the theme of the camp, where all musicians are put in positions to break out of their comfort zones and bad habits, and explore a creative side of themselves that they have yet to meet.
There are some aspects of Camp MMW that resemble a traditional summer camp in some ways. All accommodations are shared, and sharing living quarters with someone you know is discouraged as it may hinder the creative process. There is a dining hall (complete with all-organic meals), swimming, bonfires, and even a dance party. And of course, there will be performances from MMW as well as jam sessions to participate in.
The application process, however, is slightly different than the average camp you might like to attend. The group selected to attend is not large, and in order to be considered applicants must submit two samples of music in Mp3 format only (one sample of applicants playing original music on their instrument with no accompaniment), alongside a non-refundable $50 application fee.
If you are one of the few who is accepted, the cost of the camp for the five days will run you $2000. Clearly going to camp with the big boys doesn’t come cheap.
Certainly there are musicians who I might favor more than Medeski, Martin, and Wood. But after thinking about it, there might not be a more interesting and fun trio to have head up a camp like this. For musicians looking to grow and become more creative, heading to camp with these three extremely creative musicians could be just the ticket. And feel free to come back and tell me all about it.
Posted by Kevin Kniestedt
Posted by Abe Beeson
Every time Arturo Sandoval comes to town, I try to make a point of bringing someone who has never seen him before with me. Sometimes I will go as far as taking someone that I know doesn’t particularly care for jazz. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a challenge, but maybe more of a point of pride to know ahead of time that there is one concert I can literally bring anyone to, and they will walk away with their mind completely blown.
Posted by Kevin Kniestedt
Perhaps singer Melody Gardot has already emerged, but I feel that it is safe to say that while her popularity has risen quickly, Melody is still in the early stages of what will be a long, wonderful career.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of jazz legend Benny Goodman.
The most legendary album in jazz history easily takes the top spot on this list. The original album still sells 5,000 copies a week. A two-CD “Legacy Edition” version of this album was released celebrating the 50th anniversary, including alternate takes, false starts, and a 17-minute live version of So What.
The album that left the 4/4 time signature behind, was the first jazz album to have a single (Take Five) that sold one million copies. Sony will release its own 50th Anniversary edition of Time Out this Tuesday, featuring three discs. Disc one will feature a newly remastered edition of the original. Disc two is a 30-minute DVD interview with Dave Brubeck talking about the making of Time Out, with never before seen footage, and Disc three is a compilation of recently discovered tapes at the Newport Jazz Festival from 1961, 1963, and 1964.
Another great album where every song became a jazz standard. The album features two different trios, with bassist Paul Chambers being the only member to participate in both. Constant chord changes and wonderful improvisation made this a classic.
As mentioned earlier, the great Lester Young died in 1959, and Mingus Ah Um is highlighted with a wonderful tribute to Young called Good Bye Pork Pie Hat. Columbia has also released a two disc “Legacy Edition” of this album this year, featuring unedited versions of tunes that were shortened for the original version, as well as some great outtakes.
Released exactly 50 years ago last Friday, The Shape of Jazz to Come basically said “forget about the rules, just let me play”. That might sound sloppy (the description, not the music), but Coleman might have just looked at things differently than those before him. He always heard a melody, and managed to create great jazz with freedom that didn’t sound chaotic.
The song in question was the title track to the Steely Dan album Aja. The complaint, in short, was that Steely Dan didn’t play jazz, and that Aja wasn’t jazz and didn’t sound like jazz, even if Steely Dan was a jazz band by nature.