By Jason Ward Boyte

Ukraine is in a bitter fight that makes the US’s 2000 presidential election look like a love fest. Outgoing president’s pick and current PM Yanukovych – openly endorsed by Russia’s Putin – is accused of stealing the election from opposition party candidate Viktor Yushenko, not to mention poisoning him in the process.

In a battle widely viewed as an East vs. West, Capitalism vs. Socialism (or at least more and more socialist-leaning), Ukraine is seen as a barometer of what may come in the region. With Russia pinching civil … Continue Reading

By Jason Ward Boyte

Tired of your Jobim/Astrud Gilberto album? Never fear: even part-time jazz fans can look cool at cocktail parties, impress dates, and give cred to their music collection with this very hip, very accessible classic.

When I thought of writing this piece, my motivations were, and remain, simple. Since I’d “reviewed” the Grammys—an event as related to music as an NRA convention—I felt it important to discuss something else, preferably something relating to music as opposed to inane music politics, or pop fads.

Deciding the album was fairly simple, too. Miles Davis’ Miles Ahead had been turning in my CD player for some time, and it was a fine place to start. Very big and brassy, yet far from frantic, it just seems to be the album to introduce spring. I suppose also, that I will discuss albums/musicians past and present indiscriminately. I mean, if I am going to do a column gratis, then folks shouldn’t give a rat’s patootie what I ramble about. Besides, if someone hates it, they should send me a CD and I’ll review it. (I won’t return it).

Recorded in 1957, Miles Ahead is the first of several album-length collaborations of Miles Davis and arranger Gil Evans. The latter having previously done arrangements for the ground-breaking effort Birth of the Cool, which effectively slowed the frantic pulse of East Coast hardbop and helped usher in the “Cool School.” Other album-length collaborations include Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Quiet Nights. By far their most famous collaboration is Sketches of Spain—so comparing this album to Miles Ahead is inevitable. Continue Reading

By Jason Ward Boyte

Yes, it’s been about a month since his passing, incidentally the same week as Ray Brown, famous and remarkable jazz bassist. What a terrible week for the bass. Their loss made me wonder if there was some cosmic statement being made. Are we to be left now with only the one-dimensional bass playing typified by U2’s Adam Clayton? Perhaps we are destined to hear only quarter-notes thudding inarticulately on the root of every chord, mixed purposely low so we aren’t reminded that the bass player was the guy who simply wasn’t good enough to play guitar.

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