Author Archives: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

Carla Bley

RIP: MFM Salutes the Memory of Legendary Jazz Lady Carla Bley

Text by Daowud Kringle

Pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer Carla Bley’s death was confirmed by her longtime partner, collaborator, and MFM member, Steve Swallow.

Born Lovella May Borg in 1936 in Oakland, California, Bley was introduced to the piano at the age of three. She left school at 14 and began her musical journey playing piano in Bay Area jazz clubs. At 17, she moved to New York and worked for a short time at the iconic jazz club Birdland. She met pianist Paul Bley, who encouraged her to start composing. She toured with him under the name Karen Borg before changing her name in 1957 to Carla Borg. She married Bley and took his name the same year. They divorced in 1967, but she continued to use the surname in a professional capacity.

Bley would become known as a composer. Some of the musicians who’d recorded Bley’s compositions included George Russel, Jimmy Giuffre, and Paul Bley (whose album Barrage consisted entirely of her compositions).

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Book Review: David Belmont “World Gone Zoom”…Musician Flexes his Poetry Skills

David BelmontAuthor: David Belmont
Titel: World Gone Zoom – Notes from the American Epicenter
Publisher: The Poetry Box
Buy here: https://thepoetrybox.com/bookstore/world-gone-zoom?mc_cid=390686209d&mc_eid=88475f6457

Book Review by Dawoud Kringle

The fact that musicians also delve into other art forms is nothing new (Miles Davis and Yusef Lateef were painters, for example). So, in May 2021, when David Belmont released a book of poetry titled World Gone Zoom, it was clear that another dimension of a talented musician was brought to the light of day.

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MFM Presents: “Music Is Essential” ZOOM Webinar #5 with Banning Eyre on Bringing African Music into the American Music Scene

Date: Thursday, July 15, 2021
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm (ET)
Venue: ZOOM
Ticket: free

Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYud-GtpzorEtU2zBhZA4kaF2uOecvtk13c

Webinar description:

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“MFM Speaks Out” EP 28: Axel Mueller on the Founding of Pro Musik (Germany)

“We need a better way of living for the music scene.”  Axel Mueller

Axel MuellerIn this episode of MFM Speaks Out, Adam Reifsteck interviews German saxophonist and composer Axel Mueller about his work as a musician and activist which led to co-founding a new union in Germany called Pro Musik that supports freelance musicians. Topics discussed include the challenges gigging musicians face in Germany that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic and the importance of coming together as a community to enact social and political change that uplifts the livelihood of all professional musicians.

Saxophonist & multi-instrumentalist Axel Mueller enjoys a varied career as a composer, arranger, and sideman for top artists in Germany. A graduate of Mannheim University of Music, he started the brass band Blassportgruppe with 9 other wind colleagues and began touring Europe with the cabaret act The Les Clöchards. In addition to touring, Axel plays in the horn section of the TV show Sing mein Song with the band Grosch’s Eleven, now in its 5th season, with artists such as Xavier Naidoo, Roger Cicero, Sarah Connor, Yvonne Catterfeld and Samy Deluxe & South African Sunset. Together with his brass colleagues Johannes Goltz (trombone) and Christoph Moschberger (trumpet), Axel has led the horn section for renowned artists such as Nena, Wolfgang Niedecken, and Mark Forster, which has resulted in 8 Gold and Platinum releases.

Visit Axel Mueller at axelmuellermusic.com

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