Text by Bruce Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery, November 16th, 2022)
“Marble Son” performed by Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter
Oh, marble son, why can’t I love you more?
I wish I’d found you beautiful before
When I was young, I’d have most anyone
But I only loved what was to come undone, come undone
Musicians For Musicians (MFM) Presents: “Music Is Essential” ZOOM Talk Event #9 with Christopher North Speaking about his Score for Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes with Special Guests Cole Davis, Lawrence Fields and Andy Blanco.
Date: Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Time: 6pm to 7:30pm (ET)
Venue: ZOOM
Host: Adam Reifsteck
Ticket: $5 for non MFM members. Register and pay here: https://mfmassociation.thrivecart.com/talk-event/
An Editorial by Dawoud Kringle
In 2007, a new musician’s service called Bandcamp began. This was a revolutionary service that allowed musicians to release digital music. Since its founding, Bandcamp provided a place where musicians can cultivate loyal fan communities and receive 82% of every transaction (compare this to Spotify and other streaming services, which pay a fraction of a cent per stream).
Bandcamp was sold to Epic Games in March 2022. Many artists, music lovers, and industry groups were concerned that a uniquely artist-centric platform might change for the worse. Epic managed to keep Bandcamp operational.
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).
