Author: Roberta

We’re finally releasing our “music video” for Idy’s Dance, produced by myself and Billy Mintz.

I don’t know if this is the first instrumental “real jazz” music video, but it’s certainly a first for us! Friends and loved ones who’ve seen it have reacted with either hysterical laughter, delight, or complete confusion. Let us know what you think! And please share it!

It’s happened before, to me and to many colleagues. In promoting a new CD, we send out loads of free copies to press and radio contacts. A few of those recipients then sell them and they end up on ebay or Amazon selling for $3 – $7. Keep in mind we are not talking about an old release. We are talking about a fresh CD, released only a few weeks ago, that is still being actively promoted. Obviously legitimate stores, those that are actually PAYING us for our music, cannot compete with a price set by those who get the CDs for nothing.

I understand that not everyone wants to retain every CD they receive. If you receive a courtesy CD that you don’t want, here are a couple of suggestions for how to address the situation without further destroying the music business. First, consider donating it to a local library. There is a chance that they might one day sell it but by then it will be a stale release so the bulk of the legitimate sales will have already taken place. Second, if you don’t like an artist’s or label’s music, ask them to remove you from their mailing list. Don’t worry about hurting our feelings. Most of us have limited resources and would rather direct our promotional time and money towards those who are interested in what we have to offer.

We debated whether to clip a piece off the corner of the paper packaging so that the CD at least cannot be sold as “new” for $3. In the end we decided to open the plastic wrapping, but not to damage the CD itself. We wanted the recipient to have a quality experience with the CD from start to finish. We also felt it was insulting to send out a damaged package.

Unfortunately it’s nearly impossible to tell who is doing the selling, or where the CD came from. It’s a shame that, because of a handful of bad apples, we will have to start cutting the corners on the CD digi-paks before sending out promotional items. I hope the 99% of our media friends who are not to blame will understand this decision and not take offense.

Here’s a nice review by Vic Schermer on the AllAboutJazz web site.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=38747

I’m very excited to tell you about my new CD which will be released on March 1^st. It’s been five years since the last release. In that time I’ve been arranging for strings and winds, and building a new trio concept with Billy and Johannes. I hope you will check out the video about the music and enjoy the fruits of this labor of love.

Please check out the press kit video to hear music, and get behind-the-scenes insights and footage. If you like the music and want to support us, please share it with your friends in cyber-space or on earth. (See the links below to share this post on Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. You can also “like” my Facebook page to receive updates on what’s going on, as well as links to free audio and video content. (Just click the link in the sidebar to the right of this page.)

The CD will be available at all retail outlets: CDBaby itunes Digstation as well as at local stores through NorthCountry Distribution (not to mention Amazon of course.)

A few other events to watch for:

– We’ll be posting a humourous “music video” of “Idy’s Dance”, produced by myself and Billy Mintz. I don’t know if this is the first instrumental “real jazz” video, but it might be.

– I’ll be appearing on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz some time this week, depending on your local station’s shedule. The show was hosted by the phenomenal pianist, Jon Weber. This marks my third time appearance on this venerated National Public Radio show. Check the NPR/Piano Jazz web site to find out when it airs in your area (or listen to it online):

– On March 8^th my trio featuring Cameron Brown and Billy Mintz will be appearing at Smalls. Even if you’re not in New York, you can watch it live on the smalls’ website starting at 9:30pm until midnight.

–

Thanks for your support!

Visit us on Facebook
=======

Sides, Colors

On Sides, Colors, Roberta’s intriguing arrangements enhance the piano trio with strings, reeds, brass, percussion and organ. As Piket says, “I wanted to maintain the intimacy of the trio. At the same time I love the colors and textures that the other instruments add.”

While Sides, Colors is not just another piano trio album, it is the trio of Roberta, bassist Johannes Weidenmueller and drummer Billy Mintz that is at the core of the CD. Even in the context of the larger ensembles, their intuitive, conversational interplay is a joy to hear. The trio is the foundation for the sonic landscape that is Sides, Colors.

As pianist Mike Garson points out in his liner notes, Sides, Colors “…maintains the essence of the great jazz trios in history, while expanding the format to greater heights and carving much new territory. This is the true spirit of jazz and how the music is supposed to continually unfold”.

Here’s a link to my third appearance on NPR’s Piano Jazz which is being broadcast this week. The show was guest-hosted by the phenomenal pianist Jon Weber. It was fun playing duets with him too!

NPR Media Player.

The Jazz Wars Part 1: This came into my Facebook feed from a very successful straight-ahead musician for whom I have a lot of respect.

What do you get when you play free jazz backwards? Free jazz.

I just heard the term JNI for the first time. It stands for Jazz Nerds International. Apparently it refers to musicians who play jazz that does not “swing” in the traditional sense.

People, are we really still having this argument about what is genre is valid and what genre is not? There’s great free jazz, good free jazz and mediocre free jazz. There’s great mainstream jazz, good mainstream jazz and mediocre mainstream jazz.

No matter what the genre, most music is mediocre; some of it is good; and a microscopic proportion is great.

To be continued.