The Audiozine

I thought you should know:

1) That this Kickstarter project by Search and Restore's Adam Schatz got funding and might (just might) change the way jazz is experienced in NYC and beyond for the better. The DIY show scene has helped let a lot of resolutely uncommercial bands reach surprisingly large, enthusiastic audiences in the noise/rock/etc world, so why shouldn't jazz be able to tap that kind of energy -- esp since it's best appreciated live? P.S. I think Ben Ratliff's a rock-solid writer, but kinda love the pleasantly stodgy tone in his NYtimes piece above, like he's surprised that it feels good to see great shows for cheap at laidback venues with young people in attendance.

2) D-Plan mkII -- I oughta get tix. You oughta get tix. You oughta holler at me if yr going. You'll holler if you go.

3) NPR's "A Blog Supreme" put Fight The Big Bull in their top ten year end jazz list. Big ups to RVA and the bandmembers themselves; def one of the most dynamic (and only Mingus-leaning) bands I can think of these days. Big honor too, they're rubbing shoulders w/Jason Moran, Mary Halvorson, Steve Coleman and some other huge (and hugely talented) names. Here's a lil FTBB primer.

Exciting weekend ahead. Bad news first: I'm fighting off some kinda nasty bronchitis and I have to work almost the entirety of Saturday. Good news abounds though. First and foremost, this year's Winter Jazzfest falls on Jan 08th and 09th and the lineup looks pretty exciting, lots of musicians I've heard, heard of, or probably should hear. I'm sad that I will be working through Ben Allison's set at Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday, but I should be getting off in time to see Vijay Iyer, Mary Halvorson, Tyshawn Sorey, and hopefully a few others whose names are less familiar. There's actually a NYTimes article that has some good samples of a few of the acts from the festival, worth checking out even if you can't make it to the gigs. (Dig that "Galang" cover by Vijay Iyer).

So why not check out some of the Winter Jazzfest's Friday night events if I'm working through part of the Saturday lineup? Well, it's possible I may try to sneak in a Ben Allison set tonight at the Bronx Museum of the Arts at 8 PM, but the main event for the night will likely be a stop by the Knitting Factory to check out Starscream and Anamanaguchi alongside openers The Crayons and Radiates. Don't know the latter two bands, but thanks to Asif/Drew (and also EardrumNYC, who list this as a "featured show"), I've seen Starscream live once before and heard enough Anamanguchi to know that this will be some of the cream of the 8bit crop.