Inside Home Recording

I recently stumbled across the "Inside Home Recording" podcast which explores the world of recording music in your home. The program features James Devon and Paul Garay, two experienced recording musicians who speak casually yet very intelligently about hardware and software used by home recordists.

They dedicate segments to topics such as microphones, I/O devices, ear training, virtual pianos, interviews, reviews, recording techniques and they read and answer email questions. They explain terms without speaking down to their listeners or sacrificing details for commercial or time restraints.

They just began the show in October of last year and have about a dozen podcasts available with 20 to 25 planned for this year, truly a labor of love. I highly recommend this podcast to anyone building any level of home studio, which is very timely for me. I wish I knew more of their background which is something they might want to add to their blog.

You can subscribe and download the programs for free from their website or find them in the podcast section of the ITunes Music store, again, for free. Unbelievable. Thank you guys. Your work is greatly appreciated

Inside Home Recording web site

Robert Ullman

Not San Francisco and not even jazz but you can view the fun cartoon art of Robert Ullman at http://ullman.lurid.com/index.html.

WorlView Blog

John Worley has been updating his blog again. He talks in glowing terms about last Tuesday's Foothill College Contemporary Big Band concert in which, I'm told, he had some fine solos and a small rant about the dearth of places that such a heavy band like this has to perform in the bay area.

Scroll down his blog to February 12th to read his (and other's) thoughts about the closing of the BoAs jazz club in Cupertino.

John plays a lot of diverse and interesting bay area gigs and his blog is the place to read about them. Thanks John.

WorlView Blog

Mimi Fox

Bay Area guitarist Mimi Fox is interviewed for a deservedly flattering article in last Sunday's SF Chronicle's Pink Section. (Photo by Raj Naik) It speaks of her new CD, "Perpetually Hip" and the CD release concert at Yoshi's on March 27th, her experiences with her record label, Favored Nations, her rising status as music educator both at the Jazz School in Berkeley and the New York University's jazz guitar studies program, her upcoming appearance on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz and more.

MIMI FOX plays at 8 and 10 p.m. March 27 at Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. $10-$14. (510) 238-9200, www.yoshis.com.
9 p.m. March 31 at E3 Playhouse, 435 Front St., Santa Cruz. $13-$15. (831) 466-9033, www.e3playhouse.com.
7 p.m. April 2 at Little Fox Theatre, 2209 Broadway, Redwood City. $14-$16. (650) 369-4119, www.foxdream.com.

SFGate Pink Section Article
Mimi Fox's web site

Rhoda Scott B3ist in the Bay Area

I must confess that I do not know jazz organist Rhoda Scott, but then reading the article on her in last Sunday's Pink Section, not many others have heard of her either.

While revered by her B3 peers, Scott is largely unknown in the United States, an unheralded status explained by her almost four-decade residence in Paris. Some high-profile stateside gigs in recent years have helped let American audiences know what they've been missing. Under the auspices of San Jose Hammond B3 maven Pete Fallico, Scott hits Northern California for a series of performances this month, including Thursday and Friday at Jazz at Pearl's, Saturday at Copia in Napa and March 30 at Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz. She's working with her regular drummer Lucien Dobat, and will be joined at each concert by Kim Nalley on vocals.

I'm a sucker for jazz organ and I if I can fit her into my schedule, I'll write about it here.

Links:
SFGate Pink Section article
Rhoda Scott's web site
Jazz at Pearls
Copia
Kuumbwa Jazz Center
The Doodlin Lounge

Bay Area Jazz Podcasts

If you go to the Podcast section of the ITunes Music Store and search for "Jazz" you will find a few free bay area based features.

One is titled "Jazz West Coast" is a video podcast and is "devoted to Jazz education with an emphasis on interviews." 2 interviews are available, an interview by Richard J. Newhouse, creator of JWC with Jazz DJ Arzell Johns and Herb Wong interviewing Bob Dorough.

Also look for "Radio Sausalito's Bay Area Jazz Spotlight" showcasing bay area musical talent and "Radio Sausalito's Brilliant Corners" featuring Poetry and Jazz.

Kitty Margolis on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz

The Bay Area's Kitty Margolis was on Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland last week, which I missed. There is a short bio and songs performed on Marian's web site.

Singer Kitty Margolis is a true California girl. Her family has been in the state for four generations, and her formative music experiences were shaped by the musical milieu of San Francisco in the 1960s.

I also found short podcasts of Piano Jazz supplied by NPR, updated on Tuesdays at 5 pm. You can subscribe here.

Links
Piano Jazz on Kitty
Piano Jazz Home
Kitty Margolis
NPR Piano Jazz Podcasts

Miles and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Miles Davis will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday night. There is an audio story on NPR's Morning Edtion with commentary on the web site about 3 albums that spanned the gap between jazz and rock.

When we hear the story of how Davis earned a place in the rock Hall of Fame, we learn something about the way popular music evolved into the songs we hear today. Steve Inskeep talks with music journalist Ashley Kahn, a regular contributor to Morning Edition and one of those who votes on Hall of Fame inductees, about how Davis spanned musical genres.

Links:
NPR's Morning Edition