NOTHING IS FREE

There are so many layers to this, I don't know exactly where to start... iTunes is offering the first movement of John Cage's 4'33" as a free download today.

Is it just me, or does this piece seem a bit incongruous with the typical Apple marketing hype?

"Listen carefully, and you can hear traffic outside, creaking floorboards and a clock ticking somewhere in the building. If you like it, you can download the remainder of the album..."

It will cost you $1.98 to get the other 2'46". And a buck more if you want to purchase it as a ringtone...

FOR FOLKS DOWN THERE

Next Monday I am playing with Motoko Honda's Sound Escape Project at The Jazz Bakery, a venerable Los Angeles jazz institution that will be closing up and looking for a new place to live as of May 31.

I have to say, selfishly, this news makes me sad. The Bakery is one of the last jazz venues in LA that is still in the same place it was when I started going out to listen to gigs years ago. Most notable among the many, many great shows I've caught at the Bakery were the two times I saw Cecil Taylor - once solo and once with Jackson Krall/Dominic Duval - both concerts that changed my life.

It's a sad thing, but also an honor to be among the last few groups to play at the Culver City location (Empty Cage Quartet plays there on May 25). And there's a lot more great music happening down there between now and the end of May - Angelinos, show up and show your support...

FOR FOLKS AROUND HERE

SUCH A NICE YOUNG MAN

photo by Tom Palumbo

Wow. Wow. Wow. I love the internet.

Just discovered this rare 1953 radio interview (part I) with Miles Davis at Lockwood & Summit (via Jeff Hyatt).

If you can stand the extreme noise reduction, and KXLW DJ Harry Frost's pseudo-hipsterisms (have to give him credit for keeping the chatter going with an obviously muddled guest), it's quite a surprise to hear Miles' voice shortly before it would forever be reduced to the familiar "raspy croak" when he got in a shouting match while recovering from a throat operation. Plus, this is historic for the fact that Miles was on his way home to East St. Louis to kick his heroin habit - by locking himself in his father's guest house for a week.

And while we anxiously await the promised part II, check this out.

AS THOUGH A LITTLE KID WOULD PLAY

Someone please tell me this is a joke:

Via Kaiser. And there's more where that came from.

INTO THE FUTURE, ONE SOCIAL NETWORK AT A TIME

When I was a kid I used to watch the original Star Trek quite a bit and dream about futuristic things like star ships, tricorders, warp travel, hand-held communicators, teleportation and the like. Never would I have imagined that the actual future would consist of things like blogs and Twitter widgets.

That's right, there's now a Twitter widget over there in the sidebar. I was getting kind of stir crazy here in babyland so yesterday I spent a few hours trying to spiff up my online world.

If anybody is so inclined, you can follow me. While you're at it, I would love for someone to explain to me why Twitter is such a big deal in the first place...