Happy Birthday, Duke!

C Jam Blues featuring Ray Nance (on violin), 'Tricky Sam' Nanton, Rex Stewart, Ben Webster, Barney Bigard, and Sonny Greer. And, of course, Duke ends up with the shawtys.

More on Ellington.

Viddie: Mission Impossible Cumbia

Happy Friday, one and all.

With 80 degree temperatures and sunshine in the Chicago forecast, it will be hard to stay at the desk long today. I hope to get outside and gain a fresh perspective on... something. Does it really matter what?

In that spirit, I pass along the homemade viddie above from Denton's gift to the world, with a reminder that the mission need not be impossible at all.

Bonus points to anyone who can confirm or deny the band's now-legendary show at Kansas City's Grand Emporium in the 1980s, during which they led the audience across Main Street and into the Pink Garter strip club. Were you there? Was your cousin? Spill it.

Extra supreme bonus points to the person who creates a wiki page for the aforementioned venue.

And now, please excuse me while I kiss the sky.

TNLD Podcast 01: Andrew Connor of Ghosty

Drum roll, please…

Introducing the premier of The New Low Down podcast.

Podcast 01 features a chat with Andrew Connor of the band Ghosty. Specifically we chat about the track "Dumbo Wins Again" from Ghosty's most recent album Answers (on Oxblood Records). While "Dumbo" may not be "a song about heartbreak and failed relationships," as reported by NPR Music, it is a delicious and shiny pop jewel. It's also -- another drum roll, please --

TNLD's Song of the Year! (Actually last year, but still. Better late than never.)

Listen now:



Download the podcast

Andrew/Ghosty linkage

Ghosty on myspace

Ghosty's website - which includes all kinds of fun stuff, including a marimba version of Dumbo and more photos like this one by Jennifer Brothers.

Ghosty (l-r): Josh Adams, Mike Nolte, Jake Blanton, Andrew Connor, David Wetzel

Notes on TNLD Podcast
I plan to get these podcasts onto a regular schedule, which will take a little doing. The logistics of equipment and editing and feeds and so on, have proven to be a big time suck, particularly when I've got paying work to do. So while that's all getting sorted out, I thank you for your patience.

And since this is the first TNLD podcast, I would love to hear any feedback you have, either in the comments or emailed to lowdown@newlowdown.com.

Finally a big hollered thank you to Jake Blanton for letting me use "Almost Hit That Lady" for theme music. You are awesome.

Quotating: B.B. King

"Jazz is the big brother of the blues. If a guy's playing blues like we play, he's in high school. When he starts playing jazz it's like going on to college, to a school of higher learning."

B.B. King (quoted in the Sunday Times of London, Nov. 4, 1984)

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Via TT at About Last Night

Viddie: Andy Scott's Fishin

Newly minted whimsy by Andy Cahill to accompany the tune "Fishin'" from Andy Scott's "Don't Tempt Fate."

And while we're on the subject, you can read my ambivalent review of the album.

More info here:

andyjazz.com

myspace.com/andyscottjazz

Buy music to smash atoms by

FYI - The music for the documentary The Atom Smashers is available for download tomorrow from the good folks at Ghostly.

Read about the documentary and the music and then click your way to additional reading from here:

"Music to smash atoms by" - TNLD 10/2008

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Tip via the Atom Smashers blog.