While this was loading I was checking out the original versions: reminds me of early Stew and The Negro Problem which became “Passing Strange” plus Enorchestra Brian Eno “Taking Tiger Mountain” plus Nicole Mitchell / Lisa Harris “Earth Seed” based on Octavia Butler; the lyrics called to mind Ariel and Prospero from “The Tempest” plus the Sylvia Plath version about horses plus Emily Dickinson plus I want to see Ma Rainey story on Netflix.

The young San Jose musician, a product of San Jose Jazz education outreach efforts and San Jose State music department training, does a livestream from her home studio for SOFA festival, online. 

First she records two vocal parts, harmonies. Then she grabs her bass. She is at an M-Audio keyboard; (I want to say that the first time I saw looping was Howie Day in Providencd at Lupo’s…)

I don’t know the tune, but its good to know that Esperanza Spalding is an influence. Technology can enable people but can be a crutch. And just as not everyone with a camera is a photographer or auteur, just having gear does not make you an artist or musician. But this person who I had never heard of until yesterday — from a blast about another online event via the San Jose Museum — gives me hope. By the way the song is “Ebony and Ivy” not the more well-known title.

And my label project, Lions With Wings, has me trying to experiment with artists of various stripes as a producer, or funder, or instigator. 

Maybe there could be a version of Joy Dawn Hackett “Ebony and Ivy” for Lions With Wings.

Others in my woodshed or spy list:

Zach Ostroff especially his Jack Johnson/Jamie Cullum originals;

Jacob Collier, who I read about in The New Yorker;

Remi Wolf and Jared Solomon although obviously they are on a major label; I knew his dad since about 1978 and met her mom about 8 years ago; she’s come a long way since I saw her at Philz doing “Someone that I used to know” which was new then. 

Dan Horne, doing Canned Heat and a leading Phil Lesh interpreter;

Aubrey Johnson, who I copped from a Dave Douglas podcast; which might but has not lead to a study of the Lyle Mays role in Pat Matheny band.

I won’t say her name but there is a high school student, K-, in the 650 who has done 100 online shows for nursing homes, and was covered in the San Mateo Journal;

Will Magid, from Palo Alto who loves Turkish music and Don Cherry;

Tom Foley, who is Dar Williams’ nephew, who did a Matt Nathanson riff at the Sunday Farmer’s market in the donut hole of quarantine;

Valerie Troutt; come Sunday, which someone said is a prayer as much as a song; which reminds me that I should make a set list for the stream in these pages of a Ellington concert at the Mitch, Mardi Gras a year ago, what a long year; Valerie meanwhile released some content on bandcamp and Slow and Steady platform;

Erik Lawrence and Howard Johnson, looping or spliced version of Eric Dolphy “Serene”; which makes me also want to shed with Little Feat, the Band, the Last Waltz; and randomly: RZA for “Ghost Dog”;

Molly Tuttle, who played in my series 16 months ago and has been ascending like a meteorite — I’d love to hear a solo version on guitar of Prince “When You Were Mine” — she does a verse on a jazz guitar with Lake Street Dive;

“Hadestown” — by Anais Mitchell and company, which includes a young Dartmouth grad, especially since I’m a fan of Todd Sickafoos, its musical director who has produced three different album versions of the original material; 

Dayna Stephens’ “The Duke” on “Peace” cd, and how it relates to the Dave Brubeck version, and Ellington, and Sonny Rollins “The Bridge”;

Actually, my nephew Ben Davis was showing me something on that based on having taken Julian Lage’s seminar, so I will bookend this list with that.

Good luck, Joy Dawn Hackett and all of the above. 

I don’t really have to understand music for my job; I just have to find people who understand music. Its like the joke that you don’t have to outrun a hungry bear, just outrun one other guy on your trip, if attacked by a bear. But I am using my down time during the pandemic to woodshed and listen to the music, and I guess I am taking some risks, or embarrassing myself, with dipping into the crates, doing A & R, artist and repertoire. For booking shows per se, I just need to know that they sold $10k box office at The Independent but are willing to play for $3,500 at The Mitch. And I am maybe getting too much of a kick out of hearing people’s click tracks and rough mixes. It’s like the old saying that if you build a better mouse trap you don’t have to grab them by the….

Keep on swingin’ y’all.