Rick McLaughlin » Update

Marsalis and Ochs

Rick McLaughlin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:18:41 +0000

I have not yet made it to letters M or O in my LP collection yet*, but there has been a pretty interesting story coming from Europe. It all started with Larry Ochs (avant garde saxophone player) giving a concert in Spain, during which the police were called. Later, Wynton Marsalis offered his entire catalog of CDs to the person who called the police. Here’s the Guardian update (note the commentary).

Best, R.

*Most of you know this, but I’m reporting on my record collection (LPs only), which I’m listening to in alphabetical order.

New Theme, New Name

Rick McLaughlin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:43:07 +0000

Ok, ok, so I haven’t really been paying any attention to the blog. There are several great reasons for that, all of them positive but overwhelming. I have also been annoyed by the design, and let me say that I have noticed the fact that I bypassed the original intent of this blog eons ago (remember? A Watchful Eye on the Music Industry?), transforming this into a home for all things RM-oriented, plus nuttiness. And so, here we are – a new theme (nice, isn’t it?) and a new name. I figured it would be better to call this what it is (and what I am, for that matter), than to try to be slick.

Excellent Mashup

Rick McLaughlin — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:59:36 +0000

Actually, it’s more of a remix. Anyway, last year, I mentioned that I was digging some mashups (by “last year,” I mean 2007). A friend of mine just sent me this very excellent mashup (again, more of a remix, but very very excellent nonetheless):

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

It’s spectacular because it brings together two things I really like. Yes, like everyone else on the planet, I like Radiohead. And, like most people who know what’s up, I think that Coldplay is a great band of Radiohead Wanna-be’s. Anyway, I also like Dave Brubeck, and in particular the Time Out/Take Five record. I like it so much that in fourth grade, I learned to play Paul Desmond’s alto saxophone solo. That’s back when I played alto, too. Later, I learned it on double bass.

Enjoy!

2008 and Beyond (take 2)

Rick McLaughlin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:02:56 +0000

Sitting here in my hotel room, thinking about tonight’s gig in Denver with the great Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed, it dawned on me that there were a few more things about 2008 that I wanted to mention. I started the conversation in my last post.

Most importantly, the Ethiopiques concerts managed to top some “Best of 2008″ lists.

AllAboutJazz – Best live show in New York of 2008 – yes, it’s a pretty long list, and we are merely among the best, but hey at least we made it that far.
Liz Berg at WFMU’s Beware of the Blog gave us top honors for the live show at Lincoln Center
Tadias Magazine put us in the top 10 for the year (number
Elsewhere on WFMU’s Beware of the Blog, they mention our show at Lincoln Center as “the highlight of the summer”

I guess the only other things to mention is that I’m listening to tons and tons of Lee Morgan and if I ever get around to writing the first installment of my Un-Handyman’s Guide to Home Maintenance and Repair, I might be up for a follow up that investigates caulk or ceiling paint.

Best, R.

PS – Happy Valentine’s Day

2008 and Beyond

Rick McLaughlin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:34:23 +0000

Good God. Months have passed by since my last post. It’s almost like I have been so overwhelmed by life that there has not been time to post anything new. It’s not like I’m out of ideas. No, in fact, if I can find the time somehow, I have a backlog of material, plus new ideas like reviews of jazz theory books, a new series that I like to call “An Un-Handyman’s Guide to Home Maintenance and Repair” (First installment: Installing a Dishwasher – Sort of Level is Close Enough), and a few thoughts on things happening in the music world.

Well, 2008 has come and gone. I was famous for a minute, or at least pretended to be, while touring with the Ethiopiques project. My man Luke Wasserman posted a clip from the Either/Orchestra’s first concert in Ethiopia, from January 2004. In it, I’m playing a borrowed 5-string electric bass because my double bass had been left behind in New Jersey. It arrived safely the next day, thankfully.

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

I have also found a lovely clip of Bati from our second concert in Ethiopia. Bati is sung by Tseduenia Gebre-Markos in this clip (another Luke Wasserman production).

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

In other news, I have started a MySpace page (finally). As I wrote a few months ago, when I disabled the old RickMcLaughlin.com, I was still in search of a decent way to post sound files and listings of upcoming gigs. I’m not completely psyched that one has to leave the world of RickMcLaughlin.com to find these things, but some answer is better than none. So, just in case you are curious, the link is here. I have also posted it under Links on the left side of this page.

Insofar as gigs are concerned, there are lots of cool things happening in Boston, and if you know anyone in Denver, make sure to mention the upcoming performance by the Either/Orchestra with Mahmoud Ahmed. We are performing some of the material from our Ethiopiques tour, plus a few new things.

Lastly, as you might have guessed from the first paragraph, we bought a house. I am now an expert on buying a house in the middle of a recession, and am perfectly happy to share stories of shock, awe, and ultimately inspiration with y’all. If you need a great buyer’s broker in greater Boston, I know one. If you need a great mortgage broker, I know one. If you are scared of buying a foreclosure, you should be, and I can tell you our story.

So that’s it.

Best, R.

Carpe Blogem

Rick McLaughlin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:16:47 +0000

So that’s it. After something like 6 years, the time has finally come to put the old rm.com site out to pasture. It’s still here, living behind the scenes, hanging out, reading Proust, longing for the good ol’ days. But the time has come for the old site to retire.

The nice thing is that I don’t really have to start over, since I have this super groovy blog happening. But there still is quite a lot of work to be done. For the moment, if you are dying to read up on me, you’ll have to check a smattering of places, including (sadly) the old site. So here goes:

My bio in its most updated form is on the blog. Look at the top of the page and click About (or click here). A far better place to find far too much information on me (as if I’m really this important – please) is on LinkedIn.
I’m working on dealing with gigs/itinerary and the like. For the moment, there are a couple of options. If you are looking to get on my mailing list, then make a comment to this page. I won’t approve it, so it won’t go to the virtual world. But until I can get an actual contact form up and running, it’s the best way to go about this. If you are just wondering about where I played when, then you’ll have to check the old itinerary. It is correct through the February of 2008.
The gallery was never what I wanted it to be anyway. So let’s say that you were looking for groovy pix of yours truly. Well, I recommend the Google Image search. Put my name in quotes. Add something like bass or music to the search. I’m not bald (yet), don’t live in Canada or California, and have never been a sheriff or a volleyball star. So pick the shots of a nerdy guy playing a bass.

That about does it. Stop back for more soon.

Best, R.

Free Vicente Lebron Update

Rick McLaughlin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:04:24 +0000

Several weeks ago, I posted a few things about my friend Vicente Lebron. On July 16, 2008, many area musicians (including yours truly) performed at a benefit concert for him – it was rather successful, although it has by no means solved his financial challenges. At the concert was the great Chris Burbul, a longtime friend and photographer of musicians.

Here are some of the shots he managed to get:

Click to view Chris Burbul's pix (E/O starts at 139)

Best, R.