A couple of years ago I got hooked up to Hippie Tendencies through MySpace. I really loved a couple of demos they had posted. This music has charm to spare on top of excellent composition, thoughtful lyrics, and killer execution. The rhythm section grooves.

Since the singer, Lisa Marie Simmons, was kind enough to give me a lovely comment on my myspace profile, I started a long-distance conversation with her. She’s lived and worked in Italy for a while. There, she ran into some jazz players and together they built a terrific band with their collective abilities.

Imagine a great wide-ranging jazz rhythm section, terrific keyboard player coupled with great singing, all wrapped up in a sometimes funny, occasionally ironic pop structure.

Anyway, I was very taken with their demo.

A few weeks ago, Lisa sent me their completed album. I think it more than delivers on the promise from the demos. These are thoughtful songs that are carefully crafted by world-class musicians. This album has made it into my regular play list. I find myself singing the hooks unconsciously.

Comments from some of the folks with whom I’ve shared Hippie Tendencies are, “I love her voice”, and “I want to bathe in the vocals, like I do with Suzanne Sterling”

Lisa has an activist side which I find very resonant. And I really enjoy her sense of humor. “Poppy Rock” takes a shot at our commoditized music business where original music has trouble finding a place. And “Shame” takes a shot of all of us when we’re unconscious about how our behavior affects the world in which we live.

I’d like to give particular kudos to the group’s drummer who may have some of the best brushes technique that I’ve heard in a very long time. The bass player creates a big fat bass float upon which to the rest of the music can rest easily.

I told the band that I’d be happy to plug them from my little neck of the Web universe. I encourage you to give them a listen.

Cheers,
Brook

My friend, Jimmie Pederson, has lovingly crafted an art filled performance space near Rockridge in Oakland. Jimmie’s an architect by trade. He knows a lot about spaces, light, movement, all those important variables that can create a welcoming space. Or if these factors are not attended to correctly, I wonder just how long I will have to be confined, (wink)

On March 28th, 3PM, Jimmie is hosting me in my guise as intrepid solo acoustic guitar explorer: Magic Brook. I’m honored, considering some of the company Jimmie keeps at Avonova.

Jimmie himself sings and plays many instruments (many of which he has in the space, including a lovely grand piano!) – he’s very musical. And, he has wide tastes. At Avonova, I’ve heard edgy jazz rituals, all manner of concerts, recitals, interesting genres and ethnic fusions.

Please join me at Jimmie’s remarkable space for a musical Sunday afternoon. One can walk from Rockridge BART. And, there’s even parking on the street.

Somehow, attendees always manage to manifest an interesting snack table. Bring a snack or drink or wine, if you can.

We’re asking $12 at the door, though tickets can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com ahead of time. And, no one will be turned away. (details, below)

And, indeed in the spirit of Jimmie’s generosity I will offer my recordings for whatever you care to pay. That means that you can leave with a recording for free, if that’s what you can afford.

Since this is the only concert that I’ve booked this Spring in the Bay Area, please join me on Sunday, March 28th in Oakland. We’ll be surrounded by Jimmie’s perma-culture orchard, light streaming through the huge windows, music streaming from my hands, perhaps our voices joined together?

I would dearly love to see you. Bring along your personal favorites of mine and I’m happy to play them for you. Or, email these ahead of time and I’ll work your favorites into the show.

Details

March 28, 2010 3:00 PM
Avonova Studio
Oakland, CA
$12.00@ door
Info 510.315.1104

Take care all,

/brook

Recently, I was doing a little googling and discovered that our live recording has made it into a download collection of versions of “Autumn Leaves” The collection can also be found here

Autumn Leaves Album Art

OK – it would have been nice had the album compilers let me know that they were including our cut. That’s a heck of thing to discover by accident through a google search, yes? A bit weird. The “new” music business sometimes appears to be similar to the “bad old days” when producers regularly used others’ work with no notice. And, I did make this cut available for download from my site, tis true.

Still, I can’t argue with being included alongside luminaries like:

• Diana Krall
• Eva Cassidy
• Keith Jarrett
• Bill Evans
• Nat King Cole
• Frank Sinatra

How cool is that? Thanks!

Funny thing about the cut is that I made it available because at the time, I only had a few recent examples of my jazz playing – That is, I just wanted to fill in my downloads page with examples of my jazz work. Downloads take on a life of their own.

Opie Bellas, the vocalist, had rejected this cut from inclusion on The Joyce Baker Group album release, for whatever reasons she may have had at the time.

I do think that there’s some nice interchange (in my humble opinion) between the band members – live jazz as it’s happening. The music is far from perfect, though.

What’s worse about this release is that the compilers didn’t actually credit the correct band, The Joyce Baker Group, nor Opie as the vocalist. Tsk, tsk. Let me set the record straight here, please.

Sorry Joyce, Opie, Lee Elfenbein (basist). The compilation mislabeling is NOT my fault. I have you fully credited on my web site, as you may expect. I did not and do not take solo credit for the cut – the distributors put my name on top of our collective work – they didn’t ask me about it.

Autumn Leaves Live by the Joyce Baker Group Featuring Opie Bellas and Magic Brook was a result of the collaboration of the members of the band with whom I was privileged to play. Joyce, as I’ve written previous here, is one of my favorite drummers and a dear friend.

And, please, readers, don’t get me wrong.

I’m tickled pink to be in such illustrious company. Still, I do not dream in my wildest dreams to play jazz at the level of some of these folks. By the way, Eva Cassidy’s version of Autumn Leaves is one of my favorites. Pure genius.

For those in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m playing at Avonova Studios on Sunday March 28th, 3PM.

The Avonova set will be my one appearance in solo concert this Spring in the Bay Area. Please do come out. I have some new material to share, as well as material from my well received and well played album, last year, “The Source”

Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets

best,

/brook

I do a lot of my grocery shopping at Farmer Joes Marketplace. It’s in my neighborhood (biking distance! Yeah!) It’s a locally owned family business who source locally as they can, with eco-conscious ethos. I feel blessed to have Farmer Joes near me.

I was buying a latte from the fellow who runs the little espresso stand (Cuppa Joes) on the patio front of the market a couple of weeks ago. He expressed interest in my music. I gave him some mp3s to add to his play list (and because he’s a great guy!). He loved the music and invited me to play a couple of Saturday afternoons on the patio at the market. November 28th & December 19th, starting at 1PM.

I love it!

* Giving back to my home community.
* Supporting a couple of conscious businesses (Farmer Joes and Cuppa Joes, who are also Salaam Coffee).

This is right up my alley, to be sure, true community service.

Not that I actually like playing music for folks or anything like that!!!! (liar, liar!)

As the many folks who know me know only to well, I love to play. So this is a match made in heaven.

If you’re around, come by Famer Joes between 1-5.
I won’t play all that time (you might have to take a post-Thanksgiving turn through the market!). But I will do 2 solid sets, one at 1 and one later in the afternoon.

In 2 weeks (December 5th, 7PM), I’ll be at The Bazaar Cafe. I think it’s been about 5 or 6 years since I played there under my name, though I’ve played a few shows there over the years at the invitation of musical friends, as I did with Mokai in September.

The Bazaar cafe is a strictly acoustic space, strictly original music, a true “listening room”.

Plus, as Farmer Joes and Cuppa Joes, The Bazaar Cafe is a conscious business, a right-livelihood for the owner and his workers. The food & drink are terrific. It’s so great to work with and support business like this one.

I’m sharing the show with my long time collaborator, Bernie Gilbert, master of the sharp lyric turn, the parody, and the heart tugging story in song. If you’re a Charlie King fan, perhaps you know Bernie’s “Apple Song”, which Charlie has recorded?

And, my dear friend, Robert Temple, asked me to play a few songs for the holiday craft fair that takes place along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on the 20th of December. Since that’s the day before the Solstice, my set will be early in the afternoon – I have to get to other things by sunset! Robert will be sharing his amazing alternate tuned guitar work and warm, R&B tinged baritone & socially conscious songs with us all day – interspersed with bevy of his buddies – like me!

Take are, all,

/brook

Well, not quite. “The Source” has made it onto the play list of a Live365 podcast from Brazil, Animalumen.

“Animalumen folks, thank you, thank you. I love it. Any chance there’s a gig or two somewhere your way? I’d love to see Brazil – especially if my guitar would take me there!”

More seriously, I know that I have fans spread across the planet: Europe, South Africa, Australia, India, Japan, and now Brazil. It’s so heartening to get these tidbits about whose enjoying the music. Please keep sending your news my way.

And, also, it was fun to exchange an email with the Animalumen folk – they seem very reasonant. So, if you can, give them a listen, please.

By the way, for those folks who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have a show upcoming, December 5th, at the Bazaar Cafe.

I’m sharing the show with my long time collaborator, Bernie Gilbert, master of the sharp lyric turn, the parody, and the heart tugging story in song. I’ll post more as the show approaches

Take are, all,

/brook

Then, I received an email from my publicist, Curtis Smith of Maelstrom Music PR, about his trip to Vermont.

At some inn at which he was staying he ran into some random woman from Bondville, Vermont. I have no idea why they spoke to each other or why Curtis mentioned me? Still, when he did, she told him, “Oh, I know his music! I hear “Stony Creek” all the time on the radio.”

Hey, how cool is that? Somebody not only knows of Magic Brook, but listens to him (me!).

Now mind, readers: Bondville is nowhere near where my friends have places in “The Northeast Kingdom”; that is, in the Northeast portion of Vermont. I figure I might get play there – because I know folks. But in the center or South of Vermont? I’m not sure I know but one person there.

So, whoever is spinning Magic Brook’s The Source, thank you! (if you read this, let me know who you are, ok?)

Thanks, Curtis, for passing that along. I needed something to pull up from my current funk. All work and not much play makes those brooks very cloudy and dammed up!

Thank you listeners. I create this music to be heard as much as for any personal sense of whatever it is that drives me to create? (sometimes, I think it may be nothing more than an itch that has to be scratched! smile. These tunes will drive me batty if I don’t honor them by composing them, learning to play them and thus getting them “out” as it were).

By the way, for those folks who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have a show upcoming, December 5th, at the Bazaar Cafe.

I’m sharing the show with my long time collaborator, Bernie Gilbert, master of the sharp lyric turn, the parody, and the heart tugging story in song. I’ll post more as the show approaches

Take are, all,

/brook

I didn’t lose any posts; I didn’t lose any content from my old version of WordPress. But I sure hated offering any help to folks who sell fake drugs and fake anti-virus software that compromises people’s computers. Ugh! And, the never ending chore of removing these fake users and their fake comments wasted my time. I’d rather be composing, teaching, playing, writing. Heck, writing blog posts!

In the meantime, 2 weeks ago, I had a fun time at the Bazaar Cafe at the invitation of my dear friend, Mokai. Mokai put a show together in honor of his 10 year anniversary with his partner, the amazing CeCe! Included, besides myself, was singer-songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire, Garrin Benfield. The show also included Mia & Jonah, and of course, Mokai’s soulful singing, playing, and writing.

I absolutely adore the way that Garrin performs: his guitar playing is reason enough to see him. But a couple of years ago I noticed that his singing had gone from good to great. Maybe Garrin’s even edging beyond great to diva? (is that “divo” for men?)

Garrin and I met through a mutual friend about 6 or 7 years ago (not sure how long, Garrin?). Garrin was just getting some serious attention a that point, on top of his first solo album. Over the years, from time to time, we run into each other, and I get to hear what he’s doing, what’s changed, what’s new, what’s really settled in Garrin’s work. What a treat to observe the development of mastery.

At the Bazaar, I told Garrin how much I’m enjoying his singing; that I’d noticed a shift a couple of years ago. He responded that, indeed, a couple of years ago, suddenly, he felt “freed” when singing, that it came together in a new way. I believe that he said he was on a gig when he noticed? (please correct if I mis-heard, Garrin)

Someone (I forget who?) turned me on to George Leonard’s book Mastery. In this book, Leonard tries to explain the nature of the process towards mastery – which is never achieved, of course. There’s almost always a long, slow plateau that seems to go endlessly, where one must simply surrender to continual practice, “for its own sake”. The shifts that occur in this part of the process cannot often be felt consciously.

The change comes when all the tiny shifts, all the somatic understanding in the body that has been accumulating, suddenly allow for greater control, greater ability – perhaps there’s a synergy of accumulation that takes place?

At any rate, whatever you’re doing to grow, Garrin – please keep it up. I love what you’re doing!

By the way, catch Mia and Jonah sometime if you live the Bay Area (and they tour, as well). They achieve a consistency of sound that’s pretty interesting, considering their diverse material and instrumentation. I also really enjoyed the carefully crafted lyrics.

And, Mokia! I love your love songs. I wish you’d do more of them in your shows. In fact, Mok’, I would love to help with a recording of your love-oriented song book! Great stuff.

cheers

/brook

I’ve played restaurants in Sausalito before. These have all been paying gigs.

Sausalito lives on the tourist trade. It’s a Bay Area destination. Visitors love to check out the boats, the house boats, the quaint little shops on the Bay. It’s also known as an art destination. Perhaps not as famous to the arty as Tiburon or Carmel (not on the Bay!), but a destination for art, yes. And, of course, for a day and evening Sausalito adventure, there are plenty of good to very fine restaurants. What else would one expect of the food destination San Francisco Bay Area? This little burb rakes in the cash during Summer tourist season. Even the parking meters charge something like $3/hour! Sheesh.

So, imagine my surprise when Evelie said, “We’re playing for tips”. Huh? At her last gig at this place, she told me that it was noisy packed. It’s the height of tourist season, after all. Her draw, the folks who actually made the trip just to hear her sing, couldn’t hear her, it was so packed and loud. (complaints, complaints). And, this restaurant can’t afford a few hundred bucks to pay the musicians? What?

What are these restaurants thinking? Destination tourist, packed, raking it in. And you don’t have money for entertainment? What’s wrong with your budget, folks? Or, are you just in the business of taking advantage of whomever you can? Golly, I’m shocked.

I can understand a break-even cafe at the edge of North Oakland/Berkeley paying tips and food. Sure – labor of love for art’s sake. I’m down; happy to donate my time to the cause (or any worthy cause, for that matter) But playing for Christopher Waters at The Nomad, a vision of art and right livelihood coming together with hip audiences who actually listen, love, support; that’s an entirely different matter than some packed tourist restaurant in Sausalito, with patrons over-talking the band.

C’mon. At the latter gig, the musicians are part of a scene to draw folks in and keep ‘em drinking (expensive) wine and drinks, right? I know the drill. I’ve played a lot of restaurants in my career.

Sure, there are lots of players who’ll play for nothin’, even in the Bay Area. But diva level singers who’ve played Lincoln Center? Nope. And, as my publicist and last biographer both like to say, “critically acclaimed magic brook”. This isn’t the space to toot my own horn, I don’t think. Still, I’m not exactly an unknown local player any more.

And, I’ll be coming from my gig in Palo Alto, The Palo Alto Festival of the Arts (3PM, Ramona Stage). Guess what? I get paid for that! Surprise surprise. (Oh, I love the gig. Wonderful audiences, I sell CDs, I get to play my tunes, my way. Lovely way to spend an afternoon, absolutely. It’s my 3rd year)

What is this business coming to? Pay your players to the level of money being taken in. Musicians, we have to stand up together. Sure, play for tips at the local cafe because you love the owner and the concept. But there IS a difference between that and tourist restaurants. These should be paying gigs. That’s only right and proper.

Hope to see you Saturday at one or both of these gigs: magic brook in concert in Palo Alto. Check the calendar for details in Sausalito.

cheers.

/brook

At the beginning of January, I fell off the chart after 12 weeks of being listed (hit #14 for a day in November). Many well known artists had just released new albums. These new albums were getting the airplay at that time. So, I stopped paying attention. I assumed that because I wasn’t charting any more, I wouldn’t return to the charts for at least a while.

But my publicist, Curtis Smith, called and asked me to check a week or so ago. And lo and behold! In January, I got enough air play to finish within the top 20 albums. Wow! That’s a kick.

I think that “The Source” received airplay for 30 weeks, since the first radio stations started receiving advance copies in September, 2008.

Thank you, DJs for supporting my album.

cheers

/brook

I’ve thought about this problem for a while: “Should I participate? Yes? No?”

My conclusion is that I do not fit neatly enough within a genre. I get lumped into whatever genre seems closely related to what I’m doing.

the thing is, these corner genre lumped together only hold about 1% of the listening public. (all the genres that I fit into are part of the “other” not included in rock, pop, r & b, hip hop. These combined together account for something like 7% of total total listening. Ugh – we’re talking miniscule, here)

For us, the not-so-easily categorizable, contests are pretty much a waste of marketing effort, I think.

Why? Because the number of people who will actively be my fans is always going to be drastically less than those artists working solidy within the bounds of whatever’s in style at the moment.

I suppose if you (the artist) are going head-to-head with Taylor Swift, you’ve got numbers on your side. Country, pop, singer-song writer, indie. Those are big, big genres, a big big possible listening public.

But I have been recently compared to one period in John Ambercrombie’s lengthy and amazing career. I don’t think that even John’s going to win a popularity contest against Taylor any time in the near future (or the shape of the listening public will have to shift drastically).

Nothing meant against either Taylor Swift (I like her debut album a lot) or Mr. Ambercrombie – who is among my guitar heros. Each of these artists is valid within the constraints of their work: one is meant to appeal to a broad audience, and one is a much more personal vision and exploration appealing to a much smaller subset of listeners.

I believe that many of us are working with less constraints on influences and explorations. Those of us taking these chances, by the very nature of the chances, are not going to find mass appeal – at least not unless we get really lucky (like, say, hitting the lotto jackpot, or being invited in because of the respect our work garners. Think Herbie Hancock. His playing and his taste have taken him far beyond the confines of what is normally considered jazz. On the other hand, I’m not Herbie Hancock by a long stretch)

The the short of it is, please don’t bother me with popularity contests. I’m not out to win any!

I’m out to produce music that both interests me to play, and which hopefully, some folks, particular folks, will also enjoy listening to?

Oh and by the way, why would reviewers let a popularity contest choose the work for review? Isn’t it supposed to work the other way around? Aren’t reviewers supposed to be finding works for their readers? And, perhaps, they are to warn readers off of works that may not meet expectations?

As I just read in Mic LaSalle’s column, “a review is a news story about how good or bad a movie (recording, show) is.” Yeah, folks at musicemissions.com. Don’t tell the fans what they think. Tell them what you think. Take a chance – choose for yourself.

Are the reviewers at musicemissions.com courageous enough to do their own work? Or do they just want to confirm what the fans have already told them that they already know all about?

I’ll be in Denver next week for a concert. Come introduce yourself to me when I’m at Swallow Hill on the 5th. I’d love to talk about this, or whatever else you have on your mind.

cheers

/brook

*** (I’ve been distributed to college stations by The Planetary Group, and had significant college radio play – so, … check)