I don’t know.

I’ve had some seriously shredding comments up there that did not fall into the category, “feedback to make the work better”.

Even so, as I’ve posted previou, my slow blues, “12 Long Years”, has made it more than once into the top 10 in the Blues category, for which I’m very grateful. Considering some of the things that have been said about what my fans tell me are their favorite numbers, I guess that’s quite an achievement and very unexpected. Thank you reviewers for your hard work.

Today, I logged in to upload a couple of tests from my upcoming solo guitar album (watch this space and my podcasts for more information and perhaps some samples as time goes along). I’d like to see what folks have to say about the work.

In the meantime, I looked at a couple of reviews of “12 Long Years” that I hadn’t seen yet. Posted was this wonderful comment that I hope the poster, “Bruce”, doesn’t mind my reposting here? Thank you, Bruce, whomever and where ever you are for not only this compliment, but for your other thoughtful critique, which I take very much to heart.

“You … write this gorgeous blues masterpiece! I think your construction is completely classic for the standard and you’ve done a beautiful job. Your voice, especially, is tender / convincing and the whole sound is more intimate than many other blues artists. Just a very, very good work – thank you!”

Well, thank you, Bruce. Please, do help broadjam stay out of the shredding morass with useful critique as you’ve given me.

cheers

/brook

Culling material that’s good enough for release is always a challenge. For instance, in September, Evelie and I had a wonderful show together. Some of the performances would have been so great to share with a larger audience.

But, if it’s not one thing, it’s another: most of the recorded mix is unusable. If that’s what our mix sounded like in the room, ugh! Our fans are amazingly tolerant and supportive.

I’ve got a wonderful performance of “Stony Creek” from November. Guitar sounds great, etc. But, a cell phone put a long bit of radio frequency interruption into the recording at a critical point. Do I edit that out, or not share the performance at all? I’m still thinking about it.

And so it goes. Sometimes, my hope to deliver a podcast at least monthly, I think, may be rather optomistic. Sigh.

Still, I’m delighted to share “When Love Calls”, with amazing vocals by Evelie, Cypress, and Sumir (who is a really talented guy – sings, plays about 5 instruments; I’m really happy to be working with him from time to time). “When Love Calls” is on my second album, written by me and Bernie Gilbert.

I hope that you enjoy this live performance.

best,

/brook

This is a version of “His Mystery” includes a bamboo flute introduction to set the feel. And then, after the verse, before the refrain, there is a trance into the forest to encounter the Mystery.

I hope that you enjoy this podcast. Let me know what you think.

Fall blessings,

/brook

This recording is of my 1970 Guild D50. George Peacock, in San Francisco, just rebuilt the bracing so that I could use this guitar for percussive work. Thanks, George!

This music is so much fun for me to play. So many of my skills both as a composer and a player, and a lot of my personal experience of music is in this one: my love of rhythms contrasted with melodic lyricism. To play it my heart is “Afire”.

I hope that you enjoy this recording. This is still an early recording and mix. Still, I’d like to share some of the work that I’ve been cooking.

peace,

/brook

In the meantime, I snuck in giving a rhythm workshop at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival, yesterday, Sunday. Participants seemed really enjoy it, get something out of the work.

And, I got myself into trouble in a few jam sessions – lots of swing players. There were even swing players who know the difference between a progressive player like myself and the more “traditional” playing only those nice 6th chords that they love so much. “Hey, don’t put that minor 7th in there – it’s wrong!”. Of course, in my music world, the minor 6th and minor 7th are just about the same chord – pretty interchangeable AND, I get to play around with the rhythm, a lot. Diff’ent strokes and all. Hope I didn’t offend anyone too much? I’m not very traditional, I’m afraid.

I also went to a wonderfully heart opening “Polyrhythm Choir” workshop given by Tony Elman late in the day. He is soooo good at circle singing. He had us not only moving to a trancy 3, “step, step-step, step-step”, but singing parts as we moved. My feet gave out, but not my voice.

While at Tony’s workshop, I also ran into my dear friend, Max Ventura. For those of you who have “Second Chants”, Max is that gorgeous obligato soaring above “When We Are Gone”. And, she and Johnny Hornung are the voices the come in on “His Mystery” after my vocal solo. I’m very excited that Max will be working with Reverent Offering. To start, she’ll be singing for peace with us as we do a Ritual for Peace at the Livermore Labs on August 6th.

Before I lose my fast internet access for 2 weeks due to my move, I thought I’d give you something to listen to. This podcast is from a concert I did in Boulder in March of this year. It’s a rendition of Jeffrey Alphonsus Mooney’s “Like the Moon”. It features my singing and an acoustic guitar solo. It’s just a mix off of the board, so please don’t expect this to sound like one of my albums. But, in the spirit of sharing things that otherwise might not get released, hopefully this will be something you’ll like?

Let me know what you’re thinking, either about this podcast, or whatever.

Peace and Summer blessings,

/brook

I’ll be testing the waters on radio with Gambler’s Blues from my first solo CD, “The Great Blues Sea”. The CDs are in the mail, my fate is cast to the winds of DJs all over the country. Yikes!

And, I’ve been preparing for more travel, to Denver for Workshops (though I’ll probably sneak in a house concert somewhere like I usually do. Check with the Denver organizers listed on my calendar). Then, later, I’ll be on the road for 4 weeks this Summer for workshops/camps. There’s just one performace in the Bay Area. Reverent Offering will do a performance for peace in Livermore on August 6th. Watch for more details.

And there are my monthly gigs with DJ at the Nomad Cafe. With all this travel, I’m moving house at the end of June – including my studio. Way too much going on. Get out the boxes.

In the mean time, I thought that I’d share with you a performance of Gin ‘N Honey from a live webcast in February.

Musicians:
Brook – lead vocal, guitar
DJ Hamouris – backing vocal
Mark Patrella – acoustic bass
Joyce Baker – percussion, trap drums

Recording Crew:
the crew from Expressions (check their website for the date – thanks guys. )

peace and love,

/brook

Since getting back I’ve been so inspired to integrate some of the amazing techniques that I saw fellow performers using. Not that I’ve mastered any of those folks’ beautiful playing. But they did inspire me to reach further with my own playing. It’s been fun (and sometimes, frustrating – learning is that process) to try lots of new right-hand techniques to try and fill out my playing.

In honor of all that great guitar work, I’m want to initiate my very own podcast with a test performance from December. As always, with these tests, I welcome comments and ideas to make the music better.

I played this piece in Zihautanejo, as well as at The Nomad, just before I left (and when I got back, too)

For this initial podcast, please listen to Andulasion Mist Test

You may subscribe to my podcasts by putting this link in itunes (I’ve tested it):

http://www.magicbrook.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&category_name=podcasts

I will be posting casts about bi-weekly. Expect test recordings, recordings from live shows, demo material from one of the bands I work with, and other unreleased material. I might also post some exercise material from my workshops.

Welcome to Brook’s podcasts. I believe that these will be available via RSS feed.

Happy May Day. I hope that the powers that be now understand that the United States cannot function without the immigrants who daily do the tasks that citizens prefer not to do.

peace

/brook