News from the darkest corners...

The Zappa Family Trust reports:

Since last month’s confirmation of the September 19th date for Baltimore City’s dedication of a bust of Frank Zappa, community support has been growing for a concert and festival in tribute to the legendary musician, composer and social icon, whose birthplace is Baltimore. The bust, donated by a Lithuanian fan club, will be placed at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Southeastern Anchor Branch in Highlandtown, and plans now include an outdoor concert featuring Zappa Plays Zappa (fronted by Frank’s son Dweezil), and various events at the library and nearby Patterson Theatre in support of the dedication ceremony.

The date itself is especially significant as September 19th is the anniversary of Zappa’s 1985 testimony on Capitol Hill in favor of free expression by Recording Artists at the Senate hearing instigated by certain congressional wives (members of the PMRC) concerning record labeling. Frank Zappa’s widow Gail commented on the remarkable coincidence, stating, “Frank’s legacy rests in his uncompromising defense of the First Amendment and his uncompromising pursuit of excellence clearly demonstrated in the standards he set in all areas of Music and the arts and sciences associated with it. He was self-taught and self-realized. It is hard to imagine how that is possible except for the 4 cornerstones he had going for him: a talent for music, a hard-core curiosity, a keen sense of humor and access to a library. He was a cheap date for History.”

The broader scope of events, being developed by Clearpath Entertainment in collaboration with the Zappa family, the Southeastern Community Development Corporation, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Creative Alliance, are intended to help anchor the new Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment District and plans now include a library exhibit, symposiums, and after party in addition to the dedication and concert. Sean Brescia of Clearpath stated, “Baltimore has a rich entertainment heritage dating back to its iconic theatres and jazz ballrooms, and opportunities like this are a chance to re-capture that spirit. We wanted to build an event that was a truly fitting tribute to the Zappa legacy, but also something that can grow into a signature cornerstone event for the Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment District, and Gail [Zappa] has shared that vision from the beginning.” In the interest of what the events could mean for the community, Brescia reached out to a broad group of community organizations to help plan and raise support for the events.

Echoing that sentiment of community interests, Chris Ryer of the Southeast Community Development Corporation added, “The bust coming to Highlandtown and these events are high-profile, flagship opportunities to position the Highlandtown Arts and Entertainment District as major reasons for visitors to come to Southeast while they’re in Baltimore. We’re excited to work with Clearpath and the Zappas to leverage this year’s events as a catalyst for great things to come.”

Remarking on the concert lineup, Clearpath’s David Christensen said, “Frank Zappa’s musical genius and influence is undeniable and it has always been a must for us that Dweezil headline this show in the ultimate tribute to his father. This is going to be Zappa Plays Zappa, next to Zappa’s statue, on Zappa’s street, on Zappa’s day; it couldn’t be more fitting.”

Renowned Dutch saxophonist and composer Willem Breuker has died in Amsterdam aged 65. Willem Breuker founded his own eleven-player orchestra in 1974 to perform a unique combination of jazz and contemporary classical music.

The Willem Breuker Kollektief is seen as one of the earliest Dutch ensembles to present improvised music in a way that was accessible to the general public. Amsterdam-born Willem Breuker was awarded many prizes, including the 1993 VPRO Boy Edgar Prize.

Big Star bassist Andy Hummel, a founding member of the cult rock band who performed on the group’s acclaimed first two albums, died yesterday in Weatherford, Texas, following a two-year battle with cancer. Hummel was 59. Hummel’s death comes just four months after he took part in a SXSW tribute to Big Star frontman Alex Chilton, who suffered a fatal heart attack on March 17th.

Hummel’s Big Star roots date back to the Memphis band Icewater, which featured Big Star guitarist Chris Bell (who later died in a 1978 car accident) and Stephens before Chilton joined the group. Hummel played on Big Star’s debut #1 Record and Radio City, both listed on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Hummel wrote “The India Song” and “Way Out West” and has co-writing credits on some of the band’s most beloved songs, including “Back of a Car,” “Life is White” and “Daisy Glaze.” While Big Star developed a cult following decades later thanks to the support of famous fans like Paul Westerberg and R.E.M., the band was underappreciated in its own time, and Hummel quit to finish school prior to recording the group’s epic Third/Sister Lovers.

Hummel went on to become a longtime employee at Lockheed Martin, though he still occasionally played music on the side. When Big Star reunited in the mid-1990s, Hummel elected not to take part; the Posies’ Ken Stringfellow took over bass in his place.

(Source: RolingStone.com)

British indie-punkers Redtrack consist of Billy Wright (guitar/vox), Phil Blake (bass/vox), Mitch Silvey (guitar/vox/keys) and Andrew Perry (drums). They come from Southend-On-Sea, their bass player has survived an attack with a meat cleaver and they reckon they sound like a cross between Girls Aloud and The Clash.

‘Whole Town’s Heart’ is their debut album and will be released on Monday 30th August. It is chewy and tuneful and, with its small-town panic attacks and punchy new wave melodic jabs, sees them nodding towards the classic Britpopesque heritage of Weller, Difford and Costello. Small wonder then that punkoid peer Pete Shelley from The Buzzcocks was so enamored with their tunes that he co-produced (alongside Dave M Allen) their last single, ‘Poledancer’, which appears on this here album. That isn’t the only celebrity light shining on ‘Whole Town’s Heart, as it features a feisty guest appearance from ‘Hollyoaks’ starlet Hollie Jay Bowes on ‘Pretty Boy’, a spin-off from the band’s recent performance on the show and they have a celebrity fan in actor Ray Winstone who suggested he could join them on a track in the future.

‘Whole Town’s Heart’ is also the first ever album release on Label Fandango, the Pointy Recordings / Fierce Panda offshoot which has previously concentrated on ace singles by the likes of Broken Records, Fanfarlo, Air Traffic and more.

As for that somewhat daring reference to Girls Aloud and The Clash? Listen to future single ‘The Trier’ and try to keep your blue suede shoe planted firmly to the ground as they perform a number headline dates in the UK this summer before a series of shows supporting legendary punkers THE BUZZCOCKS in September!

Download “Imogen” by Redtrack for free.

Skate punk legends JFA are about to release the band’s first full length studio album, the group’s first since the 1999 release of “Only Live Once.”

“Speed of Sound” is scheduled to be released on DC-Jam Records on July 27th, 2010 through both digital download & CD and will eventually be made available on a 12″ vinyl picture disc as well.

The new record will be supported by two new music videos from the song’s “Wilson” & “Danny Sargent’s Trucks”, both which can be seen on http://www.blanktv.com/ with the latter making it’s world premier on July 13th.

“We’re stoked to finally have this record out,” said JFA frontman Brian Brannon. “Fans of our early material will dig our new tunes that reach back to our hardcore skate punk roots.”

Pre-orders for the CD will begin on July 14th at www.Interpunk.com along with a contest for a drawing that will give away 3 new JFA skateboard decks.

Launched by The Beatles in 1968, as the new outlet for their own recordings as well as the music of an eclectic roster of artists – James Taylor, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Mary Hopkin, Doris Troy, and Jackie Lomax among them – who were all personally brought to the label by The Beatles (individually or collectively), Apple Records made popular music history from the very moment it opened its doors.

Four decades later, Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music raise the curtain on remastered CD and digital download releases of 15 key albums from the Apple Records catalog. All 15 titles will be released on October 26th. Most of the physical CDs will include bonus material. Together, the 15 albums represent the first ever Apple Records releases to be available via digital download.

In the revolutionary spirit of 1968, The Beatles’ explosive musical output (characterised by their double-LP White Album) was only exceeded by their fascination with what they saw and heard going on around them. Five years into The Beatles’ reign, Apple Records afforded them the unique opportunity to sign new (and established) artists who appealed to each of them. In turn, the introduction of an artist on The Beatles’ record label was an imprimatur taken very seriously by fans across the universe.

Apple Records’ utopian artist-orientated mission immediately set it apart, as the first operation of its kind in the major-label sphere. Diversity was celebrated, and artists were encouraged to record and release their music in a friendly creative environment. Apple developed a distinctive graphic aesthetic, from its legendary ‘apple-core’ logo to its advertising and merchandising, in the process setting a subtle new benchmark for the industry to follow.

From 1968 to 1973, Apple Records bedazzled the world with a rainbow spectrum of releases – and fans were unusually well-informed about individual involvements of The Beatles with nearly every project. 1968’s self-titled debut album by Boston-based singer-songwriter James Taylor, for example, features Paul McCartney and George Harrison on “Carolina In My Mind”. Paul was instrumental in bringing the Welsh chanteuse Mary Hopkin to Apple, and produced her debut single, “Those Were The Days”. Badfinger, also from Wales, was still known as The Iveys when they recorded “Come And Get It”, written and produced by Paul (for The Magic Christian movie soundtrack).

The Beatles had been fans of Billy Preston ever since seeing him in Little Richard’s band in Hamburg in 1962. George went on to produce and play on Preston’s Apple debut, That’s the Way God Planned It. Harrison was one of the producers and played (along with Ringo Starr) on Doris Troy’s self-titled Apple album. George also produced and played (with Paul and Ringo) on Jackie Lomax’s debut album, Is This What You Want? featuring the Harrison composition, “Sour Milk Sea”.
John was much taken with the music of The Modern Jazz Quartet, who released the only two jazz albums in the Apple catalogue. Ringo was intrigued by the music of contemporary British classical composer John Tavener, and his Apple album, The Whale has become one of the most sought-after Apple collectibles of all time.

Each of the 15 albums in this bumper batch of Apple Records releases has been digitally remastered at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London by the same dedicated team of engineers behind The Beatles’ recent remastered catalogue releases of 2009.

Eight of John Lennon’s classic solo albums and other standout recordings have been digitally remastered from his original mixes for a global catalogue initiative commemorating the music legend’s 70th birthday, which falls on October 9.

Overseen by Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth” campaign will launch on 4 October with the worldwide release of eight remastered studio albums and several newly-compiled titles.

Double Fantasy, 1980’s GRAMMY Award winner for Album of the Year, will be presented in a newly remixed ‘Stripped Down’ version remixed and produced by Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas, co-producers of the original mix with John Lennon. The new stripped down version of the album comes in an expanded 2CD and digital edition pairing the new version with Lennon’s original mix, remastered.

The campaign’s other new collections include a hits compilation in two editions titled Power To The People, The Hits‚ a 4CD set of themed discs titled Gimme Some Truth‚ a deluxe 11CD collectors box with the remastered albums, rarities, and non-album singles, titled the John Lennon Signature Box. All of the remastered albums and collections will be available on CD and for download purchase from all major digital service providers.

To celebrate what would have been Frank Zappa’s 70th birthday, Zappa at the Roundhouse, London is a three day festival from 5–7 November that will celebrate the life and music of this legendary American artist. The programme includes performances from his son Dweezil Zappa, screenings of previously unseen film footage, world premieres of unheard Zappa material, Q&A sessions with members of the Zappa family and music masterclasses with various members of Zappa’s backing bands. Full programme and event details to be announced soon!

Check www.roundhouse.org.uk for details.

William Aucoin, record industry executive, manager, entrepreneur, and creative visionary, passed away this morning, Monday, June 28 at the Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Aventura, Florida, USA.

Born December 29, 1943, Bill was battling prostate cancer, and passed away from surgical complications.

The man known for masterminding the career of the heavy metal group KISS, Bill Aucoin also managed Billy Squier, Lordi, Billy Idol, and numerous other artists. His most recent venture was Aucoin Globe Entertainment, which he founded in 2007. In its three years, Bill and his company developed bands in the U.S. and around the world.

In celebration of the life and music of legendary free-jazz tenor-saxophonist Albert Ayler, ESP-Disk’ and Issue Project Room, in conjunction with Roosevelt L!ve have curated a day-long free concert, Saturday July 10th from 2-10pm, in honor of the groundbreaking musician’s 74th birthday. With performances by some of the most prolific artists dedicated to pushing the boundaries in the avant-jazz world the same way Ayler did over 40 years ago, this festival will feature sets from The New Atlantis Sextet with Marshall Allen, William Hooker, Charles Gayle, Gunter Hampel, Giuseppi Logan, and more all taking place at RiverWalk Commons on picturesque Roosevelt Island: NYC’s Best Kept Secret.

The outdoor festival will also feature a record fair with a variety of new and used vinyl vendors hosted by ESP-Disk’s own in-house retail operation, ESP Records.

Great live music, a great selection of vinyl & CDs, great food from the local Roosevelt Island restaurants and a view of Manhattan that can’t be beat. What more could a music lover want on a summer day?

Location & Directions:
Riverwalk Commons, Roosevelt Island, New York, F Train to Roosevelt Island Map

www.albertaylerfestival.com
www.esprecodstore.com

Zang Tuum Tuum and Salvo – Union Square Music’s collector’s label – announce Influence, the definitive Best Of the Art of Noise. It will be released on july 19th.

Disc One compiles all the hit singles plus collaborations, classic album tracks, movie & TV themes, 12″ remixes and B-sides. And Disc Two retells the Art of Noise story via 20 previously-unreleased tracks from all eras of the group’s history, from 1983 to the present day.

Influence covers all eras of Art of Noise’s ground-breaking contribution to sampling, dance and electronic music. From the early 80s with records like Beat Box, Moments in Love, Close (to the Edit), and as the band that put together Malcolm McLaren’s highly influential Duck Rock… To mid-80s hit singles like Peter Gunn (with Duane Eddy), Kiss (with Tom Jones), Paranoimia (with Max Headroom)… Art of Noise’s 90s/00s reincarnation – when founder members Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley and Paul Morley were joined by Lol Creme – is also covered with singles such as Metaforce (featuring Rakim) and the drum & bass riffing, John Hurt sampling The Holy Egoism of Genius.

Zayde Buti (b. 1985) is a musician, performer, and writer from Boston, Massachusetts. His debut album, “i’m lovin’ it”, features subversive and amusing social critiques set to dynamically arranged electronic beats. Zayde has been performing his work throughout the Northeast U.S. since 2007, with appearances at UMass Amherst, New England Conservatory, Brandeis University, Beat Research (Enormous Room) and Mobius Arts Space. In addition to established venues, Zayde activates the public sphere with guerrilla street performances. He has taken his portable act into stores, malls, supermarkets, public parks, private homes, trains, neighborhoods, and campuses in the Boston area.

“i’m lovin’ it” marks Zayde’s first collaboration with musician/producer Universal Tongues, and reflects the meeting of their styles, sounds, and imaginations. With a pop sensibility, Zayde unites musical influences ranging from punk rock to Middle Eastern music into dense and catchy songs. His vocal delivery straddles the worlds of singing, speak-singing, and spoken word. As a lyricist, he often uses words as samples, having done so nearly exclusively in “Hot ‘n Juicy” and “DD”, both of which appropriate and recontextualize advertising language. Zayde also uses humor to deflate rhetoric surrounding issues of addiction, consumption, poverty, and war. Based on a sadistic boy solider, “Supersoaker”, for instance, samples the Yankee Doodle marching tune and features lyrics appropriated from Super Soaker water blaster advertisements and a Soulja Boy YouTube video.

Combining music, theater, and performance art, Zayde’s most recent one-man show, “Hungry”, satirizes consumer culture language and behavior through the use of multiple characters, including a talk show host, Dunkin’ Donuts employee, homeless man, and cross-dressing solider. “Hungry comments on human nature and American culture in a humorous—sometimes bawdy—but always incisive way,” writes choreographer/performer Dawn Kramer.

Visit www.zaydebuti.com for videos, photos, and links to his work on MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, and SoundCloud.

Listen to “i’m lovin’ it” here.

There’s hardly any info yet, but according to Shorefire Media we can expect a new archival cd by Frank Zappa on june 11th. The title is “Joe’s Menage a Trois”.

In 1966 Bernard Stollman sent Sun Ra and his Arkestra, along with audio engineer David B. Jones on a tour of five New York Colleges. When they returned, just 39 mintues of music was chosen to be released as the original ESP 1045 “Nothing Is…“.

44 years later, after extensive research, producer and Sun Ra archivist Michael D. Anderson has pieced together the missing parts of the infamous New York College Tour. Recorded on May 18th 1966 at St. Lawrence University in Potsdam, NY, this illuminating document represents the full 70 minute first set, of which ESP 1045 “Nothing Is…” was taken, including an introduction by ESP alum Burton Greene. In addition, producer Michael D. Anderson has uncovered a partial second set from the same evening and some rare rehearsal footage recorded during a sound check before the concert.

With over 90 minutes of additional material, this two disc set allows a close up look at the band’s repertoire and sound over an entire evening, including the rarely performed State Street and alternate versions of Theme Of The Stargazers and The Second Stop Is Jupiter.

Remasted from the original tapes and presented in superb quality, College Tour Volume One is a vivid snapshot of the mid-sixties Ra and his intergalactic band.

Complete track listing and personnel can be found here.

Pianist Hank Jones died yesterday in New York City. He was 91 years old.

Jones was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 31, 1918. He was raised along with his brothers Thad and Elvin in the Pontiac, Michigan area, where their father was a Baptist deacon and lumber inspector. All three brothers went on to prominence as jazz musicians. Hank, the eldest, was the last one to pass on.

In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored Hank Jones with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He was also honored in 2003 with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Living Legend Award. In 2008, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. On April 13, 2009, the University of Hartford presented Jones with a Doctorate Degree for his musical accomplishments.

Hank Jones has recorded over sixty albums under his own name, and countless others as a guest. As a sideman he played with John Coltrane, Milt Jackson, Wes Montgomery, and many others.