SmarterMusic is dedicated to the exploration of music in all its forms and the promotion of musical understanding for all. Active contributors include:
Pianist, instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger, and molecular biologist based in New York City. Former Music Director of the Achordants. For arranging services, see Broze Brothers Music; for performing and lessons, see Yuri Broze.com.
Accomplished guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and photographer.
Composer, arranger, double bassist, writer, and didgeridoo builder. Music Director of Brandeis University's Rather Be Giraffes. For arrangement and other sundry music services, check out MusicaRanger.
We like InterCaps.
One of the biggest issues of this ossified study of hundred-some year old music is that our university students are being taught that Beethoven, for instance, is forever… or at least his music is. We play them wonderful excerpts recorded on Steinway 9-footers of his Sonatae, and it never occurs to the young initiates that [...]
Sounds like a nice pasttime, doesn’t it? Also with video goodness, and the price is right!
Yet again, another interesting and rhythmic recording from the great jazz piano teacher, Lennie Tristano: If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe. His general lack of available recordings has made him a less celebrated [...]
Live at Montreaux in 2001. A fantastic job by these guys, who also had a remarkable duet album. If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe.
The Wall Street Journal on a Keith Jarrett album: It is the most successful solo jazz album of all time, but Keith Jarrett wants to see each of the 3.5 million copies of “The Köln Concert” stomped into the ground. (via Metafilter).
Pretty tremendous work, again! This one isn’t AutoTuned, which somehow makes it more incredible. Finding the pitches in the voice is so impressive to me. If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe. More here.
Quite a few are up on Ted Tjaden’s site, which has a ridiculously impressive collection of sheet music and information. Many of these are particularly hard to find, and haven’t yet made their way to the IMSLP Petrucci Music Library, so Ted’s page is a great resource. In addition to classic rags, he’s also compiled [...]
The Fig Leaf Rag is a composition nearly exactly one hundred years old, penned in 1908 during Joplin’s time in New York City — I imagine he was facing his 40s with a resolve to recapture a youthful exuberance he might have had before, when he first struck out from Texas to make a living [...]
My collegiate piano instructor, Ed Paolantonio, learned his trade form Lennie Tristano, a great but oft-overlooked hero of jazz piano. This I have always known; what is news to me is that Tristano was blind from birth, a trait that would go on to influence his jazz education methodology tremendously and help shape the way [...]
