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Friday, March 15, 2013

12 Questions for Jamie Ousley!

Jamie Ousley perfoming at Arturo Sandoval's club in Miami
Jamie Ousley has been a favorite at Palm Coast Jazz on our podcasts and otherwise. A master of his instrument, he's one of the most in-demand bassists in Miami. Some of the world-class artists he's performed with include Ira Sullivan, Arturo Sandoval, Benny Golson, George Shearing,
James Moody, Dave Liebman, Maria Schneider, Vince Mendoza, Nestor Torres, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Harry Allen and Bob Berg. His cds are a joy to listen to and filled with his appealing compositions as well as clever arrangements of standards, pop songs and classical works; all handled with finesse and dexterity by brilliant musicians. Finally - he's the nicest guy! We hope you enjoy our short interview, as well as the video & links underneath.



1) It’s clear from your albums that you embrace many kinds of music, including world, rock & classical. How did you get turned on to jazz?

I started playing jazz in my high school jazz band, but I didn't really even know what jazz was at that point. I really got seriously into jazz in college. I had the choice to go down the classical or jazz paths, and I chose jazz because it's always new.



photo by Jacek Andrzej Gancarz
2) Was bass your first instrument?

Violin was my first instrument, beginning with suzuki lessons at age 5. I switched to bass when I was 12, and I was lucky enough my public school program had orchestra.

3) A question for fellow bass players – tell us about your gear…

I play a 1983 Horst Gruenert double bass from Germany, which I feel very lucky to have! I use a fishman full-circle pickup and acoustic image amp. I just ordered one of those new DPA bass mics, so we'll see how that goes.



4) Name 3 albums that are currently getting a lot of rotation in your home or ipod.

Tony Bennett: The Art of Excellence
Fred Hersch Trio: Alive at the Vanguard
Hilary Hahn: Bach Partitas for Solo Violin


5) Who do you look to as the ideal jazz instrumentalist, bass or otherwise?

Ray Brown is my bass hero. Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, and Sonny Rollins are my favorite improvisors.

6) Name a favorite rhythm section of yours.

Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro & Paul Motian. They pioneered and developed interaction and conversational aspects within a rhythm section. "Waltz for Debby" remains one of my favorite recordings of all time.

Jamie performing with jazz legend Ira Sullivan
7) What was your first professional gig?

I guess my first professional gig was with my high school rock band "Cataclysm." I think we made money? We played for an after-prom party at a YMCA... Our band slogan was "Music so bad, you have to spank it!"

8) So far – what has been one of the most memorable onstage experiences for you?

The first that came to mind was one particular night at Arturo Sandovall's old jazz club on Miami Beach with jazz legend Ira Sullivan. Brian Murphy was on piano and John Yarling on drums... I've played with this same band dozens of times, but this particular night I had the most profound feeling of being in the "zone" or groove, whatever you want to call it. I remember the experience as being almost like I was an observer and laughing at the fun musical banter John & Brian were having. It was effortless to play and there was no possibility that any note could have been wrong.


9) Does composing/ finishing pieces happen easily for you or do you labor over it?

Definitely not easy! Occasionally ideas (usually the best ideas) come easily and without effort, but even those take a lot of work and editing to finish. One exception is a song off my first CD titled "Epiphany" in which I purposefully sat down to write a song in one session, start-to-finish, in a stream-of-consciousness style, just accepting whatever notes popped into my head next. It took about 2 hours.


10) I consider all your albums “successful”, but “A Sea of Voices” did very well on the Jazzweek charts. Was this a surprise for you?


It was definitely a surprise, but it was also a goal of mine to reach the top 10. A Sea of Voices reached #8. . .so I guess I have to set the goal a little higher next time!



11) Do you have specific goals as an artist, or for the music you compose/release?


Philosophically, my purpose is to contribute to and touch peoples lives with my music. But I don't always think about that every day. My biggest practical goal is to become known well enough so I can travel the world playing music. I really enjoy experiencing other cultures - which is a great part about living in Miami.

Photo by David Schanzer
12) What’s coming up for you?

I just submitted a proposal for a grant at my university to make a bass & vocal duo CD, so we'll see how that goes. I have a couple of fun trips coming up. Next week I'll be in Costa Rica playing a Jobim Bossa Nova with Strings concert with vocalist Rose Max and the National Symphony. I'll be playing with Joe & Austin (the guys from my last CD) at the Nashville Jazz Workshop in April and in the Boston area in August.



We asked Jamie to supply us with a video of his choice. Here's what he had to say about the video below: "Here's a youtube video collage with my song "Loving Beauty" from A Sea of Voices. These are some of my personal photos over the past few years traveling, and the studio 'rough mix' from the session. . .it was a first take!"




Thank you, Jamie, for doing the interview, and for all your contributions to jazz in FL, and around the globe! You can enjoy full-length tracks by Jamie Ousley on episodes 7, 9 & 13 of our podcast: and you can treat yourself to his excellent albums at iTunes and Amazon. - PCJ






Sunday, March 10, 2013

Palm Coast Jazz Episode 16 - Revisited!




This episode warrants repeating, so we added some nice photos, removed the clutter & put buy links at the very bottom. Wonderful musicians making wonderful music from start to finish. Enjoy the soul-moving sounds! (Note: clicking on pictures causes audio to stop)

Most of these selections are available wherever cds & downloads are sold online, but if you enjoy our presentation, please consider using the links at the bottom of this post! Thank you for supporting creativity in jazz!

1. Introduction - Allison & Kenny

2. "MG 1020" - David Fernandez

(Miami Springs, FL)
from the album "Symmetry"


David Fernandez - soprano sax
Carlos Vega - tenor sax
Gabriel Saientz - piano
Gabriel Vivas - bass
Ludwig Alfonso - drums




3. "Coral Sea" - Kenny Drew Jr.


(St. Petersburg, FL)  
from the album "Coral Sea"
courtesy of Random Act Records


Kenny Drew Jr. - piano
Jon Burr - bass
Marty Morell - drums



4. Announcements - Kenny

(background music from the album "Live in the City" by Jack Pierson)

 

5. "Julie's Lament" - Michael Royal Trio

(Sarasota, FL)
from the album "Transition"

Michael Royal - piano
Richard Drexler - bass
Steve Davis - drums






6. "Madcap" - Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge
(Temple Terrace, FL)
From the album "Madcap"

Chuck Owen - keyboard, composer, arranger
Jack Wilkins - tenor solo, John Abercrombie - guitar
Clay Perry - piano, Mark Neuenschwander - bass
Dave Hardman - drums

woodwinds: Valerie Gillespie, Tami Danielsson, Jack Wilkins,
Rex Wertz, Matt Vance
trumpets: John Robinson, Ron Turner, Mike Iapichino, Tom Parmerter
trombones: Keith Oshiro, Chris Clifton, Andrea Rawlison, Jim Hall





7. Announcements - Allison
(background music from the album "Moved" by Kenny MacKenzie Trio)


8. "Pheonix Phunk" - Clay Foster & Carey Frank
(Orlando, FL)
from the album "Bona Fide Sea Monsters"

Clay Foster - guitar
Carey Frank - organ
Frank Brunot - bass
Jonathan "Jon-Jon" Parks - drums





9. "La Noche" - Lynne Arriale


(Jacksonville, FL)
from the album "Solo"
courtesy of Motéma Records

Lynne Arriale - piano







10. Announcements - Kenny

(background music from the album "Second Chances" by Allison Paris)


11. Closing Announcements - Allison

Palm Coast Jazz closing theme by Seven Octaves.

produced by Kenny MacKenzie








Saturday, March 2, 2013

Last Year's Numbers...

Hello! This post is for anyone who likes such things, but mostly for the musicians featured on our podcast. Below are statistics from the year 2012 for the podcast. Things to keep in mind: 1) the show almost exclusively features original compositions 2) of jazz! 3) from regionally specific artists!

For "glass half-empty" souls, remember that podcasts have what in industry lingo is called a "long tail". This means that their effect on the artist (and label) is long lasting - since they're available online indefinitely, and have potential to gain an ever-increasing audience (as opposed to regular airplay - when it's over, it's over!) Also - the shows audiences are not random people, but actual jazz lovers who came to the show looking for quality jazz; many come back for more. Finally - nearly 3/4 of our listeners download the show - which means they are potentially listening to your track over & over, if they like it!

Total Plays/Downloads - 15,125
  • Downloads - 11,263
  • Plays (Streams) - 3,862

Top 10 Downloading Countries: 
  1. Russia 
  2. Japan 
  3. USA 
  4. UK 
  5. Ghana 
  6. Turkey 
  7. UAE 
  8. Germany 
  9. Italy
  10. South Korea

Top 10 Playing/Streaming Countries:
  1. US 
  2. Equador
  3. Kenya
  4. France
  5. Italy
  6. Mexico
  7. Germany
  8. Canada
  9. Japan
  10. Taiwan
The Most downloads in USA coming from Wichita, KS
The Most plays in USA from Jacksonville, FL.

The top 5 episodes in 2012:
  1. Episode 5 Jan 2012 - 1341 downloads/270 plays total - 1,611 
  2. Episode 7 Mar 2012 - 798 downloads/403 plays total- 1,201
  3. Episode 6 Feb 2012 - 819 downloads/303 plays total - 1,122
  4. Episode 9 May 2012 - 617 downloads/338 plays total - 955 
  5. Episode 4 Dec 2011 - 850 downloads/94 plays total - 944

I hope you find these numbers encouraging. I'm always looking for ways to increase our audience and promote all the phenomenal jams being produced here in FL. If you enjoy what the show is about, the best ways to help are to keep sending me your cds; share the shows you're on with Facebook friends/fans and listen to an episode or two that you are not on! (Always an idea behind the show - that we influence, inspire or provoke each other to move forward, make new albums in spite of the odds/cost, and have an overall appreciation for each other.) Thanks for being a part & sharing your music with jazz lovers all over the world! - Kenny MacKenzie