Docbop

Just throwing out one thing to remember about Barry Harris method. As I learned from hanging with some name players Barry Harris is great and is the foundation that needs to be learned, BUT have to remember Barry doesn't like Jazz from about the mid-fifties onward. So Barry is a foundation but a lot has happened since the mid-50's so there is more to learn past Barry.

Been listening to a lot of Ethan Iverson that last day or so.

After seeing this thread I pulled out my DVD set of the Barry Harris Workshop and always enjoy watching him work those students and pickup something new every time. The DVD's aren't cheap but I really enjoy them. Also Howard Rees who is Barry's music and business partner has online classes covering Barry's materials. Here's the link he has the classes and sells the Barry Harris Workshop DVDs. http://www.jazzschoolonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=435

The only good thing about "who is best" it will get some people who don't do enough listening to hopefully to check out more of the names mentioned. But on the bad side it might limit someone who just things I'll listen to the "best" and doesn't open their ears up to other approaches.

Listening to the livestream of Cyrus Chestnut with Dezron Douglas on upright At Mezzrow. Cyrus so much feel and great lines.

Compositions are for horses not artists. -- Bela Bartok

Ok, so $11K for the entry level with their new monitor. How much for the maxed out version with all the bells and whistles? One of the computer geek sites said fully loaded it is around $50,000. My old cheese grater Mac Pro wasn't max'd out ,but close and it was about the price of the entry level of the new Mac Pro. Apple pricing has gone nuts, only Apple would release a $5000 monitor and want another $1000 for the stand. I liked it better when Logic and Final Cut was expense and the computers were cheaper. Then Apple said they were going to kill off Logic due to high R&D cost, but then realized how much hardware sales Logic and Final Cut generate, so they dropped the price of the software and been increasing the hardware costs continually. No wonder smaller studios are running Hackintoshes now.

Yamaha reface DX. Wanted basic synth to start getting familiar with synth and something small enough to be my couch keyboard. It's a lot of fun and found a demo model so price was good.

Most of Brad Mehldau's new album "Finding Gabriel" is up on Youtube and have been listening to a lot of the tracks. Not you usually Mehldau fair, but still interesting lots of synth, voices, and indie sounding to me (hey I'm an old guy I don't know the right genre to label it). I find it very interesting.

For a couple different times and rooms I've just gone the DIY route. First setup was cinder blocks and long wide pine for shelving. Using cinder blocks can setup lots of ways, and final setup I had the holes in the cinder block pointing out so them create little cubby holes for storing stuff. My most recent setup for recording and keyboard I got a dining room table since they are much deeper than normal desks. That gave me room to have computer and studio monitors in back and positioned wide apart. Plenty of room up front for keyboard and other things. Then discover sets of adjustable table legs and replaced the original leg with adjustable one for better working height. Then at office supply got a small cabinet on wheels that gave me a file drawer and to small drawers for supplies and etc. As needs great I bought a small studio rack for outboard gear. I put an rack accessory drawer on the bottom, and a power conditioner on top that had pull out lights and front and back AC sockets. Add in my good high back office chair and I had a space I could live in. Both setups being a patchwork of thing made them very flexible for different setups over time.

I have my Alexa stream piano music all night and about 5am I heard this really cool Blues playing that got me to wake up enough to listen. It is early Kenny Barron playing tune called Wazuri Blues.

My listening goes all over the place so over the last day or two... Brad Mehldau solo album Elegiac Cycle. Watched Joe Zawinul DVD 75. Some classical piano Yuja Wang playing Bartok and another with a percussion ensemble. Last night was checking out some Fred Hersch. Just picked Stefon Harris CD Blackout and want to spend some time listening to that.

Right now I'm listening to John Beasley album "Surfacing" John with Robert Hurst and Vinnie Colaiuta.

I know I'm still a beginner (on piano) but really want a real acoustic piano, so I bought an old Wurlitzer console piano from local music store. It a blonde and has a cool funky sound and plays real nice. It was the piano the store owner played all the time and he'd use for student recitals, but not one for customers to beat on. No one thought he would sell the piano, but he's one of these "everything is for sale" type and some woman was talking to him about buying. I alway liked the piano and the woman her husband started driving the store owner nuts with phone calls and questions on buying the piano, so I said I like it, I'll buy it if they don't. He said it's yours I'm tired of that woman's calls. My motivation was partly from being a guitar player 40+ years and when I'd get an idea I could just pickup a guitar and try it. On my keyboard I have to turn it on and wait for it to boot, then turn on the amp and by then something else might of popped into my head. So with a acoustic piano I get an idea I and just sit and play it. So looking forward to my Funky Blonde Wurlitzer acoustic piano.

Just bought a new pair of studio monitors for my computer recording setup and my current KRK's will move back to being my speakers for the keyboard practice setup.

Mulgrew Miller and NHOP playing Autumn Leaves, two monsters resting in peace.

Right now listening to Herbie Hancock Sextant album the tune Hidden Shadows.

Hi new around here and to piano so here's my first post.