You are currently browsing the archives for August, 2010.
Nashville keyboardist Michael Whittaker will be performing with all star band including Marcus Finnie, Tom Hemby, Mark Douthit, Joey Richey, and myself this Thursday night at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville… If you are in the area, we hope you will come support this amazing night of music!
Thursday, August 19 @ 9pm
3rd and Lindsley
816 3rd Ave South
Nashville, TN
It is with a very heavy heart that I share with you the passing of legendary drummer and co-founder of Little Feat, Richie Hayward. Richie lost his battle with liver cancer on August 12th at age 64 in Vancouver, British Columbia while awaiting a transplant. I was fortunate to have toured with Richie during our “Justice League” Tour dates and was proud to call him a friend. Richie was one of the most humble and gracious folks I had ever known, and his positivity and encouragement always lit up the room wherever he was. He will be greatly missed. Anyone wishing to remember Richie financially is invited by the family to make a donation to Sweet Relief, the Richie Hayward Fund, at www.sweetrelief.org.
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Lowell George and Richie Hayward co-founded Little Feat in 1969 along with Bill Payne and Roy Estrada. They established a distinctive style of improvisational southern rock that mixed elements of blues, rock boogie and funk. Little Feat went on hiatus in 1978 and officially parted ways a year later after George died of an accidental overdose. Hayward helped reform the band in 1987 and continued to play with the group until last year when health concerns prevented him touring. Hayward lived in British Columbia until his death. Hayward was also an accomplished sideman and played on recordings by such diverse artists as Eric Clapton, Warren Zevon, Travis Tritt, Robert Palmer, Tom Waits, Taj Mahal, Barbra Streisand, John Cale, Buddy Guy, Arlo Guthrie, Carly Simon, Bob Seger and many others. Hayward and Little Feat also collaborated with a new generation of jambands in the ’90s and ’00s, including Jimmy Herring, Bela Fleck, String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon and Warren Haynes. The band’s association with Phil Lesh & Friends and cover of Phish’s “Sample in a Jar” also brought an element of improvisation back into the group’s live sound. In addition, he played in the jamband all-star band Justice League with Herring, T. Lavitz and and Adam Nitti. Richie’s last public performance was a sit in with Little Feat at the Vancouver Island MusicFest on July 11, 2010.
The Low Notes for Nashville Bass Auction for Flood Relief is underway with several unique basses up for auction! For those who may not have heard, LOW NOTES FOR NASHVILLE is a community of bassists that banded together to help their brothers and sisters whose lives were devastated by Nashville’s recent flood. As many of you are already aware, the flood has displaced many families and communities in and around Nashville, including many area musicians who lost their gear, their homes, and even many of the venues in which they earned their income. For musicians, nothing is more traumatic than the loss of the tools of their trade; tools they have bonded with over many years of learning, loving, and performing together. There is a wealth of emotions shared between a musician and his or her instruments that can never be replaced or reproduced. We at www.lownotesfornashville.org understand this bond and feel for their loss, and we hope to lessen the sting by providing loaner gear, and assistance with gear replacement. Three basses, 2 of which are prototypes, are up for auction on eBay. Here are the eBay Item Numbers with direct links to their auctions:
120607766938 – *PROTOTYPE* MTD MICHAEL TOBIAS SIGNED CRB 5-STRING BASS
120607785879 – *PROTOTYPE* CAREY NORDSTRAND VP5 P-STYLE 5-STRING BASS
120607806665 – YAMAHA BB414 BASS SIGNED BY NATHAN EAST & ANITA BAKER
Be sure to bid early and not miss out on these amazing and rare instruments! All proceeds will be donated to help those devastated by the floods of Nashville.
I am extremely humbled and honored to have an interview and profile included in the pages of jazz author and educator, Cicily Janus‘ latest book, The New Face Of Jazz, on Billboard Books. The New Face Of Jazz is an intimate, illustrated guide to the artists, venues, and festivals of today’s jazz scene. This book celebrates the living legends, current stars, and faces of tomorrow as they continue to innovate and expand the boundaries of this great musical legacy. In their own words, artists such as McCoy Tyner, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, Terence Blanchard, Charlie Hunter, Nicholas Payton, George Benson, Maria Schneider, Christian McBride, Randy Brecker, Jean-Luc Ponty, Joe Lovano, Lee Ritenour, and more than 100 others (including myself) share intimately about their beginnings, musical training, inspiration, and hard-earned lessons, creating a fascinating mosaic of the current jazz community. Photographer Ned Radinsky contributes 40 amazing black-and-white portraits of some of these musicians doing what they do best—playing. An appendix offers resources for jazz education; an exclusive reading list; and the lowdown on those organizations and societies doing their part to promote jazz as a living, breathing art form. With an introductory word from Wynton Marsalis, a foreword by Marcus Miller, and an afterword by Sonny Rollins, The New Face Of Jazz is an unprecedented window onto today’s world of jazz, for everyone from the devotee to the new listener. You can now order online directly via any of the following retailers:
