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@mattdeeryradio-blog
TUTV is a great program. The studio, as well as the production itself, rivals tv studios in the professional field. I highly recommend taking a look Temple University Television as well as the various classes and programs held/created at Klein College of Media and Communication in Annenberg Hall. Paul Gluck and Peter Jaroff got me where I am today in Broadcast News Television. Here's to another 15 years, and many more for Temple University Television!
This was a package I did around Halloween. The Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Inc was an awesome experience, both in a historic sense, as well as an amusement sense, with their program around the fall Holiday called Beyond the Veil/Halloween Nights. My colleague Jacob Snyder reported on this piece. I want to thank Kiani Lozada for showing Jake and I around the event/amusement, as well as giving us an extensive tour/knowledge of this amazing City of Philadelphia Landmark. I also want to thank Evan Z. Kushin for letting us interview him, as well as telling us the creative process of the lore of the event/show for Halloween Nights that he created with his expertise in storytelling/writing talents. This package was created for Temple Update for Temple University television station TUTV at Klein College of Media and Communication. The package aired live on Thursday, October 24th, 2024 at both 10am and rebroadcast at 6pm that day respectively. Fun fact Kiani told me, Steve Buscemi did the audio narration for the historic site tour/listening tapes. Another fun fact was that Al Capone had a brief stay, with his own "suite" as it were. This package was aired on channels Comcast 50/Verizon 45 for Philadelphia.
Here is a package I did a few weeks back about the Student Success Fair sponsored by @Cherry Pantry for Temple Update. It was briefly mentioned with some clips aired on 11/21/24. This is a great resource for Temple University students to find ways to succeed both in their current enrollment, as well their years ahead as graduates. I want to thank Annette Ditolvo for setting up such an amazing resource for students to strive and achieve success in both their collegiate years, as well as beyond. A big sponsor was Sharing Excess which provided a big help with provisions for @Cherry Pantry. This was broadcast in a condensed format on Thursday 11/21/24 Thursday on Channels Verizon 45/Comcast 50 airing at 10am and 6pm respectively. This package was done with Jacob Snyder and myself, who are Klein College of Media and Communication students.
Pic of myself operating Teleprompter for Temple update along side Producer Charly Schultz, Graphics operator Victoria Perez, and Server operator Tyler Loughery. Pic was taken from Temple Update's insta: (photo credit unknown)
My colleague Jacob Snyder and I created a hashtag#Televison News package for a cool Passyunk store called South Fellini. Not only does South Fellini sell unique clothing, which references the gamut of City of Philadelphia lore, history, pop culture, but also has an intriguing and engaging podcast. Both the podcast and the store clue in transplants/new arrivals, on what exactly Philly culture is, in-jokes, far reached references, history all unique to the city. The clothing items/podcast also bring nostalgia to those that grew up in Philly. I was lucky enough to interview Co-Owners Johnny Zito and Tony Trov about their unique business. They are both Temple University alums, with Johnny being a Temple University - School of Theater, Film and Media Arts alum and Tony being a Boyer College of Music and Dance - Temple University alum. Also interviewed, was a classmate of mine, and someone who I'd call not only a creative associate, but friend as well Robb Konczyk. Robb is a current Klein College of Media and Communication Media Studies and Production Major, as well as current intern for both South Fellini and PhillyCAM respectively. Temple University is blessed with so many creatives that it produces. I look forward to seeing both alums, and current student Robb different future/milieu in creative endeavors. Below are links to South Fellini the store, as well as their YouTube page containing their podcasts. Store: https://southfellini.com/ https://lnkd.in/e9MEgekb YouTube: https://lnkd.in/eswnM2pz Robb Konczyk insta: https://lnkd.in/eZnwHfKT Here is the webwrite: https://lnkd.in/eH6R97sT This package was broadcast live on 12/05/24 Thursday at 10am and and replayed at 6pm on channels Verizon 45/Comcast 50. https://lnkd.in/eysCTsvy
I did an Interview with Local Clarks Summit/NEPA Jazz Drummer Tyler Dempsey, a local jazz legend on his experience with Jazz, and the concept of jazz as a genre unto itself. You can take a listen, if you like, through Soundcloud:
Here is Tyler Dempsey's insta if you'd like to take lessons from him, or perhaps book him for your music venue/place of business.
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Interview with Young Pennsylvanian Jazz Artist MAWSB 13
This past Friday, I was fortunate enough to talk to jazz drummer Tyler Dempsey, one of my old colleagues from the Nepa jazz scene. Tyler and I went to high school together and on our road to music, which Tyler kept at, I went in a different direction, Tyler learned and worked with the jazz greats in our area. Drummers Marko Mancinko, his brother Pat Mancinko, bassist Tony Marino, and clarinetist Nick Driscoll all played and rubbed shoulders with Tyler. Tyler and I helped get a thriving jazz club in Scranton called Madame Jenny’s. The club still exists, though admittedly I haven’t seen if it resembles what was from my time there. “The Joint” was one of our competitors at the time and seems to be doing well. You would not think it, but because of Pocono’s jazz club circuit in the 1960s, Nepa has the remnants of that scene, as well as the crossover from Philadelphia and New York. The main events that showcase big-name talent, as well as equally exceptional local talent, are the Delaware Water Gap Jazz Festival as well as the Scranton Jazz Festival, both operating on an annual basis. A world-renowned jazz club, possibly one of the oldest still in existence/business, The Deer Head Inn, still operates and functions as it did back in the day, with weekly shows showcasing its history, as well as being a haunt for longtime jazz musicians. For a young jazz musician, playing at the Deer Head Inn is sort of a rite of passage within the jazz world. Through a Zoom meeting this past Friday, I was able to record forty-two minutes’ worth of interview footage of Tyler’s responses to his experience with jazz music, and the various jazz scenes he experienced/played in. Some of the questions I asked could have possibly yielded esoteric answers, perhaps on what captivates people to music/jazz itself, while other answers are more a matter of fact, poignant to what we see as the jazz landscape today in Pennsylvania, and perhaps even more broadly, the genre itself. Tyler explains that while it may not be as consistent of work, as it was during the heyday of the Pocono’s in the 1960s. that he, along with other musicians, as well as help from the local government, are turning the town of Honesdale into a weekend jazz getaway spot. The local government has been putting money into Honesdale to make it the next getaway/vacation spot for New Yorkers and Philadelphians who wish to have a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of their work-life surroundings. And, while not in Pennsylvania, just across the Pennsylvanian border to Upstate New York, is the town of Callicoon which hosts many jazz musicians, as well as jazz shows away from the island of Manhattan.
This recording will shape my proof of concept in that I will mold this interview into a podcast episode for a series called “All That Jazz”. I will take Tyler’s answers and form a narration inter-spliced, with royalty-free bebop and hard bop music being the bed for the narration. I think a good length for the proof of concept will be a four to five-minute “snippet” of the show. This would be in the vein of NPR/WRTI-produced works, which I have come to know and love, both for their calming effects, but as well as their informative/insightful effects as well. My committee, which consists of Jack Klotz and Larissa Miller have not heard of this proof of concept yet. I will not be going home to Thanksgiving break, and as such will try to deliver it to them for their feedback. However, based on their responses, I am trying to shape this podcast based on their suggestions/questions. So this proof of concept is directly made in part by their questions, concerns, and suggestions in previous emails about my project.
What I hope for the future life of this project is to follow in the footsteps of George Graham, Garrison Keillor, Rusty Fender, Marian McPartland, in that I could do a radio show or podcast about jazz for public radio in the future. I am not sure if this would be more of a side job, rather than a full-time career. However, while it seems that my career has been headed to more television news, and or A.V. for Universities, I would like to develop, possibly with a local public radio station, Philly-Cam, or even a podcast from home programs centered on jazz’s history, it’s present, and hopefully its future. Maybe not as a full-fledged career, but more of a paid hobby. I will share it on Soundcloud, but also will find a station, whether it be a college radio station, public media radio station, or a local access station, to run once weekly. Perhaps it would coincide with what is going on in the jazz world for that week, as well as events coming up both in the area, as well as big gigs in Europe, for those who are dedicated enough, as well as have the means. However, not everyone does have the means, and perhaps I could record these jazz acts, as well as interviews with them, with anybody with a small radio, or streaming device could hear such music/musings.
Strengthening bonds and ties to Philadelphia Jazz: Union 591 and 274 MAWSB 12
In John Wriggle’s journal article “Chappie Willet, Frank Fairfax, and Phil Edwards' collegians: From West Virginia to Philadelphia” he talks about how Chappie Willet supported the jazz musicians union in Philadelphia, according to the article. In the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties, the great depression hit, and with that Philadelphia’s chapter/local musicians union dissolved, Union 591 in nineteen twenty-two/three (Wriggle, 2007). Francis Robert “Chappie” Willet was a Philadelphian jazz pianist and composer who helmed/composed/arranged for big jazz swing bands with Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie in the nineteen thirties and forties (Wriggle, 2007). Even though Chappie was born, and subsequently died in Philadelphia, he got his big start in West Virginia in nineteen thirty-three, joining Phil Edwards’ “Collegians band in nineteen thirty-three (Wriggle, 2007). Fellow Collegian bandmate, Frank Fairfax, moved to Philadelphia in nineteen thirty-five (Wriggle, 2007). Fairfax started running and participating in the local Musician’s Union 591, then there after 274 in Philadelphia (Wriggle, 2007). Both men had trouble with the white musicians' local 77 arm in Philadelphia (Wriggle, 2007). Fairfax, because of these troubles with the white Local 77 union, created/formed the Local 274 union to help black jazz musicians in Philadelphia (Wriggle, 2007). Eventually, while desegregation arose in the nineteen sixties, because of Fairfax's and Union 274 efforts, eventually the local union 77 absorbed local union 274 (Wriggle, 2007). While this might have seemed like a win, combining all local jazz musicians into one union, regardless of color, some believed this reduced the influence and history of black Philadelphian Jazz musicians (Wriggle, 2007).
I did not realize how much politics played a role in jazz, especially in Philadelphia. It appears that due to the championing of both Willet and Fairfax, black Philadelphian jazz musicians were able to get a fair wage/their due. I find it interesting that it took two men, while one was born in Philadelphia, to make a name for themselves in West Virginia, before laying the groundwork for the unions of local musicians in Philadelphia. I’d imagine since both were arrangers for big swing jazz acts such as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, that even though they had their color going against them, their influence and connections helped pave the way for better treatment, and ultimately a better union. The goal of fairness was achieved as one union, regardless of race, but ultimately something this big win was at the loss of independence and influence. I think this article will help me with my project, as I had no clue of the underpinnings of race and politics, and how that shaped the bands and scenes from the big band swing days to the more modern bebop and hardbop days of the nineteen-fifties and sixties. Even when music could welcome and be a participatory event for all cultures, that then malaise of racism still affects those who created the art form of jazz.
For the preproduction binder discussion, we honestly went over David Nevil’s project with sports podcasting, about athletes' and fans' participation in social media. David and I talked about how the podcast would be set up, his main goal of the project, and how there were some queries that we discovered in our discussion. While we did not have time to go over my project, I believe that since both our projects are in a similar format of podcasts, there were some takeaways. I discovered that interviews might change the course of the project, as well as questions that weren’t thought of before might change the aspects and direction of a project.
For my proof of concept, I talked to Professor Zaylea after class about how the initial media/proof of concept would be shaped. We talked about how possibly narration/voice-over having, spliced with royalty-free jazz music and interview answers might make for a good program. This would be in a similar vein to NPR radio shows/WRTI interview shows, with a Public radio feel. I talked to Professor Zaylea about interviewing a young jazz drummer who is gaining notoriety. Professor Zaylea and I both agreed to possibly have a zoom conducted, and with the jazz drummer's answers, cut them from Zoom and have them interspersed throughout the program. I reached out to Tyler Dempsey through Facebook messenger, and he agreed to an interview. The interview will be conducted either Monday night or sometime during the week. Some questions will be of his relationship to jazz, his involvement with the scene, any experiences with the Philadelphia Jazz scene, history/influences, as well as upcomers in both Philadelphia and PA as a whole.
Works Cited
Wriggle, J. (2007). CHAPPIE WILLET, FRANK FAIRFAX, AND PHIL EDWARDS' COLLEGIANS: FROM WEST VIRGINIA TO PHILADELPHIA. Black Music Research Journal, 27(1), 1-22. http://libproxy.temple.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/chappie-willet-frank-fairfax-phil-edwards/docview/230440902/se-2
A Sweet Treat: Heath Brother’s Interview MAWSB #11
In my previous blogs, I talked briefly about the famed Philadelphian Jazz siblings the Heath brothers. I brought up sax great Jimmy Heath and his bassist brother Percy. Albert Heath, who we have not previously mentioned, was the third prominent jazz sibling of the clan (Condit, 2003, p.43). Albert rose to prominence playing with the previously mentioned Benny Golson and got even more acclaim playing with the John Coltrane quartet (Condit, 2003, p.43). Jazz educator and saxophonist Rick Condit was lucky enough to interview the three brothers during a stint at the famed Iridium, which some jazz/guitar fans might know was Les Paul’s haunt in his later years (Condit, 2003, p.43). In Condit’s 2003 Journal article “The Heath Brothers: Giants of Jazz” we learn the brothers' influences, their history, the jazz circuit at the time, and the jazz scene of Philadelphia in the forties and fifties (Condit, 2003, p.45). Bassist Percy Heath recalls how his mother would take him to the Lincoln Center, which was part of the “chitlin circuit”, the same circuit that gave Jimi Hendrix and Little Richard prominence, at the young age of eight (Condit, 2003, p.45). The Lincoln Center, which still plays jazz concerts today in Philadelphia, had Percy experience greats such as Louis Armstrong, Willie Bryant, and Cab Calloway, at a very young age (Condit, 2003, p.45). Rick Condit asked the brothers, “What made Philadelphia Jazz different?” and “Why did artists come to Philadelphia to play Jazz?” (Condit, 2003, p.45). As mentioned in the other blogs I have written, saxophonist Jimmy Heath brings up the subject of the second-string bebop players in Philadelphia in the forties (Condit, 2003, p.45). In Jimmy’s words, he said, "Philadelphia being only 90 miles from New York, all the groups would come to Philly and perform. So we were in on the ground floor of the bebop generation.” (Condit, 2003, p.45). This statement that he said gives credence to the idea that the city of Philadelphia was partly responsible for shaping the sound of bebop jazz, which ultimately permutated to the style of hardbop jazz. What Jimmy is saying, is that since Philadelphia was in relatively proximity to New York, a jazz musician could get extra playing gigs, as well as scope out the scene happening in Philadelphia (Condit, 2003, p.45). Jimmy stated that not only big greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker would come play shows at the bigger venues at Philadelphia, but that smaller talented local bands would regularly play at the clubs in the local jazz scene (Condit, 2003, p.45). Jimmy Heath said that the local Philly Jazz scene was “flourishing” so the whole jazz scene fed off one another (Condit, 2003, p.45). You could see upcomers one night at a small club, or a big name act one night at a bigger venue. Percy Heath states “Philadelphia was like a stopover because it was cheaper to be in Philly than to be in New York. So, all these guys could develop their skills and then hit New York when they got straight.” (Condit, 2003, p.45).
This article contributes greatly to my research, as I now understand, thanks to both Rick Condit and the Heath brothers, why Philadelphia was so important to the jazz scene. It appears that initially in the 1920’s and 1930s big band jazz players would play Philadelphia as a stopover gap to the much bigger payday of Manhattan. It appears that both Manhattan and Philadelphia were creating a new form of jazz from the early 1940s to mid-1950s the style of bebop. The big names of bebop of Manhattan were influencing the second-line beboppers, up-and-coming young guns of the scene. Since these younger players were younger and more brash in Philadelphia and were largely playing for themselves and each other, and not for a bandleader quite yet, this allowed them to be way more experimental with their playing. Because of this, Philadelphia created the style of hardbop jazz from these experimental second-line beboppers, which in turn ushered in a new jazz age of the mid-1950s to late 1960s, before fusion started coming into shape. We all know Philadelphia is a big city, but, strangely, we always seem to be in the shadow of New York. However, it goes to show, that because of Philadelphia, jazz was able to thrive and give shape to its hottest players, along with shaping the genre.
For production day unfortunately I did not get to join Zoom as I had work during that time. I would like to see if there is time with Professor Zaylea, or perhaps fellow cohort Joelle Delprete to go over the GH5 camera. I have a classmate of mine who, while not part of my cohort, could be a resource. His name is Robb Koncyzk, and while I don’t think he has spent much time with the GH5, is very familiar with Canon DSLR cameras, and would imagine, it would not be a far stretch from the GH5. Maybe I can set aside time to meet with any one of these individuals, if they have free time, I know this semester has been hectic, to learn some of the basics. There are two classmates of mine Tison Whitten and Tyler Loughery who seem to know a good deal about framing, as I have seen both of their work. Maybe, if they were willing, I could ask them how to get good shots and prepare. That being said, with the T.V. News Practicum class, I have been doing packages learning how to use the T.V. camera, microphone, tripod, and shotgun mic. For work at the University of Penn, I have been learning and doing recordings using a Panasonic camera mounted on a tripod connected to a Zoom recorder. For the T.V. News Practicum, Advanced Video Editing, and for my A.V. job at Penn, I have been utilizing both Adobe Audition and Premiere for editing both audio and video. For one assignment for Advanced Video Editing, I had trouble using the Blue Snowball mic. I finally found a certain setup to get good results from it, without feedback, hiss, or other weird effects that were happening. Two weeks ago, I used the T.V. Kit Camera and Rode shotgun mic to record voiceovers. I was having trouble getting a decent sound, as all my initial attempts sounded distorted. With the help of producer Maggie Przywara, I learned that the gain was set high on the camera, which led to voice-overs being recorded and distorted. Adjusting the gain helped get a cleaner signal and cleaner recording for the voiceovers. I hope to get some time to test the GH5 this week, and to meet with someone who can show me the basics of it.
Works Cited
Condit, R. (2003). The Heath Brothers: Giants of Jazz. Jazz Education Journal, 35(5), 42-43, 45-48, 50-52. http://libproxy.temple.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/heath-brothers-giants-jazz/docview/1371012/se-2
Ran Sound for TUTV for Election 2024 in Annenberg Studio 3 for Klein College of Media and Communication
From the Broadstreet line to the Second line MAWSB10
As discussed in previous blog entries, Philadelphia is known for the jazz styles of both bebop and hardbop jazz. Philadelphia was known as a “college” for amateur musicians to hone their chops and eventually reach the big time of Manhattan and New Orleans. Jimmy Heath was a Philadelphia-born saxophonist and was a staple of the 1940’s Philly Jazz scene (Simpson-Hankins, 2022). Heath, or Little Bird as he was nicknamed, forged the term of its players at the time as “second-string bebop players” (Simpson-Hankins, 2022). However, while it may have been the case that Philadelphia’s players were waiting for big jobs in both Manhattan and New Orleans, this term was retooled as “second-line bebop” (Simpson-Hankins, 2022). The second-line bebop has a distinctive sound because of its Philly origins. In Fareed Simpson-Hankins Journal article, “Second Line Bebop: Philadelphia and New Orleans. In Jazz Education in Research and Practice”, Simpson-Hankins states that this term refers to “the distinctive swing and soulfulness of Philly jazz musicians and the bop legacy.” (Simpson-Hankins, 2022). I find it interesting that the previous article I have found, that Philadelphia jazz during the 1940’s and 1950s had a melancholic, and dare I say, almost dour sound. But here Simpson-Hankins states that Philadelphia jazz shared the influence of the “party-like” jazz, as he puts it, of New Orleans jazz at the time. For scenes that are so disparate in location, it can be concluded that the swing and soul of Philly Jazz at the time influenced New Orleans Jazz (Simpson-Hankins, 2022). This is all the while New Orleans jazz served as a template for Philly’s up-and-coming jazz players (Simpson-Hankins, 2022). One could say that one style fed off the other and influenced one another as time went on (Simpson-Hankins, 2022).
In research, it seems that Philadelphia Jazz has greatly influenced both the styles of bebop and hardbop jazz. However, it is enlightening to find that the influence of Philadelphia Jazz was far-reaching. That Philadelphia was not merely just a steppingstone for greater things and bigger scenes, but yet in its own right, within its enclave, it produced both a style distinctive of its own, with a soulfulness and swing that was Philadelphia in nature and origin. So much so, that the reason you have the creation of the hardbop style of Jazz, was the experimentation of these young upstarts in the clubs, houses, and streets of Philadelphia. These players, while looking for more money and bigger dreams, did not have the limitations of being in established bandleader bands. Because of this, what came forth was a transformative style uniquely its own in jazz, hardbop. They may have been influenced by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong, as a basis for their sound, yet as any young individual wants to do, they outstretched their influences to forge and find something new. For anyone interested, the Simpson-Hankins Journal Article is a realization to the style and sound that Philadelphia Jazz has created. In this article, it may dawn on the minds of beginner jazz aficionados, that Philadelphia, the scene, and its style of jazz, is just as important of a city and influence to the style and history of jazz, as anywhere else.
In the past week I have been scoping out locations of where Jazz is being played in Philly. I was talking to my old Jazz friend, Tyler Dempsey, on where to find different Jazz spots around the city. There are a couple of places that play jazz as its main theme, both of those being Chris’ Jazz Bar in Center City, and Ortleib’s in Northern Liberties. Tyler also mentioned South Restaurant and Jazz club in Fairmount, Jerry’s Bar in Northern Liberties, Bob and Barbara’s Lounge on South Street, and numerous others. In my searching, their also appears to be a lot of upscale Italian restaurants in Philadelphia, and a few Brazilian restaurants, who have Jazz nights on Fridays. The next step will be to make contact with these folks, along with up and coming musicians in the Philadelphia Jazz scene.
Works Cited
Simpson-Hankins, F. (2022). Second Line Bebop: Philadelphia and New Orleans. In Jazz Education in Research and Practice (Vol. 4, Issue 1, pp. 20–42). Indiana University Press. https://doi.org/10.2979/jazzeducrese.4.1.04
To the Beat of a Different Drum MAWSB 9 MSD
According to Petru Moiseev, the author of the article The Specific Treatment of Percussion Instruments in Jazz Music from the 1950s, the style of hard-bop was created on the east-coast jazz scene (Moiseev, 2024). This type of jazz style was popularized by Philadelphian Philly Joe Jones, and Pennsylvanian/jazz legend Art Blakely (Moiseev, 2024). According to researcher/author David Rosenthal, what hard bop was, was an evolution of bebop Jazz that was informed by such artists as Lee Morgan and John Coltrane (Panetta, 1993). The music of hardbop, at least according to Rosenthal, was influenced by the harsh ghettos that the artists inhabited at the time, which resulted in more “sinister” and “darker” moods within its song structure and genre (Panetta, 1993). Rosenthal states that once these artists got popular, and could afford living in middle-class suburbs, that is when the genre started to die out in the 1960s (Panetta, 1993). Continuing on the themes of playing by ear and being self-taught from my previous blog, Philly Joe Jones, not to be confused with Count Basie’s accompanist Jo Jones, was largely self-taught (Gale, 2016). To not lead to confusion, Joe Jones took the moniker from his hometown to separate himself from the other Jo Jones (Gale, 2016). The drumming styles of these then up and coming percussionists would give way to modern jazz. This perhaps can be noted that both Pennsylvania and Philadelphia held a strong influence in the evolution of jazz.
The knowledge of the genre of both bebop and hardbop jazz, how they culminated both on the east coast and Philadelphia as a whole, will inform my project. It is a epiphany that Philadelphia, and the artists that it fostered, were directly responsible for what we know as modern jazz today. It is eye-opening on how the Philadelphian neighborhoods influenced the moods and stylistic choices of playing within these artists. I guess one could surmise that the environment at the time, as well as the artists emotional resonance within their confines, could shape musically what they were feeling, and vice versa. I have seen this before with Detroit, Michigan shaping the sounds of Motor-city rock and roll with Bob Seger, MC5, The Stooges, Alice Cooper, and Ted Nugent, with its rough and tumble blue collar atmosphere at the time. I guess a guess a similar gestation occurred, albeit in a different form of music, in the 1950’s within Philadelphia’s sleepy ghettos. Perhaps a sense of pain, mixed with melancholia shaped the sounds of what we know now as hardbop and modern Philadelphian Jazz. Though I assume jazz-fusion has now been the new kid on the block, as far as where jazz is headed. I think these feelings will always be felt.
I was not able to get feedback from classmates this past Tuesday, as I had problems with my project. I did get feedback from Professor Zaylea, and while the cheap Amazon Headphone microphone did not seem to be the best, the Blue Snowball mic seemed to do a better job than expected. I also took away that maybe a podcast could be possible, in that I saw David Nevil’s podcast performance for initial media. David had great phrasing, used an Audio Technica mic, and produced some great results. David is blessed with a great voice tonality and phrasing. In order to step my game up. I might have to work on my voice tonality, and phrasing. Since David and I are doing different subject matter, as well as presenting in different formats, something needs to be considered. I may have to figure out the appropriateness of presentation regarding to subject matter, and how to exactly shape a voice and persona when it comes to the subject of Philly Jazz, and or a reflection/biography on an up-and-coming Philadelphian Jazz artist. It also might be wise to practice at home some read throughs, but then eventually find a set to produce some good results with the podcast going forth. That being said, it seems achievable and possible to produce good results from within my apartment.
Works Cited
Jazz: Modern Jazz, Be-Bop, Hard Bop, West Coast, Vols. 1-6. (1995). Notes, 51(3), 865. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.temple.edu/apps/doc/A34393566/AONE?u=temple_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=ca006928
Moiseev, P. (2024). The specifics of percussion instruments treatment in the jazz music from the 1950s. Studiul Artelor Şi Culturologie: Istorie, Teorie, Practică, 2(45), 41–44. https://doi.org/10.55383/amtap.2023.2.07
Shibboleth Authentication Request. (2024). Temple.edu. https://go-gale-com.libproxy.temple.edu/ps/i.do?p=BIC&u=temple_main&id=GALE%7CK1606006694&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon
As good as it Getz MAWS Blog #8
As Good as it Getz
Mel Martin in his article Stan Getz Musings interviews legendary Philly born saxophonist Stan Getz, on how he gets his sound (Joffe, 2020). Stan Getz recalls that when he played with famed jazz clarinetist, Benny Goodman, when he was eighteen that his time with him partially shaped his sound (Joffe, 2020). I always enjoyed Getz’ playing, with his superb sense of phrasing and melodicism. I am a big fan of Benny Goodman, he, apart from Pete Fountain, is the reason why I picked up clarinet and got into jazz as a genre in the first place. I believe the same reason I enjoy Stan Getz, even though he is a saxophonist, is that Benny Goodman always has a good sense of phrasing and melodicism, and that, maybe not consciously, but in a subconscious sense, must have informed Getz’ sounds, musical styling, lines, etc. What I like about Getz’ playing versus other saxophone players, is his tone and playing are so “smooth”. Getz in the interview confirms this, by his admission, when playing, he tried to get the “reediness” out from his playing with more emphasis on “breath” (Joffe, 2020). What is fascinating is one revelation Getz states that I had no idea about his playing. Getz plays mostly by ear, rather than by studied formal training (Joffe, 2020). While I do enjoy technicians who can read and write music, I have noticed that some of my favorite players/writer’s of music simply played by ear, played what sounded “good” to them. I think a lot of Jazz gets bogged down by modes, scales, etc. I noticed that, while yes having an understanding of music theory and composition can help immensely with a musicians progress, and understanding of music, it also perhaps takes the sense of feel, of the human element of playing. The great guitar player Jimi Hendrix, who some debate was the greatest of all time, could not read or write music, but rather played by ear. Some of his solos, while they could be wailing and noisy at times, had a sense of yearning, sadness, excitement, and anger, something that I don’t think is captured by studied musicians all the time. The Beatles are the perfect example of musicians who played by ear/who did not know music theory. A lot of there songs, while one could say are perfectly melodic, as well as have great harmony, will suddenly switch to three or four different time signatures in one song. Anyone with a sense of music theory would say they are writing songs wrong. But it is exactly these strange sudden time signature changes that propel/give a certain magic to The Beatles music.
Mel Martin’s article Stan Getz Musings gives insight to the musical mind of Stan Getz, with Getz’ own words. It is a very rare thing to get inside the brain of these musician’s minds, on how they play, their influences, what informed their style, what their thoughts are on the music they play. It seems that Getz had a keen self-awareness about himself, about his strengths, likes dislikes, influences, musical heroes, and weaknesses within himself. This understanding of how a musician’s mind works, especially within the context of jazz music, will aid in the questions I might ponder, and ultimately ask Philadelphian jazz musicians. I think this article gives great insight on how to produce a thoughtful interview with an artist. If thoughtful, researched, and appropriate questions are asked, I have a feeling it will yield great results to the podcast about Philadelphian Jazz, or at least, an upcoming rising star in the Philly Jazz scene.
For LinkedIn Learning I watched the course “Vocal Production for Voice-Overs and Podcasts” by Evan Sutton. I learned that according to Evan Sutton, using a dynamic microphone is the best type of microphone to use for voice-over/podcasting. Sutton specifically states that while a standard Shure 57, which is usually used for tracking guitars etc., can be used, that a Shure 7 would be the go-to mic for him when recording. Sutton states that when recording in a space, to have stuff to effect sound. If one does not have access to a vocal booth, one could use towels, or other sound dampening materials to effect room tone, and to limit reverberation. Sutton also mentions the importance of slating things and keeping reference to a timecode. I remember in Professor Zaylea’s class, Producing and Directing, that when my classmate and I were shooting our short film, we had to be cognizant of sound. We were fortunate to have one of our classmate’s friends, Rockwell Valentine, make sure that the sounds levels were good, that for each take a slate in the form of handclaps were used. For each take Rockwell would make sure that the levels were good in the zoom recorder. Rockwell also would shout at the start of recording the scene that the sound was taking place, and what take it was. The directors of the short film, Riley Flanagan and Robb Konczyk would also perform hand claps and state the scene and take for both audio and video as well. This helped for editing later, to not add confusion to the myriad of both video and audio footage we recorded during the shooting sessions.
Works Cited
Joffe, E. (2020, October). Stan Getz Musings - Joffe Woodwinds. Joffe Woodwinds. https://www.joffewoodwinds.com/articles/stan-getz-musings/
Sutton, E. (2022, March 7). DAW setup and parameters - Logic pro video tutorial | LinkedIn learning, formerly Lynda.com. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/vocal-production-for-voice-overs-and-podcasts/daw-setup-and-parameters?autoSkip=true&resume=false
Mining the Well on Wellness Day MAWSB 7
World Mental Health Day was yesterday, October 10, 2024. For today, Temple University decreed that no classes, and assignments would either be held or due today. So, you may ask, why am I writing this blog on a day when no class is to be held, and no assignments are due? Why did this week, I work brutally hard on media/school-related things, if it was all supposed to be about mental health? While I slowly lost my grip on sanity from about Saturday, to about late dusk Wednesday night, it is for this reason. Time stops for no one. There is no rest for the wicked. I have had many late nights this week that I had no rest, so I must be one of the cursed. However, due to sheer will, I could email back and forth and start assembling some sort of committee and chair for my project. I had a couple of people tell me unfortunately they would be too busy. These folks said they would not have time to be a part of the committee. I understand where they are coming from. There are only so many hours in the day to commit to something long-term. However, I did hear back from someone who is insanely busy. However, they warned me about this predicament, they said that they would be willing to be my chair. Fellow Jazz enthusiast/music lover/sound technician/musician Jack Klotz said he’d be willing to be my chair if I knew up front that he would be quite busy next semester. But, knowing this, I still think he would be the person right for my project to be the chairperson. I reached out to Larisa Mann, and they agreed to be part of my committee under certain circumstances/conditions. I have not reached out to them yet to respond. This was because the grey matter inside my head this week presented itself in the form of my first grey hair. Once I get my mind right, I am very excited to respond and to collaborate with them. I have hit a milestone in my project. The milestone is that I have switched gears with a focus on the history of the Philadelphia jazz scene. As this project is academically informed, texts and other materials are necessary. I have been coming across numerous peer-reviewed journal articles on the Philadelphia Jazz scene. The previous avenue I took yielded very little results. The well was relatively dry so to speak. The success of the project will hinge on the sense of community Philadelphia has for jazz. It also hinges on the sense that Philadelphia itself as a city acts as a testing ground. A college so to speak, for jazz musicians, and those who appreciate this permutation of blues music. In the second half of the semester, I look forward to collaborating with fellow musicians, media professionals, and auteurs of both sound and film. I hope to find some sort of resonance within the phenomena of resonance itself, music. I always loved history and Social Studies. I look forward to reconnecting with those long-lost loves in my middle school days. I will be reading, as well as diving deep into the history of jazz, on a personal level. But it will also be, more broadly, on an anthropological level. I did a ton of voice-overs for my Television News Practicum this week. I look forward to perfecting my craft of achieving decent tonality, phrasing and timing, in my vocal performance/reads. I hope to learn to record with decent, to very good sound quality on the technical side of things. I look forward to perfecting the art of podcasting. This will be achieved by using the tools necessary to pull off a well-informed, professional-sounding podcast recording. But, as of right now, I still have a lot to learn. I hope to grow in both my skill set and knowledge of any technical prowess. Until then, like the Dave Brubeck song, I’ll “Take-Five”.
I recently reported on/made a package on Temple University's Cherry Pantry, along with my colleague Jake Snyder. Cherry Pantry is an invaluable resource, it provides both fresh food, as well as non-perishables, hygiene products, and other items and services for Temple University students who are in need. This package aired Today, Thursday at 10 a.m. on TUTV for Temple Update. This service is important to me because it helps many Temple college students, who might need extra help. I want to thank Connor Magee and Maggie Przywara for all their help in making this package possible. I believe that if the package is seen by some Temple Students, it could make a difference in their day to day college life at Temple. I also believe, that their recent partnership with the Philadelphia/Delaware County non-profit food bank service Philabundance will increase their outreach. The package was initially broadcasted Thursday, October 10th, 2024, on channel hashtag#50Comcast hashtag#45VerizonFios I was also part of the hashtag#televisionstudiocrew running hashtag#teleprompter Links for the Cherry Pantry are: Website: https://lnkd.in/evweCkA8 Facebook: https://lnkd.in/eBheKJiZ Instagram: https://lnkd.in/ejXNSwnK Philabundance link: https://lnkd.in/e5AKg_q7 Temple Now did an amazing article on their recent move. Here is the link to that article, which Temple Now published September 19th, 2024: https://lnkd.in/eubYyUcC Klein College of Media and Communication
Aspiring Adolescence: Benny Golson’s Snapshot of the 1940’s Philly Jazz Scene MAWSB #6
In Jim Merod’s journal article Benny Golson and John Coltrane, Merod is the intermediary for jazz legend Benny Golson’s account of his days as an aspiring adolescent jazz artist in Philadelphia in the nineteen forties (Merod, 2014, pg. 97). In this article, the lauded Benny Golson recounts his close friendship with fellow Philadelphia Jazz great John Coltrane (Merod, 2014, pg. 97). Golson lays out the scene where he first meets Coltrane, a day after high school after a buddy of his exclaimed about this new talent (Merod, 2014, pg. 97). Golson, when first hearing John Coltrane’s playing, was in awe of his sheer talent, as many of his cohorts he jammed with, as he put it, were “amateurs” (Merod, 2014, pg. 97). Word spread like wildfire in the burgeoning Philadelphia Jazz scene, as many sought out to hear this young talent play, to see if what was rumor, was in true (Merod, 2014, pg. 97). Benny Golson recounts, that since both him and John Coltrane were at a young age of adolescence that the time they spent together in the nineteen forties Philadelphia Jazz scene, was all about Golson states were “risk taking” and “reward seeking” (Merod, 2014, pg. 101). Golson states that all the young jazz players he played with in Philadelphia, “wanted to be a meaningful part of the local jazz scene.” (Merod, 2014, pg. 101). I think Golson, like any young musician, wanted to make his mark, but in some ways also expand upon sounds, which would eventually permutate into different stylistic choices that became bebop, and in some instances, avant-garde jazz. This shows that the young and upcoming stars, influenced by the old guard of New York musicians, wanted to create something uniquely their own that would incubate in Philadelphia’s streets and neighborhoods. While many of these artists came to Philadelphia to play, hang out, and cultivate a scene, these young bucks were soaking the sights and sounds and creating something of their own. Perhaps through atmosphere or environment, or maybe perhaps with new inventive ideas that a younger generation could have, Philadelphia became a hot bed for both the old jazz. It became sort of a “school” for the new jazz legends in the making (Merod, 2014, pg. 96).
For this past week, I have been reading articles and taking notes on old-school Philadelphia jazz artists. I have also been listening to some Philadelphia jazz artists to get myself into the mindset of the sounds of Philly Jazz. I have been scrolling through both Facebook and Instagram to see dates for upcoming jazz shows that I plan to attend, not only as for a personal entertainment experience myself for the future, but also to see about getting acclimated/taking notes of the vibes and atmosphere of these places. I think it would be good to slowly introduce myself within in the jazz scene, even though it has been a while since I have picked up the clarinet, or ran the soundboard, as more of a documentarian take/anthropologist/researcher of sorts. Maybe an outside on the periphery, trying to gain knowledge and insight from the current scene. I have recently moved to Philadelphia just last year, and I have no clue what jazz scene there is, what the circuit is, who are the upcoming talents, and what genres are being played, and or being invented. I would like to gain insight from the past, know what is happening in the present, and see what future for the jazz scene in Philadelphia holds. When I submitted my project outline, I believe it was Professor Zaylea who stated to perhaps focus on one artist, and to do a piece on them. It was also stated to perhaps focus on specific audience. With inspiration from this article, perhaps it would be musicians who are adolescents to young adults, prodigies in the making. I maintained a friendship with a local jazz drummer in Scranton who was a few years my junior. I saw him initially as a young man with raw talent, who blossomed to a professional musician gigging with premiere jazz artists. This culminated to stints in New York, and the vaunted jazz hangout, The Deer Head Inn. Perhaps this would be the direction going forward.
Works Cited
Merod, J. (2014). Benny Golson and John Coltrane. Boundary 2, 41(3), 93–122. https://doi.org/10.1215/01903659-2812085
Here is a package I worked on with Jacob Snyder on the proposed 76er's stadium that might possibly effect Chinatown in Philadelphia. I acted as the hashtag#CameraOperator, shooting and collecting footage for the story. I also interviewed fellow #MSP cohort Calvin Ton on his thoughts on the matter. This package was broadcasted for hashtag#TempleUpdate for hashtag#TUTV for my Television News Practicum class (MSP 4596) with Professor Peter Jaroff. The package was initially broadcasted Thursday, September 26, 2024, on channel hashtag#50Comcast, hashtag#45VerizonFIOS I was also part of the hashtag#tvnewstudio running #teleprompter that day. #TempleUniversity hashtag#KleinCollege