Bandcamp and Me

I’m very pleased to announce that I will be writing two monthly columns for the Bandcamp site beginning in June.  One column will be in the style of my typical recommendations columns (a la This Is Jazz Today or my old Wondering Sound Jazz Picks) and the other will be more artist and/or label focused, typically with interview, bio and synopses of albums of note.

There are some other Bandcamp announcements to come that will directly speak to my new assignment, but for now, just prepare to begin seeing some posts on this site directing you to my pieces on other sites… much like we used to do every Wednesday.

Thanks to Joe Edward Keyes, my new Editorial Director at Bandcamp, and a guy that was responsible for me getting the gig back at eMusic back in the day.  He’s a good guy.  If he’s ever sitting on the bar stool next to yours, buy the guy a beer.

And since we’re talking about new beginnings and Bandcamp, here’s a bonus recommendation….

James Hamilton Jazz Orchestra – The Causeway Suite

I can’t remember when I first got turned onto the Bandcamp site, but I associate this solid big band session from January 2011 as from the time when I really began digging through the site’s retail options.  Back then, Bandcamp was something of a wasteland for Jazz, but since then, it’s become a home for some of the best musicians and labels on the scene.

Since this recording, James Hamilton has put some other work out, and started up a label of his own (aptly titled, New Jazz Records).  Definitely check out his stuff.

Here’s a LINK to where you can pick this album up on the Bandcamp site.  It’s priced at NYP (Name Your Price), which is one of the nice features of purchasing from Bandcamp.  That, plus streaming music from the album before deciding to buy it and, also, there’s no extra charge for high-quality file formats.

More details about this new assignment, including the first columns, as soon as they become known to me.

Cheers.