The Wrap-Up: Using a liberal definition of the phrase “Bird is the Worm News”

Some miscellaneous updates on Bird is the Worm of a music nature:

• Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society is back in the recording studio. Some details and a promo video on a post I made on eMusic’s 17 Dots blog HERE.

• Greenleaf Music label has put together a cool video of an album track from Matt Ulery‘s By A Little Light.  You can see the video, and some thoughts on it, on my eMusic 17 Dots blog post HERE.  A full album review can be found, HERE, on Bird is the Worm.

• In AllAboutJazz Download of the Day news… I’ve been in contact with a couple labels, and awaiting some submissions.  Motema label has already submitted a couple tracks that I’m in the process of scheduling, including music by the Locke-Keezer Quartet, the Brazilian Trio, and The Cookers.  I’m hoping to see some submissions from both Edition Records and Gondwana Records.  Both outfits feature some of the best and brightest of the new jazz generation out of the UK.  I’ve also sent out a bunch of invites to self-produced artists.  Origin Records has submitted a nice batch of tracks, one for pretty much every one of their 2012 releases.  New ones on the horizon are for (among others) Bobby Broom’s latest album consisting of all original material, a track from the exciting Florian Hoefner Quartet, Dan Cavanaugh’s piano trio, Joel Miller’s sax quartet, and the Budman/Levy Orchestra, which is today’s featured download of the day for “Big Band Fridays.”

• Speaking of “Big Band Fridays,” I am looking to make that more than an occasional thing.  So if you have a new (or relatively new) release of a big band or large ensemble and would like to request consideration for it to be featured as the “Big Band Fridays” AllAboutJazz download of the day, you can submit HERE and I’ll get in touch with you.

• Another AllAboutJazz series that I’d like to make more than an occasional thing is my “Saturday, The Fringes” experimental music series.  If you have music that will likely make at least half of the jazz public shout, “That isn’t Jazz!”, then you qualify to be considered for a feature date.  It doesn’t have to be a new release, but the older the music is, the greater I’m going to be measuring it for innovation and experimentalism.  Keep in mind, this doesn’t just mean free jazz or crazy electronica.  I’ve featured several tracks in this series that were quiet tunes, simply composed, but incorporated ideas and themes that nobody else was putting out there.  I want to celebrate artists who take a chance.  Again, you can submit HERE for consideration.

• If you’re an artist, I recommend confirming that your contact information is easy to find and current.  Every week that I send out various emails regarding a potential review of an album, invitations to be featured as the AAJ download of the day, various other content like interview request, etc. and, invariably, there’s always a couple artists who do not get invited because I couldn’t find any contact info for them or the contact info was for a dead email account.  Those are missed opportunities there, y’know?

• Next week’s AAJ download of the day highlights include tracks from new releases by Gavin Barras, Josh Maxey, and Richard Thompson.

• I’m going to occasionally re-mention that if you’re an artist with an album set to Name Your Own Price, whether it be on bandcamp or elsewhere, and you would like review consideration, read this Bird is the Worm article HERE and then follow the instruction to make a request in the Comments box below that article.  I have begun a new Bird is the Worm series that features reviews and tiny reviews of jazz albums set to NYOP.

• Not much to report in Notes From The Holler news.  I have a few posts in the backlog to make, but I had to take a short break from Holler not long after its start-up.  After re-envisioning some stuff on BitW and getting caught up on some organization, I’ve temporarily taken a step back from Holler.  It should become active again in Mid-July, when I intend to begin make semi-regular reports on music in Kentucky.

• Some music I’ve been listening to that didn’t get any print this week, but will down the road… Jeremy Siskind “Finger-Songwriter”, Benjamin Schatz “Distant Light”, Linus Lindblom “Objets Trouves”, Florian Hoefner Group “Songs Without Words”, Deric Dickens “Speed Date”, Fundamental “Development”, and Jasmine Lovell Smith’s Towering Poppies “Fortune Songs.”

I think that about wraps things up.

Cheers.

-Dave