Story Archives of 'Music'

Emerging trumpeter Mario Abney will be playing this weekend at Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in upstate New York. Mario’s is a story of discovery and migration. He grew up in a suburb of Chicago and with what he describes as a “heavy, heavy church vibe.” As a kid, Abney took piano lessons and learned about rhythm sitting in the front pew, next to the church’s drummer. His whole family is musical. His grandmother turned him on to blues. His mother loved jazz.

Abney didn’t become serious about music until high school. He got hooked on jazz after hearing Wynton Marsalis’s soundtrack for the film “Tune in Tomorrow”. Little did he know that years later, Wynton would be so impressed after hearing Mario Abney that he’d donate money toward the purchase of Abney’s first professional trumpet.

Mario’s playing took off, but not without setbacks. Abney says, “There is so much opposition to the pursuit of a musical career! It’s not taken seriously by the outside world. My mother raised me to be a ‘good man’ and to follow my path and preserve my spiritual thread through music.”

Abney is following that path from his new home --New Orleans -- the birthplace of jazz.
He leads three bands: The Avante Garde, The Abney Effect, and the Mario Abney Quintet. In addition to playing summer festivals like Saratoga, he’s releasing a solo album called “Spritiual Perception." You can hear Mario Abney’s trumpet song yourself at Freihoffer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival this weekend.

(Photo by Reed Hoffman)

Hunt Smith and Allison Aldrich write, play and perform traditional and acoustic music across New Hampshire. They join Kate in the studio to play a few songs and talk about their music.

The Nashville-based singer and songwriter Dave Rawlings has performed for many years on many stages and recordings with the band Old Crow Medicine Show and with his longtime collaborator, Gillian Welch.

Hearing Dave Rawlings’ first solo album, A Friend of a Friend, is both fresh and oddly familiar. Seven of the nine tracks on the album are originals, while he combines Bright Eyes' "Method Acting" and Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" in a captivating and heartfelt medley. He also records his version of a song he co-wrote with Ryan Adams, "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)," though this time it's got far more country and soul.

Dave Rawlings will perform at the Music Hall in Portsmouth with longtime collaborator Gillian Welch and some members of Old Crow Medicine Show at 8 p.m. Friday, June 4th.

For more information about the show, go to the Music Hall's website.

(Photo courtesy Uyen via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Filmmaker, ecologist and ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau gave millions of earthdwellers their first glimpse of what he called “the fragile symphony” thriving under the sea.

Cousteau’s devotion to underwater ecosystems is especially poignant today, when millions of gallons of oil and gas have surged into the gulf coast. On June 3rd, the California Academy of sciences will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Cousteau’s birth and World Oceans Day with the premiere of “Ocean Voices".

Ocean voices is a collaboration between Academy scientist Wallace J. Nichols and sound artist and musician Halsey Burgund. More than 1,000 voices contributed stories, reflections, and thoughts about the powerful, vast and mysterious sea in person and online. Halsey then composed music to float around those words. Halsey Burgund joined us to discuss "Ocean Voices."

Learn more about the Cousteau Organization here.

Jean-Michael Cousteau On The Oil Spill In The Gulf

The Garbage Patch In The Atlantic

California Academy of Sciences

Ocean Voices

Ocean Voices from Wallace J. Nichols on Vimeo.

(Photo by shoebappa via Flickr/CreativeCommons)