FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THE 6TH ANNUAL WOMEN OF SOUTHPORT FESTIVAL
SOUNDNEWS COMMENTARY by B.P. SPARROW
SOUTHPORT RECORDS
SPARROW SOUND DESIGN NEWS
http://www.chicagosound.com
.......................
THE 6TH ANNUAL WOMEN OF SOUTHPORT FESTIVAL
FRIDAY, MAY 2nd & SATURDAY MAY 3rd AT ANDY'S!!!
FRI MAY 2 ANDY'S!!! 11 E. Hubbard St., Chicago 312-642-6805
Early Sets at 5:00-8:30PM & Evening Sets 9:00PM-1:00AM
Andy's is internationally famous for his it's impressive roster of Jazz
and Blues artists, a beautiful stage/sound system
and full Chicago style menu. The near north off loop location is in the
shadow of Marina City, just off of State Street.
THE 6TH ANNUAL WOMEN OF SOUTHPORT FESTIVAL
The Sixth Annual Women of Southport Festival will be the nightclub EVENT
OF THE YEAR!
Featuring TEN singers from Southport Records: Come early and stay
all night!
April Aloisio, Eden Atwood, Alexandra Billings,
Katherine Davis, Eugenia Elliott,
Martha Lorin, Susan May, Christiana Moffa, Joanie Pallatto and Linda Tate.
The music will feature all singers on all sets, both nights.
Musical director for Friday night's show
will be pianist Bobby Schiff, with Jim Cox on bass and Leon Joyce on drums.
This years emcees will be WLS/ABC-TV's Harry Porterfield on Friday evening.
Come early and stay all night! There will be free CD giveaways and surprise
guest Southport artists!
The Women of Southport - The singers!
SAT MAY 3 ANDY'S!!! 11 E. Hubbard St., Chicago 312-642-6805
Early Sets at 6:00-9:00PM & Evening Sets 9:30PM-1:30AM
Andy's is internationally famous for his it's impressive roster of Jazz
and Blues artists, a beautiful stage/sound system
and full Chicago style menu. The near north off loop location is in the
shadow of Marina City, just off of State Street.
THE 6TH ANNUAL WOMEN OF SOUTHPORT FESTIVAL
The Sixth Annual Women of Southport Festival will be the nightclub EVENT OF THE
YEAR!
Featuring TEN singers from Southport Records: Come early and stay all
night!
April Aloisio, Eden Atwood, Alexandra Billings,
Katherine Davis, Eugenia Elliott,
Martha Lorin, Susan May, Christiana Moffa, Joanie Pallatto and Linda Tate.
The music will feature all singers on all sets, both nights. Musical
director for Saturday night's show
will be pianist Marshall Vente, with Eldee Young on bass and Leon Joyce on
drums.
This years emcees will be Neil Tesser, host of "Miles Ahead"
on WSBC- AM 1240
and author of The PLAYBOY Guide to Jazz (Plume) on Saturday night.
The Women of Southport - The singers!
..........................
SOUNDNEWS VOLUME 42 - SPRING 2003
COMMENTARY BY B.P. SPARROW
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM~OR COME AWAY WITH ME
by
b. p. sparrow
One of the local Chicago papers, lost within their new youth oriented
"RED" 25 cent Editions thought it was amazing that multiple Grammy
winner, 24 year old Norah Jones, was on the "tiny" Blue Note
Label! Now that was true back in the late 1940s, but the modern Blue Note
Records is a division of Capitol is a division of EMI, is on the BIG THREE
world music conglomerates that dictate our global reality. Yes, the people that
brought you Norah Jones might be the people who brought you 50 Cent, or J. Lo
or ZWAN. The amazing thing about the Jones CD is that it seems a true
freak occurrence musically. When label president and CZAR Bruce Lundvall passed
the production chores along to noted Hollywood/New York producer Arif Mardin
(of Aretha Franklin fame). Mardin did not add any strings or breasts falling
out of tops with sampled beats. They probably thought that the press department
could work on the angle that Norah was the
daughter of Ravi Shankar, but did a Texas type of thing. Hell, that will get
you "60 Minutes II" with Dan Rather.
Norah Jones is a special artist. Her voice seems to belong to some soul
that has been reincarnated (footnote: Shirley Maclaine). There is a
“Bob Dorough-style innocence” to her voice (another Blue Note Artist.)
Hers is an older voice from some other time (sparks of Chicago's Jackie Allen,)
and she sounds very sexy. Sex can be good for jazz? She sings in tune,
even if at times the youthful, country-tinged guitar players can't decide on a
common tuning, and her grand piano
(in the studio) sounds kinda beaten up (perhaps by Cecil Taylor). The album
works. My partner Joanie Pallatto says she hears traces of Janis Joplin,
and I have to agree. And there must be a Laura Nyro or Carole King in
each generation. Life is not just a tapestry of Eminem, Puff, 50 Cent and
a spiked Christina Aguilera. Say Aguilera 50 times.
Since
Chicago only won a midget 2 Grammy's, many of the "musical elite"
have printed put downs of Ms. Jones. Bob Koester of 50-year-old
Delmark Records states: "Pallid". That is like a duck
word. Back in 1977 I tried to shop my first 4 track record to Bob and her
turned it down. I can thank him now because that was the foundation of
100 Southport Records, so I guess I am "pallid" also. Back from
Cuba, Chicago Tribune "arts critic" Howard Reich says: "borrrrrrrring."
Perhaps if Norah was discovered in a small fishing village in Cuba, he would
call her his favorite verb, "beguiling." And from regional press:
"Extremely middle of the
road" Joan Anderman of the Boston Globe. Since most "jazz"
releases don't make it out of the ditch of non-distribution, this might be a
hidden compliment also.
Jon Bream, pop music writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote:
"Is this very original? No. Is this as creative as Eminem?
No." Now remember that Eminem, he of Barney Fife-like nasal
anti-mother let's kill and put in the trunk, and hater of all gay people, let
us remember that this is creativity in the 21st Century???
So
we salute Norah Jones and the Impossible Dream. To sell CDs without radio
play. To have a chance to let us see her music the way that it is.
To not have any strange bar room fights or sexual scandals. To appear to
be youthfully modest and in control. To wear clothes. To even use
the word jazz, original and country. To live her dream. To not know
the name of who made her designer dress. To play, live and sing!.......................(9-year-old
Alexis Gould (daughter of Chicago producer Lauren Little) is a big fan of Norah
Jones. Jones responded to her young fan by sending along an autographed
CD and a BIG poster to show her appreciation to this "young
soul." How nice!)......................."Eighteen years ago 28
companies produced the bulk of all film and television. By 2001, it was
reduced to only six-entertainment conglomerates-Disney, AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann,
News Corp./Fox, Viacom and Vivendi Universal.
-The AFTRA Newsletter/03
................
SOUTHPORT RECORDS
LOOK FOR: "CANNED
BEER" S-SSD 0098 SPARROW/JOANIE PALLATTO
Label partners Sparrow and Pallatto scan the world of commercial music,
pop and jazz, with this FUN CD,
Canned Beer, at the beach release! Street date May 6, 2003.
LOOK FOR: "WE SPEAK DUKE" S-SSD
0101 LINDA TATE
Singer/composer/poet Linda Tate's homage and ode to
composer Duke Ellington, with Bradley Williams and the 21st
Century Review. Street date: September 2, 2003.
SPARROW SOUND DESIGN NEWS
IN THE STUDIOS OF SOUTHPORT!!! (Sparrow Sound Design)
At Sparrow Sound Design studio Southport label VIP and
trumpet/flugelhorn ace Bobby Lewis is
busy at work on his new CD,
"Another Time" (S-SSD 0100)
with Jim Ryan, Alejo Poveda, Thomas Kini, Jeff Stitely, Curtis Robinson and more.
Bassist/arranger/composer John E. Magnan
is recording tracks for his
2nd Southport CD of "50/50 Band,"
featuring Alejo Poveda and Bob Long.
Michael Mason is finalizing his 5th CD
with producer Bill Batzkall.
Pianist/composer Scott Holman is
tracking new sides at the studio
for his 2nd Southport release, "The
Prophet."
EQUIPMENT UPDATE AT SPARROW SOUND DESIGN:
With the new addition of the MOTU product line, SSD is now offers recording and
mastering at 24-bit/96khz.
Multi-track masters from the Tascam DA-88 system can be transferred to our new
Ultra PC, "Coffy."
Original track configurations remain intact for hard disc editing and automated
mixing via Sonic Foundry's Vegas software.
All video lock and sweetening functions, along with all of SSD's
"digital/analog plug-ins" are available (including EMT 140-S Plate
Reverb.)
Research for the Ultra PC "Coffy," was contributed by Chris Parker,
James Line, Mike DelValle, Todd Carter and Jose (of Full Compass Systems).
.......................
"In recent years, Tribune Co./Fox Broadcasting, a subsidiary of News Corp,
Ltd. and Viacom Inc.
completed transactions that violated (FCC) ownership rules. If the
regulations are not changed,
the companies could be forced to divert business to comply with the
prohibitions"
Frank James, The Chicago Tribune-Washington Bureau 9/13/02
"rats were found in a hot tub at a Beverly Hills, Calif. home"
New York Times News Service 9/17/02
"The Ketchup Song" by "Las Ketchup" failed to break out in the
U.S., except it went over big with fans of Radio Disney's
WRDZ-AM (1300). Quoted by DJ/personality Greg "the G-Man "
Dellinger: children and young adults "love
synchronized movements, they love the repetition of it, and it has a very
catchy beat."
"Well you can take my money/ You can turn off my microphone/But you can't
steal/What you can't feel."
Tom Petty-from the new CD "The Last DJ"
"mean, racist and he's very, very, very devilish"
Michael Jackson-Chicago Sun-Times, on Sony CEO Tommy Mottola
Note: In early February of 2003 Tony resigned from Sony and they are
"creating" a label for him.
He was married to Mariah Carey, who sang at the United Center for Michael
Jordan's last appearance.
.......................
InvestigativeReportsInvestigativeReportsInvestigativeReports
WTTW-CHANNEL ELEVEN-NETWORK
"SOUNDSTAGE-SOUNDRAGE"
If we turn back the analog hands of time and look at the charter of Chicago's
Public Television Station, WTTW--
and yes it is a not for profit--we can see the dream of offering public
supported socially conscious TV programming
for the diverse Chicago community. In a recent article in The Chicago Sun-Times
by Bobby Reed, the news about a new
"Soundstage" broke. Historically and going back to the 1970's,
Soundstage was a first as an in-house live music show,
before M-TV, and a show that reflected many forms of music, and yes, even
"local" artists, jazz and folk, and damn, even
the yearly Down Beat music awards.
The new Soundstage, a product of the minds of Steve Dahl and Joe Thomas is like
a backward raid of the Vaults
of Austin City, the original TEX-IT show that had focus on that type of
music. The sneak premiere of Dennis DeYoung
was cancelled due to "a lack of contract agreements for the sale of CD's
and tapes." How many lawyers work at
WTTW? The first new Soundstage featured Lyle Lovett, the man that married
Julia Roberts for a while, with a guest spot
by Randy Newman, of short people and I will fall in the line of Newman film
composers from Hollywood, going back to the
great Alfred Newman.
Coming up: Mark Isham, Chris Isaak (of Showtime this is my life), Alison
Krauss, Trace Adkins, and I think the Chicago
band that left Atlantic Records (Wilco) only ending back up on a division of
Atlantic (Nonesuch). You know, the CD with
the cool pics of Marina City.
Our team from Southport InvestigativeReports put a call in to director/producer
Joe Thomas, but no one called back. Since
this is "our window to the world," we have some suggestions for
future shows: Von Freeman, Daniel Barenboim (Tango
and jazz with trio), Zwan, Fareed Haque, King Fleming, Ramsey Lewis, Tatsu
Aoki, Buddy Guy, Oscar Brown, Jr.,
Patricia Barber, Nick Tremulis, Judy Roberts, Joanie Pallatto, Bob Dorough,
Stevie Wonder. And how about some "new"
people that do not have the wealth and resources of those who have "made
it" in the commercial world?
But what do you do with a station (WTTW), that lets Boston Public TV tell the
history of Chicago in 4.5 hours?
We do like to chew on our own legs in Chicago.
.......................
InvestigativeReportsInvestigativeReportsInvestigativeReports
"It is time for the UN to show it's cards"
-President George Bush 3/8/03
The staff of Southport Records is not sure if all members of the UN can
understand what this means.
Do they play the classic 52-card deck of cards in Angola, Ghana, Uruguay, and
Mongolia?
In the American vernacular from Buffalo, NY, a card could be a
"dandy" or a man that is a part of a gang or
mob or gigolo. A card is also an index card that stores analog data in
analog libraries. In the Tyson fight,
women hold up cards for the announcement of what round the boxers are in.
In the last fight, we only saw one card for round one (I think), since Tyson
did a KO in 45 seconds.
.........................
WBEZ FOR DUMMIES
Driving in the car and listening to WBEZ day/talk radio I felt lost.
The guest from the University Of Chicago was talking about something.
I had to stop the car. Can someone please provide a book, like the
Windows for Dummies books,
called-WBEZ for Dummies? For several days I was lost. If the
station provided some daytime music,
we could ponder just what the guests and hosts are talking about. And
that is all things considered.
.......................
SPECIAL RE-PRINT (Just in case you missed this one.)
SOUNDNEWS VOLUME 41 EARLY WINTER 2002
This edition of SoundNews is dedicated to the memory of Chris Savittieri,
husband to Southport's Kathy Savittieri.
Chris passed away recently at the age of 49.
WHERE HAS ALL THE MUSIC GONE?
Commentary by B. P. Sparrow
Long ago Mr. Petrillo, the president of The American Federation of Musicians,
must have felt a premonition about
the great invention called "recorded music" when a long chill went up
his musical spine, for his union was created so that
musicians, like bricklayers, could make a decent wage, feed their families and
enjoy life- be a part of the industrial
revolution. He feared the essence of recorded music, for the logic was and
that if a man or woman could be preserved in
time, like a photograph, the reason for live music would fade like a
dream. For centuries, many Native American Indians did
not want their photograph taken, for it would steal away the soul, in time, and
perhaps erase the need for good memories of
our loved ones and youth.
In America, people can afford to go out to fine restaurants and pay over $100
for dinner and wine for two. Where did the
piano go? Where did the guitar go? The endless pipe of CD carousel
or purchased stock music... Perhaps James Caesar
Petrillo was right, like the American Indians, that the soul of creativity has
been erased and that Zombies who do not need
to eat feed our ears. And the drum machine and sample machine is like the
cracked wheat or corn staple of all
existence. Shoe store, elevator, doctor's office, and club, rave. The
endless ticking of nothing.
Why would you want to play music if no one pays you? Why would you want
to record music, if there is no place to sell,
or perform it? I think that music, as an art form has become a thing.
Like a table. To divvy up the art and sell it has
transformed it into a non-art. A copy of a Chagall is sold as a copy,
not the original. A copy of a Brahms Piano quintet is
sold as a Brahms Piano Quintet, an imprint of the original. Therefore
once music is recorded and is sold, it is dead, or it
becomes a thing. A dead thing.
The pasta tastes so good with the voice of Placido Domingo, the pasta is a
thing. And so is Placido Domingo, when
recorded. Placido Domingo live, is alive. Placido Domingo recorded
and played back is a dead thing.
So maybe old man Petrillo was right. If they record us, we will cease to
exist. And as the audience to purchase
becomes younger, the art will get more reuse and soon the child will look at
the street musician, playing the sax and say:
"Mother, why is that man blowing air into handle bars."
If jazz was the salvation for classical music, adding a sense of excitement and
rhythm to a form void of creativity, both forms
are now buried in the tomb of the unknown Soldier. When jazz became
"serious," it became boring. So classical and jazz
share bunk beds of repeated emotions, with all parties sound asleep. More
dead things.
Many young blacks made money FINALLY, with urban hip hop. The regressive
nature of the music is sad, but quoting
James Brown "Living In America..."
Where has all the music gone? I think that I have proven when something
is recorded it becomes dead. But do the original
sounds continue on into eternity into outer space? Energy never dissipates.
Where has all the music gone?
.........................
.
2-BITS AND SOUTHPORT!
The year 2002 is (was) the 25th anniversary year of Southport Records and Sparrow
Sound Design Recording Studio. Our
first tape recorder was a Tandberg ¼ track 3-speed machine that had green
meters and a device called a "joystick" for
selecting tape direction. The first mic was an Olson electronics Teledyne
with a side Bass port, and the monitor speakers were
the famed Utah. The control room glass was the ¼ glass from a large
console TV set found in the alley, and the Reverb was a
"spring" unit created by Furman (RV-1). Air conditioning was "open
the garage door."
ON THE HORIZION
Britney Spears has decided not to sign on Northport, Southport's sister label
quoting "a lack of distribution" as a
major concern. Joanie Pallatto and Sparrow have released "Canned
Beer" in advance form, the CD will be out in reality
when the Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times decide to review more "local"
(the kiss of death) artists. Or, the two
artists/producers can move to Hammond, Indiana and send in an out-of-town
release "promo kit."
MUSIC FOR FILMS
Chicago director/actor John Covert premiered the world wide release of his new
feature length film "Watch" at the Gene
Siskel Film Center (164 N. State-Chicago 312-864-2600) on Saturday, November
16th at 8:00 PM (with a second showing
Monday, November 18th at 8PM.) The film was scored by Sparrow/Pallatto
and excerpts from the soundtrack are
included on "We Are Not Machines," from Southport (the first film
score release on the label.)
BORDERS LACK OF RESPECT.
When the massive "quasi-hippie quartz light chain" Borders came to
town they were very nice people. Now the anti-Best
Buy chain is so massive that they refuse to buy or stock Southport
product. You can find any book about anything at
the store, but there allegiance to major label greed is beyond the R. Kelly
saga. So skip the store and buy all Southport CDs
at K-Mart (still in chapter 11, but they do have deals on blue jeans and taco
dip).
"If Colin Powell is a house slave what is the job title of Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas?"
(b. p. sparrow, on the comments of Harry Belafonte)
"Music Competitions are for race horses" (Bela Bartok)
"I have seen the top of the mountain"
(Al Sharpton on major labels and Sony music)
"This is not a Lennie Tristano thing" (Elvis Presley)
"I love White Castle" (George Freeman)
Correction regarding the liner notes to the new Premonition label's Von Freeman
CD:
Joanie Pallatto did not engineer the Von Freeman Steeplechase Sessions in
Paris.
They were recorded at Sparrow Sound Design, in Chicago.
However she would like to tape ANY session in Paris!
http://www.chicagosound.com