Because a Lillies gig is a stroll on the seamy side, down crack alleys and cul-de-smacks where life’s unfortunates come terrible croppers. It’s Threepenny Opera territory - hookers, freaks and ne’er-do-wells - and no sin is left unturned: the Lillies’ overdriven oompah songs, but one facet of their repertoire, could soundtrack George Grosz’s caricatures of 1920s Berlin.

Backed by longtime foils Adrian Stout on contrabass, theremin and bowed saw, and Adrian Huge on a grab bag of percussion, frontman Martyn Jacques, wearing bowler hat and greasepaint (the Fat Controller via Baron Samedi), gives shape to listing sea shanties, sly ballads and wind-up tangos - hymns to death and deviancy all - with gusto, accordion, and a keening falsetto that is the band’s hallmark.

By turns hectoring and tender, if at times suggestive of Dame Edna Everage gargling with cellophane, Jacques’s voice merits a wider audience.

But a warning to the faithful. Playing a set culled exclusively from their most accessible works - Shockheaded Peter’s cautionary tales for impossible brats, and their adaptations of illustrator Edward Gorey’s unpublished stories - this isn’t the Lillies in all their gleeful extremity.

Mincemeat is made of no sacred cows; there’s no Banging In The Nails, Killer, or Piss On Your Grave (whose subject, the summary execution of the Good Book’s major players and subsequent, erm, watering in, caused an outbreak of smelling salts in Canterbury’s Gulbenkian Theatre).

Though there are moments of menace, notably on Bully Boys, Fidgety Phil and Besotted Mother, this is the parlour version, intimate, almost domestic - it’s a sight easier on the bestiality, blasphemy and sadism, but also, for non-fans, to find some room for.

What follows is an excerpt from this conversation that was aired on my Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired radio show in 2006.

How has your background studying architecture affected your music?

When I went to school you had to prepare a set of drawings for a client. You had to have a complete concept of a project. I think I took that whole concept into arranging for an audience. I wanted to present more than say a sketch or a jam session or something that was totally improvised to really present something that was well thought out and conceived. Each type of structure architecturally is sort of like a tune and each one has a character of its own and you can design a well-balanced conception of how to perform that, how to present that to a client, in fact which is your audience.

I think a lot of musicians have lost track of the client.

I do too. They get pretty self-indulgent up there. They lose the idea of telling a story with their design. They just think of flash. I’m not going to criticize, because it’s nice when people are impressed with that, but I prefer a well-balanced piece of music.

To talk to a jazz musician who thinks this way is really something. Do you really attribute that to studying architecture?

And to a love of people. Which goes all the way back to my family and my good upbringing. If you care about people, you want to give them something they can digest.

You want to communicate. I’d also read that your parents were very supportive of what you wanted to do.

I can tell you one story that has meant so much to me and I tell it a lot. My dad and mom struggled a lot to put me through architecture school. I went to Notre Dame University. They came out in the car for the graduation and the car broke down. They saw me get an award for architecture. My dad was real proud. Being from Italy, he always thought a college education was it. I did that and got a degree. Not too long after that I was working in a bar in the Bronx with a group with Mike Mainieri and myself, on top of a bar. My dad came down just to see me. He sat at the bar next to a hooker and somebody from the Mafia. He was there looking at his son play. I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, because I know the struggle he had. When I got off the bandstand, I went over to talk with him. He put his arm around me and said, “Son, whatever you want to do, I’m behind you 100 percent.”

That’s beautiful.

I well up every time I think of that.

Because it’s so important.

Can you imagine if that could be a guide for everybody, for every parent? To give the child a chance to explore what they want to do.

One of the things I love so much about your music is that when you’re playing with other people, you really are communicating. It’s really like puzzle-pieces coming together. We know that’s what the goal is. But with a lot of musicians, it is more about them, rather than what’s best for the group. As you talk about getting the kind of support you did from your family and your really loving people, it does make you play the way you do.

I believe you’re right. I could sit here and take credit for that, but I can’t. I think that the gift of great parents or the gift of talent, is something that I didn’t create. That’s something that’s given. I think that’s very important to always keep that in mind, that it’s a gift. It keeps you trying to use it properly.

It keeps you humble, I think. That gift comes with a responsibility.

You have to keep that responsibility in mind and live by it if you can.

Talk about Michael Moore and duos in general.

I can’t explain the rapport that happened between Mike and I. It’s just an amazing thing. First of all, we agreed on what constituted good music. We both liked tunes. We liked standards. Neither one of us liked to play too many choruses. It felt like it could be said in one or two choruses. Mike was just a fantastic supportive player, as well as brilliant soloist, both pizzacato and arco. I don’t think anybody plays arco as warmly as Mike.

Explain what arco is.

Arco is when you play the bass with a bow, as opposed to plucking it with your fingers. And you create this long beautiful cello sound. Or bass-like sounds. Mike played all over the instrument and in the upper register with the sweetest warmest sound. It was great to figure out ways of accompanying him as if I was accompanying a soprano. We used to do “Danny Boy” and make everybody cry or “Ave Maria.” He just nailed it. We got along great too. We had a lot of fun together on the road. And it’s still that way.

Explain to our listeners who aren’t musicians how you arrange a song and make it sound fresh and improvisational even though you’re building a structure.

I took a lot of classical guitar lessons at some point. Having played the classical repertoire to a degree - I don’t claim any real classical chops - you see how the guitar is used almost like a little orchestra. how these things have to be worked out to perform. There are some guys who have an enormous amount of things in their arsenal. The thing I like to do is work out arrangements where I write them out. I do write them out, like this arrangement of “Body and Soul” I came up with some new harmonies on it and I worked at it so that I have this arrangement. I feel like the guitar is an orchestra or my own big band. And I’m playing Chart No. 47, and I play it the same, but there’s room in there for improvising, so that I bring both aspects of the whole creative process to my work. Working out an arrangement, in a sense it’s almost like composing, using different aspects I learned from all areas of the guitar and then having a couple of choruses where I just improvise. I do head things, off the top of my head. That’s totally spontaneous and sometimes I fall on my face. [laughs]

We all do. I know the beginning and end, so I know how I’m getting in and getting out, and in between I hope for the best.

Some restaurants get away with murder, because they have a nice little appetizer and a great dessert, but in the middle, the entree really sucks.

That’s not supposed to happen with restaurants! With jazz, we’re supposed to be on edge. Talk about George Shearing.
Genebertoncini_span3

Gene Bertoncini

I was very much influenced by the original guitar player with that group, Chuck Wayne, who was my second teacher. That group was very important to me when I was first listening to the radio. I first listened to Benny Goodman. That’s another gift. Why did the son of an Italian immigrant all of a sudden go to the radio and want to be around Benny Goodman? My brother also. We used to wait for these shows to go on and hang by the radio. All of a sudden we were both playing jazz and listening to jazz. My brother was a wonderful jazz accordionist. He learned the standards before I did and taught them to me.

That’s inspiration. That somebody like Benny Goodman can reach out to these two boys and grab them and drag them over to the radio and getting them into wanting to play.

What a gift he had.

And George Shearing was on the radio as well.

He came right after that. I started to listen to this great quintet doing “September in the Rain” and “East of the Sun” and great tunes like that. I subsequently found out that the guitar player who created that warm guitar sound was Chuck Wayne. I got to meet him after I went to college. I used to go hear him play. He was the first guy I heard using the guitar completely like that.

When I was a kid, my brother and I used to do a television show called “The Children’s Hour” on Sunday morning. Occasionally we would go down there. I’d sometimes wear a cowboy outfit.

How old were you?

I was about thirteen.

And he played the accordion and you played the guitar?

We used to accompany singers sometimes. A guy named Ed Hurley was the announcer and the product was Kraft Cheeses. I used to wander around the studios. I wandered next door one day and I saw this guitarist and they were doing this mystery show. They had live music. They were playing all the cues and it was fantastic. The guitar player sounded great. He put the guitar down and then he picked up the trumpet and played that. He went over and played a little piano. I went up to him. I must have looked cute too, in my cowboy outfit.

I can picture you in that cowboy outfit. You’d still look cute in that.

I told him I played guitar. And he said, “Well play me something.” So I played him my little arrangement of “Honeysuckle Rose” which I can still play. I was studying with a little jazz teacher. He kind of liked it. I asked him if I could take a lesson with him. He said, “Next time you come over, we’ll have a lesson.” Next time I came by, he gave me a half-hour lesson. It was the great Johnny Smith. I really learned a lot about the pure technique he had and also the harmonic aspects of the instrument. He treated it like a piano. There was something about Johnny that was really special. When I was studying with him off and on for the next few years, he came out with an album with this tune called “Moonlight in Vermont.” Which was really like a benchmark guitar album, with Stan Getz on it. It really became almost like a hit record.

How do people inspire you?

It’s wonderful in life there are a few people along the way maybe say one thing to you that stays with you forever. Or they teach you something that is so valuable and you get these kicks in the butt along the way that are so important if you look back on your life.

The Canadian eight-piece, marking a long-awaited return to the UK, have spent the last year hidden away in the recording studio.

Any suggestion their renowned live performances had lost their edge was instantly laid to rest at London’s famous East End theatre.

The band oozed confidence as they tried out new material from Surburbs, the new album due for release next month.

However it was the fan favourite from the back catalogue that really got the audience jumping. ‘Ready to Start’ was among the stand-out tracks from the new material.

A fast-paced, bass-driven opener, it showcased sparser sound than on previous records, but still distinctively Arcade Fire.

‘We Used To Wait’ also sounds like a single - all staccato piano and the trademark urgency of Win Butler’s vocals.

The audience was behind them but it was not until ‘Laika’ and ‘No Cars Go’ that the 2,000-strong crowd really began to be swept along with Arcade Fire’s energy.

Frontman Win twirled with the microphone, falling into the hands of the crowd at his feet, while his wife and bandmate Regine Chassagne danced like a manic rag doll.

His brother William Butler hit a stand-up piano with a tambourine, jumping on guitarists and shouting along to songs through a loud-hailer.

Then came more new material from Suburbs, including the title track - a stomping piano song with a hint of Badly Drawn Boy, and everyone took a breather.

“I still think England have a good shot at the World Cup,” quipped Win in an interval between songs, generating boos and jeers from some of the audience.

“I’m practicing my banter for Reading and Leeds,” he added, as if by explanation.

Then with tambourines flying and guitars held in the air, the band threw themselves into renditions of bone fide Arcade Fire classics ‘Power Out’ and ‘Rebellion’ sweeping the crowd up with every shouted verse.

Before the encore, another new song Month of May even more bass-driven and darker than previous Surburbs offerings, played with the intensity that had seemed to build from the moment they stepped on stage.

At the encore it was back to the back catalogue, with ‘Tunnels’ and ‘Keep The Car Running’ leading up to the finale, the epic, anthemic ‘Wake Up.’

On the floor the audience bellowed out the chorus while on the ornate balconies above, people, standing on their theatre seats, raised their hands to the heavens.

This is a band so clearly still at the top of their game, and full of the enthusiasm and confidence that made them such a live draw in the first place.

Whether the new album can stack up against the likes of Funeral and Neon Bible remains to be seen, but as a live outfit Arcade Fire have never been better.

The band return to the UK at the end of August for headline sets at Reading and Leeds festivals.

From BBC.

Rounding out Fishtank’s sound are Ursula Knudson on vocals, violin, banjolele and musical saw, Fabrice Martinez on violin and violintromba, Douglas “Douje” Smolens on guitars and cajon and Djordje Stijepovic on vocals and upright bass. It’s apparent from the opening strains of Woman in Sin that these musicians have earned their chops. Creating a sound that’s densely packed and tautly vibrant, Fishtank Ensemble wrings the most out of every single track.

Opening with the title track “Woman in Sin,” it’s difficult to not want a seatbelt as the group takes off with dazzling violin and guitar lines, but it’s Ms. Knudson’s stunning vocals that send the track off into outer space. With the warm, retro feel of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, tracks like “Espagnolette” and the traditional Romanian tune “Am Furat de la Haidouks,” with guest accordionist Josh Kaufman, sparkle with a smoking Gypsy flash. Quirky numbers like “After You’ve Gone” sizzle with sassy, playful vocals and swinging musicianship.

Fishtank provides that there’s something for everyone, including a sultry, spare version of “Fever” with Ms. Knudson on vocals and Mr. Stijepovic’s on bass that will leave the listener gasping for air. The sumptuous “”Djordje’s Rachenitza,” composed and arranged by Mr. Stijepovic includes guest performances by accordionist Dan Cantrell and riq player Faisal Zedan. Flamenco flash dominates “Pena Andaluz” while passion infuses the lovely “O Dewel,” a traditional Manouche from Holland.

Fishtank Ensemble’s Woman In Sin is delightfully delicious. Fans should be sure to check out the group’s summer touring schedule for a full force dose this Gypsy fusion.

This is the documentary about the band with previously unseen footage charting the history and legacy of the group.

It’s narrated by Doors fan Johnny Depp.

6 Music’s Sinead Garvan has been talking to the band’s drummer - John Densmore:

From BBC Music News

Those who have seen James perform live will attest that her shows are highly energetic, and the same goes for this disc. “Party All Night” is a step in that direction, and seems to have been written with the stage in mind. It possesses a strong backbeat, the perfect showcase for James’ powerful pipes and a relentless dance track. But the greatest highlight is her “Mr. Incredible, Ms. Unforgettable,” a sexy duet with Raheem DeVaughn (who also co-wrote the song), whose lyrics make this one of the greatest make-out songs this year yet. Can’t wait to hear that in a live format.

Track listing: I Ain’t New To This;So Cold;The Fact Is; I Want It All;Party All Night; Mr. Incredible–Ms. Unforgetable; Tell Me You Love Me;Let It Roll; Supa Luva; If It’s Wrong; It’s Over.

Personnel: Leela James: vocals; Raheem Devaughn: vocals (4); Tiffany Wilson: background vocals; Milton Fletcher, Jr.: keyboards; Andrea Martin: background vocals; Shelby Johnson and Butter: background vocals; Mark Bowers: guitar, bass (9); Johhnie “Smurf” Smith: keyboards (10, 11); Ben Wendel: tenor sax; Bud Wales: tenor sax; Brenda Walkin: tenor sax; Dwayne Moore: bass (10); George “Spanky” McCurdy: drums (10).

A group of organisers that represents independent music festivals in the UK and Ireland claim that if fees aren’t cut, fans could suffer.

They say the money top acts are demanding to play has continued to rise despite the recession.

Last year’s festivals were estimated to have brought in £130m for the UK economy.
Continue reading the main story

Ben Turner is co-founder of the association of independent festivals (AIF) that represents the likes of Green Man, Eden Sessions, Get Loaded In The Park, Bestival, Creamfields, Evolution Festival, Field Day/Underage, Secret Garden Party and WOMAD.

He’s told BBC 6 Music it’s not uncommon for the biggest UK festivals to fork out more than a million pounds for a headliner, something which he says continues to rise.

“Prices for talent increases and increases and increases every single year,” he said.

“I think it’s something that agents, managers and artists need to be more aware of, that these festivals that they supposedly love, they need to show some support for that.

“There comes a point where a promoter has to go, ‘Do you know what? I’m not going to pay that far’.”

‘Big money’

He says if festival bosses don’t do their bit not to curb the rise, it’ll see other festivals close down, meaning fans will have less choice.

Andy Copping from Live Nation paid out for Rage Against The Machine, Aerosmith and AC/DC at last weekend’s Download Festival and says promoters have got no choice.

He told Newsbeat: “Big bands have to get paid and get paid big money because they’re the ones that are pulling in the people.

“It’s always been there and it’s always going to be there. The younger bands, smaller bands, only pull a certain amount of people.

“The bigger bands pull a big amount of people and they need to be remunerated for that.”

As for the artists, Florence and the Machine, who’s headlining Latitude Festival and playing at Glastonbury and T in the Park, are welcoming the boom.

Florence Welch from the group told 6 Music: “Live I think is still where as an artist you can make decent money.

“There’s a real upsurge in people wanting to see live bands at the moment and people wanting to go to festivals.

“So promoters are willing to pay for bands to come because there’s a real demand for it, which is great.”

But Jay-Z, who’s back on the UK festival circuit this summer, says massive artists have to earn their big cheques.

He said: “If you’re putting on a high-priced ticket and you’re not performing and you’re not putting in on stage, then I’d be a little bit upset about that.”

From BBC News.

His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband passed away at their home in Virginia in the US.

“He was amazing. He had a lot of talents,” she said of the singer, who starred in The Jimmy Dean Show in the 1950s.

In 1969, Dean went into the sausage business, starting the successful Jimmy Dean Meat Company.
Muppet Show

The Texan-born singer sold the company in 1984 to Sara Lee Foods but continued to be its chairman and TV spokesperson.

Big Bad John, a song about a coal mining hero, was a crossover hit in 1961, making it to number one in the country and pop charts in the US.

The single won Dean a Grammy award.

His other singles included Dear Ivan, Little Black Book and P.T. 109.

Dean also turned his hand to acting - his best-known role was as reclusive Las Vegas billionaire Willard Whyte in the 1971 James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever.

The Jimmy Dean show helped introduce puppeteer Jim Henson to the US public. His regular appearances on the show made Rowlf, the piano-playing dog, the first Muppet to become a household name.

From BBC.

Giving advice to young artists in a new school textbook, he said: “When the corporate industry dies it will be no great loss to the world. “So, I guess I would say, don’t tie yourself to the sinking ship because, believe me, it’s sinking.” Radiohead were signed to EMI for 12 years but released their last album In Rainbows via their own website in 2007. EMI is now in a particularly precarious position, with major debts and restructuring issues following a takeover by private equity firm Terra Firma in 2007. The songwriter made his comments in the Rax Active Citizenship Toolkit, published next month by New Internationalist magazine for students of GCSE Citizenship Studies.

Matter of time

In the interview, carried out in February, Yorke said the fate of new artists was “an obsession” of bandmate Ed O’Brien, who is a leading member of lobby group the Featured Artists’ Coalition. Yorke said: “When we discuss it, he says it’s simply a matter of time - months rather than years - before the music business establishment completely folds. “He is involved in trying to build a world where artists would finally get paid. But we are up against the self-protecting interests of that industry.” Radiohead are currently working on new material, but it is not known how they will release it. Yorke has recently been performing with a new band, Atoms For Peace, and is playing a solo show at the Big Chill festival in Herefordshire in August.

From BBC News.

I’m just a little concerned that one of his bandmates may steal all the attention from Miller, a prolific bassist and composer whose work helped defined the fusion era and beyond.

That bandmate would be trumpeter Christian Scott, who’s quickly developing a reputation as one of the most gifted and electrifying jazz talents among the 20-something set. The 27-year-old New Orleans native learned from artists such as Clark Terry and Donald Harrison (his uncle) and has held his own playing with artists ranging from jazz purist Wynton Marsalis to the enigmatic Prince.

Scott’s latest album, “Yesterday You Said Tomorrow,” gently nudges the sound of “Bitches Brew” era Miles Davis into the age of hip-hop and Radiohead, creating a sound remarkable both for its expressive range and pure physical vitality.

Which means he should be right at home with Miller, an equally broad-minded talent who has worked with artists ranging from McCoy Tyner to Paul Simon and helped paved the way for Miles’ 1980s comeback with his crucial work on the landmark album “Tutu.”

Those “Tutu” tunes (say that three times fast) will form much of repertoire for Friday’s SFJAZZ show, which starts at 8 p.m. at the Herbst Theatre. Tickets are $35 to $75.