The Partial Observer Presents "How To Alienate Your Audience in 10 Easy Steps"

In a recent series of articles for The Partial Observer, Neo Classical columnist Holly Mulcahy writes about the ten most common ways that performers alienate their audiences. While the article is generally written from the context of a classical musician's point of view, nearly every word in this article applies to the vast majority of musicians as a whole. The article is written with humor to demonstrate it's points without coming across heavy-handed. Musicians: pay attention to this article -- it could help you get hired back!

Listen to "Septology: In the Beginning" on Kerchoonz

A new UK social music and networking site, Kerchoonz, is now paying artists when their streams are played online. I'm testing it out with my Septology: In the Beginning recording to see what it's all about. If you'd like to help support me without having to spend a dime, listen to Septology: In the Beginning on Kerchoonz instead of playing your CD or MP3's. If you are a musician and want to upload your music and reap whatever benefits may come down the line, sign up for an artist account.

See All 200 Jazz Photos in LIFE Photo Archive

In a joint collaboration with Google, LIFE has placed millions of photos online for the general public to enjoy from their archive. Of those millions of photos, 200 appear when searching for "jazz", and there are some great shots here worth paying attention to that potentially were never published. View all 200 jazz photos in the LIFE archive, or feel free to visit the LIFE archive home page to look for other subjects -- on a side note, Louis Armstrong appears in the "People" list on the home page! I love the Miles one on the right, but I put my two favorites below, both taken by photographer Eliot Elisofon in 1954. Enjoy!

Quote from LA Phil's Irving Bush on Personality of Trumpet Players

Leave it to Jerry Oram to drop all the golden nuggets! Here's another one, this time from noted trumpet player, composer and author Irving Bush:

There are two sides to a trumpeter's personality: there is the one that lives only to lay waste to the woodwinds and strings leaving them lying blue and lifeless along the swath of destruction that is a trumpeter's fury; then there's the dark side...

Quote from Kenton Alumnus Don Smith Regarding Lead Playing

Jerry Oram passed on a great quote from Kenton alumnus Don Smith about being a lead trumpet player:

There are three registers on the trumpet: the low register, the high register, and the cash register, and that's where I play.