Thoughts on new live music from a legendary musical group I'm a music lover (in case you couldn't tell), and I've been anxiously awaiting the new release of archived live recordings from Miles Davis' first great quintet. It's the last volume in a series of six (four-disc set) which I'm sure his fans will be pretty excited about. Over the years, I've been particularly fond of the Miles Davis Quintet, ever since my father introduced me to it back in 6th grade. The group, comprised of Davis on Trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Paul Chambers on bass, Red Garland (and sometimes Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans) on piano and Philly Joe Jones (later Jimmy Cobb) on drums, represents a hallmark in music history. The personnel here includes Wynton Kelly on piano and Jimmy Cobb on drums. What this group accomplished in a span of nearly a decade was monumental and defined the sound of its era. As Miles was always a forward-thinking musician, he frequently experimented with sounds, particularly the modal style of the late 50's, beginning on his album Kind of Blue and continuing with other notable musicians soon after into the 60's and 70's. But perhaps the addition to the group of saxophonist John Coltrane was one of his greatest accomplishments—- up to a point, one could say. Coltrane was known for his daring musical abilities, breaking through the traditional tenor sax sound and delivering "sheets of sound" as music critics of the day referred to them. As is evident from the above-linked review: "But none bear the audible friction between Davis and Coltrane on almost every number of this four-disc set..You can hear the sideman straining to push past Davis—the man primarily responsible for realizing that Coltrane could be Coltrane. Audible as well as physical tension. The story goes that Coltrane’s musical experimentations didn’t fare too well with Miles. Miles, in his ever-so-charming way, made a simple suggestion: Coltrane: “I don’t know Miles whenever I play I get so caught up in the music, I can’t stop..What should I do?” Miles: “Take the f—- horn out your mouth!” Classic Miles. Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? The point being that Coltrane's new sound wasn't aligned with the direction in which Miles was heading musically. However, it is still refreshing to hear a master musician working out the kinks of his playing and evolve into the legend that he was. #BlackAmericanMusic #Coltrane #MilesDavis #Album #newrelease

Rick Beato interviews pianist Brad Mehldau YouTuber Rick Beato recently interviewed one of my favorite pianists of all time, Brad Mehldau. The music community was stunned by this interview, including some of his peers. I had been waiting for something this in-depth for a long time. What I love about this video is the fact that Brad explains musical concepts in jazz and beyond in the most logical, calming of ways, almost like an ASMRist or therapist would. I'm never confused throughout the interview mainly due to Rick's great interviewing skills. The whole video is inspiring from start to finish.

Book Series now being adapted for TV by director Guillermo Del Toro. As a kid, I grew up reading these tales by Alvin Schwartz and scared myself silly. Each of the stories was chilling as were the equally creepy illustrations which kept me from sleeping. I'm excited that Trailer Park cut this recent teaser trailer (see below). Video Source: CBS Films

Thank you Gillette and Grey Group. I'm just gonna leave this one right here. #gillette #thebestmencanbe #greygroup #advertising #commercial Video Credit: Gillette. "We Believe: The Best Men Can Be". YouTube 13 January 2019. 22 Jan 2019

Jimmy Kimmel Live returns with Jimmy himself After a hiatus (and awesome guest hosts!), Jimmy Kimmel is back in the studio and on the air, charged for Fall and election madness... Also? Did a bit of a change-up with the promo voice ;) HEAR MORE >

Amtrak upgrades its locomotive fleet with Siemens Chargers Amtrak is preparing for the future and, as a train nerd, I am totally on board. In a landmark contract with Siemens the rail company will be upgrading its long-standing trains with a brand new fleet of locomotives and passenger cars. Of note, the Siemens ALC-42 Chargers (pictured below) will be the new face of Amtrak by 2024. For now, they are being used primarily on long distance routes. The P42 Locomotives from GE which I have slowly grown to love, will soon be replaced. The reasons for this are obvious. With most transportation technology, change is inevitable. But less fuel consumption, faster speeds and environmental benefits are always desirable. And this new equipment accomplishes all that. Who can say no to that?

HBO's Succession Season 2 Soundtrack Goodness That classical piano cadence, those hip hop beats. They're unmistakeable. Ah, the sound of white collar corruption in NYC. I am speaking of the theme song to HBO's fabulous series "Succession." Season 2's soundtrack is finally out and you can hear it in all its glory... LISTEN HERE #soundtrack #music #succession #season2

Huff Post article Breaks it Down ....This is how. #voice #sexyvoice #earcatching

City stages a We Love NY comeback with line-up of all-star performers This past weekend NYC experienced a resurgence of sorts: a huge benefit concert with an all-star line-up of stellar musicians and artists including Jon Batiste, Bruce Springsteen, Lourde, LL Cool J, The Killers, Patti Smith and many others...in Central Park. Tickets were pricey ranging from $400 to $5,000 a pop. And while the turnout wan't exactly what people were hoping for it was still the musical morale boost the city needed.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enthralled by the resonant and omnipresent baritone voice of Bob Edwards, which likely influenced my career path. The former NPR Host of Morning Edition and The Bob Edwards Show passed away recently at the age of 76. His voice accompanied me throughout my daily routines growing up- returning home from school, in the kitchen, in the car, and even in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. His vocal presence was felt by many over the airwaves and will be deeply missed.

R.I.P. George Lois, a legend of the ad world. The famed and influential art director George Lois has passed away at the age of 91. Some years ago, I picked up his book in hopes of learning more about the ad industry. I soon learned that not only was George behind some of the most influential and award-winning campaigns of the 1960s and 70s, but was supposedly one of the inspirations for Don Draper's character on the hit tv series Mad Men. Iconic.

Staying inspired on busy days As a freelancer, I need to stay active and keep my work flow in check. It's hard to find the right mix to keep the day flowing. So Wylie is an NYC music producer, composer, and sound designer who, in addition to putting out a lot of great audio production content on the YouTubes, is an inspiring artist herself.