Ashley Kahn’s profile of Bruce Lundvall in The Wall Street Journal captures the Blue Note label president’s importance as a developer of talent and identifies his partial retirement as a marker of what is happening to the business of recorded music.
To many, Mr. Lundvall’s exit from Blue Note’s day-to-day operations, officially announced earlier this year, symbolizes the forced transition of an entire industry. Rocker-songwriter (Richard) Marx says: “I know Bruce has been very
frustrated in the changes that have eliminated this thing called ‘artist development.’ The way the industry is heading, it’s really not the kind of thing that Bruce would want to be a big part of anyway.”
Mr. Lundvall’s words express as much: “This is the most challenging time I’ve ever seen in what used to be called the record business, now the digital music business. People download and don’t want hard copies of music. Jazz and classical buyers will probably help keep the physical formats going for a long time, but the idea is to try and monetize the digital world. It’s not easy to make a lot of money in this business anymore.”
Kahn’s article is titled, “Dr. Yes Will Hear You Now.” To find out why and read the whole thing, go here.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
In an alternate universe, not so far from our own, you are the head of Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse, or maybe even Atlantic. At least some physicists say things work that way.
Those would be nice universes.
PLus, among all his other talents, Mr. Lundvall hosts a great weekly ‘Blue Note Hour’ radio show on Sirius/XM. If he could only catch his breath while speaking(an apparent impossibility for him as a New Yorker!), it’d be easier to listen to, but hey, ya gotta love the man for all he’s done/doing for jazz!