I was humming Hendrix’s Hey Joe not too long ago and it occurred to me: the harmony song’s chords are a cycle of major chords moving downward in fourths. The world is filled with songs whose chords move around the cycle in the standard direction… down fifths… but I had never noticed one that moved backwards, like Hey Joe. I wondered: are there others there? … [read more]
This following is a piece that I wrote in 2008 for my high school alumni magazine. Because I came to jazz via a route other than music school, I have a different perspective on life as a jazz musician than many who did. I give some observations about making a career in jazz and about preconceptions that are common among musicians. [read more]
Of all my compositions, the one that draws the most comments and questions is Pangur Bán. I’ve never recorded it, but I’ve been performing it off and on for some years now. I named it after a poem written in the 9th century by an anonymous Irish Monk. As I’ve explained at gigs now and then, the name is a groaner of a pun… [read more]
For several years I’ve been sending out a mailing every few months about my teaching activities. In most I’ve included a little discussion about at topic in jazz music or jazz education. While I’ll continue to send out those mailings (go to my contact page to sign up if you like), I’ll be making those sorts of discussions a part of my website’s blog. To start things off, here’s one I wrote about a favorite ballad of mine, Moonlight in Vermont… [read more]
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—Anton