Interviews with several jazz artists on Prince. My brother(Ben Williams) is featured. He recently did a Prince tribute show featuring special guests Goapele, Bilal, and Frank McComb.

http://www.allaboutjazz.c...ign=buffer

[Edited 12/20/15 9:41am]

ozone14 said:

Interviews with several jazz artists on Prince. My brother(Ben Williams) is featured. He recently did a Prince tribute show featuring special guests Goapele, Bilal, and Frank McComb.

http://www.allaboutjazz.c...ign=buffer

[Edited 12/20/15 9:41am]

A very cool reading! Thx

EXCELLENT article, and so cool that your brother is one of the artists interviewed!

Cool article. I wish they'd asked those guys for their thoughts on Xpectation and N.E.W.S.

jdcxc said:

Coolest article I have read in awhile. Recently there was a thread on the Org debating the songwriting merits of Springsteen vs. Prince. This group of musicians do a great job of explaining Prince's complex and brilliant songwriting skills that are not matched by any of his contemporaries.

They at least are entitled to discuss P's classic and recent output from a musician's POV, andit's sort of a holiday to read this instead of all the uneducated nonsense one can read here.

I appreciate the fact that while they all agree on the fact that there was a particular era in the 80's when Prince was in this sort of experimental, artistically daring phase, his music has grown other merits ever since and is still as relevant as ever even if it's not as surprising, daring or groundbreaking as it was at first. And how they distance artistic merits from commercial success.

I hope lots of orgers get to read those interviews

NorthC said:

I stopped reading after the writer said that three singers born on 1958 dominated the charts. Stupid Americans! They never appreciated the talents of Kate Bush.

I think she's by far a much more interesting artist than MJ or Madonna but let's be honest, save maybe in the UK she never enjoyed their level of popularity (or Prince's) and she probably didn't have such an impact in the US. I remember most people my age were familiar with her name in France in the early 90's, but past Babooshka and Wuthering Heights no one really knew her music: it was too sophisticated and too weird for the average listener. Maybe she was bigger a decade earlier though but I wouldn't know, I was too small.

I like that so many of them pick out songs that Prince recorded on his own for praise. Tamborine, Darling Nikki, Crystal ball and The Ballad of Dorothy Parker.

databank said:

ozone14 said:

Interviews with several jazz artists on Prince. My brother(Ben Williams) is featured. He recently did a Prince tribute show featuring special guests Goapele, Bilal, and Frank McComb.

http://www.allaboutjazz.c...ign=buffer

[Edited 12/20/15 9:41am]

A reminder that Prince is much more respected today than some here would admit.

His catalog already has great depth and he's far from done.

NorthC said:

databank said:

I think she's by far a much more interesting artist than MJ or Madonna but let's be honest, save maybe in the UK she never enjoyed their level of popularity (or Prince's) and she probably didn't have such an impact in the US. I remember most people my age were familiar with her name in France in the early 90's, but past Babooshka and Wuthering Heights no one really knew her music: it was too sophisticated and too weird for the average listener. Maybe she was bigger a decade earlier though but I wouldn't know, I was too small.

That was my whole point: Prince & Kate were always much more avant garde than the other two. Back in the 80s, Jackson & Madonna were regarded as teeny-bob idols while Prince was regarded as a musician. In other words, people who were into classical/jazz/alternative rock looked down on pop music, but they did appreciate Prince and Kate Bush. They had hits AND were innovating artists at the same time. That's why I always get a little annoyed when people try to put Prince, Jackson and Madonna in the same box. And now that I've got that outta my system, maybe I should try to read the article again!

Prince had the artistic success of Kate Bush and the commercial success of Madonna. It's part of what makes him unique.

deleted

[Edited 12/20/15 13:20pm]

databank said:

Excellent article that offers actual informed insight. Something we rarely see here.

Thanks.

databank said:

jdcxc said:

Coolest article I have read in awhile. Recently there was a thread on the Org debating the songwriting merits of Springsteen vs. Prince. This group of musicians do a great job of explaining Prince's complex and brilliant songwriting skills that are not matched by any of his contemporaries.

They at least are entitled to discuss P's classic and recent output from a musician's POV, andit's sort of a holiday to read this instead of all the uneducated nonsense one can read here.

I appreciate the fact that while they all agree on the fact that there was a particular era in the 80's when Prince was in this sort of experimental, artistically daring phase, his music has grown other merits ever since and is still as relevant as ever even if it's not as surprising, daring or groundbreaking as it was at first. And how they distance artistic merits from commercial success.

I hope lots of orgers get to read those interviews

I'm thinking that's your HnR:P1 synopsis but I could be wrong...

Very cool. Refreshing to hear people comment on his music that actually know it and who can appreciate the technical aspects of his music.

paulludvig said:

Great article. I started reading, really enjoying it.

But it is gone! All I get is is this message:

504 - Gateway Timeout

funksterr said:

databank said:

They at least are entitled to discuss P's classic and recent output from a musician's POV, andit's sort of a holiday to read this instead of all the uneducated nonsense one can read here.

I appreciate the fact that while they all agree on the fact that there was a particular era in the 80's when Prince was in this sort of experimental, artistically daring phase, his music has grown other merits ever since and is still as relevant as ever even if it's not as surprising, daring or groundbreaking as it was at first. And how they distance artistic merits from commercial success.

I hope lots of orgers get to read those interviews

I'm thinking that's your HnR:P1 synopsis but I could be wrong...

It'd have to be a little more developped but yeah, Josh needs to study his classics. On the other hand his work isn't worse that most of the crap that's on the Top 40, the only problem being that I don't think a Top 40 producer is what Prince needs. Josh could have a promising career as a producer for 19 year old lolitas, but not as a producer for an artist as arty-farty as Prince.

i agree, great read. welcome departure from the org

Nice article, and thanks for posting! I particularly liked Chris McIntyre and Craig Taborn's comments--I dig Craig Taborn's piano (& misc. keyboard) stylings, too. I like to hear the musician's candid take on a Prince tune to appreciate its construction and to understand what it is that I like about the music.

irreverence said:

I missed this, previously. Good read.

controversy99 said:

irreverence said:

Great article. I started reading, really enjoying it.

But it is gone! All I get is is this message:

504 - Gateway Timeout

That's odd. I still see it when I click on the OP's link.

I see it again. Odd indeed

Interesting, i will have a look