Birth of Flamenco

Instead of simply telling you the history of flamenco, in this blog post I would like to explain to you how flamenco came to be in a short story. Hope you enjoy!

Andalucia changed the day the Inquisition came.

We lived our own lives happily until the Christians came charging in. Everything was taken away from us Gypsies. Our a way of life, our culture, everything was gone. They tried to rid of us as a race entirely. We could not wear our traditional clothing nor speak our own language.

Our lives and livelihoods for that matter remained threatened. We as a culture had no other choice but to flee elsewhere from the chaos and tyranny that now spread over the land like a plague.

We were left with nothing, but the culture from which we were raised. As long as we still had our song and dance, the gypsies would prevail. As we travelled we all shared in our rich heritage dating back to the days our ancestors made the faithful journey from India to Andalucia.

In order to escape the Inquisition we made our way to the mountains sharing in the music as we went.

Upon reaching the height of the summit we came to meet our fellow compatriots who suffered similar fates to our own: the Moors and the Jews.

We shared our stories, our music, and our duende, with these people. Our harmonies intertwined to create something magical, which reverberated past the mountains into the far distance.

Flamenco Cave
Photo Credit: Granadainfo.com

Well, there you have it. This is the basis for flamenco. After the Spanish Inquisition, the Jews, Moors, and Gypsies were forced to flee to the mountains where their pursuers feared to venture. From there, the cultures mixed to create flamenco consisting of a simple chant accompanied by rhythm.

From there, palmas or clapping, the guitar, and other musical elements were added to flamenco. When allowed to travel down from the steep mountains in the late 1700s, flamenco began to spread across the region and began gaining widespread recognition during the Romantic Era of the 19th century.

Since then, flamenco has continued to evolve. Nuevo flamenco, which was help pioneered by artists such as guitarist Paco de Lucia, and electric bassist Carles Benavent, combines multiple music styles from jazz to Bossa Nova with traditional flamenco. Where flamenco music goes from there I do not know. We will just have to wait and see.

Paco de Lucia was one of Spain's most important
musicians. Paco was highly interested in Jazz
and played with musicians such as Chick Corea,
John Mclaughlin, and Al di Meola
Photo Credit: Martyn Strange

For now I will leave you with a brilliant version of Chanela played by Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman and the maestro Paco de Lucia.







Sources:

http://www.classicalguitarmidi.com/history/flamenco.html
http://www.andalucia.com/flamenco/history.htm

My First Song

Hello blog followers. I am proud say that I have posted my first song onto Youtube 

If you like my posts definitely go down to my youtube page and check out my guitar playing.

This time around, I chose to play the jazz standard "Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" by Steve Kuhn. I do have to warn you though. My interpretation of Steve Kuhn's song does not give it justice. After you listen to my interpretation please listen to the actual version by Steve Kuhn.

Kuhn is an amazing pianist in that he was born both with perfect pitch as well as a photographic memory. Starting his first gigs at the age of thirteen, he has played with everyone from Stan Getz to bassist George Mraz.

Stan Getz
Source:stangetz.net

After having graduated from Harvard, Mr. Kuhn worked with Kenny Dorham for a year before performing with John Coltrane's Quartet. After that, Kuhn worked with Stan Getz and Art Farmer before moving back to the United States. Since then, he has been working in the trio setting.

Currently Steve Kuhn's trio consists of himself along with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Joey Baron. Recently, Steve Kuhn received the prestigious Prix Gabriel Faure for his "career excellence". The award has only been given out twice and was last bestowed on pianist Sir Roland Hanna.

Interestingly enough, Steve Kuhn had played Pavane for a Dead Princess just before receiving the award. Ravel, the composer of Pavane had been a student of Gabriel Faure's.

Age 76, Steve Kuhn just keeps going. Right now, Mr. Kuhn is touring with his trio across the world performing his recently released album Wisteria. Hopefully he will play in a town near you.

Steve Kuhn Trio
Steve Kuhn(Left) Joey Baron(Middle) Steve Swallow(Right)
Source: northcountypublicradio.org

Well, thats all I have to say about this wonderful pianist as of now.

Please check Steve Kuhn out. And if you enjoy his music I encourage you to purchase one of his CDs.

Also do not forget to check out my version of "Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers"

Thanks for reading!


Sources:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-kuhn-mn0000036645/biography
http://stevekuhnmusic.com

The Heavy Mental Man

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Hedges, may not be a household name, but his influence on guitarists is unprecedented. He is perhaps one of the most influential guitarists of the late 20th century.

Classically trained at the world-renowned Peabody Conservatory, Michael Hedges was able to earn a degree in musical composition. He then went to Stanford to study electronic music.

Hedges combined all of his teachings with the experimental work of Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varese, and Morton Feldman to name a few. From this amalgamation of various musical influences, Michael Hedges was able to create a sound all his own, which continues to influence musicians to this day.

Michael Hedges reinvented the acoustic guitar by introducing as well as improving on techniques such as percussive tapping, classical right hand fingerstyle, right and left hand tapping, a strumming style known commonly as “whacka whacka” strumming, and alternate tunings rarely used on the guitar.

Michael Hedges Tapping on His Harp Guitar
Source: Guitar International

Not only was Michael able to use these techniques, he was able to use them with such ease that he made them sound extremely simple when in reality they are not by a long shot.

Michael Hedges was associated with the record label Windham Hill which is known for acoustic works as well as new age music. While working under the Windham Hill label, he was able to complete eight albums two of which received Grammy Awards. And I must say that Aerial Boundaries and Taproot, the two albums which Michael Hedges received his Grammys are completely superb. I would highly recommend for you to stop reading and listen to both of those albums RIGHT NOW.

Taproot Album
Source: Valley Entertainment

One of the most important philosophies for Michael was the idea that music is a language. Musicians reiterate this phrase thousands of times, but Michael Hedges truly took this idea to heart. Hedges refers to the album Taproot as an “autobiographical myth” influenced by Joseph Campbell and Robert Bly. Michael took characters and problems from his own life and converted all of those thoughts into music for the listeners to decipher.

At the same time, Michael Hedges was highly influenced by the work of E.E. Cummings as can be seen by the fact that he put the poem ‘I Carry Your Heart’ to music in his album Taproot. Not surprisingly, his bassist and friend Michael Manring created his own rendition of E.E. Cummings’ work The Enormous Room. Michael Hedges describes E.E. Cummings work as being a beautiful stream of consciousness. For this reason, he created this wonderful rendition of one of E.E. Cummings’ best works.

His Legacy Today

Even after his unexpected death in 1997, Michael Hedges continues to exert an influence on the world of music today.

Kaki King Tapping
Source: Kaki King

For instance, in 2007 Michael Hedges’ brilliant song “Ritual Dance” was performed in the movie August Rush by acoustic guitarists Andy Mckee and Kaki King.

To this day, musicians such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Pete Townshend all use the techniques Michael perfected back in the 80s.

Michael Hedges may not be a household name but his influence on guitarists today is undeniable.



Sources:

http://guitarinternational.com/2010/12/02/guitar-hero-series-michael-hedges/

http://innerviews.org/inner/hedges.html

http://www.nomadland.com

Introducing the EBow

Guitars and other fretted instruments provide musicians a great expressive outlet.

However, guitars suffer from two major problems:

Notes on guitar quickly decay

&

Fretted instruments like guitar all produce some degree of twang

Depending on what you are playing, the twang and quick note decay of the guitar is not necessarily a bad thing.

That being said, guitarists cannot sustain a note for an infinitesimal amount of time nor can they produce the clean sound akin to fretless instruments until now.

What is the EBow

The EBow or energy bow is a handheld electromagnetic used to create effects similar to that of strings, horns, and woodwind instruments

Jimmy Page Playing With Bow
Photo Credit: Bob Gruen

First introduced at the National Association of Music Merchants in 1976, the EBow relies on a feedback loop between the guitar’s pickup and the EBow’s string driver to produce an electromagnetic field that amplifies the strings vibrations. This ultimately creates an infinite sustain similar to that of bowed instruments.

By reversing the current thru the output coil of the EBow the fundamental frequency of the string decreases in intensity and the harmonics of the string can be played. On the current EBow model, the PlusEBow, this feature is integrated into the device through a switch which allows the user to change from "Standard" to “Harmonic Mode”.

Currently, EBows sell for around $100 a piece.

Who Uses the EBow?

There is a long list of artists who have and still use the EBow.

The first notable use of the EBow was in the song Carpet Crawlers by Genesis.

EBow has been used extensively by fretless bassist Michael Manring who sometimes uses more than one EBow at once to create amazing ethereal effects.

Michael Manring Jamming
Photo Credit: Philippe Lissart

This amazing device has also been used by Pink Floyd, the Cure, Bela Fleck, Kiss, Pearl Jam… The list just goes on and on.

Limitations of the EBow

The EBow was specifically designed for guitar. Therefore it can be difficult to use it on the electric bass. However, as pointed out above Michael Manring has been able to overcome the limitations.

EBow Over Humbucker Pickups
Photo Credit: Paul J. Marossy

Similarly, EBows work best on humbucker pickups. If you are using a single coil pickup or an acoustic guitar with an electric pickup, the playing area is smaller and the tone produced is thinner.

At the same time, the EBow cannot play more than one string at a time unlike hybrid picking and finger picking styles.

Although the EBow has some disadvantages, it allows guitar players to unlock a whole new world of sound on their instrument. If you have the cash you will not regret investing in an EBow.

Source:

http://www.ebow.com

Canada’s Choice: The Battle Between the F-35 and F-18 Continue

In early September of this year, Canada finally made a decision when it came to deciding what would be their next jet fighter: Canada decided that all European fighters would be out of the picture.

That narrows the choices down to two aircraft: Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet. 

Super Hornets From VFA-41 Flying Over Afghanistan
Black Aces Flickr

F-35 Flying Over Edwards Air Force Base
US Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas Spangler

The question now is which aircraft should Canada choose. When considering the abilities of both aircraft, cost and Canada’s current needs the answer to Canada’s dilemma seems to be the F-18.

Aircraft Capabilities

Touted as the “only international fifth generation fighter” by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is a low observable (stealth) aircraft created to replace current U.S. legacy fighters in the Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Known as the Joint Strike Fighter or JSF for short, the F-35’s main role is ground attack however, the F-35 was also developed with a secondary air to air role as well.

The F-18 Super Hornet or F/A-18E/F (E is a single seat variant while F is a two seat variant) on the other hand is a 4.5 generation fighter based off of the F/A-18C/D fighter. Similarly to the F-35, the F/A-18 has both a ground attack role as well as an air to air role. Currently the F/A-18 acts as the backbone of the US Navy’s carrier fleet.

As stated previously, one of the F-35’s major selling points is its stealth capability. Although the F-35 has a radar cross section of 0.005 meters2, which is half of that of a bird’s RCS, the F/A-18 also boasts a small radar cross section. Since the F/A-18 was not developed as a stealth aircraft, the RCS of the Super Hornet is definitely not as small as that of the F-35’s. However, with a radar cross section of 1 m2, which is the same RCS of a human being, the F/A-18 obviously does not have a huge RCS either.

Boeing has also been developing a “semi-stealth” version of the Super Hornet with an RCS half that of the current F/A-18E/F however it is extremely unlikely that Canada will purchase this version of the F/A-18.

Semi-stealth Super Hornet
Boeing

At the same time, Boeing’s current F/A-18 test pilot, Ricardo Traven, who has had fifteen years of experience flying in the Canadian Air Force argues that the F-35 lost, “capability and performance” in order to gain stealth while the F/A-18 did not.

For instance, the F/A-18 while having a lower internal fuel capacity than the F-35 has a range of 3,300 km while the F-35A only has a range of 2,200 km.

Similarly, the F-35’s design also reduces it’s maneuverability. While the F/A-18 can sustain a 7.5 g turn, the F-35 can only sustain a 4.5 g turn. To add on, Ricardo Traven points out that the F/A-18’s “large control surfaces [and] large flaps… give the airplane a lot of manoeuverability”. Ricardo then continues to point out that the wings, ailerons, and flaps are, “shrunk down” on the F-35 thus reducing performance. Manoeuverability is not only an important factor when it comes to surviving dogfights, but it also plays an important role in dodging air to ground missiles. In other words maneuverability plays a key role in an aircraft’s survivability.

Lastly, although the F-35 is championed for its advanced electronic suite, the F/A-18 has similar systems and can be upgraded throughout its life. For instance, both aircraft possess AESA radar, which is critical to survival in our current 21st century environment. While the F-35’s radar and warning systems have some attributes, which the F/A-18 does not, the F/A-18 is being upgraded with a IRST system not equipped on current fifth generation aircraft. This Infrared Search and Track System has the ability to defeat radar stealth in some cases and increases the overall situational awareness of the fighter.

Canada’s Needs

Perhaps one of the most compelling arguments for the purchase of F/A-18s over F-35s is the price. The F-35 sells for a whopping $110 million while one F/A-18 is about half that price. To continue, the F/A-18 Super Hornet has already been battle tested in Iraq. The F-35 on the other hand has not finished testing and has not enter service yet.

As mentioned before, the F/A-18 has a much greater range than the F-35. Since, most of Canada’s air arm is used for patrol missions across the remote Canadian border it is important to have an aircraft able to sustain long trips through the arctic.

The F/A-18 is better equipped for Canada’s environment when compared to the F-35 in that as well as having a greater range than the F-35 the F/A-18 possesses two engines while the F-35 has one, and the F/A-18’s landing gear is better prepared for Canada’s northern runways. The importance of having two engines over one can best be explained by looking into the past. Nicknamed, the widow maker, the F-104 served in the Canadian Air Force more than fifty years ago. Not surprisingly, the F-104 was equipped with only one engine. The problem with one engine is that if you lose that engine you have no other backup. With a two engine aircraft like the F/A-18, you can still get home if one engine goes out.

Lastly, the current aircraft being used by the Canadian Air Force is the CF-18. By purchasing the F/A-18, Canadian pilots will be able to quickly transfer from the old Canadian F-18s to the upgraded Super Hornet. The F-35 on the other hand would be completely new to Canadian pilots.

CF-18 of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force

As of now the Canadian Air Force has extended the CF-18’s service life from 2020 to 2025. For the time being Canada has a choice to make: The F/A-18 Super Hornet or the F-35.

May Canada choose wisely.

KC-46 Pegasus: An Analysis of the US Air Force's New Aerial Refueler

KC-135

The KC-135 Stratotanker is one of the current aerial refueling aircraft for the United States Air Force. Based off of Boeing’s 707, the KC-135 first entered service more than fifty years ago, and as of now the US Air Force is looking to retire sixteen KC-135s. Not surprisingly, the next tanker, the KC-46 Pegasus, is a militarized version of Boeing's 767.

KC-46 Nellis AFB Red Flag 2013
U.S. Air Force Photo by Lawrence Crespo

                    KC-46 Features and Upgrades

The KC-46 differs greatly from its fifty-year old predecessor the KC-135

First of all the KC-46 possesses 12,000 more pounds of fuel and a fly by wire (computer aided) refueling system.

The KC-46 is also equipped with a permanent boom as well as probe and drogue system. The KC-135 cannot have both refueling systems at the same time. A boom refueling system is a telescoping tube which can be controlled by an operator on the tanker. A probe and drogue system on the other hand is a  long hose with a drogue or windsock at the end, which stabilizes the system.

Two F-15s Refueling from a Boom on a KC-135
U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Worley

KC-135J With Probe and Drogues Refueling Two F-35s
Photo from Lockheed Martin Flicker

Although, the KC-130 has the capability to attach wing pods in order to refuel multiple aircraft at the same time, only twenty tankers have this capability. All KC-46 tankers are equipped with the ability to attach wing pods.

Along with increased fuel capacity, the KC-46 tanker can hold three times as many cargo pallets (18) as the KC-135, almost twice as many passengers (114), and fifty-four medical patients unlike the KC-135 which can only hold fifty-four patients.

In addition the KC-46 is able to protect itself from nuclear and biochemical threats as well as heat seeking missiles. The KC-135 does not possess any of those features.

Lastly, the KC-46 has the capability to refuel at night. Again the KC-135 does not have this capability.

KC-46 Schedule and Delays

The first KC-46 is expected this November after wiring problems costing Boeing $272 million dollars caused delays in August. Although the Air Force expressed distress when it came to this delay, Boeing has been able to meet all other checkpoints and milestones.

The first eighteen tankers are planned to be built by 2017. Every year after that, the amount of tankers built will be increased by fifteen until all 179 tankers are built. 2027 is the projected date for the construction of all KC-46 Pegasus aircraft.

Along with U.S. sales, Boeing has also received bids for the KC-46 from South Korea and Poland. If these bids go through Boeing will most likely begin international deliveries in 2018.



Sources:
http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/652430.pdf
http://www.seattlepi.com/business/boeing/article/First-Boeing-KC-135R-tanker-retired-after-more-4310083.php
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2014/09/17/air-force-disappointed-in-boeing-tanker-delays.html?page=all
http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/497460/air-force-leadership-confident-in-kc-46-program.aspx
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2014/09/03/boeing-kc-46-tanker-exports-to-poland-possible.html
http://www.nellis.af.mil

Peter Sprague's Jazz Guitar

Peter Sprague

If you live in San Diego, you are in the area or you just love jazz guitar then you have to check out guitarist Peter Sprague.

Picture of Peter for the Carlsbad Music Festival
Source: petersprague.com

Peter’s music is described as being “as progressive as John Mclaughlin and as jazzy as Pat Metheny” by the San Diego Reader. If you have not heard either of the two guitarists mentioned above I would also recommend diving into their work along with Peter’s.

Peter immersed himself in jazz when he was fifteen years old. It was at this time that he created his first band with his brother Tripp on tenor sax, Rob Schneiderman on piano, John Leftwich on bass, and Toddy Bryson on drums. And thus Peter’s musical career was born!

Later in his life, Peter would study with jazz guitar great Pat Metheny (mentioned above) and play with jazz pianist Chick Corea as well as Rob Schneiderman. Again check all of these cats out!

Guitarist John McLaughlin(left) and Chick Corea(right)
Source: chickcorea.com 

I am a big fan of Chick Corea and it is basically impossible for me to sum up his gargantuan career. I am sorry but you are just going to have to jump into his work and listen.

Peter Sprague meticulously studied the work of jazz icon Chick Corea and was able to publish transcriptions of many of his works. See Jazz Solos of Chick Corea for an example.

From his experiences teaching and from writing transcriptions for Chick, Mr. Sprague was able to create his own technique book known as The Sprague Technique. From there, Peter created a multitude of books filled with some of his tunes as well as other books filled with transcriptions of the jazz greats.

Back in Del Mar, Mr. Sprague created his own recording studio known as SpragueLand, which was created to be a Californian version of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Land Studio.

SpragueLand is devised not to create, hit-records but, “to keep costs low” and to, “release a product [Peter is] happy with.” Along with recording his own work, Peter also recorded many local San Diegan artists at SpragueLand as well.

There you go! This is the basic gist of Peter’s life and music career.

As of now Peter has been working with bassist Gunnar Biggs, vocalist Leonard Patton, a string orchestra and much much… more.

Sorry for the long rant. Now go and check out this amazing guitarist!!!

Sources: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/peter-sprague/

http://petersprague.com

http://chickcorea.com