New tracks

Hi everybody,

Would be cool if you'd check out three tracks I just uploaded to my jazznetwork site and let me know what you think.
Straight, No Chaser was just an ad hoc jam last week.

http://thejazznetwork.ning.com/profile/NikolausNikiDolp

Peace
Niki

This sounds Pro,
but also the type of music I would not buy,
it is like Mouzon now plays smooth jazz
chuck it into the mulls.
Never good enough for home use.


Bland but Pro playing.


That is me
not to be taken as a attack.


Is this what you want in music?


Is there a Drive?


___________________________

Outtasight
Colin

Hi Niki,

I enjoyed the tracks a great deal. I really like the unorthodox progressions and chord changes in Out let it out now. I loved the flute, nice touch! Straight no chaser was a lot of fun. I really dug the way you caught the essence (essance?) of each tune not only in your actual playing but the way you tuned your drums to get that jazzy yet rich sound. I thought you played in a very mature and supportive manner that really allowed the music to be presented as a whole. Very unselfish and very refreshing coming from a young man such as yourself...

You have in this case a very keen gift of being obligatory (relating to an obligation... In short, having big ears.). I can hear your obligation to the music in all three tunes. I must admit that Paula is going to take a little time for me to get used to as I was having just a bit of trouble relating to your vocalist. But the tune was not bad by any means.... All in all, great job Niki.

I said this in the past, and I'll say it again. You are the most improved drummer I have ever heard in this family group of players. You have come so far and you're sounding fantastic! Keep up the great progress.

Don.

First of all, allow me to say that I have not been able to find the time to join another website.

Second of all, allow me to say that when listening only to "Out Let It Out Now!," I just had to sit back and truly appreciate what you are doing Niki behind the kit.

Finally, I hesitate to put in words (or categories) what might seem most "improved." I hear this tune as "inspired." You are playing man and employing every nuance that your surfaces provide. In my heart of hearts I sense every drummer/musician/audiophile, etc. desires to hear this kind of performance.

Kindly give me time to listen to the other tracks. I gigged last night and haven't gone to bed yet. Yeah, I'll get some sleep, but I'm not tired.

Ok... now listening to Paula. I really like both your sensitive brush treatments as well as the vocalist's performance. She has a sultry yet unimposing scat with her voice. Your colors between HH, cyms and brushes do the best job anyone can do for the arrangement. Afterall, it's music and there were no melodic flubs, dropped beats or miscommunications about where anyone in the song was going. The flute was a nice touch in my opinion. Very nice job Niki. This is commercial and audiophile stuff Niki! Not a matter of "likes or dislikes," but musical appreciation. [on an aside: I wish Paula was here for me! LOL! Just kidding!]

Straight No Chaser is off the hook Niki! You are well studied and your chops are well applied! I REALLY ENJOYED THIS ONE since it comes from my day.

LOVE IT! You play with attitude which is what I like! You play very purposefully and cleanly man. Quite a testimony for others to acknowledge. Hopefully when I get to your continent I'll be able to meet you in spite of our stalled attempt awhile ago in Atlanta when you were flying through to L.A. (I was in the studio then too).

P.S. I can't imagine how anyone could/would not appreciate what you have offered Niki. Maybe some are still in ruts instead of routes toward their own destinies as you are doing. Jazztastic Job Niki!

hey guys!

Thanks a lot for listening to my music!

"Out, let it out now" and "Paula" were both written by the flutist and leader of that band, Tanja Peer who's really very talented in writing great tunes and many of them are catchy.
Colin, thanks for listening! I never thought as the music being smooth....didn't think in any categories at all, all I know is that I like the compostions and it is fun to play them! I want to play music which gives me the opportunaty to express myself, which is honest and powerful and rich in expression in general. Sure, that is not always found to 100%, but that is a goal I try to achieve as often as possible.
BTW, I was substituting that gig with that band. Now, substituting brings you into the decision in how to let the band hear what they are used to and on the other hand how to yet bring in your own voice.

Don and Suss I'm really glad you liked the tunes and thank you for taking the time to listen to it!
I hope to meet you one day and am sorry it wasn't meant to be last summer!

Peace
Niki

Colin wrote:This sounds Pro,
but also the type of music I would not buy,
it is like Mouzon now plays smooth jazz
chuck it into the mulls.
Never good enough for home use.
Bland but Pro playing.
That is me
not to be taken as a attack.
Is this what you want in music?
Is there a Drive?
Colin

Hi Colin... I wish to highlight several comments you make not only with our Niki Dolp involved but also musical appreciation in general. Kindly note that I'm speaking from the perspective of a drummer finding the value spatial orientation (viz: spaces and rests) of arrangements, rather than filling up gaps like we fill up our garbage cans everyday. Like you, I don't mean to attack, but simply to embellish our conversations with meaningful thoughts:

Smooth jazz is as much an idiomatic expression as are the other genres (or categories) industry folks try to encapsule. I don't know of any industry person who can honestly say to you that he'd rather be behind a corporate desk than on stage performing. Do you?

Similarly, when I listened to Niki's offerings, I didn't hear any attempt on his part to put himself in a box as much as I heard the heart of a Player purely playing the music with his own spontaneity and creativeness. The "suits" will say one thing or another, but then when on stage, the "ties" need to come off and the "collars" need to be open. Metaphorically speaking, span the bridge of a man's attire into what a man's attitude ought to be. With the right attitude, there are no ties to restrain or collars to corral wild horses meant to run the ranges freely.

Hence, therein is the "drive" that seems to elude you. When on stage performing, the most difficult tunes to play are ballads... simply because every note must be properly placed to convey the right thought at the right moment. I learned how to do that with Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers (two very different Artists back in their day). I learned that as a drummer.

Niki does a superb job and my feeling is that perhaps you are missing something in your appreciation of this genre of music: viz: smooth jazz. Afterall, there is a market out their demanding it, and we purists would do better to embrace it than "buck" it as "wild horses."

Just my two pence... no offense intended.

Love You Guys...

For sure John
Niki is a Pro.
His playing gets better all the time.


Smooth Jazz is not in demand
except for the 99cent bin,
or the 99pence bin. It gives Jazz a bad name.

The UK Smooth Jazz station is to close.





____________________________

Outtasight
Colin.

I don't think that true traditonal jazz or Jazz-fusion has anything to worry about from this music. I think the only thing that will give those genres a bad name is bad music from their own. Smooth jazz is hit and miss for me, some of it is really cool and other tunes can really suck eggs rotten.

It sure ain't bothering me! I don't like, I don't buy... It's-as-simple-as-dat.

Slam.

Well, I know Tanja Peer ( the composer of that unes) and I know that she never listened to "Smooth Jazz" you are talking about even once, and that not even on porpous. Fact is that in central Europe there's practically no Smooth Jazz on the radio stations and in the Cd shops....no market at all. Tanja comes from a complete different background. So, all of us playing that music and she writing that music never thought about that music being Smooth. It was more our goal to reach a kind of "Drum'n Bass/Club" feeling. So, if you want to put the music into one of those pockets, go ahead...most of us even don't know those categories!
I always thought that "Paula" sounded a little like some stuff Joni Mitchell did.
Anyways, if there's a musician I know who doesn't think and work upon categories - because she even doesn't recognize any categories - is Tanja Peer who wrote those tunes. She's just herself and putting all her diverse experiences in her compositions which she writes out of her feelings.
As long as you don't put any music in any categorie, it won't be there and make it stronger!



Thanks for all your inputs!!
Peace
Niki
Peace
Niki

Niki wrote:Well, I know Tanja Peer ( the composer of that unes) and I know that she never listened to "Smooth Jazz" you are talking about even once, and that not even on porpous. Fact is that in central Europe there's practically no Smooth Jazz on the radio stations and in the Cd shops....no market at all. Tanja comes from a complete different background. So, all of us playing that music and she writing that music never thought about that music being Smooth. It was more our goal to reach a kind of "Drum'n Bass/Club" feeling. So, if you want to put the music into one of those pockets, go ahead...most of us even don't know those categories!
I always thought that "Paula" sounded a little like some stuff Joni Mitchell did.
Anyways, if there's a musician I know who doesn't think and work upon categories - because she even doesn't recognize any categories - is Tanja Peer who wrote those tunes. She's just herself and putting all her diverse experiences in her compositions which she writes out of her feelings.
As long as you don't put any music in any categorie, it won't be there and make it stronger!



Thanks for all your inputs!!
Peace
Niki
Peace
Niki

Niki,

That's something that I wanted to mention in my last post here and forgot to... None of this material sounds anything like Smooth jazz to me.

Don.

Sounds great Niki! It sounds like you've been putting in some serious time with your love for jazz and drumming. I particularly like your use of the cliking on the rims....very tasty in deed. Keep it up.

Colin wrote:For sure John
Niki is a Pro.
His playing gets better all the time.

Smooth Jazz is not in demand
except for the 99cent bin,
or the 99pence bin. It gives Jazz a bad name.

The UK Smooth Jazz station is to close.
____________________________

Outtasight
Colin.

And that is my VERY POINT: there are no "bins" when it comes to creating something.

Some folks need to just catch up rather than toss their bucks, deutche marks or sterling behind the "bins" for the products only.

The reason why you and those across the POND from where I was born is because you have matured to respect the heritage of the original creators/proponents of the music that is now commercialized.

The appearance (or disappearance) of "media" to broadcast this stuff is not limited by the "bins." Only those with a view toward profitability upon the backs of those who provide the "medium" will wind up closing their doors (or air waves).

Never the artists...

Very professional sounding Niki! I especially enjoyed "Straight No Chaser". Also the drums were tuned in this way that suits this type of music. Keep it up!

Kind regards,
Anders

Niki, very, very nice stuff, especially your drumming. Not sure I'm crazy about the bass playing on "Out Let It Out Now" . . . seems a bit dissonant and may be ameliorated with a remix to glue everything together just a bit better. Put it all "in the same room" so to speak. Cool band. You're playing smoothly yet with a lot of detail . . . you've got the turbo jets when you need them (something I desperately need work on; any suggestions?).

"Paula" is an excellent demo. Again, I'd like to hear this tune remixed to glue it together more . . . I do like the song and think it can be done again even better. "Straight No Chaser" demonstrates your abilities really well. Nice, clean snare work on this Monk classic. I'd like to hear you mix it up a bit in your fours by alternating how you begin each section, i.e., open up sometimes with that fast single stroke roll and end with something more spatial (the opposite of how you may naturally approach the composition of your solos). Great facility!

woof

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for taking the time to listen to my music and commenting on it. Special thanks to you, Woofus, for finding the time to put some suggestions in there!
Well it was all recorded live, so it is what it is. I agree that the intonation of the bass not that perfect at times. The mix is not that well either, I think the bass is too prominent in the mix anyway. What do you mean by "glueing together "exactly?
Thanks for the suggestions on the Fours....I want to work on them too. I have found a great site on the internent for some concepts by Paul Wertico http://www.paulwertico.com/articles/creativefours.php
which I want to work through if I find the time.

A thing I found quite disturbing at that gig where Paula and Out let it out now was recorded is that the sound engineer mixed me like it would be a rock gig.....the cymbals where almost not audible on the ballads!


Peace
Niki

Niki wrote:Hi guys,

... A thing I found quite disturbing at that gig where Paula and Out let it out now was recorded is that the sound engineer mixed me like it would be a rock gig.....the cymbals where almost not audible on the ballads!

Peace
Niki

I feel your pain Niki!

I'm dealing with an audio engineer now who thinks he's a Producer/Mixer and Record Label head. The guy doesn't have a clue and pays no attention to either the roots of music or the routes taken to move ahead within his own skills. It's frankly up to what he feels at the time - which is why I'm trying to make sure that whatever genre I play, the drums are displayed properly.

How sad... and so much for novices who have a handle on modern audio technology!