Apple’s Steve Jobs to take medical leave

I sincerely hope this isn’t/doesn’t turn into anything serious. Steve Jobs is iconic for my generation.

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs said Wednesday he will take a leave of absence from the computer and music-player maker because of health issues.

Jobs, who announced last week that he suffered from a hormone imbalance that caused him to lose weight, said he will be away from the job until the end of June.

“In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June,” Jobs said in a statement.

Jobs said curiosity over his personal health was a distraction and that his health-related issues have become “more complex” during the past week.

[CNNMoney]

Joshua Bell performs incognito in D.C. Metro station

I already loved Joshua Bell for his talent, but this just makes him that much better.

Jazz wonder Freddie Hubbard dies

This news saddens me, as I’ve been a fan for many years now and thoroughly enjoyed his work, especially with Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter (who I’ve had the pleasure of learning from) on Maiden Voyage and First Light.

Grammy-winning trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, a leading figure in jazz during a five-decade career, has died at age 70, about a month after suffering a heart attack, his publicist said Tuesday.

In the 1970s, Freddie Hubbard made a series of funk- and fusion-oriented albums, such as the 1970 hit “Red Clay.”

Hubbard died Monday morning in Sherman Oaks, California, outside Los Angeles, after a long battle with heart disease, spokesman Don Lucoff told CNN. He had been hospitalized since suffering a heart attack the day before Thanksgiving and took a turn for the worse last week, Lucoff said.

“Freddie Hubbard, in terms of the advent of modern jazz, the birth of bebop, was probably among the five greatest trumpet players that has ever lived … He’s really right up there with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Roy Eldridge, an innovator and great composer,” Lucoff said.

A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Hubbard moved to New York in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, he was playing alongside such major jazz figures as Art Blakey, Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.

In the early 1970s, he made a series of funk- and fusion-oriented albums, such as the 1970 hit “Red Clay” and 1972’s Grammy-winning “First Light.”

“The thing that set Freddie Hubbard apart was he played rapidly, he played soulfully and he really set the pace for a lot of the trumpet players who have come after him in the last 20 or 30 years,” Lucoff said.

Hubbard was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006. He is survived by wife, Briggie, and son Duane.

Rest in peace, Freddie. Us jazz cats will miss you terribly.

[Thanks to CNN for reporting this sad news]

last.fm

Just in case anyone is feeling especially stalkerish, you can see what I’ve been listening to here.

Mixtapes… er… CD’s.

I’ve been cleaning up my music collection, and I came across some mixes that mean a lot to me, for one reason or another. They always remind me the time in my life when it was made, and typically makes me happy. I don’t really have any mixes that remind me of bad times, like Vietman or something. ‘Cause that would be a terrible mix. 

Here’s one from the end of 2004:

• Seeing in Believing – Acceptance
• There Cannot Be a Close Second – Copeland
• Living Rooms – Down to Earth Approach
• Fluxy –  The Early November
• The Best Happiness Money Can Buy – I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business
• Wrong Way Out – Junction 18
• We Had A Deal – Onelinedrawing
• Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been – Relient K
• City Lights – Over It
• Round Here – Punchline
• Darker – Ticker Tape Parade
• Watch the Sky – Something Corporate
• As the Story Goes, Lorraine – Not Long After
• Visions of What Once Was – Finding Westerly
• Deja Vroom – Rory
• Sadie – Alkaline Trio
• Katherine, Please – Tokyo Rose
• All Hail the Heartbreaker – The Spill Canvas

And of course I have mixes of Grey’s Anatomy music that grows each week, a “Tub Mix” from 2006… good times, good times.

[P.S.: Santa is now in Shanghai, China] 

Michael Buble & Leon Jackson

I had no idea who this guy was until today, but he’s compared to the likes of Michael Buble and then suddenly – we find them performing together! Besides the fact that he looked like he was trying a little too hard (or maybe the song with a little below his register?) I liked it.

The online music evolution and a geek advent calendar

Regis Behe, a reporter at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, clearly did his homework. In this article about how artists are making their money and what outlets they’ve begun using to do so is a very interesting read. Remember the Napster fiasco back in the day? It’s funny to think that at one point, in my own lifetime, online music sharing/distribution was looked at as a crime (paid for or otherwise) – and now it’s a must in the media world. Along with the fact that it used to be seen as “selling out” when a musician chose to lend their songs to commericals. Now, the girls drool over the Chris Brown Doublemint commercial that not only used his song “Forever”, but changes the lyrics to cater to their product. We live in interesting times – read up.

Also, my friend Scott posted this link on Twitter and I thought it was wonderful – an advent calendar for web geeks. More specifically, web design and development. We’re on day one – favorite it and check back every day!

Macy’s got RICK ROLL’D

Did anyone fall on the floor crying they were laughing so hard? Well, I did. My stomach hurts I was laughing so hard – that was amazing.