Jason Lyon Music

Category: e) Rants & Ramblings

  • Camels and Robots

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    Jason
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    Or putting rhythm sections out of business… Nah, of course, I’d never do such a thing. There’s no substitute for the real deal. But then practising isn’t the real deal either and I was asked a while ago about how I practise. Sorry the reply comes so late, MH. Sad truth is that at the…

  • Lies, Damn Lies & Marketing Part 7 – Sick Self Love

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    Jason
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    Interesting piece in the NYT recently by Frank Bruni. Belated grasp of things, but good that the talking heads are finally starting to notice what’s been going on under their talking noses for years. In a nutshell, the piece focuses on the eulogising of Aretha Franklin and John McCain. I don’t want to go anywhere…

  • All About That Bass, Bout That Bass (No Trouble)

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    Jason
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    I’ve had a question about comping bass solos. Wow. Well, how long have we got… I’ll start by mentioning that I play some “journeyman” bass. I can do a reasonable job as long the tempos are gentle, the changes aren’t too complex and you don’t expect inspired solos (or particularly good intonation). The reason I…

  • Audio Plugin – the PSG

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    Jason
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    I had planned to release this freeware FX plugin on 1 April, but things got delayed a bit. Okay, a lot. Introducing the all-new PSG™ – put it on a spare channel strip and it will instantly double your productivity, guaranteed. Using carefully formulated psycho-socio-acoustic algorithms, the PSG™ can automatically do anything your client wants…

  • Seasons Greetings

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    Jason
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    Apologies for radio silence recently. I’ve been busy with various projects, few of them specifically music-related. Decided to wrap up the year with this animated Christmas greeting. I’ve been busily corresponding with some people over the past few months and will be sharing some of the discussions over the next few weeks. Hopefully you’ll find…

  • Faking It

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    Jason
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    I don’t just mean “faking” harmony in the jazz sense, but rather more generally. Got involved in a little discussion recently about how to play complex cross-rhythms over at Adam Neely’s YT channel. When presented with something like 3s on 5s some people (me included) advocate learning to feel the way the two sound and…

  • A Soundbuzz

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    Jason
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    “Part of being a performer is that failure becomes a part of your existence. Your day-to-day routine is failure with the remote possibility of success.” Samantha Bee A recent Forbes magazine quote of the day apparently – and I think it’s an awful sentiment, but it’s worth exploring what I think she’s getting at. If…

  • A Little Ear Music

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    Jason
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    A couple of weeks ago I sat in on a sort of cocktail request gig and somebody wanted Hotel California “with the guitar bits”. Never actually done that on the piano before, strange to tell, but I had a little think and a sip of my libation while the band were getting ready and then…

  • SE Confidential

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    Jason
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    Nice writeup just been published at Something Else (click for full interview). Life, the jazziverse and everything… “I first saw Jason Lyon at Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec in London. I had gone to see Gareth Lochrane on flutes, as he was guest of the Jason Lyon Trio – which is comprised of Jason on piano, Joel…

  • The Life of 3.1415926… Musicians

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    Jason
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    Time for another ramble down memory lane. I used to co-run a full-blooded salsa band, and co-running is a great idea as long as you’ve got a good relationship and great open coms between you. In fact, running anything larger than an octet single-handed can do unusual things to even the most dedicated and able…