When technology works, it's a beautiful thing. But when it doesn't, it drives me to the brink of insanity. The tech gods had it out for me this past week. Do they enjoy watching me squirm? Working with technology over the past forty years, I’ve learned, the hard way, that every so often it’s bound to throw a wrench in the works and laugh at your misery.
When I tried to publish videos from my 2007 series, Orrin Keepnews, Producer, over a week, encountered inexplicable errors. WTF? Substack had been a smooth ride for nearly a year of blogging but this post was a different beast. In relentless fashion I spent hours troubleshooting, when I'd prefer communing with the universe in my back yard.
Finally, after a maddening marathon of tech wrestling, I cracked the code. I always do. I’ve posted the four videos down below.
As the Jazz Video Guy, I waded through a sea of musician interviews, usually quick hour-long affairs. But then there were the titans—Billy Taylor and Sonny Rollins—our chats stretched over nearly a decade. Enter Orrin Keepnews. With Orrin, we weren't just doing interviews; we were crafting an epic podcast series, two grueling days of nonstop conversation. Orrin, at eighty-three, was still a steel trap of memory and razor-sharp opinions. Tough, endearing, and endlessly fascinating, he spun tales that provided fresh and insightful perspectives on the music and the musicians who created it.
Orrin had deep, soulful connections with Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, and Sonny Rollins. These weren't just recordings he was discussing; they were windows into profound relationships. Orrin was more than a record producer; he knew these cats in ways the rest of us could only dream about.
I'm neck-deep in a month-long AI Video bootcamp that's got my brain firing on all cylinders. It's a wild, exhilarating ride, especially as I stare down my seventy-fifth birthday. Instead of shuffling to the early bird special in a lime green polyester leisure suit, I'm diving headfirst into a creative whirlwind. What a blessing to be so fiercely challenged at this stage of the game.
It's a thrilling journey, both challenging and electrifying. Just a year in, and these new tools are revolutionizing filmmaking. Hollywood is quaking because the expensive, glitzy special effects that once fueled their empire can now be created on a home computer for a fraction of the cost.
I feel very fortunate to be among the pioneers of AI video. It's akin to working in live television back in the early 50s when the medium was primitive but full of potential. Early television was produced in New York, closely aligned with theater, and relied heavily on storytelling rather than special effects. This focus on story gave us iconic TV like Rod Serling's "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and Paddy Chayefsky's "Marty."
The technological advancements that led to today's screens took decades to develop. However, with AI video and AI in general, this evolution won't take half a century. Driven by competition, in five years or less, AI video will become the most powerful medium on the planet.
Stay tuned for more about AI video, including some samples, in my next post on Monday.
Thelonious Monk’s Town Hall Concert
Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners
Cannonball in New York
The Saxophone Colossus
Some research regarding Hall Overton and Monk. Hall lived in the loft where Monk rehearsed and knew him for some time before Town Hall. So that's how he knew what to do with the orchestrations.
Starting on page 51 of Sam Stephenson's The Jazz Loft Project, this book provides evidence regarding The Town Hall Concert to Orrin Keepnews (from your video) and may even answer his wish that "one day, some old guy would come out of nowhere and say 'This is the way we did it.'"
Gene Smith moved into the loft in 1957 and recorded things in photo and sound. And Dick Cary's diary includes his writing about the rehearsals for Town Hall. Really an amazing book. The collection at Duke contains photos, recordings, and Cary's writing - some of which is in the book, and the rest is at Duke University - where one can visit and listen! I just remember reading this when the book appeared and I was wishing I could go. I called Stephenson at Duke, and he said "just let me know when you're coming."
These are epic interviews documenting one of the most important jazz record producers ever. They belong in the National Archives. You deserve an award for these alone. As you discovered, Orrin could be an ‘easy’ interview IF you had credibility and didn’t set off his highly-tuned bullshit meter.
Crusty and irascible as he was-he didn’t suffer fools. Somehow, I was fortunate to pass the test and we were friends the last 25 years of his life. His book The View From Within is highly recommended for those interested.
You’ve done a real service here and it’s wonderful for those who never met him…to meet him. Bravo Brett!