Five Bullets 4.18.25
Art, Jazz, Bioscience & more.
Good morning and happy Friday friends.
Thank you for bearing with me last week when I missed my deadline after my projects caught up with me and I wasn’t able to publish Friday’s newsletter.
As I mentioned earlier this month, I’m researching the history of the drum set for an upcoming essay. Initially I thought I could complete this in a week or two but I noticed some gaps in my understanding of the subject and I had to dive deeper. Here’s some books I’m reading.
I’m having fun with this project and learning a lot about the history of American music from early jazz to swing to rhythm & blues and rock n roll. Perhaps the drum set, a uniquely American instrument, doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves as a driving force of musical change which occurred over the last 100 years. More on that soon.
This week I’ve included some tangential research I came across while learning about the drum set and American music including a movie on the history of Chess Records and also an incredible 1965 live jazz album. I hope you enjoy.
And without further ado, here’s five bullets capturing my attention this week:
Art: Art Is The Movement, a collective by archivist & photojournalist Vanessa Hock (my partner, editor and muse) aims to empower creatives with the community, guidance and resources they need to succeed. The collective offers portfolio help, career development, and more. Become a member to gain access to some incredibly talented creatives. And be sure to follow for some great art content.
Movie: I immediately sat down to watch 2008 film Cadillac Records after I saw this clip. Adrien Brody stars as Chess Records founder Leonard Chess with Jeffrey Wright as bluesman Muddy Waters, and Beyonce Knowles as the soulful Etta James. The film charts the rise and fall of the label which gave us countless blues, rhythm & blues, and rock ’n’ roll hits from the ‘50s and ‘60s. It was a fun watch with some great music and the casting was spot-on. (For you drummers out there, Steve Jordan makes a cameo as Fred Below in the above clip).
Music: At a Brooklyn social club on April 9 & 10, 1965, jazz trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan went head-to-head for a couple of fiery sets that became Blue Note releases Night of the Cookers Vol. 1 & 2. Jazz fans will know Morgan’s work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers as well as his hit record The Sidewinder and Hubbard, who replaced Morgan in the Messengers, later gained success as a bandleader with a slew of acclaimed albums. For the two-night stint, La Marcha was packed to capacity and the crowd knew they were experiencing something special - you can feel it in this recording. Hubbard and Morgan exchange a series of energetic improvisations backed by a powerhouse band during these historic performances. (We’re lucky that Orville O’Brien was there to capture the magic on tape!).
Science: The Dire Wolf is back. In case you missed it, scientists brought the ‘dire wolf’ back from extinction. I’m using quotes because the three wolves created by genetics company Colossal Biosciences isn’t an exact replica of the extinct dire wolf - they’re more or less gray wolves with a few DNA changes. As with dog cloning, producing extinct animals creates ethical concerns but Colossal believes their research will lead to spin-off breakthroughs from CRISPR optimization to microorganisms which can break down plastics. Dire wolves, whose nearest ancestor is the gray wolf, went extinct about 12,000 years ago when the large animals they hunted also died out.
Podcast: Musician/Patreon CEO Jack Conte spoke with Colin & Samir to break down the changes happening in the creator economy. I haven’t listened to many podcasts lately (I’m listening to audiobooks these days) but I always find Conte’s insights enlightening. Though Colin & Samir’s channel mostly focuses on Youtube the discussion topics include followers/subscribers, short vs. long-form content, revenue, and membership models, all of which impact most creators publishing online in 2025.
That’s all for this week. I really enjoy sending this newsletter out each Friday. I get to dive into my interests, learn more, and share it with you so thanks for reading.
Have a great weekend,
Keith.