Blog
This blog explores the intersection between performance, mindfulness, and music, with a particular focus on the art and spirit of Gypsy Jazz. It’s a space dedicated to understanding how focus, awareness, and creativity enhance both artistic expression and personal growth.
Gypsy Jazz Interviews
About the Author: Nuno Marinho
Who is Nuno Marinho, after all? Nuno is a guitarist, composer, Portuguese Gypsy Jazz promoter, researcher, journalist, pedagogue, NBA-Chess-Cosmos lover… and Peaceful Warrior. My new mantra is: I just want you to be happy 🙂 I can only hope the effort I’ve…
Brad Brose Interview
Brad Brose’s “Cat-A-Strophe” album is setting the tone for a new world of possibilities for the XXI century Gypsy Jazz genre. Original compositions blend in La Pompe like no other. In this greatly humorous interview Brad talks about the masters and the fundamentals,…
Dario Napoli Interview
Italian Gypsy Jazz guitarist, blogger of “Diary Of a Gadjo”, teacher and composer Dario Napoli opens his heart and mind in this thoughtful, conscious and inspiring interview. Here it is: “Cotto a puntino” 🙂 1 – What have inspired you to start playing music? Tell us…
Irene Ypenburg Interview
Irene Ypenburg is something special… What a thoughtful, kind and wise human being. Gypsy Jazz really has a place for everybody, regardless of their origins, backgrounds or social environment. In this (maternal tone) interview Irene will guide you into some…
Antoine Boyer Interview
Starting at a very young age, getting recognition from his pairs and being an awarded musician is always both surprising and worth to talk about. A bit of an introvert, this young man overflows his musical talent into Classical music as well as into the Gypsy Swing….
Gonzalo Bergara Interview
Gonzalo Bergara is one of my favorite musicians ever. His music is pure joy and his funny, outgoing personality makes it even better to hang out with him. Here’s the full story. And remember… “Never Give Up!” 😉 1 – What have inspired you to start playing music? Tell…
Jazz Articles
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk: Life and Work When analysing the musical style of Thelonious Monk, we observe that many of his compositions, now considered jazz “standards,” form a significant part of contemporary musicians’ repertoire. The unique and personal sound that the pianist…
Jim Hall
Jim Hall: Life and Work Jim Hall became known as “The Quiet American” for his calm and peaceful nature. His mother played piano, his grandfather violin, and his uncle guitar — but it was saxophonists who most deeply influenced his path in jazz. In his youth, he…
John Scofield
John Scofield: Life and Work John Scofield was born in 1951 in Dayton, Ohio, and studied at the Berklee School of Music from 1970 to 1973. Inspired by rock and blues musicians, the first album he participated in featured Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker. For two years,…
Pat Metheny: Parte II
Pat Metheny: Life and Work (Part II) In the period between the recording of The Road to You (1993) and We Live Here (1995), Pat Metheny joined forces with John Scofield to reveal (alongside Steve Swallow and Bill Stewart) the evolution of the guitar and to celebrate…
Pat Metheny: Parte I
Pat Metheny: Life and Work (Part I) The vast and diverse body of work of Pat Metheny demonstrates an exceptional ability to create and adapt to multiple contexts in both composition and guitar performance. His pioneering spirit and experimental approach made him a…
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt – Life and Work A towering figure in European jazz and guitar history, Django Reinhardt stands as the symbol of an enduring aesthetic movement that emerged in the post-war years and continues, healthily, to remain faithful to its roots. Born in…
Maximizing Perfomance
Self-Regulation: Becoming your own Master
Parents, teachers and mentors they all take care of us and it feels wonderful. But even under their wings there are times where you are left alone to be taken care by yourself. Practicing an instrument, writing or any other art form requires a great amount of time…
1001 Creative Ideas
I always ask my students to come up with a list of (at least) 10 different ways to play a melody or solo. Sparkling creative spirits in music is all about figuring out new and exciting ways to do manageable and pleasurable things sound different. Add character,…
How To Deal With Creative Blocks
Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Jazz is all about expressing oneself creatively. But sometimes that liberating state of mind kind of feels closer to a rat in the cage than a lion out in the wild. Unleashing creativity is all about thinking outside of the box….
The Inspired Student: Performance Practice
Did you know that the areas of the brain activated while playing from memory are deactivated during improvisation? Playing a written melody and improvising a solo activates different regions of the brain. We all have a Classical musician friend unable to…
The Inspiring Teacher
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” (William Arthur Ward) The Center for Music Learning (in the University of Texas Austin’s) is at the forefront of…
Defensive Pessimism
It’s Summertime! “The livin’ is easyFish are jumpin’ and the cotton is highYour daddy’s rich and your ma is good-lookin’So hush little baby, Don’t you cry” Sunny weather, drinking cocktails by the pool, bikini girls walking around, running, hiking and biking with…
Mindfulness
Warrior quotes
“If Man Works Hard the Land Will Not Be Lazy.” Chinese Proverb “Persistence is the mother of personal change.” Robin Sharma “Obsessed” is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” Russell Warren “Don’t Practice until you get it right. Practice until you…
Peace quotes
“Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace” Robert Sawyer “Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner.” Lao Tzu “If you will always want more than you have, how can you ever be happy?” Robin Sharma “A man is rich…
Optimization quotes
“It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer.” William Of Occam “Expensive words mask imprecision. A clear writing derives from clear thinking. Think simple. “ Tim Ferris “If I had more time I would have written you a shorter letter.” Blaise…
Social interactions quotes
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.” Socrates “We don’t have to defend what we know. Others opinions can never affect us in that way. We only feel the need to defend what we’re desperately trying to believe” Noah Elkrief You don’t get…
Consciousness quotes
“People ask ‘What is the meaning of life?’ on the assumption ‘meaning’ is something they should look for and find. But maybe meaning in life is something you create for yourself and others.” Neil deGrasse Tyson “It’s not what you will get out of the books that is so…
Humor quotes
I’ve been cleansing things that matter from things that don’t matter in my life. Just like cleaning a house , refreshing the Internet browser or organizing computer files in an external drive, there’s something liberating about focusing (and keeping…