James Danderfer

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

As some of my devoted readers may remember, I was commissioned earlier this year by CBC Radio to compose a suite of music in tribute to the late great Jelly Roll Morton. In particular, the music was intended to celebrate his time spent living and working in Vancouver back in 1919. The music was recorded live at the Patricia Hotel (where Jelly Roll worked) along with a host of other fantastic musicians.

And so, in lieu of a podcast I’m just making the music available for your listening pleasure, just click on the song titles below. Alongside each of the track titles are descriptions to give you a sense of what each song is about. This way, I don’t have to listen to myself speak any more than necessary and you get to bypass at least 10 minutes worth of pregnant pauses more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

I know,… it’s Sunday. WTF!? right?

Readers, yesterday I attempted to create and post my 1st podcast. I didn’t know how to do it but damned if I wasn’t going to give it my best shot. You see, this is what I do: Over think something, hash it out like I’m chewing a piece of steak into paste, until I can’t stand thinking about it any more! And then I have to do it IMMEDIATELY.

Well, I recorded it and included one of the new electroacoustic tracks to boot. However, more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

First off, if you’re reading this SMNP on Saturday before 5pm PST then you’re invited to listen to some of that CBC commissioned, Jelly Roll Morton tribute music I wrote/performed for CBC Radio last January. You can find it on Radio One 690 AM or 88.1 FM at 5pm and it will include some music from all the great artists featured that night we recorded live at the Patricia Hotel!

Moving on, let me give a quick shout out to all the over-thinkers out there! If thinking about shit was a job, we’d all be making bank in over-time. But it’s not, and more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Yes, it’s another late post. But I have a good reason this time, I’ve been drinking! That’s right, since I was sooo busy in Montreal finishing up my 1st year of McGill I didn’t have any time to celebrate, and so I’ve been making up for it back home in BC. However, 2 weeks of celebrating is probably enough, sooo… back to “work”!

And so as I write this post I’m sitting in the magikal world of CG Magik’s (aka Chris Gestrin’s) studio where we are currently working on mixing the Electroacoustic EP which more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the the Saturday Morning News Post!

I am writing this SMNP from back home in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and I gotta say, it’s great to be back!

Readers, this week I have a special surprise for you… a new video up on YouTube! more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

How time flies! Here I am, half way through my Masters degree in jazz composition, and what a year it’s been, a veritable roller-coaster ride of emotions and jazz-educational triumphs! Well,… maybe not, but it’s been a damn good experience for me so far and next semester is shaping up to be even better.

Why better? Well, yours truly will be directing McGill’s Jazz big band 3 next year!

In the words of the Kool-Aid man… OH YEAH!! Finally! A position of power! Molding minds! Making and breaking jazz careers on a whim. THEY WILL RESPECT MY AW-THOR-I-TAY!! more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

I know, I know! The SMNP is late again, but it’s end of semester here at McGill and I’ve got a cold, AND I had an “early” rehearsal this morning. Besides, you get what you pay for people! Anyways, if you want to bypass the inevitable weekly disappointment (and tire of bitching me out on my facebook page) you can always just sign up for the RSS feed in that top right corner. Et voila!

So,… last Saturday I raised the question “Why is the BC Government Cutting Elementary School Band Programs?”

As always I enjoyed reading your comments, a few of which encouraged me to do some actual “research”, which I did…ugh, and the resulting conclusion I came to isn’t that optimistic. It is indeed with a heavy hose I must say that more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, when it comes to issues regarding economics or politics, I’m basically a moron. I’d really like to have a better understanding about these things but somehow I just can’t muster the enthusiasm for learning about subjects filled with A.) numbers/stats/mathematical equations or B.) insufferable lying douche-bags.

So when either of the above two subjects come up in conversation, I generally have to keep my mouth shut and assume/hope that there are sensible and knowledgeable professionals making decisions for the collective good of the people. I’m not proud of this, in fact, I know it’s irresponsible. (Bad citizen! Bad citizen!) more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, I am a man on a hunt, a hunt for a good bass clarinet that won’t break the bank.

For almost TWO YEARS now I have set my web browser’s homepage to “Ebay: bass clarinets, sort from highest price to lowest” and so far I have found no deals whatsoever. In fact, I haven’t found anyone selling the kind of horn I’m looking for at all.

I check various city’s Craig’s Lists from time to time, I ask around and routinely make phone calls to music stores throughout the country. Two years later, I have nothing to show for it. WTF?! It’s just a bass clarinet for Christ’s sake! How fucking sought after could they be!? I feel like I’m trying to track down the Loch Ness Monster here! more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

You ever feel so overwhelmed with all the shit you should or need to be doing that you just go back to bed in the middle of the day and hide under the covers waiting to fall into unconsciousness? Haha. Yeah,… me neither.

There is absolutely nothing productive about going back to bed in the middle of the day, it’s just the brain saying This shit sucks, and we are shuttin’er down!

OK, so perhaps more…