Care to know the schedule for us MVPs over the next four days:

Day 1, Sunday 1 March at Washington State Convention & Trade Center (WSCTC)

• Registration (opening at 07:00)
• Optional Side Sessions* (12:00 – 15:30)
• Welcome and Rich Kaplan Keynote, CVP – Customer and Partner Advocacy  (16:00)
• Welcome Reception (17:15 - 20:00) 

Day 2, Monday 2 March at Microsoft (MS) Campus

• Breakfast (at Hotels)
• Breakout Sessions
• Lunch
• Breakout Sessions 
• Product Group Evening Events

Day 3, Tuesday 3 March at MS Campus

• Breakfast (at Hotels)
• Breakout Sessions
• Lunch
• Breakout Sessions 
• Attendee Party at Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum

Day 4, Wednesday 4 March at WSCTC

• Breakfast
• Keynote – Mike Nash, CVP – Windows Product Management
• Keynote – Steve Ballmer, CEO
• Keynote – S. Somasegar, SVP – Developer Division & Technical Leadership Panel
• Keynote – Bob Kelly, CVP – Server and Tools Division
• Closing Lunch (ending by 14:00)
• Optional Side Sessions* (limited number, 14:00 – 17:00)

If any of you just learned or found out one new thing in the course of this project, then I am wholly satisfied.

When I began designing and starting this thing, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to cover everything. I don’t consider myself to be any sort of expert, so I approached this as simply a chance to showcase some of the different aspects of jazz music. There are plenty of holes in the timeline and wiggle room for questions, answers and discussions of the music that was (and wasn’t) presented here. While the Jazz 101 series, itself, ends today, the spirit of it can move forward.

I will be more than happy to discuss the various aspects of Jazz with others who want to discuss it. I plan on being more active in the Music Discussion: Jazz section of the Zune forums. My Zune Card will probably have more jazz than before being displayed on its Flashy frame and I was even able to compose a couple of compositions this month – which will probably never see the light of day (haha). I even dug up some of my old compositions and gave them a once-over to fix them up to, in case there’s ever a group who’s willing to perform them.

This project has been exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I hope that you have an increased appreciation for what this music and the African-Americans who have performed it, have done for our society and our American history.

Thanks again for humoring me and letting me go on about jazz for an entire month.

That is all.

Just as an update for everyone, I've added my Twitter feed to the blog. Now you can see updates a bit more quicker than if I were to write a bunch of posts. This will also keep down the length of the day-to-day reports (which can now be more summary like instead of in-depth analyses). So go ahead and follow me through Twitter, either through here or the actual Twitter site.
Also: Feel free to plug the RSS Feed of my Twitter into your favorite reader if you want to have my Summit updates on your own terms.

Update: Check out this public timeline of Twits done by the MVP community as they experience this year's Global Summit.

Ok, put away your notebooks and pull out your Zunes. You didn’t think you were going to get through this class without some type of test did you? If Marques is the professor who as been leading this wonderful and informative class, think of me as the grad student who is merely here to proctor the final exam. The best part? It’s a take home exam to be completed at your leisure. If only there were more of these in college…

Enjoy another social playlist, featuring all of the artists and concepts mentioned this month as well as a few tracks that were mentioned in the comments section after each lecture. The track progression goes in rough chronological order with the lessons. So, if you want to, follow along, starting at the beginning. Be sure to save the playlist to your Zune collection’s playlist folder (find that folder quickly).

A personal note on the first track. It is composed by British-born black composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor [zune.net]. He composed classical music towards the end of the 19th century. While he was best known for his cantata Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, [zune.net] he had written other classical works in his lifetime. It turns out that one of the men responsible for the first modern playing of these “other” classical works was my former high school cantata choir conductor, William Thomas. While I never played an instrument (beyond recorder), I did sing tenor. At the time I sang with him I did not know this. It was only after looking for a fitting beginning track to this social playlist did I come across this fact. It’s interesting to note how small of a world we live in.

Check out this awesome article in Computer World about a new recruitment effort for MVPs in Windows, Cloud Computing and a couple of other places. Plus, this article gives a bit of information about the MVP Summit and what will be going on.

It's a great read and makes me even more proud to be part of this group.

Click here for to read the article.

I found a book in my garage that I haven't read in the longest time, but I did want to share it with you as a recommendation. Jazz (and Classical) musician Wynton Marsalis offers up a book that gives an overview of music, it's history, the instruments, etc. It's done with the intention of being a basic education for kids, but even adults will find some great insight into it. It's called "Marsalis on Music"

You parents with kids who are learning (or considering to learn) music might find this beneficial. There's even a section of the book that discusses the benefits of practicing your instrument and how to overcome the anxiety and fear that comes with having to practice everyday.

The best part of waking up is some free MP3s in your Zune. What a perfect way to round out the month...

• Fingertips music blog has 5 free MP3s for you, because they love you. Included is a track from one of my favorite bands, Camera Obscura, off of their new album, as well as Bishop Allen and the Rest.
• Stereogum has 3 tracks from Swan Lake.
• Indie Rock Cafe has 5 more tracks from bands such as Wolves in the Attic, Leopold and His Fiction, and Henry's Funeral Shoe.
• The Walrus has a new track from Phoenix.
• Another indie favorite: Cruel Black Dove. RCRD LBL has a hot remix and a few other tracks from the band.
• Fluxblog has a freebie from Thunderheist (reminds me of some old school Blondie circa "Rapture." Is it just me?).
  
• Any artist that is described as sounding like Blonde Redhead is guaranteed a download from me. Check out a free MP3 from Asobi Seksu via Spinner. Love it.
  

Alrighty, then. Until next time...

Zyou Zadd Zhe Zletter "Z" Zin Zfront Zof Zevery Zword.



However, you end up sounding a little German in the process. Ha ha ha!

Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers [zune.net] was a unique setup in jazz history. The reason is that the Jazz Messengers was considered a rotating conservatory for musicians. Young musicians would use the Jazz Messsengers as a training ground – both in performance and composition.

They would then travel on to bigger and better things and new members would take their place.

The only consistent member of the Jazz Messengers (obviously) was Art Blakey (drums). Personally, I think we need more ensembles like this, but Art Blakey was a pioneer in creating a situation that fostered the growth of “young lions”. Young lions by the way is the term for up and coming jazz musicians.

A couple of the big names that have traveled through the ‘halls’ of the Jazz Messenger conservatory are Wayne Shorter (featured in the last Sunday Treasures video) and Wynton Marsalis. Even, Kevin Eubanks (yes, the bandleader for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show) was a member.

Meet Art Blakey

Art Blakey (1919-1990) was one of the pioneer of a bebop style of jazz drumming. He felt that having a consistant roster of young musicians in his groups would keep the music alive and move the sound forward with new thinking and creativity.

Blakey was a member of what was called the “Hard Bop” era. Hard Bop was a child of Bebop but emphasized the more R&B, Gospel and Blues style of jazz music. It wasn’t as fast or complex as Bebop, but it did have angular sounds at times.

The Crib Sheet (Art Blakey/Hard Bop)

• Hard Bop was developed in the mid 1950s
• It was developed during the wake of declining swing bands. It was there to give people something to dance to. Remember Bebop wasn’t essentially a danceable music. Hard Bop (the young lion to Bebop) accentuate the danceable grooves that developed until this point in music.
• The first major performance of Hard Bop was Miles Davis’ “Walkin” performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954
• John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Nat Adderley were other jazz musicians who played in this style (amongst many, many others).
• Hard Bop had it’s greatest popularity in the 1950s and 1960s
• Art Blakey was born in Pittsburgh, PA
• He was a member of the Muslim community, using the name Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, so he also used the nickname “Bu”
• His contemporaries were Kenny Clarke and Max Roach

The Listening Lounge

• Walkin (Miles Davis) [zune marketplace]
• Mosaic (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers) [zune marketplace]
• Buhaina’s Delight (Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers) [zune marketplace]

To give you an understanding of how massive a group Microsoft MVPs are, one of our fellow MVPs (not Zune, but a fellow MVP from another discipline) created a map using Silverlight technology.

The map highlights all of the world locations where attending MVPs will be coming from. You'll notice the high concentration in US and Europe, but there seems to be a good number of people coming from everywhere.

You can do a real close zoom on the map if you want to see specific states or cities. You're looking for the little markers that are all over the place.

Also, keep in mind: this only represents the MVPs that have registered to attend the Summit. This is not a map of every MVP in existence.

Click here to check out the map.

So, are you ready? Starting Sunday, expect day-to-day coverage of the MVP Summit 2009.

[Editor's Note: It's all the news the Non-Disclosure Agreement will allow ;-)]

1. What type of Zune do you currently own?  
2 Black 80GBs + 1 pink 4GB test device and another Black 80GB test device... it's part of the job, somebody has to do it...  I also had 2 16GBs that I won and then gave away, one to my sister and one to my nail technician... I take my pedicures very seriously.

2. What have you learned from your friends at Zune Social?
Hmm.  I will have to think about this.  I have been introduced to some cool bands.


3. Tell us about the origins of your Zune Tag?

4. What type of music do you listen to (name as many as necessary -- genres/groups)?

5. What's your favorite thing about Zune (favorite feature)?
I like sharing songs and albums. I do not listen to the radio or anything like that, I tend to get stuck in my own music world, so most of my music comes from people Zuning me stuff.  I am always on the hunt for my "new favorite song" or "new favorite artist" but do not really always know how to go about finding them; people sending me suggestions is great.  My music taste is so diverse that it is hard to find things in algorithms.  It is also a reason why the ZunePass is so great, if I hate it, it isn't like I am really out anything, I can guilt free ditch it.

6. Tell us about some of your day-to-day duties at the Zune offices?
A lot of what I do is on the forums, making sure posts are in the right area, I move a LOT of threads around even if I do not respond to them.  I also forward a lot of posts to people who can answer them or to people who have the answer.  Sometimes a post may go for a while without a Zune person responding but often that is because we are looking into the issue before getting an answer.  Other stuff I do is processing data and tracking bugs and work items so that people stay on track with their projects.

7. What are some of your hobbies? What's your life like away from Zune Social?
I have a lot of "grandma hobbies" I quilt, knit and cook, but the one I do most is quilting.  I have a fabric addiction, I love cottons (http://www.flickr.com/photos/quornflour/2802333040/) I am always on the hunt for great prints.  I have and etsy shop (http://quornflour.etsy.com) where I sell quilts and dog toys and hand made goods like that.
 
I also do a lot of photography (http://www.flickr.com/photos/quornflour/).  I got my first SLR when I was about 10 and have been snapping ever since, I am never far from a camera.  Thank God for the camera phone, I used to carry a camera in one pocket and a phone in the other.  Now I just use my phone and keep a camera in my bag.
 
I also have a blog though I have not updated it much in the last few months, it is mostly a craft blog about sewing quilts, with the occasional rant about how people drive.
 
I have a dog, Umlaut (http://www.flickr.com/photos/quornflour/3298975814/in/set-72157614193672955/), who is pretty much the most awesome dog in the world, you may think your dog is, but that is where you would be terribly wrong.  I had little to do with his awesomeness, so it is not necessarily a reflection on my awesomeness.  I do make his toys, so I suppose that helps.
 
I listen to a lot of music, pretty much all the time.  I do not go to as many shows as I used to, but I am working on fixing that.
 
I used to have a radio show, sometimes I miss that.  To impose my taste on others, I send people songs.  Have I mentioned how much I love that?

Jessica, over on the Zune Insider blog has created an awesome contest involving the mixview feature. Essentially, they'll give you two artists and you're job is to use mixview to go from the first artist to the second in as few "spins" as possible. You're allowed to use whatever part of mixview you want except for the actual Zune social users (everything else is fair game). Also, you must start at the artist and end at the artist.

In exchange for your efforts, they're giving away Zune Home A/V Packs (pretty sweet deal if you ask me).

This event will be going on for 12 weeks, so there's plenty of chances for you to win. I encourage you to head on over and get all of the details (make sure that you pay attention to those details -- follow them closely to make sure your entry is counted).

For information on the contest, click here

For the official rules and regulations (fine print) for the contest, click here

• A Red Zune 4GB device
• $25 in Microsoft Points
• A one-year subscription to Downbeat Jazz Magazine (Digital Edition)
• The Downbeat Subscription Gift: Count Basie T-Shirt (subject to availability)

To enter, leave a comment for this post with your ZuneTag and your personal view on jazz music: Do you like it? Dislike it? Have a favorite style of jazz? Favorite Jazz performer? Can't stand to hear it? Be honest.

If you have any trouble leaving a comment, just send your entry via email.

All comments must be submitted by Saturday, February 28, 2009 @ 12pm.

Fine Print: Only one comment per person. Duplicate entries (by same user) will be deleted and may be cause for full disqualification from contest. All entries must be submitted by 12pm February, 28, 2009. Comments will be closed around that time, but only comments postmarked before that time will be eligible. Entries entered after closing date/time will be ineligible for prize. ITC Writers, Zune/Microsoft Employees and MVPs are ineligible to recieve the prize. Void where prohibited. All rights reserved. If Basie T-shirt isn't available at time of subscription purchase, winner will be notified of replacement subscription gift.

Note: The contest is now closed. Thanks for all of the entries. Results will be posted shortly.

This Saturday, at 7am (early I know but thank Jetblue!) I’ll be headed out on a plane to Seattle, WA. I will be participating in the 2009 MVP Global Summit, taking place from Sunday, March 1 through Wednesday, March 4.

As a side note, I'm quite sad that Neville won't be making the trip. I'm looking forward to meeting him one of these days!

The summit is designed to allow MVPs from around the world, who represent a vast variety of Microsoft technologies (Zune, XBOX, Windows Mobile, Office, SQL, etc) to meet with the various product teams to find out what's ahead in the roadmap.

It goes without saying that I, along with some of the other Zune MVPs will be meeting with the Zune team during this event. Unfortunately a high majority of what is said/seen will be under my NDA-restriction, yet we're able to blog and twit (twitter) about the event as a whole. We're meeting with the Zune team for 2 days to cover pretty much all aspects of Zune (software - hardware - social).

This week I will be gathering your thoughts and comments as it relates to Zune. Everything that has been said in the forums and on ITC posts up until this point is being collected for our sessions with the Zune Team on March 2 and 3.

What Zune-specific things would you like addressed at the MVP Global Summit?

1. What type of Zune do you currently own?
I have a 4GB Red and a 120GB Black

2. What have you learned from your friends at Zune Social?
I get recommendations for new music from my friends all the time for eg. - Lights is a Canadian singer whose songs I adore.

3. Tell us about the origin of your Zune Tag?
I love the concept of attaining bliss/nirvana and the other numbers were taken, hence Bliss16 :)

4. What type of music do you listen to (name as many as necessary -- genres/groups)?
I am a big fan of rock and heavy metal. I like all kinds of rock - alternative, pop, psychedelic. I am also into dance, pop, reggae, hip hop and not to forget bollywood music!

5. What's your favorite thing about Zune (favorite feature)?
My fav feature has to be the mixview, I can literally spend hours playing around with mixview! One of the things I like to do is go back in time and see who influenced today's artists and then who influenced them. You finally reach these artists from golden eras of the past who started it all...

6. Tell us about some of your day-to-day duties at the Zune offices?
My main job is software testing - so I write automation code to test and I try to break things that program managers design and developers code :) I also love meeting people and doing promotion events, so I travel to different product fairs and shows as a Zune rep.

7. What are some of your hobbies? What's your life like away from Zune Social?
Performing arts - acting, singing, dancing are my big passions. I also write poems, short stories and scripts when I get the time.

How much time have you got? :-)
This is an entire performance by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers.

Total Running Time: 49 minutes

I swear Microsoft is on to something with this string of videos. Their newest one is of a 7 year old who is able to create a panoramic picture using Windows Live Gallery. Although, I must say, I hope the next one involves something OTHER THAN Windows Live Gallery!

<br/><a href='http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=5f5cb7c7-bc7c-4b6a-bc03-54a02f0ed77c' target='_new' title='The Rookies: Alexa, Age 7'>Video: The Rookies: Alexa, Age 7</a>

One of my favorite technologies from Microsoft (hands down) is Microsoft Surface. Everytime I see a demo video or some footage that shows the capabilities of this device, I'm floored. The amazing things that could be possible with such a technology (especially when it's done in the capacity of being a table top, wall-mounted control center, etc) means that we could really do some great stuff with touch technology.


I want you to take a look at a video that comes from the Microsoft Surface website. It shows a few of the possibilities out there with Surface. Pay particular attention to the small segements featuring Zune and the after-dinner check purchasing moment (my personal favorite thing about this video). Also, notice that the Zunes used in this demo video are Zune 30s, which tells me that Surface people and Zune people have at least said "Hello" to each other in the past.

Surface right now is being used in select AT&T stores, the iBar at the Rio (Las Vegas) and Sheraton hotels. With the upcoming Microsoft retail stores, some may think that Surface would be a great part of the retail experience. I don't think that's a bad idea... except, if it's done in moderation. I, for one, wouldn't want to see Surface everywhere doing everything. Give it its own space in the store or better yet, have Surface be the technology for the checkout counter (now THAT would rock)!

Here are some logistics about Surface. Right now, it's not available for consumer use. It's only available for small businesses and corporations. It costs between 12k and 15k depending upon if you want a developer's kit or not. There are no test demos, per se. You have to have a sales rep take you onto the Microsoft Campus for a demonstration there.

But anyhow...

So check out the video for Microsoft Surface and tell me what you think of it.

Now yes, we are primarily a Microsoft Zune site, but you still have to acknowledge when you see something very cool. I got an email regarding a new app for iPhone/iPod Touch that was designed in conjunction with electronic artist Deadmau5. The app allows you to take some samples created by Deadmau5 himself and mix them and blend them to create your own tracks.

Now you can sit around with your friends and have a "Who makes a better drunk DJ?" contest. Personally, I think apps like this are pretty darn fun to tinker with. You don't have to feel like a professional DJ to do a little mixing and scratching.

If you want to try out this app, then click here and check it out. Also, if you (or a friend) does use the app and are able to pass along what you've created feel free to send them to Inside the Circle. Who knows who might discover you and your hidden talents... :-)

I had to do it. This is one of Drew Ressler's original pictures from the first gallery he put up at Rukes (rukes.com). It shows BT getting into the throw of the action during a performance at Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood, CA.

If you didn't get a chance to meet Drew, he's one of the major photographers in So. Cal who manages to capture some of the major DJ acts when they come through.

Check out the interview he granted Inside the Circle.

Here's your reminder to fill out a quick survey and enter for a chance to win $50 in Microsoft Points. For more information (including fine print), click here.

You have until February 22nd @ 5pm!

To go ahead and fill out the survey, click here.

I literally just discovered this today and thought I would share. Verve Music Group, of which the jazz division has showcased some of the great minds of jazz music has been releasing out-of-print albums for digital purchase and download. It's a chance for avid collectors of jazz music to find those rare records they probably couldn't locate in the vintage record store.

I, myself, am very excited to have discovered that this was going on. I guess I'll spend part of my morning, tomorrow, picking up some of these rare treasures.

If you want to browse through their out-of-print (now digitally available) catalog, click here.

Now, I don’t mean to have you second-guessing every song title you see from now on. Song titles, especially in Jazz were meant to be personal and to tell a story. For blues singers and jazz vocalist they were talking about relationships, sexual frustration, being poor and – frankly – being Black in America.

What was amazing about all of this was that a singer could have a mixed audience – black and white. While singing one song it would reach the black ears differently than it did the white ears even though they were all in the same room. “Sugar in my Bowl” for example appealed to white audiences as “Honey, we need to pick up sugar on the way home”. To black audiences it meant “Yeah, I haven’t gotten any in a long time either. That sucks!”.

So now, knowing this, what titles have you seen that now make you think (or you know) have that extra meaning to it?

Take a listen to Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “Black Snake Moan” [zune marketplace]. Matter of fact, listen to most of his music, there’s double meaning everywhere!

We scour the inter-tubes for free music, so that you can use us like the cheap dates we are...

It's said that baseball is America's favorite past time.



Having said that, what is to be done when the past time is under attack by baseball players with enormous skulls, overly huge, unnatural muscles, and acne?



Ew.



Case in point:

Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and most recently Alex Rodriguez. And there are many, many others.



Some of the steroid users have also tested positive for human growth hormones, also known as hGH. Usually, hGH cannot be detected by standard tests; so one has to go out looking for it the sample given.






But are we paying too much attention to what baseball players are doing?
There are other sports and players that don't get the same amount of attention.

Should the public really care?
Is it still "just a game"?

Or is the game forever tainted thanks to the juiced up athletes?


If Olympic embarrassment and incarceration isn't enough to persuade athletes not to juice themselves, is there anything that can even be done?



And what happens when a person is legitimately good at a sport?

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington [zune.net] (1899 – 1974) was one of the most famous big band leaders in Jazz history. When he was busy not referring to his music as “jazz” but rather as “American music” he was leading one of the most influential jazz ensembles on record. He always saw his bands as one complete unit rather than simply a bunch of musicians.

He’s famous for many compositions (many of which he wrote with his collaborator Billy Strayhorn) – including “It Don’t Mean a Thing”, “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” and “Take the A Train”.

He has received several awards including Grammy’s, The French Legion of Honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Crib Sheet:

• Ellington was a big band leader from 1923 until 1974
• Some of his most famous band members included Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson. Anderson, especially was known for his insanely high trumpet range.
• Duke started taking piano lessons at the age of 7
• His band performed at the famous Cotton Club venue in Harlem, NY

The Listening Lounge:

• You can’t go wrong no matter what you pick :-) Head over to Zune Marketplace.

Video Showcase: Take the A Train

I actually, truth be told, haven't had a chance to listen to much of Ani DiFranco's work. Yet, when you have a free MP3 staring you in the face, you realize that there's no risk involved in trying out some new stuff, especially from a well-established artist, such as DiFranco.

Gibson is offering a free track from Ms. DiFranco called "Emancipated Minor". Head on over and get some free music for your Zune, baby!

1. What type of Zune do you currently own?  
I got a black 8 gig in Dec 2008 and just purchased a black 120 gig!

2. What have you learned from your friends at Zune Social?
My world of music has been expanded thanks to friends at Zune Social.  I like listening to their favorites and exploring different genres that I've never listened to before.  I am new to Zune, so I need to expand my social circle and have more friends!

3. What made you decide to get a Zune over any other MP3 player?

4. What type of music do you listen to (name as many as necessary -- genres/groups)?

5. What's your favorite thing about Zune (favorite feature)?
The Zune Pass!!  I always hated to buy cd's, so I used to listen to the same classical and reggae music over and over.  Since I discovered the Zune Pass, I have been going crazy exploring and listening to all kinds of music.  The Zune Pass also helps me study the classical music that I play, and helps me when I teach because I can simply download a piece my students are playing and have them listen to it.

6. Where do you use your Zune? Working out? At the office? 
I use my Zune pretty much everywhere I go...the office, the car, the gym...I always have my Zune with me.

7. What are some of your hobbies? What's your life like away from Zune Social?
I am a professional classical musician, so my main hobby is also my career.  I love performing music.  I also dance ballet and enjoy lifting weights - I am somewhat of a gym rat.  I take marketing classes to expand my business, and am working towards getting a doctorate in music and a MBA.  One of my hobbies has also become telling my non-Zune friends about how great Zune is and how much I love it.

[Editor's Note: Prior to being such a Zune enthusiast, Jennifer was featured on a Sunday Treasures segment a while back. You can check it out to listen to her super flute skills.] 

Now it's known that there were white musicians performing jazz music during it's history. However, Cool Jazz was developed by a predominantly white group of musicians. While they had some bebop influences, it was a response (remember 'call and response) to the quick, angled and agile performances of Bebop music. Cool Jazz emphasized a more mellow, laid-back style.

One of the most influential albums of this period was "Birth of the Cool" by Miles Davis, with arrangements by Gil Evans (pictured). It emphasized not only the laid-back direction jazz was going but it also had classical influences in instrumentation and compositions.

• Cool Jazz came into existence during the Second World War
• It was the marriage of Californian laid-back style with the New York Bebop style
• One of the proponent musicians of this music was saxophonist Lester Young
• Influential white jazz musicians in this style were Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan
• One of the popular Cool Jazz albums is Time Out by Dave Brubeck, famous for it's song "Take Five" using a 5/4 time signature.

• The Complete Birth of the Cool (Miles Davis/Gil Evans) [zune.net]
• Dream a Little Dream (Gerry Mulligan) [zune.net]
• Take Five (Dave Brubeck) [zune marketplace]
  

I was introduced to Kid Cudi through the recommendation of fellow Zune MVP Grahm Skee (owner and operator of anythingbutipod>>). After checking him out, via Zune Pass, I think Grahm made a stellar recommendation.

If you don't have a Zune Pass (yet) you can pick up a special remix of one of his track "Day N Nite". Head on over to Rcrd Lbl and check it out!

Update: I've been informed by Grahm, via Twitter, that Kid Cudi has a free full mixtape available at his (his meaning Kid Cudi's) website. So there's more good (and free) music there for ya.

One thing about these Zune MVPs is that they're looking out for you, as a member of the Zune community.

Harvey Chute, the owner and operator of Zunerama has put together a comprehensive 2009 guide for you to go download for free. It's full of information, tips and places to pick up hot accessories for your Zune. I encourage you to download it and give it a read.

Click here to check it out and download.

One of the things that is synonymous with Dizzy Gillespie is his bent-bell trumpet. Many people have wondered why he would use such a horn. Well it’s quite simple: The bell bending was the result of a not-so-timed-well foot stepping onto Dizzy’s trumpet before a performance. Dizzy ended up liking the sound of the bent bell so much that he had his horns after that custom made in this manner.

Also, Dizzy met a musician with the same kind of bell shaped who had it that way because it helped him to read music better (the front of the bell was out of the way).

That’s it, that’s all, haha. This has been another episode of “Yeah, I fricken knew that already!”

I'm sure that you're wondering: Drew "Rukes" Ressler? Yes, indeed and let me explain. Drew was a guy I met when I was out with a buddy at Heat Ultra Lounge. At the time, I just figured that he was just simply the club photographer who was out to make the hot girls hotter and the cool guys cooler.

Turns out, I only knew the tip of the iceburg.

For you see, Mr. Ressler, is one of the top photographers when it comes to capturing DJs who perform in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. He's captured people from BT to Deadmau5 (that's pronounced dead mouse, folks) and Christopher Lawrence. He spends his days preparing for the nights, the nights that he travels through the throws of club goers and captures the essence of the night on film.

His website, rukes.com, shows off his great talent for photography. Go over there and check out all of the people he's managed to capture.

So I decided I wanted to have a little conversation with Drew about his photography and found out some other interesting tidbits about him.

Check it:

1. What got you interested in photography? Do you remember the first things you took pictures of?
I have always been a very visual person growing up; I would learn more from watching a video in school than a textbook, and I always was pretty big on picking apart good graphics on video games. I never really had any interest in photography, but I always had the ability to just somehow know when something looked "right" visually.

The first thing I ever took pics of was BT back at Avalon in NY at the end of 2003, the very first gallery on Rukes.com. I used a Canon PowerShot G3.

2. Since you photograph in nightclubs I'm sure you've come across some interesting characters. Care to share an interesting story from a club while you were there taking pictures?
Usually every time I go out something interesting happens, there isn't a particular story that sticks out, though. I have way too many. I guess I could say when Scott from The Crystal Method gets pretty drunk/crazy and starts climbing all over the montiors and club; that's always a fun time!


3. You managed to capture on film some of the top DJs out there. Do you remember the first top name you photographed and how that came about?
The first DJ I photographed was BT at Avalon in NY. Back then I was just a big fan of his, and I happened to meet up with probably the only other BT "fan" in NY on his message board, who also happened to work with him. She invited me along to the gig at Avalon and it went from there!

4. What is a typical day like for you? Tell us what your day is like when you know you're gonna be shooting a performer/club that night?
Usually on off days I spend the time promoting my site (adding pics on Flickr, posting galleries/photos on message boards, keeping Facebook/MySpace updated), as well as providing photos to people that ask, and working out future jobs.

For a work day, I usually just get to the club an hour or less before it opens to make sure I have no problems getting in, then I just relax and get set up before I go to work.



5. How did you get the nickname "Rukes"?
Back in the AOL days of the mid 90's, someone in a chat room said so and so game rules, but they made a typo and said rukes, since L and K are next to each other on the keyboard. It kind of stuck around as slang for the world "rules" much like "kewl" was slang for cool. One day I decided to change my AOL screen name from my real name to Rukes, and every since then, people have been calling me Rukes and it stuck!

6. For someone who's starting out in photography, what advice do you have for them?
Don't worry about what other photographers are doing, just concentrate on practicing on your own work. Be nice and respectful to people, nobody likes the generic "asshole club photographer" that thinks he or she is hot shit and can do anything they want.

7. If you weren't doing photography, what other career do you think you'd have?
I'd probably still be working in the videogame industry, probably as a producer.



8. Can you tell us about the type of photography equipment that you use?
Current gear: Canon 1Ds MkIII, Speedlite 580EX II w/ Lightsphere, Canon 85L II f/1.2, Canon 24-70L f/2.8, Canon 16-35L II f/2.8, Canon 15mm Fisheye f/2.8, Canon 70-200L IS f/2.8, Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro, Canon 1.4 II Extender, Canon 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift. That pretty much has all the bases covered: Low-light, walk-around, wide-angle, fisheye, telephoto, macro and tilt-shift.

[/interview]

So here I was thinking the interview was done when something he said caught my attention: "...and I always was pretty big on picking apart good graphics on video games". So I had to dive into that part of it just a little more with him.

9. You said you liked picking apart video game graphics. Are you a gamer today? Do you find yourself sitting in front of a game going "They totally screwed that up!"
A little bit less. Working as a QA tester for videogame companies was a great job for me being so visual, so I could find bugs like crazy. While I was doing it, it makes playing games fun for that much tougher, but in the years since I left the industry, I’m having fun playing games again for fun…and rolling my eyes at the occasional glitch.

10. What system are you playing (for fun)? Do you XBOX 360, PS3, Dreamcast, Sega Genesis, what? Haha.
I have just about everything really. Here in Cali, I have my Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 hooked up, as well as a Nintendo DS, PSP, Neo Geo Pocket Color and Turbo Express for portable use. I have my PS2 and original Xbox in storage, and back in NY, my parents have my mega collection of NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, Saturn, Dreamcast and PSX systems/games in storage.

So, here's the scenario, folks. All you have to do is go take a simple survey for a friend of mine regarding your Zune player, how you use it, what's important to you, etc. In exchange for the few minutes out of your time, you will be entered for a drawing to win $50 in Microsoft Points from Inside the Circle.

You don't have to worry about leaving your Zune Tag here because it's asked of you at the end of the survey. That's where I'll get the entries from. If you don't have a Zune Tag just leave your name in that spot. You have until February 22nd to fill out the survey and try for a chance for some extra Microsoft points.

You all know the typical rules and regulations (we don't need to repeat them), right?

Fine Print (Well, I'll repeat them anyway): This is open to US Residents only (given that you're getting Microsoft Points for Marketplace which is US only). Writers of Inside the Circle, Zune Employees and MVPs are ineligible for the prize (but MVPs are encouraged to fill out the survey, anyway). Contest officially ends as of 5pm on February 22nd, 2009. Winner will be announced within one week of conclusion of contest. Prize: $50 in Microsoft Points. No substitute prize will be awarded. If winner can't respond upon notification within one week, substitute winner will be chosen. Void where prohibited. All rights reserved.

Click here to take the survey. Thanks and good luck.

Microsoft, over at the World Mobile Congress 2009 unveiled information on the latest update to the Windows Mobile OS. Bonnie Cha, at CNET, takes an inside look at the new OS. Here are some highlights:

Windows Marketplace for Mobile
Windows Marketplace for Mobile will operate as the central hub for searching, browsing, and purchasing mobile applications for your smartphone. It come preloaded on all Windows Mobile 6.5 devices where you'll be able to download applications over the air or from your PC simply by entering your Windows Live ID. Developers who have already created programs for Windows Mobile will be able to offer their products through the marketplace after a security and compatibility check from Microsoft.

Internet Explorer Mobile
With Windows Mobile 6.5, you'll get more features from Internet Explorer Mobile. Built on the Internet Explorer 6 engine, the mobile browser will support Flash and Javascript and includes new tools for better page navigation, such as zoom in/out sliding scale and a breadcrumb features that shows you where you are on a Web page. In addition, Microsoft added that the browser allows for more transactions (e.g., checking flights, buying movie tickets) than any other mobile browser.

Source: CNET

Take a look at the complete article for more information.

Update: Microsoft has released a video showcasing some of the features of the new Windows Mobile:



And even more: For those that just can't get enough, here's the press conference video discussing Windows Mobile:

"Son Montuno Jam"

To celebrate Valentine’s Day I thought I’d do something a little different. First I’m gonna introduce the first smooth jazz artist in this series. Secondly, it’s a female Japanese pianist. Third, it’s from a show that took place in Tokyo, Japan (hence the Japanese Kanji). Fifth, I think it’s a beautiful song done by a great talent.

I know there’s this great debate about whether smooth jazz should even be considered jazz, but I’m very unconventional like that :-)

So with that, here’s Ms. Keiko Matsui [zune.net] performing “A Great Romance”. Enjoy.

By the way, if you like the song it's from her album "Moyo" [zune.net]

The editors of Blender and the people over at Rhapsody have brought us 15 free music downloads this month. The playlist also includes an exclusive track by Mr.-Going-to-Federal-prison-for-a-year T.I.

So that's a grand total of 16 tracks that are absolutely free.

I was browsing through the Microsoft blogs out there when I came across this tidbit that Robbie Bach said while speaking to some students for Microsoft's Minority Day (the question was pertaining to the possibility of a touchscreen Zune).

"So, independent of specific plans for any specific product, you should just assume over time that that's going to become part of the products that we produce. And, you know, specific timing and all those things, I'll leave aside, but it is a huge trend. And once you have something like touch or voice to interact with, you wonder why you did it the old way. So I think that's going to be a very powerful trend."

Source: Microsoft Pri0 Blog

I want you to focus on six words with me "touch or voice to interact with". Have we been looking at this all wrong? Could it be possible that the next piece of Zune hardware has voice-activated features to it? Is it possible that the next device has some sort of microphone on it so that it could hear you say (ala Sync by Microsoft) "Play BT" or "Play Genre: Classical".

Now think about the possibilities if the next piece of Zune hardware (and software even) had voice activated technology. Could you be across a room, having dinner and decide to yell "Playlist: Dinner" and the Zune software starts playing your created playlist of stuff you want to hear over a hamburger?

I might be piecing this all wrong, but some of the things I've seen today really had my imagination going on the 'what if' of voice features in the next generation of Zune. And don't even get me started about where Microsoft Surface could fit into all of this... :-)

Anyone else have a thought about this? Feel free to tell me how crazy I am!

So do you have the answer, yet?

Alright, time for a little experiment.  Here is my new column, a weekly roundup of free music downloads.  Sound familiar?  This is for you, Cesar... 

I guess that story I ran a while ago about the retail space that's on the Redmond campus actually has more meat on the bone:

"Microsoft Corp. today announced that David Porter will join the company as corporate vice president of Retail Stores. He will lead Microsoft’s efforts to create a better PC and Microsoft retail purchase experience for consumers worldwide through the development and opening of the company’s own retail stores. Porter will report to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. He is joining Microsoft from DreamWorks Animation SKG, where he was head of worldwide product distribution."

Click here for the full press release.

1. What type of Zune do you currently own?  
I bought a brown Zune30 at the end of November, '06, which I then replaced with a black Zune80 the day it came out in 2007. The hold switch on my 80 broke a couple weeks ago and Microsoft was kind enough to replace it with a red one, which I absolutely love.

2. What have you learned from your friends at Zune Social?
People with good taste (or similar taste to mine, I should say) will lead me to new music that I love. At the same time, people don't often listen to just one genre of music, and you can often get a better sense of the person's taste over time than just looking at their top artists or plays. I found out through Social that one of my good friends, a Taiwanese exchange student from down the hall, loves listening to the Pussycat Dolls. Who knew?

3. What made you decide to get a Zune over any other MP3 player?

4. What type of music do you listen to (name as many as necessary -- genres/groups)?

5. What's your favorite thing about Zune (favorite feature)?
I love that they stay abreast of the latest musical trends. By promoting shows from N.E.R.D. and Bun B and the BBQ series a couple years back, they seem to be in it for the fun of it. A lot of the songs from the Zune commercials and Zune Arts have become fast favorites of mine. Favorite device feature has got to be the Zune Pad and the sheer joy of scrubbing through a list of thousands of songs—it's just really well implemented.

6. Where do you use your Zune? Working out? At the office? 
Mostly while walking to and from class and while working out. It's also great for long subway and bus rides where I'm not always apt to socialze. Whenever I'm working at my computer, the Zune software is open and blasting out of my kickass speaker set.

7. What are some of your hobbies? What's your life like away from Zune Social?
I'm a student in Computer Science currently working as sound designer for my school's theatre department (and getting paid!). I also write for Zune Thoughts and I'm ultimately hoping to get an internship or job with the Zune team. Hey, I can dream, can't I?