Blog
Ghosts
“The scream I was playing then was peace to me at that time,” he maintains. “That was the way it had to go then. Whatever was inside of me, something was happening and I did not know exactly what it was. America was going through such a big change and I’d been travelling all over, seen it all, and had to play it out of me.”
Downbeat review – Awake Vol. 2
I am extremely proud to have had Downbeat Magazine recognize my recording, Awake, Vol. 2 The Music of Don Cherry – and giving it a favorable 3 1/2 star review. As much as reviews are extremely subjective, it is a…
Awake: Volume 2 — The Music of Don Cherry
Order on Shifting Paradigm Records Don Cherry – The Eternal Troubadour By John Kruth Years ago, I had a friend named Robin Kornman. A Jewish butterball originally from New Orleans with a shock of black hair, Robin had an infectious…
Composition featured in “Deep Woods”
A composition of mine was recently placed in the full-length feature film, “Deep Woods“. It was premiered at the Milwaukee Film Festival, and featured at the Wyoming Film Festival, Montreal Independent Film Festival, and the Norway Action Film Festival. The…
The Third Story podcast interview
I was recently interviewed for Leo Sidran’s wonderful podcast, The Third Story. Listen here –– episode: “The Ones That Got Away, 2022 Holiday Edition” I have been a big fan of The Third Story for quite some time – if you haven’t checked…
KASE, Season Two: Full Bloom
Purchase HERE Imagine Imagine the journey of intentionally finding joy every single day sifting through all the shit to intentionally find joy every single day like, how do you do that? how do you empty your mind? to just focus…
The Jewel
Out 12/17/21 on Ropedope Records Liner notes by Kevin Lynch There are a thousand stories in the naked city. Yeah, New York. A fast-maturing musician from the heartland braves the forbidding shadows of Manhattan skyscrapers, showing up at a…
KASE “Pop Art”
This was the first time we made music together as KASE. The recording is extremely noisy, raw and unpolished – but it is a glimpse into the beginning of an almost two-year residency, ultimately shut down by the pandemic.…
B Side Recordings
I am excited to announce the launch of ‘B Side Recordings’! B Side will be the primary outlet through which I will be releasing my own music. It was a decision I came to as a result of being left…
Awake / the music of Don Cherry
Download liner notes/booklet “Don Cherry’s music has been left in the more than capable hands of Jamie Breiwick as he delivers a touching tribute to Cherry’s monumental achievements.”-Imran Mirza, UK Vibe “Awake/The Music of Don Cherry” hopefully will push younger…
Lessons from Don Cherry
Miles and Wynton both agree… Don Cherry is important. “Don Cherry, I like…” – Miles Davisby Leonard Feather, Down Beat Volume 58 No. 12first published by Down Beat, June 1964 “I loved Don Cherry.” – Wynton Marsalisinterviewed by Will Layman…
No history, no future.
No history, no future. *an edited version of this essay will appear as the introduction the forthcoming book “Images of America, Milwaukee Jazz” by Joey Grihalva on Arcadia Publishing Co. (preorder the book here: mkejazzbook.com) Many have proclaimed the “death of…
The case for KASE
Unlike the Classical player, the jazz artist must achieve a technique that uncovers the self, that answers the question that Ellison says is the question of American art: Who am I? -Robert G O’Meally, from the introduction ‘Jazz Shapes’ to Ralph…
Music is life is music
In Make the Road by Walking I mentioned allowing one’s life experiences, personal relationships, childhood memories, visual artistic expressions (ie. the smells, tastes, sights, and sounds of daily life) to influence one’s music. Here, I would like to share with you a personal example of…
Make the road by walking
Life experiences, personal relationships, childhood memories, visual expressions - the smells, tastes, sights, and sounds of daily life... the musicians who I am connected to most have this in their music. It can be explicit or implicit - but it can be felt. Can I hear your story in your music? Am I telling my story in my music?
What have I learned from Ornette Coleman?
“The pattern for the tune will be forgotten, and the tune itself will be the pattern.” -Ornette Coleman (from Ornette Coleman, A Harmolodic Life) To me, there are certain musicians who deserve specific attention… who require deliberate study. — The controversial,…
Barry Harris on the importance of Thelonious Monk
Barry Harris, piano 7/27/16 “I tell some of the young kids in order to be a jazz musician you have to play a Monk song. You don’t play a Monk song, I feel there’s something funny about you being…
The Milwaukee Jazz Scene is still not Dead or Dying
Having been deeply rooted in the MKE jazz scene for my entire performing career, I have a pretty clear picture of the state of the scene. I have seen it’s ebb and flow and have witnessed multiple waves of growth…
Inspiration and humanity in music
My own feelings about the direction in which jazz should go are that there should be much less stress on technical exhibitionism and much more on emotional content, on what might be termed humanity in music and the freedom to…
Clamnation
Every musician has a number of experiences that form who they are to become, from inspiring teachers to live concert performances that leave a lasting impression. I was fortunate at a young age to have teachers that exposed me to…
Why Thelonious Monk?
Never before has the music of a particular artist taught me more about myself. Maybe more importantly, that it is OK to be myself. Two years ago, I began a “journey” studying the music of Thelonious Monk. I was talking with…
Manty Ellis, Midwest Jazz Master
Manty Ellis is certainly what you call a treasure. His perspective on life and music is what we all hope to attain as musicians. He has recently formed a new project – The Milwaukee Jazz Foundation – as a means…
Spirits
If you wonder if Milwaukee can sound like New York, give the latest by this trumpeter a spin and wonder no more. – Midwest Record Jamie Breiwick | Spirits (BluJazz 2013) Open the album cover and you enter the Jazz Estate, a…
Serenity
“At first, in music, there are open fields, oceans, forests. Later they build structures, edifices of harmonic and melodic materials, walls. Rhythm is solid, inflexible, stone. Oceans freeze, forests are razed for lumber and paper is filled with arcana, math,…