B-Side Morning Brew w/ Bij & Niles

Bijon
0:00:00
This is a KUNV Studios original program.

Wes Knight
0:00:04
The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz & More, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Niles
0:00:15
Good morning and welcome.

Niles
0:00:16
You're listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Beef and Niles, hot coffee, cool chatting, chilling on the corner of Lifestyle Ave and Music Street on 91.5 KUNV Jazz and More.

Chipmunk Voice
0:00:38
Good morning, my man.

Chipmunk Voice
0:00:39
Good morning, man.

Niles
0:00:40
Good, let's start with our sip of coffee.

Chipmunk Voice
0:00:41
Here we go, yeah. Oh yeah, oh yeah, that's it. Oh yeah!

Niles
0:00:45
Recording in progress.

Bijon
0:00:47
That's right.

Bijon
0:00:47
Permanente sentado, por favor.

Bijon
0:00:48
Please remain seated. Keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle.

Bijon
0:00:50
Inside the vehicle.

Bijon
0:00:51
At all times. At all times.

Bijon
0:00:53
Like you had to tell me that.

Bijon
0:00:54
I know.

Niles
0:00:55
For some people you do.

Niles
0:00:56
It's a metaphor for life, bro.

Bijon
0:00:57
You know what I'm saying?

Niles
0:00:58
You want to kiss, get on a ride, you're like, hey, what does that mean?

Bijon
0:00:59
Well, that's like today's conversation could be a bumpy ride as well. Strap in, sir. I'm going to get on a ride.

Niles
0:01:02
I'm going to get on a ride.

Bijon
0:01:03
I'm going to get on a ride.

Niles
0:01:04
I'm going to get on a ride.

Niles
0:01:05
I'm going to get on a ride.

Bijon
0:01:06
I'm going to get on a ride.

Niles
0:01:07
I'm going to get on a ride. I'm going to get on a ride. I'm going to get on a ride. I'm going to get on a ride.

Niles
0:01:11
I'm going to get on a ride.

Bijon
0:01:12
I'm going to get on a ride. I'm going to get on a ride. I'm going to get on a ride.

Niles
0:01:15
Well, that's like today's conversation could be a bumpy ride as well.

Niles
0:01:19
Strap in, folks!

Niles
0:01:21
This here's the wildest ride in the West!

Niles
0:01:24
How you doing, man? I'm good, dude. Good to see you, dude. It's been a minute. Likewise.

Bijon
0:01:33
We talk all the time, but we don't see each other all the time except for when we do these, you know.

Niles
0:01:37
That's because you're hitting the slopes all the time.

Bijon
0:01:39
That's why. You're Snow Bunny and whatnot. I know, man.

Bijon
0:01:42
Hardcore. Snow Bunny sexting. Yeah, that's right. Got people filming you going down the mountain and whatnot, man. I'm out here working with, doing the Lord's work, working with kids and whatnot, trying to teach you

Niles
0:01:54
how to have jokes. That's the dichotomy. That's the dichotomy, right? That is the Lord's work, though, man.

Bijon
0:01:59
If he's going to be providing beautiful mountains

Niles
0:02:01
and stuff like that, I got to take advantage of that.

Bijon
0:02:04
Oh, yeah, yeah, right, right.

Niles
0:02:05
Please don't say that

Niles
0:02:07
I've is that Communicative I know it's such a snowboarder thing and me is a you know, the the purest the purest skier You know Okay, we can still be friends. I know it's tough. I do I do look forward to that day when the two of us are on the slopes. Me and my snowboard. I do too man. I do too. Yeah it'll happen. You just gotta come out here.

Bijon
0:03:00
Daddy doesn't come out to Vegas anymore.

Niles
0:03:04
It's cool. It's fine man. It's all good. In September.

Bijon
0:02:50
I'll be there. I'll be there before then.

Niles
0:02:52
But.

Niles
0:02:53
Oh, you think so, huh?

Bijon
0:02:54
Barbecue here at the house?

Bijon
0:02:55
I do. I do think so.

Bijon
0:02:57
I do.

Niles
0:02:57
Finally use that espresso machine you bought me?

Niles
0:03:00
Dude.

Niles
0:03:02
That's.

Bijon
0:03:03
I'm glad that looks like a beautiful paperweight on your counter.

Niles
0:03:06
It's a great counterpiece, man.

Niles
0:03:08
I don't even.

Bijon
0:03:13
So stupid.

Niles
0:03:15
Every time I go to the market, I forget to buy espresso beans, which would then provoke me to actually learn how to use the machine. And I look at this thing, and I don't want to age myself, but I almost feel like the old man that's like, I don't know how to use this. This is something kids use, which is so ridiculous of me

Bijon
0:03:34
to do. Man, I got you a nice one, too, man. I didn't get you no BF.

Niles
0:03:37
I know. I literally was making coffee this morning. I'm into this thing now I always have two cups now. It's a thing didn't used to be that way, but I love my two cups of coffee and You know in honor of B-side morning brew with Beesha Niles 91.5 KUNV jazz and more Yeah, it's um you know it's a one drink for me one drink for you. You know I'm saying. I'm here. Thanks, man So I think we should tell our lovely listeners that to be transparent with them that literally up What a lot of people don't know and maybe you don't need to know but putting putting together these radio shows It's not easy right in terms of we're trying to always come up with topics that are either relevant to what we think might be educational, to what we think the audience or our audience or listeners might want to hear at 830 a.m. on a Sunday, right? And it's we just don't know. So we try to find the topics that we feel are truthful to us and things that we feel are important to discuss or not important. But this last go a couple of days ago. My man, I got nothing. I got nothing to, you know, what do we do here? And, uh, it's like, well, what do we do?

Niles
0:05:00
You know, like, is this a Seinfeld episode?

Niles
0:05:02
I don't know.

Bijon
0:05:03
And the reality is, is that obviously we have lives that we do together with Jazz Republic, of course, but we come together as collaborators and stuff. And then we have our separate lives where we're working with our outside businesses and things that we do. And so, you know, Hey, let's be real. Life is life. Um, you gotta live life. That's what this is about is that balance of lifestyle and arts and music and us doing it. And quite frankly, we just, we just didn't necessarily have, um, uh, the content that we thought we wanted to have.

Niles
0:05:41
Well, because we're always trying to, go ahead, go ahead, I'm sorry.

Bijon
0:05:43
Well, and the reality is, there's so many conversations that Niles and I have that we say, man, we should have taped that for the radio show.

Niles
0:05:52
It's always that with us. It's that thing where, I go through this all the time. You know, like you know all the restaurants around your area or something, or you pass by, it's like, oh yeah, I remember, you know, next time I, something, you know, you're like, I'm gonna go to that restaurant. And every time you think about, what am I hungry for? And all of a sudden, I draw a blank. I can't think of any of the restaurants around town. And I think we do that with this radio show where you and I have these really amazing conversations off air all the time. And we're like, why are we putting this on air? And it's almost like we overthink it for the radio show. So this time we thought, you know what, let's just let's just do our thing, but what was interesting is on Instagram I sometimes send you these really cool little jazz clips of things that are either inspirational or just funny or whatever it is and then as you and I were talking the other day, well maybe you know the thing I just sent you of Charles Mingus, right? I mean, and go ahead on that, like when you got that, so the clip is we actually let's, let's, yeah, for our listeners, let me pull this up and play this clip, and then we can discuss it because it's, it's something we've actually discussed before, probably many times before. So I got both these. So this is from, I don't know what year this would have been, but it was back then.

Interviewer
0:07:17
What is jazz music?

Charles Mingus
0:07:19
I don't know. I don't care.

Niles
0:07:22
I mean, what's I mean, it's, it's hilarious. You know, the

Niles
0:07:26
way he first of all, he's just chilling wherever he's at. He's taking a puff of his cigar and that you know

Bijon
0:07:45
that thing where

Niles
0:07:47
those cats back then Most of them hated the word jazz and they're just musicians man. They're just playing music And he I love that. I don't know and I don't care, you know, you're overthinking it You know people are asking that question at that time what I always find interesting about these is those clips that you send me is that

Bijon
0:08:02
You know you have to understand Niles is is is I don't want to say new to this thing But this is a rabbit hole that Niles went down. I'd say what four years five years ago now, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, and prior to that, of course, he had, you know, knowledge of jazz and you know, but he went on a deep dive and he would. And it's interesting seeing someone who is who has committed themselves to learning the jazz language and learning the jazz theory. Find these nuggets of information from these pioneers of, you know, that were in the forefront of bringing jazz to the mainstream in America and in Europe and beyond globally. Yep. And, you know, it was as is wont to do with media and the way that America operates. Everyone wants the answer to it. Well, what is jazz? You know? Yeah. And we got to remember jazz is an appropriated word that was used to describe the music that has very Afro-centric blues roots, you know, coming from through the slave trade to down the Deltas, you know, and when you listen to the blues and things like that, which ultimately developed into what we call in America, or started calling America as jazz, you know, there's so many other prongs to that that where it came from and a lot of those musicians at that time were getting tired of being asked what it is it's like why does it have to be put into a box and so these pioneers these people you know, go down the list. Yeah. Why do I have to categorize? Yeah. Why do I have to be put into a creative capsule so you can understand it? And that's what it ultimately is.

Niles
0:10:13
It's a so others can. So the listener, if you will, what we think, understand it. You put a label on it, you know, which is.

Bijon
0:10:21
And they can promote it, you know, from a commercial standpoint. Well, this is how we have to promote this, you know Yeah, rock and roll is one thing R&B was another thing. Yeah, really which they're one in the same

Niles
0:10:36
They are but and what's yeah you but you're right man in terms of like they're trying to market to what they think is a certain demographic and Instead of blurring the lines and letting anybody in and listen. I hate to go down this road, but they're kind of segregating what music, you know, category of music is by what they think a certain demographic is going to listen to.

Bijon
0:10:58
But this type of conversation that we're having is the reason why we formed Jazz Republic. I know. Because we wanted to welcome, one of our missions is to welcome everyone to the table, the musical table as it were. And we've been successful in doing that and people have embraced it because it's like I don't want to say, you know I hate to use some of the lingo of the day, but it's a safe space for musicians

Niles
0:11:22
Right, you know what? I mean? Yeah, I mean it's it's a blank canvas and you can come in and color it any way you want you know and

Bijon
0:11:32
That's a joy and feel free to enjoy it without any type of musical retribution, if you will.

Niles
0:11:40
Yeah, man.

Bijon
0:11:41
Oh, you like jazz? Oh, it's like, no, I like good music.

Bijon
0:11:45
Yeah, yeah.

Niles
0:11:46
Or there are those that go, oh, I don't, you know, you just hear the word jazz and like, oh, I don't, I don't like that. And fair enough on whatever genre it might be, you know, but it's a- And you may have been one of those people in that camp at one time as well. Well, the funny thing is, is I've always been a fan of, I grew up with my father, you know, the albums that we had was all Motown, a handful of jazz and country music, which is kind of an interesting, those three genres, if you will. And I always heard the Coltrane's and Miles and stuff in the background of my life. And I didn't really understand, like you're saying, I started taking a deep dive just a few years ago of what all this really means. Because if you're gonna, if you're gonna, if you're gonna I started taking a deep dive just a few years ago of what all this really means, because if you're gonna start working on something, you should understand it, I don't care what industry you're in. It's like, if you wanna own a company, you need to learn how to sweep the floors of your industry before you can just go owning a company. I mean, in terms of any relative success. And so it's been an interesting thing.

Niles
0:12:52
And to your point, I just happen to adhere more to the class, the

Niles
0:12:53
stuff in the 60s. Then I do what some jazz artists are doing to there's a couple that I like, but otherwise, to me, they just don't have the same attitude. And I those guys in the 60s, to me, or just, they were rock and roll. Those guys are punk rockers, you know, I mean, in terms of the attitude of like, I'm going to do whatever I want, and either you're in or you're out. And you hear that in the music, all those cats, man, all those guys on Blue Note, you hear that in every artist. And I think I missed that idea. Yeah.

Bijon
0:13:26
That's the difference, right? Is that they were taking chances then. They were recording prolifically, album upon album. Let's just go in the studio and create. And too much of today's quote-unquote jazz is relatively contrived. Trying to cater to a particular audience or it is a regurgitation of stuff that's already been done. As opposed to really taking chances and moving forward.

Niles
0:13:55
I kind of I feel sometimes just on the sidelines. Well, you know watching and going wow what? what's going on, you know and So what I liberating it's very liberating what we are doing because We're not beholden that we decided we weren't going to be beholden to that

Bijon
0:14:09
and I think the listeners and our audience appreciate that because it is accessible to them not because it's a watered down version of what the jazz police might consider jazz. It's because it's it's a comes from a place of integrity where we're truly creating based on what we are influenced by. Yeah, we'd love to play.

Niles
0:14:42
Yeah, man, that's an interesting topic to the jazz police.

Bijon
0:14:46
That's for another show.

Niles
0:14:49
Dude, it's like almost like what quantifies that one and where that even start to. And you're right, that's probably is a different show. But man, I get fascinated by that because you hear all these, you know, I know you're professor of music over at Berkeley and I love you and I respect you. But some cats that are teaching, it's like whatever, if that, if jazz police starts there, so to speak, teaching certain things and trying to go through the licks of certain songs back in the day. And then it's like, well, that's just those guys are just improvising. You know, I mean, the stuff was written down when you're soloing and stuff like that. So I find it doesn't it doesn't have to be just in jazz. This goes even into into rock and roll and, you know, that kind of stuff where, you know, these guys are trying to psychoanalyze why did why did this artist go here in that solo? It's like. They wouldn't even be able to answer that. They're doing their thing, you know, it's like telling someone to play the same solo they just played over and over again, unless it's a melody and that's something different, but that's not a solo.

Bijon
0:15:52
That's a melody.

Bijon
0:15:53
Correct. Yep.

Niles
0:15:54
So I hear you.

Niles
0:15:55
Yeah.

Bijon
0:15:56
Now that we've solved the world problems, let's move on. I'm just kidding. Now that we've answered the big question.

Niles
0:16:06
And that's all, folks. Thanks for tuning in.

Bijon
0:16:10
Thanks for tuning in.

Niles
0:16:11
Man, moving on, there was another clip I sent you on Instagram. Since we're on these kind of clip ideas, I sent you the one of Duke Ellington because there was this interview back in the day with his trio. He's on this, I forget, I don't know what television show it was. But man, what I love about this clip, you know what, let's play it for the people and then we'll talk about it real quick.

Interviewer
0:16:37
Where did you get your ideas from? Your ideas?

Duke Ellington
0:16:40
Oh man, I got a million dreams. That's all I do is dream all the time. I thought you played piano. No, no, no. This is not piano. This is dreaming. I'll be honest, man, that gets me emotional.

Niles
0:17:09
I mean, the choice of chordal movements he's saying, especially as a writer. To me, he's dead on in that it's not about what you play in terms of an instrument as a writer, but he's right, it's dreaming. You're dreaming ideas up and it is just incredibly beautiful. such a sophisticate in my opinion how he spoke and dressed and played and just carried through in his whole everything man he's definitely a hero of mine on many levels but man it's just beautiful but you know the interviewer saying well I thought you just played piano it just sounds so like threw it out there like it's like, I thought you play piano. No man, this is dreaming. And he goes into that first chord. Come on. Well it speaks to, as

Bijon
0:18:38
musicians, as artists, whatever instrument you're using, it's a vehicle to express yourself, right? Yep. So the more knowledge and language you have on that instrument allows you to express yourself that much more. Yep. I think that's what you've found as a guitar player evolving from your songwriting roots and having a band you know which is probably more rock alternative, rock-centric, to grasping this new language for you which is understanding more of the jazz theory, you know, western, you know, Afro, black American music theory and terminology understanding, has added another layer of language to your playing, which has allowed you to express yourself that much more. And that's the way, I think that's the way if, from me as a professor of music, that's the way I approach it. I'm providing the aspiring artists, the language or the ability to express themselves at the highest level.

Niles
0:19:52
Well, your instrument is a tool, right? I mean, you've got to understand.

Bijon
0:19:55
Understanding, you know, and so I think if, if, if in academia, that bridge is, you know, you know, brought together between treating it as a language, as an art that allows for a musician to express themselves more freely. Yeah. And that's when you're actually teaching something. You're not saying, hey, learn these 50 licks, and suddenly you're, you're a jazzer, you know, right? Now, here's here's, I'm going to teach you this, I'm going to introduce you to these different influences so you can take this material and do with it what you will. That's your job. Yeah. And it's my job to just introduce it to you and have you have an understanding of how this was created or where this came from.

Niles
0:20:42
Yeah.

Bijon
0:20:43
And then it's up to you as the artist to take it to the next level.

Niles
0:20:47
And how to make it even look or sound effortless. There's that other level of that from, you know, it's, you know, we see guys all the time live, even something like this, watching that video clip and just seemingly so, like he just turned, he swivels on his chair and just goes to the piano and just starts playing that incredible, beautiful piece. I'm like, man, even knowing he was gonna be less than a minute of doing it and knowing how it was going to end Even if it was improvised, I'm like what a beautiful intro and outro either way

Bijon
0:21:23
And what we have to realize about Ellington is that he was a student of all music. Yeah, Western European Everything. I mean he was a huge fan of Stravinsky and Mahler and all these European composers, him understanding those languages as well just allowed him to even more integrate that into his, you know, jazz sensibility.

Niles
0:21:49
Well, it's funny because on our website, thejazzrepublic.com, we have a quote of Ellington's that we kind of have lived by for what our mission is with jazz Republic and he says and I quote And this is from an interview a television interview back in the 60s Says I think music I think them. I'm sorry I think the music situation today has reached a point where it isn't necessary for categories, right? Which is what we've been talking about he goes on to say I think what people hear in music is either agreeable to the ear or not. And if this is so, if music is agreeable to my ear, why does it have to have a category? I don't see the reason. I mean, it either sounds good or it doesn't." End quote. And it says it all, or like what we were saying earlier in the segment today about Mingus, you know, like, what is jazz? Man, I don't know. I don't care. It's just they're kind of saying the same thing. You know, I mean, they are saying the same thing. Just yeah, man, you know me, though. I'm always like those guys. I'm always for that. Like, I wish we didn't have to. Even with the stuff you've done and like when you go, man, I want to do this new recording, but I want to go more down to, say, a Latin jazz kind of thing. Right. And when I've heard you do Latin jazz, yeah, I hear elements of that, but it's not like you're sticking to what one would consider a traditional Latin jazz, let's say, you know what I mean? Like the Latin jazz police, right? Or me doing rockabilly, you know, now with the new rockabilly swing thing. It's like, well, I could go down a full-on swing path, but even when I say the word or the term rockabilly, yeah, here we are even still having to categorize it for people going, what are you doing now? What's going on? And I do understand that. We can't just say, I'm just recording a new album or recording a new tune. What is it? I get the label of it, but it's unfortunate because there's so much more within whatever the label is. There's so many other... When you're going to make a spaghetti bolognese, it's like not every one person makes it the same. I'm going to put in a different spice than you are, or add some extra salt that you might not, or whatever the case is. And to me, that's what music is, man. We're adding different spices to what, you could say I'm making spaghetti bolognese all day long, but like, what's in the spice though? What are you really doing? What's going on?

Bijon
0:24:19
You know? And what's in the bolognese? Is it lamb? Is it turkey? Is it beef? Is it whatever?

Niles
0:24:24
Right, is it vegetarian? Like, you know, is it, you know, veggie meat or whatever. So again, I'm really glad that we've just solved the problems of the music world today in our segment. That's right. If you have any questions, you can come to us.

Bijon
0:24:34
Yeah. We'll be feel free to put all your complaints and answer. Yeah, put all your complaints in the complaint box. You're listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Beej and Niles on 91.5 KUNV Jazz and more.

Niles
0:24:53
Man, I think that's going to wrap up our segment today. And what a fun, today I felt like it was a jam session. Like we just, like okay, let's just get in the studio and do some stuff and see where it leads. And this is actually more fun just doing this than this, trying to come up with, you know, well, what we call contrived, because we don't, we never want to come off contrived, but sometimes, you know, you try to, you know, we're thinking of what the topics and what we want to go into. But we do bet this is like how we talk on the phone, man. You know, I've almost feel like this is, this is better. But for our listeners out there, let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you. Feel free to check us out at www.thejazzrepublic.com. It's been a fun morning.

Niles
0:25:43
It has.

Bijon
0:25:44
It was great, very thought-provoking. And there's a few people we'd like to thank before we bid you adieu. We'd like to thank, of course, our radio sponsor, 91.5 KUNV Jazz & More, as well as High Note Roasters for bringing us the phenomenal coffee.

Niles
0:26:07
Woo!

Bijon
0:26:13
Let me do that again.

Bijon
0:26:15
So, we'd like to thank a few people before we bid you adieu. We'd like to thank 91.5 KUND Jazz and More for being such an amazing partner with us. And we look forward to many more events with them. And we'd like to thank High Note Roasters Coffee and we'd like to thank you, the listener, for tuning in and keeping us honest, keeping us on our toes. We appreciate that. And of course, we'd like to hear from you. Once again, if you're interested in finding out more, please go to www.thejazzrepublic.com. We look forward to seeing you in person somewhere down the line. And until then, have a phenomenal weekend. Have a great Sunday, everyone. Good morning. You've been listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Bij and Niles. Chillin' on the corner of Lifestyle App and Music Stream. Chillin' on the corner of Lifestyle App and Music Stream.

Niles
0:27:19
On 91.5 KUNV, jazz and more.