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Ken Nordine |
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Info: Biography, Pictures, Discography of all CDs & DVDs |
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| Ken Nordine (born April 13, 1920) is an American voiceover and recording artist best known for his series of Word Jazz albums.His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers.One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost certainly recognize his voice."The son of an architect, Ken Nordine was born in Cherokee, Iowa.However, some of Nordine's "writings are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe" than to the beats.Hennepin," "Frank's Wild Years" and "What's He Building?"On television, Nordine did a series of readings on a show titled Faces in the Window, and Fred Astaire danced to Nordine's "My Baby" on a TV special.Nordine's past radio series were Now Nordine and Word Jazz.Ken Nordine has just completed a DVD Video "The Eye is Never Filled" with a scheduled release date of May 14, 2007.How Are Things In Your Town?Eclectic Audio Entertainment, Vol.Incredibly Strange Music, Vol."Ken Nordine: What's the Word?""Ken Nordine: What's the Word?"Guy Benoit
NPR: Ken Nordine
Ken Nordine at Last.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.Ken Nordine
This is a site (one in which that was, at the time,
desperately
lacking from the Internet) devoted to the brilliant spoken word master
of recording, radio, television and sports casting.Many place Ken into
the Beat category (which is appropriate), but his writings and readings
can't be limited to such a category.His writings are more akin to
Franz
Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe than that of Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg
(seeing
as Ken's writings are dark and tinged in paranoia).Illinois
Entertainer, May, 1977
2.Ken
Nordine (on digitized art)
6."Colors"
liner notes by Skip Heller
7.Stomp
And Stammer (Speak Your Mind)
10.Incredibly
Strange Music Vol.Ken Nordine :
1.Ken
Nordine's
Word Jazz
2.Asphodel
("Colors" distributor)
3.The Best Of Word Jazz,
Vol.Ken Nordine (within
Laurie Anderson's "Meltdown") :
1.Ken Nordine, yeah I know that
guy, I heard his voice 1000 times Ken Nordine is the real angel sitting
on the wire in the tangled matrix of cobwebs that holds the whole attic
together he's the lite in the icebox, he's the blacksmith on the anvil
in your ear.Jack Kerouac, William S.And there's one particular hipster who actually
set the stage for such surrealistic mind expansion in the early '60s.Ken Nordine gave birth to what is known as Word Jazz.Nordine has worked and performed with all kinds of notable musicians
and fans over the years, from his earliest days with The Northern Jazz
Quartet (made up of three narcotic cops led by Dick Campbell) to more recent
sightings with Tom Waits and Jerry Garcia.Nordine
has recorded countless Word Jazz albums that trace his early career.Snail Records' slogan,
and I keep this in mind when speaking with the intellect from his Chicago
home.It seems as if it has actually been beneficial for you.I'm very pleased insomnia has turned into something useful.Strange
thing, I think I've cured myself from insomnia by becoming bored with what
I did to stop it.Actually, I have close to four hundred
of them, which I've been doing for over a year.I'll put these illustrations
out myself, possibly as a book if I can get someone to go for it.Your mind seems so incessant, always thinking,
even at bedtime.Of course, sleep is the antidote
of all of that.If you build up enough lactic acid, it's impossible to
stay awake.I'm talking about dreamless sleep now, which
is a big black nothing as far as I know.The fun is coming out of it, when
you have a kind of lucid dreaming and I'll write about that too.You obviously have some kind of heightened awareness
in order to work with lucid dreaming.But I doubt most people think in these rhythms
you talk about.The best translation, by the way, is the 5th Edition by Fitzgerald.Some of your lyrics have such a sense of wonder
about nature.In fact, I read that you feel like a frustrated scientist
a lot of times.Well, I think mathematicians and musicians are closer to God than
anybody.Some of my best friends were mathematicians.Zitter was one of
them, a brilliant guy.Lorrilard, the cigarette
company, but I think he went up in smoke.Zit about his understanding of numbers, and he'd regale
me with a story of a guy by the name of George Cantor, who was a brilliant
Jewish physicist in Germany in the '20s.Cantor discovered that there's an infinitely greater number of infinite
irrational numbers than there is an infinite number of infinite rational
numbers, so of course he had to leave Germany right away!No, my problem with the mystery of being mortal is the same as
the mystery of being immortal.When people try to define God (and God contains
life and death and everything else you can think of), it's really kind
of an insult to creation to try to limit the mystery of the same mode.In fact, I was with Laurie Anderson doing this Meltdown Festival in
London at The Royal Festival Hall last June and July.She makes a phone call to God and I wrote and played
the part of God.Oh, what a wonderful
high that festival was.There was a pretty interesting group of people
there too.What happens now is my son Kris does some things with me and Howard
Levy, who is a giant of a talent.For example, if I talk about how things were maybe in
the very beginning of time, or even just before time was gonna begin, you
play whatever you feel would be what you think that time was like.They
listen to each other if they're good and they give each other space, which
they have to do.And then of course, with that kind of freedom, some fantastic
things could happen.The first violin is saying, 'Hey look where I am!The smaller the group, the more together they can be and the freer
they can be.There's a reason why artists are soloists, and musicians can
play together, but if you get a group too large, then you have to have
a chart for them, uniforms, schedules, a bus...That's why when I go to the symphony, which I don't do so much anymore
because it's a big hassle, the only thing that can keep me interested is
to try to count how many women are in the orchestra or how many guys are
wearing silk acetate socks.Or I try to imagine like the first violinist
dropping dead in the middle of the thing, just wailing away!But if they got other music,
they'd have to practice, rehearse, and then they'd get paid more because
of the union, which means the conductors wouldn't be paid as much.Do you still perform in public?With RRR radio in Melbourne, we'll do it
here around 8 a.They want me to do something
there too, October 15, 16, and 17 of 1998.Lovecraft, tell me some contemporary
artists you have split your talent with in recent years.I've worked with Paul Wertico, the drummer for Pat Metheny, Hal
Wilner, Sonny Rollins, Was (Not Was), Leonard Cohen I did a silly ghost
story a long time ago with Jay Leno in Philadelphia prior to his getting
the Tonight Show.He thought it would be
pretty profound to have backwards speech.Well, I memorized a lot.I'd read
de Maupassant, 'Rats In the Wall' by H.Lovecraft, very dramatic, horrifying
Edgar Allan Poe things, and Balzac, who was a brilliant writer.He sort of believed that behind
every great fortune, there's a crime.The man was very perceptive.But
at any rate, I came on doing this show and I'd read these things and think,
oh god, this is tremendous!Do you still do your syndicated radio show for
NPR?The 'Word Jazz' shows, all the music is original.For instance,
I would play a record of someone teaching someone how to use a stethoscope.How much creative freedom does a company grant you when partaking in the
making of a commercial?Sometimes it's absolute:
'Do what you want and just mention the product.Your adventurous ideas for commercials are bound
to have people start requesting them to be aired more frequently than when
they're allowed, which of course can become a problem for the networks.Oh, just
the other day.Brace in the
spring of 1999.It'll be called 'Ken Nordine's COLORS,' based on the COLORS
CD.They asked, 'Do you mind if we tell people how old you are?Original versions of both can be found on Nordine's
The Best of Word Jazz, Vol.Actually a group called
Moloko in England did a cassette of what they want to do with me.She was
a very fine actress.She worked on The Lone Ranger when it started out
in Hollywood.She was with Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant.She hasn't done
anything as an actress since the time we got married.But she would have
been fabulous if I hadn't stolen her away from the silver screen and saved
her from all that silliness.She really
knows how to inflect a line.You've lived in the city of Chicago practically
all your life, right?There's a lot happening in my neighborhood.So I finally heard him
again and I said, 'This is it.But then I felt bad,
you know, a musician.Then I listened for a moment before I called and I said,
'Wait a minute.Yes, I live a rather insular life.Mother, May I Drink from the Funnel?Concept your own Lifetime TV movie.Ken Nordine
At 81, the man who brought the world Word Jazz (and whose voice any god would envy) has released a dazzling new CD.Ken Nordine has made his way through this world with his voice.He has made a good living by pitching paint, jeans, coffee and cars.And if you know the right people, dropping that term elicits a conspiratorial grin.His artistic collaborations have found him head to head with Tom Waits, Brian Eno, Smokey Robinson and Jerry Garcia.Attempting to describe it is a delightful and impossible task.Single adjectives like deep, dark and rich are anemic, shallow and inadequate means of description.We would also find a handful of charcoal, a dollop of urban 3 a.Poe's "Tell Tale Heart," Tom Waits' bass growl buff shined with diamond dust and a pinch of Nordinium (the rarest of all the hip and heavy elements).Nordine's voice and mind are employed to dazzling effect on the 20 tracks of "A Transparent Mask."Some cuts approach linear story telling, some are tethered so tenuously that just the thought of a pair of scissors would set them free, while others unapologetically shoot straight for Mars with not even a casual nod towards Houston.The opening track, "As of Now," is based on the writings of the second century Roman philosopher and emperor Marcus Aurelius.And there was a manicurist and a black guy who, you know, did the shoe shining, way back then.And there I was sitting with the sheet over me with a scotch in the right hand.And then with the line "My head is bloody but unbowed," I was over the sink with the barber washing out the shampoo.Then with the closing line "I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul," Happy Herman, the black guy, was sweeping up my hair clippings on the floor, a good closing shot to go with putting my glasses back on; all scenes of vanity.The idea that we are masters of anything is belittled by fate and time.Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibitedCopyright 2005 Salon.Symantec product which is causing this to happen.Hours() * 3600 + currentTime.Minutes() * 60 + currentTime.Ships from and sold by Amazon.Day Shipping at checkout.Amazon MP3 Downloads store.See all 11 customer reviews...Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s.Of("To view this content") !Track states defined in AlbumSampler."Embedding code will be displayed here."Ken Nordine registers in your subconscious instantly: Wait, I know that guy!Recorded in the late 1960s, the 34 tracks manage to be sort of psychedelically goofy but charming at the same time.Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet.Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?See all 319 customer reviews...The easiest way to shoot video reviews.Ken Nordine was commisioned by a paint company to write several commercials about colors.Some of the tracks can be taken as social commentary, but most of them are just Nordine having fun saying whatever a particular color makes him think of.The CD adds ten bonus tracks to the original album, for a total of 34 (Nordine says he recorded 44 in all).This is a fun album, if you like music that is a little "out there".Was this review helpful to you?Your vote will be counted and will appear on the product page within 24 hours."CD one or five stars, because it is wholly based on what vantage point you approach this thing from, so in the end it gets three.Noted voiceover man Ken Nordine recorded this in the 1960s (big surprise there), and it is ostensibly a commentary on social injustices, particularly racism.It really is free form blank verse poetry about colors set to inoffensive smooth jazz.Some have seen this as visionary, some as excellent psychedelic commentary; I see it more as upbeat silliness.In all honesty I find this CD amusing and fun to listen to, but mostly out of a lifelong desire to mock pretentiousness rather than any kind of admiration for the artistic accomplishment to be unveiled here.People who enjoy listening to William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy sing will adore this CD.So will die hard intellectuals who are convinced of the brilliant political satire it contains.CD irresistibly delicious for very different reasons.It's a SPOKEN WORD album about COLORS by THAT VOICE GUY!Life has its twists and turns; its paths, and music appreciation hasthem too.For example, I love Robyn Hitchcock, and own all of hisalbums.This prompted me to listen to NickDrake, who sounds like a prototype for those Scots Belle andSebastian.Costello, that is, and then to TMBG and finallyback to Robyn again.If you like ______, then you'll positively aDORE KenNordine!Idon't think Coltraine and Parker let him sit in very often.Even DaveBrubeck is defensively indifferent...Maybe they're just jealous.But within the socialcommentary lies a celebration of color, of life; a wacky celebrationof wackiness.That's all I really needed to say.If you're still reading this review, you probablyown the album anyway, so do the rest of the mental work yourself...Rock on, Ken Nordine...See all 11 customer reviews...Published 22 months ago by T.Ken Nordine and since them moment i listened to "Colors" I've been preaching its glories to all around.The crazy ol' color that lives next to Red...The cover promises 'a sensuous listening experience', and the promise is kept.Not only do you see the color in question before you, you also feel its texture and personality,...Ken is a true original, blending the lost arts of true storytelling with wit, pathos and sheer idiotic charm.He is above all others, a master wordsmith and poet.An unparalelled, seminal work of spoken word poetry.See all 11 customer reviews...Most underrated guitar player in rock history...Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.Music You Should Hear: Artists' PicksWant to know what Norah Jones, Sting, and Il Divo are listening to?Greats from the Greatest
Explore our Music Essentials Store and find music from over 500 essential artists and composers, watch videos, and vote for the most essential artist.This offer applies only to Amazon.For more about music, check out our blog, Amazon Earworm, and our monthly newsletters, Amazon Delivers.Using your checking account at Amazon.Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?You have no recently viewed items or searches.After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.Shop for Ken Nordine at Celetopia.Sign in to get personalized recommendations.The Best of Word Jazz, Vol.Dub Plate of Food, Vol.The Best of Word Jazz, Vol.You have no recently viewed items or searches.Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.Do you know something we don't?Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.This video has been added to your favorites.The video has been added to your playlist.Thank you for sharing your concerns.Thank you for flagging this video.Content of this nature is not necessarily prohibited on YouTube, however we will review this video and take action as appropriate.Per our Community Guidelines, hate speech is specifically defined in reference to "protected groups."Thank you for sharing your concerns.There may be significant legal penalties for false notices.Please refer to our Help Center for more information and the complete instructions.Thank you for sharing your concerns.In order to process a privacy complaint we need more information from you.Please refer to our Help Center for more information and the form to submit.Change this to see only comments above a certain value.Change the value of a comment by clicking on a thumb.Ken Nordine's voice streaming out of my record player...Ken Nordine did the Taster's Choice coffee commercials in the late 1970s with overtones and undertones of "rich" and "hot" laced, like plaid, through the text.Even though he has made me laugh and entertained me over many years, I always thought he has a beautiful, profound sense of the metaphysical mystery of life.Ken Nordine performs his jazz poetry on Night M...Ken Nordine performs his jazz poetry on Night Music.The Sun: A time of contentment and freedom from restraints.Happiness and faithfulness in a relationship.Algiz can be easily recognized as the antlers of the elk that it represents.Note: Because the 1st Tarot card (The Fool) is labeled with the number 0, the card associated with a given birth path is always labeled with a number 1 less than the birth path itself.Rune: This is the rune whose numeric value matches that of a birth name.Birth Mates: These are people whose birthdate is an exact numeric match.The Public Role and Private Persona are composed of words that equate to a person's public name and nickname.The different ways that words may be associated with names are:
Identity: These are words whose numeric value is an exact match.You might think of words as the siblings of their identities.Another interesting example of identity is "Death" and "Change", both words with a numeric value of 38.Product: These are words whose numeric value is a superset of another.For example, the numeric value of "Fulfillment" is 130, which is a superset of the numeric value of "Peace", which is 30.For example, the numeric value of "Sex" is 48, which is a subset of the numeric value of "Sharon Stone", which is 148.Components are things that make up a product.For example, the numeric value of "Rose" is 57, whereas the numeric value of "Thorn" is 75.Mirrors are things that belong together, either as compliments or as opposites.Words are sometimes thought of as the allies or enemies of their mirrors.Another interesting example of a mirror is "Romance" (whose numeric value is 69!"Playboy" (whose numeric value is 96)."Warning" has a numeric value of 86, and the word "Martyr" has a numeric value of 95.Effects are things that follow their cause.WaiteAshlee SimpsonAshton KutcherAudrey HepburnAvril LavigneAyn RandB.JonesCeline DionCharisma CarpenterCharles BronsonCharles de GaulleCharles LindberghCharles MansonCharlie ChaplinCharlton HestonChe GuevaraChow Yun FatChris ElliottChris RockChristian BaleChristie BrinkleyChristina AguileraChristopher LeeChuck NorrisChuck YeagerCindy CrawfordClaire ForlaniClint EastwoodClive BarkerClyde BarrowCoco ChanelColin FarrellColin PowellDan BrownDavid BeckhamDavid Ben GurionDavid BoreanazDavid BowieDavid GeffenDavid LettermanDean MartinDenise RichardsDenzel WashingtonDick CheneyDoc HollidayDonald RumsfeldDonald TrumpDouglas AdamsDouglas MacArthurDr.PhilDuke of WellingtonDwight EisenhowerEddie MurphyEdgar Allan PoeEdward NortonElisha CuthbertEliza DushkuElizabeth TaylorElle MacphersonElvis PresleyEmiliano ZapataEminemEnrico FermiEric BanaErwin SchroedingerEva MendesFaith HillFamke JanssenFederico FelliniFidel CastroFiona AppleFrancis Ford CoppolaFrancisco de Paula SantanderFrank Lloyd WrightFrank SinatraFranklin RooseveltFranz KafkaFreddie Prinze Jr.KennedyJohn GlennJohn LennonJohn TravoltaJohn Von NeumannJohn WayneJohn Wilkes BoothJon StewartJonas SalkJoseph StalinJosh HartnettJude LawJulia RobertsJustin TimberlakeKarl MarxKarl RoveKate BeckinsaleKate MossKeanu ReevesKeith RichardsKelly HuKelsey GrammerKen NordineKid RockKim Jong IlKim KardashianKirk DouglasKobe BryantKurt CobainKurt GoedelKurt VonnegutKylie MinogueL.MayerLucille BallLucky LucianoLucy LiuLudwig WittgensteinM.DickPierce BrosnanPol PotRachel WeiszRay BradburyRebecca GayheartRebecca RomijnRene MagritteRichard BransonRichard BurtonRichard WilhelmRicky MartinRidley ScottRingo StarrRobert A.HeinleinRobert Anton WilsonRobert De NiroRobert Downey Jr.EliotTerry GilliamThe RockTheodore RooseveltThomas EdisonThomas JeffersonTiger WoodsTim BurtonTom CruiseTom HanksTom LeykisTommy HilfigerToni BraxtonTupac ShakurTyra BanksUlysses S.LeninVidal SassoonVin DieselVincent Van GoghVladimir PutinVoltaireW.FieldsWalt DisneyWassily KandinskyWerner HeisenbergWes CravenWill SmithWill WrightWilliam GibsonWilliam Randolph HearstWilliam ShakespeareWilliam T. |
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