be sparked

A few months ago, Jim Jacoby - the talented founder of Manifest, a truly innovative interactive agency - and I began chatting about design, how designers think and the need for design leadership in this time of sea change. Those informal conversations grew into a more compelling conversation that grew into a dialogue that we felt was worth sharing.  And so was born design in the moment, our new podcast series.

Jim brings to the conversation a background rich in technology, design, business leadership and humanism. We see the world similarly yet, have different lenses through which we view media, brands and social phenomena.

We invite you to listen, comment and join the conversation.  To get started, just click-through on the podcast tab above.

Thanks, we hope you enjoy it.

April 11th, 2009 | Tags: business, design, design thinking, leadership | Category: brand, design, miscellany | Leave a comment

My recent talk at MG Fest, part of the Chicago Convergence. Getting down to the core of what makes brand experinces great, vibrant and lasting.

March 31st, 2009 | Tags: brand, business, chicago convergence, design, essence, mg fest, responsibility, soul | Category: brand, design | Leave a comment

It’s a new year full of promise, hope, challenge and the potential for self-definition.  

As we consider all of this, how about a small indulgence in the - your brand is you - department; wearing a scent that’s not likely to be worn by the man or woman sitting next to you on the bus every morning.

lucky scent has a terrific on-line storefront and Scent Bar in LA that offers up fragrances, skin care products and accessories that are rare, unique with some being exclusive to them.  The online store offers fragrance reviews, and a guide to finding the right scent based on your astrological sign. They also can send you 1/32oz. samples at 3.00 each to take the guess work out of choosing the right scent for you.

Consider starting the new year with a new scent, indulge, be you, live a little.

January 9th, 2009 | Tags: authentic, fashion, fragrance, retail | Category: brand | Leave a comment

Of the many musical/cultural events that I’ve been able to attend over the last thirty years or so one stands head and shoulders above all of the rest  .. it’s the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This year Jazz Fest marks its 40th anniversary with a captivating, scintillating line up, just announced. 

My love affair with New Orleans started around 1979 when I had the good fortune to be shepparded there by a client in Chicago, who had a colleague that he felt needed the services of our architectural interior design firm.  Long story short, I became the Partner in charge of our New Orleans office and lived in the French Quarter for about four years.  I met rascals, artists, hipsters, tycoons, chefs and musicians all devoted to soaking up the wild gumbo of influences that was then the Crescent City. 

We all know what happens when we fast-forward this story.  The city that time forgot and its people, old and new, are still struggling to come back.  Our joining them at their world-class party goes a long way towards helping.  Enough said.

Here are the Jazz Fest dates: April 24^th - 26 (first weekend) April 30^th - May 3^rd (second weekend)

And just a few of the fine artists who’ll be playing;

Aretha Franklin  Allen Toussaint  Wynton Marsalis  Kings of Leon  Neville Brothers  Ben Harper  Dave Matthews Band  James Taylor  Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra  Irma Thomas  Jakob Dylan  Big Chief Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias  Wilco  Bonnie Raitt  Dr. John  Tony Bennett  the subdudes  the Radiators  Nicholas Payton  John Mayall  Ellis Marsalis  Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen  Solomon Burke  Los Lobos  Galactic  Johnny Winter  Spoon  Papa Grows Funk  Erykah Badu  Sonny Landrith  Pete Seeger  Dirty Dozen Brass Band  Ebenezer Baptist Church Mass Choir ….. and many, many more that you’ve heard of and would never discover without being there.

So while the snow and cold weather has many of us in its grip, think about music outdoors, a community of zellous music lovers, the smell of soft shell crab po boys and crawfish cooking, 80 degree temperatures and the occasional cold beer.  Try Jazz Fest, its not too soon to make plans, once there, you’ll be addicted .. and that’s not a bad thing.

December 16th, 2008 | Tags: authentic, food, music, new orleans, travel | Category: food, music, travel | Leave a comment

Times are economically challenging, to say the least.

As the year winds down, our good friends at the Old Town School of Folk Music are facing a deficit for 2008 and are reaching out to the community that supports and benefits from their great classes and concerts, for a bit of help.

A small donation of $20. will go a long way to help insure that we get to see the likes of the subdudes up close and personal, take classes with exceptional teachers and support the neighborhood beacon of music and creativity that the school has become.  

Please click here and see how your small contribution can make a big difference.  Thanks

December 12th, 2008 | Tags: giving, music, old town school | Category: music | Leave a comment

Taschen, the German publisher with stores in the US, abroad and online offers a terrific collection of highly visual books for design lovers, architecture, fashion, art, pop culture, travel enthusiasts and people that simply like good books. 

Among this year’s best is Soul i-D,  a collection of stirring musings on family, global responsibility, survival and spirituality from people like Bono, David LaChapelle, Tom Ford, Bob Geldof, Yoko Ono and many others.

For those of us that seek out design stimulus and travel there’s the Icons Style series of punchy, elegant books. 24 in all, they’re packed with images of selected regions including; Buenos Aires, Berlin, Egypt, Morocco, New York and at $9.99 each an amazing high-quality bargin.

So, as you consider those last minute affordable gifts for the more picky in your group take a look at the best from Taschen.  Enjoy

December 10th, 2008 | Tags: authentic, best, books, design, soul, taschen, travel | Category: design, travel | Leave a comment

As the year in music winds to a close it’s time to look back at some of the stand-outs of ‘08.

This started out as a Top 10 List, but quickly grew into a Top 11 and then, because we need more than “one more”, especially this year, a Top 12 List emerged.

There’s lot’s of diversity here from Jazz to Folk to modern Big Band. Names you know and names you may not.  But, all share a legitimate honesty, inventiveness and passion for the music …that’s palpable.  Pick them up for Holiday gifts, share them, enjoy them, sing along and stay sparked.  

In no particular order here goes;

1. Tell Tale Signs, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 Rare and Unreleased, Bob Dylan

Amazing out-takes, live cuts and unreleased tracks from 1989 - 2006, a must for the die hard Dylan fan.  So good they could have been released as other non-”bootleg” albums.

2. Miles From India,  Various Miles Davis Alumni and Indian Musicians

A global, cross-cultural, mind bending musical summit of Miles’ music played by his alumni and virtuoso Indian musicians; Chick Corea, Marcus Miller, Ravi Cari, Vikku Vinayakram et. al.

3. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes

The Byrds meet the Beach Boys and CSNY in Seattle in their 20’s

4. There’s Me and There’s You, The Matthew Herbert Big Band

Big band protest songs mixed up with soulful vocals, electronic samples .. sophisticated, jazz, wild and intoxicating.

5. Electric Arguments, The Fireman

McCartney and Youth let their inner freak flag fly.  Paul’s best work in ages

6. Sex and Gasoline, Rodney Crowell

Smart, socially tuned-in songs from a gifted writer, that you can’t get out of your head

7. Dear Science, TV On The Radio

A brilliant mash-up of hip hop, r&b, drum and bass, jazz .. catchy, smart, now-music ..defies categorization

8. Gently Disturbed, Avishi Cohen Trio

Truly inventive, classically influenced bass, piano, drums trio work from one of the world’s best bassists

9. Acid Tongue,  Jenny Lewis

Smokey, dark, sharp, hipster folk and rock.  With guests Elvis Costello, Chris Robinson, M. Ward, sounding fine

10. If The World Was You, JD Souther

A real surprise and return to a “new” form  .. jazz tunes from a master lyricist, still in great voice

11. Carried To Dust, Calexico

Fine border town music .. where latin horns meet folk songs good tequila and an occasional Peyote bud 

12. The Works, Jonatha Brooke

Never heard Woody Guthrie lyrics beautifully set to music and sung by Jonatha … backed by stellar Jazz musicians

December 4th, 2008 | Tags: 2008, best of, big band, folk music, hip hop, jazz, music, rock | Category: music | Leave a comment

Today, World AIDS Day, marks the long awaited launch of (RED) WIRE, a new online digital music magazine designed to eliminate Aids in Africa.  

(RED) WIRE promises to bring us exclusive music from major artists, featured artist showcases and the added impact of your music interest making a difference  .. saving lives in Africa.

Headed by Don MacKinnon, the gifted originator of Hear Music and someone I had the privilege to get to know while helping Starbucks develop new brand experiences, (RED) WIRE is sure to have the high musical integrity and cool mix-tape attitude that made Hear Music such a terrific concept.

Check out (RED) WIRE to learn more and help change the world for the better. 

December 1st, 2008 | Tags: aids, authentic, music, original, red wire | Category: brand, music | Leave a comment

Chicago is home to many cultural treasures, large and small. From towering architectural masterpieces to neighborhood blues bars.

Chief among them in my mind is the Old Town School of Folk Music. Now, over 50 years old, it offers classes in everything from guitar, banjo, cello, oud, to songwriting and dance. Instructing close to 6,000 students a week … 2,700 of them children!

Having grown up on folk music and being lucky enough to have taken banjo lessons, many moons ago in New York at the Noah Wolfe School of Music …from the exceptional Happy Traum … I’m thrilled to see people of all ages making their way to Old Town .. filling Lincoln Avenue with the sight of guitar and banjo cases, drums, feet .. all on the move.

The school also boasts one of the most intimate music venues in the City, the Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall.  Seating about 400, with great sight lines and acoustics, its concerts are rooted in the diverse and authentic cultural traditions, new and old, of America and around the world.  The upcoming January through June schedule includes performances by artists as wide-ranging as Warren Hayes, Joshua Redman, Ceu, the subdudes, Alejandro Escovedo and many more.

The perfect tonic for the doldrums of long cold winters, if you’re in or around Chicago, check out our funky, lively treasure, the Old Town …and turn up the volume on yourself. 

November 25th, 2008 | Tags: chicago, folk music, music, old town school, world music | Category: music | Leave a comment