Category Archive
The following is a list of all entries from the Uncategorized category.
Still Kind of Blue
Was reading a recent article in New York magazine (“1959: Sex, Jazz, & Datsuns”) that makes a pretty good case that 50 years ago occurred the pivotal year that changed our history–not 1964 or 1968. Well, all were big years in American history. Not gonna lobby for one in particular.
One example of the many 1959 milestones (pun intended) is the Kind of Blue album, still the best-selling jazz album of all time. It was truly something new when it came out. When I became a fan many years later (I was only six when it came out, so cut me some slack), it still seemed revolutionary to me, compared to other things I’d been listening to.
The section on Miles and his album also recounts an incident outside a New York club where Miles Davis was performing. Davis, escorting a white woman to her cab, stopped to light a cigarette. A cop told him to move along, to which Miles replied, “I work here–that’s my name up there.” Another cop rushed over and beat Miles with a billy club; then the cops handcuffed him and hauled him into jail.
Fifty years later, a very similar incident is in the news. Now, Henry Louis Gates may have provoked his own arrest by his belligerence, but it’s hard to imagine any internationally-known white Harvard prof getting caught up in the same situation. Partly because a white cop may not be so pre-conditioned to be wary of a white man trying to get into a nice, big house. Partly because white people aren’t pre-conditioned to feeling harassed by white cops.
Fifty years later, I still listen to Kind of Blue, and I also listen to another hugely popular jazz album of about the same age, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out. I’m trying to imagine white jazzer Dave Brubeck, in front of a night club in New York, being beaten and arrested for not keeping moving. Just can’t picture it.
Trail Angst
So, it was an abnormally wonderful March 7 morning, in the sixties at 8:00 a.m., and not too windy yet. And what would I expect to be thinking about on a trail run the morning of the final group session for my recording project? I would expect, of course, to be thinking about the song arrangements for the three tunes, locking in the segues, the fills, the lyrics. I pretty much wrote and arranged all of these songs on the trails, working them out as I ran and then writing it all down back at home.
But that’s not what I was thinking about this morning. I was instead thinking of missed opportunities. You know, I’ve been working toward this particular mixture of Beatles/Beach Boys/Nilsson harmony pop and Jelly Roll/Satchmo/Boswell Sisters vintage swing for a couple or three years. This project is it, and I’m on the verge of maybe figuring out what exactly to do with the finished product–how to get it to the ears that may want to hear it.
But yesterday I got two emails about acts performing in the area, groups doing twenties and thirties music, doing retro torch music, doing vintage close harmony stuff. And then last night, our slide guitar player mentioned a group of sisters he was intending to see at an area coffee house. They all play violin, evidently, and sing like The Andrews Sisters.
Now, I believe these acts are doing covers, and my CD is all original songs. So it’s still something different, I think. I’m just not so good at getting things lined out in a way that can get the music out there. I need others to help me with that. Problem is, most of them are about like me.
If, say, this project were to get some notice somewhere, that would be marvy. I just hope it’s not behind some curve by then. “Oh, everyone’s doing that thirties backroom swing sound. Where you been?” Ah, I wasn’t gonna worry about that kind of stuff any more–now that I’m an old guy. I’ll get past it. I’m past it now. The session went great, the project’s almost complete, and I am happy to have done it, regardless of who ever hears it.
And tomorrow morning, I’ll have a nice trail run and think only about the songs for the next project…
Folk Swing with Horns
The last three songs for my recording project are going to be recorded on Saturday. Now, right at the end of it, with a sound I’m really liking, my friend Toby has an idea. He’s a great Idea Man–always has been. His idea is to take this music, which I’ve recorded with a four-piece acoustic group (guitar, dobro, upright bass, and brushes-&-snare) and get it done up with horns. A horn section. I hafta admit, it’s an intriguing idea. Been trying to figure out what kind of music it is. I’m calling it “folk swing,” because it’s somewhere between old-style jazz, folk, and vocal group music. The horn section might make it something else. Hmmmm. Yes, yes, yes, intriguing.
Running on the Katy Trail–which is not a trail, as in dirt through nature– I wear an iPod. (When I’m on the nature trails running, I hafta have my ears exposed to the sound of oncoming bikers, but on the paved, straight n’ wide trails, I can listen to my tunes.) Today the playlist included the ever-present Boswell Sisters (“Heebie Jeebies”), Alex Bird, Ali Farka Toure, and Toots Hibbard’s wonderful reggae version of the Otis Redding classic “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember.”
Also have a few of the recording project songs on there. But now, as I listen to them, I’m imagining horns. The Boswells usually didn’t have much in the way of big band sounds behind them. Often just a piano. But they did sound great when a hot band was backing them up…Toby, what have you done? I will forge ahead with the last three in the same way I did the first eight. Then, we’ll consider the whole horn thing.
I need to think about it. While I’m running the nature trails.
Music to Run By
I haven’t posted anything in quite some time. Since my posts were always about music, and lately I’ve been getting back to actually making music and not just writing about it–well, I guess I got out of the habit. But my recording project is coming along nicely, thank you, and it’s been a little bit of a stretch for me. Very rewarding.
So, I think I’ll be writing more about my other addiction: running, and especially trail running. I know there are many out there who do a lot of running on trails–there’s even a club in my area that I’ve considered joining, The North Texas Trail Runners. But I don’t ever run into trail runners.
The trails I run on are bike trails–beautiful, winding dirt trails through natural areas. I realize that the folks on the bikes rule these trails: they created them, they make up over 90% of the users, and they go faster than I do. So I always am deferential to them. And I almost never see other runners. I’ve seen a couple on the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve trails in the year that I’ve been running there. And I haven’t seen any on the Boulder Park trails. There are occasional hikers and dog walkers. But no runners.
That’s OK. I know the rules, and I wind my way through the trails working out song arrangements in my head as I go, getting into the zone. But staying aware, always aware, of approaching bikers.
Trail running and musical exploration go together–no doubt about it.
Ten Top Ten: Best of…
I don’t like putting best-of collections on these favorites lists, because it seems like cheating a little. But some of the best performers in pop’s long history had more great singles than great albums. It wasn’t till the Beatle era and afterward that albums meant as much as singles. I will try to include pre-rock era “best-ofs” in other categories (jazz, blues, etc.).
- Chuck Berry, The Great 28 I consider this album to be my most indispensible greatest hits collection. Most of the best Chuck Berry is here, from the most-played to the brilliant sidetracks like “Havana Moon” and “Nadine.” It doesn’t include another favorite, “You Never Can Tell.” Oh, well.
- Muddy Waters, The Best of Muddy Waters Absolutely wonderful, and better heard on LP than CD. (I’d give anything to have nice, clean 78’s of all of these. It’d be like the Holy Grail.)
- Howlin’ Wolf, His Greatest Sides Ditto the Muddy Waters comments. I go back and forth between which is my favorite of these two collections . “Smokestack Lightnin’” and “Evil” and “I Ain’t Superstitious.” Every cut historic.
- Roy Orbison, The Very Best of Roy Orbison I’ll have to admit that I like Roy’s mini-melodramas (“It’s Over,” “Crying,” “In Dreams,” “Running Scared,” “Falling,” and “Leah”) better than his more beaty stuff. But the up-tempos ain’t too shabby, and the three-minute operettas are unmatchable.
- Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits The best pop group of the late sixties is on glorious display here. “Hot Fun in the Summertime” is the best single ever. “Thank You” is up there, too.
- Merle Haggard and the Strangers, The Best of… Merle’s sixties stuff is about where I draw my C&W acceptance line. Not too many country songs after that I listen to. But this collection is full of great country pop, very well arranged, “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive” and “The Bottle Let Me Down” among them.
- Fats Domino, Fats Domino There are lots of Fats hit collections. The one I own is a double-LP with every great Fats Domino hit. “I’m Walkin’” and “I’m Gonna Be a Wheel Someday” are two of my favorites.
- Motown Hits This collection is a four-LP set, covering all of the great sixties Motown artists–The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, and others. The gems are way too numerous to mention. We have the LP and the CD, which we played as we drove across the desert into California.
- War, Greatest Hits War did have some great albums, but it’s nice to hear “Slippin’ Into Darkness” and “The Cisco Kid” and “Low Rider” all on the same disc.
- Doo-Wop Hits, Volume 2 I did a series of posts previously about this four-disc, 101-song collection. Wonderful stuff!
Ten Top Ten: Iconic LPs, ‘65-’75
A lotta great pop music, new and exciting, came out between 1965 and 1975. And as a 12-to-22-year-old, I was lucky enough to be there when it happened. I wasn’t yet listening to much jazz, world music, or other offshoots. But there were some albums that rose above the others, not only to my ears but to those of the general public. Here are ten. Out of many possibles.
- The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Enough has been said about this turning point in pop music that I can add little. Two sidenotes: my friend Dave and I entered a radio contest when the album came out that gave a prize to whoever could name the most people depicted on the album’s front cover. We didn’t win, but it was fun trying. Also, one of the albums in my wacky LP cover collection is an Asian bootleg called “Sergeant Peppeb’s Loney Hearps Club Band.”
- The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds I know, it’s a cliche to have these two at the top, but they really have stood the test of time. And the 2002 live recreation, note-for-note, of the album was one of the most memorable concerts I’ve ever seen.
- Randy Newman, Good Old Boys Possibly my favorite album of all time. Great lyrics, music, subjects, arrangements.
- Marvin Gaye, What’s Goin’ On? Berry Gordy and my wife disagree, but I think this is Marvin Gaye’s masterwork, and it’s the most influential. And has three of the best singles ever, which all fit the album’s mood and feel perfectly. Favorite song: “Inner City Blues.”
- Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved a Man Aretha Franklin had several excellent albums in a row, but this one started it, and is one of the best examples of all the elements coming together beautifully to launch an artist in a new direction.
- Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks I never get tired of this album. After so many masterpieces, this one may seem less new and different. But it’s got the most consistently good songs. Favorite cuts are “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome” and “If You See Her, Say Hello.”
- Rolling Stones, Beggar’s Banquet I was floored by this album when I first got it. It seemed so radical. Now it just seems monumentally great. My favorite cuts are “Prodigal Son” and “Parachute Woman.”
- Sly and the Family Stone, There’s a Riot Goin’ On I’ve posted about this album previously. It’s great.
- The Kinks, The Village Green Preservation Society Cut after cut of eccentric, catchy pop songs with a message.
- Stevie Wonder, Innervisions What a surprise this was, even after the wonderful Talking Book. Little Stevie Wonder grew up, played everything on the album and wrote some timeless songs.
Ten Top Ten: Interpreters
Continuing my AFI-style accumulation of favorite albums by category, I go to “interpreters”–people who generally perform songs written by others and make them their own.
- Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love My current favorite album of reimagined standards, it ranges from Bessie Smith to Elliott Smith, all swingily delivered by Ms. Peyroux in her Billie Holiday-influenced style.
- Nina Simone, Forbidden Fruit Nina Simone is an artist whose records I buy, regardless of whether I’ve heard them before or not. I could’ve chosen others; this is a continual favorite.
- Tony Bennett, I Wanna Be Around I like Frank Sinatra and I was lured into music by Elvis, but my favorite pop male vocalist is Tony Bennett. This album has the title song, a favorite, plus “The Good Life,” one of his best interpretations.
- Rickie Lee Jones, Pop Pop Some people aren’t too crazy about this one, and I can understand that. RLJ’s quirky voice can seem a little affected at times. But any album with two Fran Landesman/Tommy Wolf songs on it is worth having, and it also has Jimi Hendrix and Bobby Timmons (and “I Won’t Grow Up”!).
- Don Byron, Bug Music Aptly titled, this CD by the jazz-plus clarinetist features jaunty numbers by Raymond Scott (the cartoon composer), Duke Ellington, and John Kirby. One of a kind!
- Ella Fitzgerald, The Cole Porter Songbook Any and all of the Songbook series could be on the list. I like the Cole Porter slightly better than the Rodgers-Hart, Ellington, Gershwin, and Arlen. The greatest record series ever made.
- Billie Holiday, Time-Life Giants of Jazz I know it’s a cop-out to select a three-record Time-Life collection, but these are nicely chosen and well-presented, and cover a lotta ground.
- Cassandra Wilson, New Moon Daughter Cassandra Wilson’s albums, at least the ones starting with Blue Light Till Dawn, are all full of surprising song choices, covering Son House, The Monkees, Jimmy Webb, and other seemingly-unconnected songwriters. And she makes all of them fit perfectly. The new Nina Simone!
- Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volume 1 There may be other Ray Charles albums that are equally good, but I didn’t wear any of them out as a youngster like I did this one.
- Joe Cocker, Joe Cocker! Either of his first two albums could make the list. He does a few originals, and they’re good, but his interpretations of rock songs and standards were beyond anything anyone else in pop-rock was doing. (Sorry, Janis.)
Temperature Tunes: Top Ten
In honor of the crazy fluctuating temperatures these days in big d, here’s my list of best songs relating to temperature (with an attempt to avoid song titles using “hot” to mean “lustful” or “sexy” and “cold” to indicate lack of romantic interest.)
Sly and the Family Stone
1. Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sylvester “Sly” Stewart) My favorite single of all time, this song by Sly & the Family Stone hit #2 on the pop charts in October ‘69. Excellent vocal arrangement!
2. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Frank Loesser) This 1949 tune has been recorded by many male-female duets.
3. Warm Valley (Duke Ellington) The title of this Ellington classic is actually a euphemism for a certain part of the female anatomy. But reminds me of Tehachapi, California.
Cole Porter
4. Too Darn Hot (Cole Porter) This great song was part of the 1949 musical Kiss Me, Kate, but my favorite version is Ella Fitzgerald’s, from The Cole Porter Songbook.
5. Button Up Your Overcoat (De Sylva/Brown) A nice little ditty from 1928: “Take good care of yourself–you belong to me.”
6. Heat Wave (Holland/Dozier/Holland) The 1963 Motown version by Martha and the Vandellas beats Linda Ronstadt’s 70s version.
7. Something Cool (Billy Barnes) A torchy song I’ve heard called the saddest song ever written. I have a great version by June Christy.
8. In the Heat of the Night (Alan & Marilyn Bergman/ Quincy Jones) The 1967 Ray Charles single of this song is a classic performance.
9. 96 Degrees in the Shade (Clark, Cooper, Coore) A reggae song I’ve heard bands do live but have never owned a copy of.
10. Cold Sweat (James Brown) Perfect way to wrap it up: a song with the word “cold” in the title that’s about heat! James Brown’s song was a #7 hit in 1967.
That’s it. I’m sure I left out some good ones.
Harmony
“…Do you like music?”
“What is the point of your question?” she asked in turn.
“Music is important for one’s health,” he said.
He really thought it was, and she was going to know very soon, and for the rest of her life, that the topic of music was almost a magic formula that he used to propose friendship, but at that moment she interpreted it as a joke.
From Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
All sorts of magical powers are attributed to music: healing, spiritual enlightenment, animal magnetism. The power of making music, or even listening to music with others has a power that bonds people, that breaks down interpersonal barriers, that blocks out the tragedies of life.
I’ve listened a lot to Bobby McFerrin’s CD Circlesongs lately, and it seems as though it was conceived and recorded with some kind of magic formula, and that carries over to the listener. I highly recommend this work, which comprises eight songs without words, performed by an aggregation of singers from several disciplines and countries, who provide a mesmerizing music bed over which BF improvises vocally. It’s a long way from “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” so if you’re thinking of passing because of that association, don’t.
It’s beautiful music, strange and wonderful–Ladysmith Black Mambazo meets Singers Unlimited. It’s the kind of music that may be “important to one’s health.”
