Tune of the Day
"Blue Rondo a la Turk" on the Two Generations of Brubeck album. Wow.
There are many fine versions of this tune, but this one gets me dancing, clapping, fist-pounding, whatever, every time....and it's not easy to dance in, what, 9/8? I love tunes that grow, build, develop, and move through changes. This one just picks me up and takes me right along with it. Great melding of jazz and rock idioms, too. It's fun to imagine Dave Brubeck setting the groove and then sitting back to hear where his kids and their friends take it.
You can continue exploring Dave and the kids on Two Generations of Brubeck, "The Great Spirit Made Us All". And Chris Brubeck's rock/jazz band Sky King on "Secret Sauce".
For extra credit, give a "spin" to Chase, "Bochawa" from their last album, Pure Music.
Anyway, that's my two cents today.
There are many fine versions of this tune, but this one gets me dancing, clapping, fist-pounding, whatever, every time....and it's not easy to dance in, what, 9/8? I love tunes that grow, build, develop, and move through changes. This one just picks me up and takes me right along with it. Great melding of jazz and rock idioms, too. It's fun to imagine Dave Brubeck setting the groove and then sitting back to hear where his kids and their friends take it.
You can continue exploring Dave and the kids on Two Generations of Brubeck, "The Great Spirit Made Us All". And Chris Brubeck's rock/jazz band Sky King on "Secret Sauce".
For extra credit, give a "spin" to Chase, "Bochawa" from their last album, Pure Music.
Anyway, that's my two cents today.
Showing 50 responses by ghosthouse
Wishbone Ash - Blowin’ Free (track 3 from Argus) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUolWNHxRiM&ab_channel=Avixz |
Captain Beefheart "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" from Clear Spot... https://www.google.com/#q=clear+spot+captain+beefheart+in+my+head+is+my+only+house+unless+it+rains |
Walter Trout, "Cry If You Want To" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fInoLi29LdE&ab_channel=JackHerzchenHD Wow...the Dallton Santos is VERY impressive. Another name that’s new to me. Like "fusion" a lot so will be checking him out more. (double L on that Dallton name) Thanks, Nutty, for Trout & Santos. |
Steve Stevens "Small Arms Fire". Track 6 from Memory Crash. Think they call what it got, "crunch". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-QQF3AA-s&ab_channel=FlavioLeggio |
Strand of Oak, "The Rest of It". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fdp1D-1p34&ab_channel=WFUVPublicRadio Don’t ask why. (can’t be accused of using auto tune though) ...and for a chaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbnPS73DyOM&ab_channel=WilliamSchwartz |
Mike Mainieri - Northern Lights Track 6 Naima https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sB6A43441w An interesting take on Coltrane's composition. |
Ten Years After - 50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain The title might be dated but the music is NOT. Alvin Lee and company are smokin' on this one. Crank it up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkbe2nTRPM&ab_channel=FfrancRogowski |
@reubent - I liked that Camper Van you posted. I never got too much into them. That Cracker album is the only thing. Do remember walking into a record store years ago and they were playing "Revolutionary Sweetheart" (maybe) - sounded pretty good at the time. Guess they’re another band to check out now. Thanks. |
Hey all - Happy others liked the Ten Years After. I was surprised how well Cricklewood Green has held up after all these years. @Reubent - Gave that Steve Earle a listen. Not the hugest fan but not putting him down, either. Anybody was a friend of Townes Van Zandt got to be okay. Here’s the one I remember hearing from your El Corazon: Taneytown (EmmyLou doing harmonies). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpEn1lWBY7k&ab_channel=bentleyks63 BTW - on your Camper Van Beethoven, you know Cracker? "What the world needs now is another folk singer, like I need a hole in my head." I like the deranged edge to his voice. Some very strong songs throughout this album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJdyJ3CwFVw&ab_channel=MeltinsHouseOfMusic |
@reubent @loomisjohnson Greatly appreciate how you two always manage to expand my musical horizons. Loomis - you should write reviews. I get more out of two lines from you than from two paragraphs at Pitchfork (well, sometimes. They're not always that verbose and obscure. ;-) Seems like it will be worth spending some time exploring both Camper and Cracker. Hope you both have a great day. Thanks. |
Well L., you are failing miserably at the verbose and obscure. This, for various reasons, struck me as brilliant (you posted it over on the What's in your CDP thread)... "I think tweedy's a smart guy and a good writer, but i tend to respect wilco's craftsmanship rather than genuinely embrace its soul--there's an overly-clinical and cerebral quality to it, whereas farrar, albeit less musically ambitious, is all heart...." |
Buick 6 - Soundcheck in Delaware, Track 9 from their "Plays Well With Others". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mqszj27y2o&ab_channel=Buick6-Topic |
Hi @reubent - That’s great you know who I’m posting about and that you’ve seen them live. They opened for Lucinda when she played at our little State Theater a few months ago and then backed her when she performed. I have not seen them in a solo concert appearance but would like to. I enjoy the fact they do instrumentals and like their sound a lot. All three seem like very competent musicians. I especially appreciated the tastefully soloing from the lead guitar player and the absence of the stereotypical rock posturing. Maybe it would be different if they were the featured act. I hope not. Good exchanging notes with you. Going back through some of the links people have left. Came upon your "The Heavy". I liked the sound on that Short Change clip. Also on the How You Like Me Now (thought the video kind of creepy in parts) that came up afterwards. They certainly combine a lot of different styles. The Wiki article is helpful. They seem pretty young. I don't know how they manage to assimilate all those different sounds that were made over a lot of years and turn it into something that seems authentic and unique. I'll be checking them out further, I think. |
@maxnewid - Hello max - You are welcome. If you haven't yet, give a listen to Plays Well in full. Songs are pretty strong throughout and sonics are good. It's accessible via Spotify & Tidal. Used to be a huge Neil Young fan. Kinda parted ways after Sleeps w/Angels. Zuma the best thing he ever did (IMO). If you like his sound, do check out Arbouretum. Try Coming Out of the Fog for starters. Good songs all the way through though I'm partial to tracks 5 & 6. Hope you enjoy it. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17496-coming-out-of-the-fog/ |
Van Morrison - It Fills You Up (from 1977's "A Period of Transition") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=067VzA44vZ4 |
Hmm...that one’s from Fuzzy, an album I don’t really know very well, Slaw. Have spent a good bit of time, however, with other GLB albums - especially Mighty Joe Moon, Copperopolis & Jubilee. Always seemed a prime example of how capricious and often unfair the music industry can be that GLB and Grant Lee Phillips never had more success. Or so I think. Listening to Fuzzy now courtesy of Tidal. |
@slaw - I did listen to the whole of Mutations straight through and enjoyed it. I recall checking the title on "Bottle of Blues" because the song struck me (in a good way) and I wanted to know what it was called. Honestly though, I'd have to go back and re-listen to the album again and maybe a few more times for it to kind of get fixed in my head in support of any deeper comments. An initial impression is that it is not as consistently strong all the way through as Sea Change or Morning Phase. I thought the songs in the last 1/2 or last 1/3 were not as good as earlier in the recording BUT, again, I need to give it more time. I do believe I could hear "seeds" of Sea Change or Morning Phase in it. Definitely a good recommendation. Thanks. |
@slaw Definitely planning to give Mutations another listen - soon! Interesting to read the high regard you have for it. Yup, it preceded by a couple of years Sea Change which was earlier than Morning Phase...so definitely the first installment of my imaginary "trilogy". I read the Beck entry in Wikipedia. He's a member of a younger generation and a culture I don't "get" - never the less, I respect the dues he's paid and his obvious talents as a musician. |
Haha - another example of a shared interest, Slaw. To me, Neil Finn is up there with THE great pop music composers. Have all his solo stuff except "Out of Silence" + everything by Crowded House. I did give Out of Silence a listen a few weeks (months?) back but haven’t revisited it. I was still "digesting" Dizzying Heights. Lately, been spending much of my listening time on Michael Brecker...his first 6 studio LPs where he is band leader. Tales From The Hudson probably my favorite of those. |
@slaw What Happens Next from Joe Satriani's album of the same name. Nutty turned me on to this. I gotta change my O-pinion of Joe if this is typical of his stuff. I always thought he was just another shredder. But these are nicely structured hooky songs. No self-indulgent noodling. Re sound quality...could breath more. It is REALLY loud with great bass but I'm guessing pretty compressed? Has a kind of dense feel like a ton of lead coming down (heavy, heavy, heavy) but not a lot of air or space. Still, it DO rock. Great rhythm section. It's on repeat. |
Didn't mean to step on your post, Nutty (hate when that happens to me). Duende from Bozzio Levin Stevens "Black Light Syndrome" is excellent. Great sound quality and musicianship. Worth checking out if someone is unfamiliar with it. https://youtu.be/MkYJb_NVTJ4 |
Hey Slaw - When I saw your Fogelberg/Weisberg post, I did think the album title ironic (in a good way) given some of our exchanges. Honestly, though, back in the day (a friend taped that one for me) I was never crazy about it. Probably more Weisberg’s end of things. A little lightweight sounding with that flute, maybe. Fogelberg I generally like. I re-purchased Netherlands not too long ago. An old one I used to have and loved. Got re-issued "audiophile" vinyl (what a load) but the SQ on the recording was a real disappointment. Tipped up high end. Ear bleed stuff. Haven’t played it since. Maybe I should just look for old vinyl or go CD. Take care. |
A great track, Seems Like A Lifetime Ago (Part 1) from a great album: Bill Bruford's Earthworks "Random Acts of Happiness" (live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSxBqhF-iFs |
Joe Bonamassa "I Know Where I Belong" from A New Day Yesterday (Live). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aFgBb0WbJU |
The Alboran Trio from their album, Meltemi... Track 5 Duende https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phGbu-LX57c |
Joe Bonamassa (from Redemption) - Just 'Cos You Can Don't Mean You Should.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbNgt8jh9io |
Make that "Tunes" of the day... More Chris Stamey... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Bq-qOWR98&list=PLYL498f3nNF6Fxi6ryo_uJLjQb-XTV_hC&index=8&... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfQCQkXfKfg&t=0s&index=10&list=PLYL498f3nNF6Fxi6ryo_uJLj... |
Turn it up to 11.... Satriani - House Full of Bullets (Track 2 from Crystal Planet) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2q9ML4iknE |
World Party - Strange Groove (track 11 from Egyptology) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkS0Ha4MVE8 "...just a piece of rock in heaven Movin’ round the sky In a strange groove...." |