Category Archives: jazz

FAWM Over. We Win.

Posted on 1 March 2009 by spinhead

February Album Writing Month is officially over for 2009. And I officially won.

Which means I wrote or co-wrote at least 14 songs during the 28 days of February. (You'll see on my FAWM profile that it lists 19; it's actually only 18 because one is listed twice but I don't want to lose the comments on my original post.)

This year I discovered the double harmonic scale, which makes everything you play sound all Arabian Night-ish. I wrote two Arabic-sounding songs (my most ambitious musical endeavours to date) and collaborated on another.

I wrote a German drinking song. In German.

I wrote a Mexican dance song. In Spanish.

I played a jazz guitar improvisation, my first guitar improvisation ever.

I did my first FAWM music video.

I also did, as I have every year, some country, some folk, and some swingabilly.

And now, I'm tired.

Posted in Americana, blues, country, folk, jazz, rock, rockabilly, swing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Journey Down the Nile

Posted on 3 November 2008 by spinhead

Proving once again that it's not just a river in Egypt, J. D. Souther's Journey Down the Nile is my new intentional earworm.

I think it's a samba. I've forgotten most of the little I ever knew about Latin rhythm, but I think it's a samba. With little machine-gun drum fills and a bass that knows how to samba. Or whichever dance it is. Apparently the horn section was recorded live, sliding in behind the languid vocals and wrapping around the piano which, like the bass, dances to whatever Latin rhythm that is. The trumpet solo defies the subtlety of the other instruments, blaring over the top, holding one long wavering note while they all change chords underneath. It's one of those little musical witticisms I love.

Lyrically, there's some kind of social commentary in there, but I'll be hanged if it's surfaced yet. The wit overshadows the message, but Joel David doesn't care any more than John David did.

Posted in jazz, pop | Tagged | Leave a comment

Still Haven't Found What You're Looking For? (8)

Posted on 9 February 2007 by spinhead

Another lazy post based on searches, and my best guess at what you were looking for.

In no particular order:

  • "dido my love is gone" - still one of my favorite songs; here you go
  • "another carsong" - I'm writing one; does that count?
  • "doesn t mean i don t love you" - oh, good
  • "i changed the lock on my front door" - Lucinda Williams' song with no chorus
  • "imogen heap" - ah; I'll have to borrow rush's CD and write about this amazing performer
  • "kid" - my least favorite Pretenders song. For some reason, one of their most popular. Must be me.
  • "parting glass" - a lifelong favorite from the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, featured in "Waking Ned Divine"
  • "squirrel nut zippers evening at lafitte s" - great jazz, featuring the luscious voice of Kathleen Whalen. Possibly a unique album.
  • "te hoe poti i tahiti" - I am at a total loss; I know no Tahitian music whatsoever, except for the collaboration between Chet Atkins and Mark Kopfler (on 'Neck and Neck') playing 'Tahitian Skies'
Posted in country, jazz, pop, rock, swing, trad | Tagged | Leave a comment

Still Haven't Found What You're Looking For? (4)

Posted on 16 October 2003 by spinhead

Finally catching up on recent searches. In descending order (I'm a database guy; I do things this way):

  • "walking in memphis"—Ah, Marc Cohn's voice and piano . . .
  • "what s it s like to be the bad one" and "to be the bad one"—Actually, it's "No one knows what it's like to be the bad man; to be the sad man behind blue eyes . . . " Often touted as the best rock album of all time (it's at least in the top 10) "Who's NextWho's Next" needs more time than I have at the moment. Half beautiful ballad, half angry snarling, "Behind Blue Eyes" is often overshadowed by its position on the album, which places it just before one of the all-time-great crankers, "Won't Get Fooled Again." We'll come back to it; honest.
  • "gypsy jazz"—Django, or Robin Nolan?
  • "beethoven"—mentioned in Boating with a Finn and Renaissance Woman's Journey Within
  • "jude cole"—"A View from Third Street"
  • "tank"—Jumping Japanese Jazz!
  • "boyz 2 man"—nope
  • "circle of two"—Though I've never heard Steve and Annie Chapman, you'll find all you need to know at their website, including links to buy their music.
Posted in classical, jazz, pop, rock | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Not Short, but Definitely Sharp, Shocked

Posted on 3 October 2003 by spinhead

Every Sunday, I listen to Meg Banta's "Sunday Morning Unplugged" on KPRI (you must not forget KPRI, Best Beloved.) This past Sunday, I was dismayed to hear that Michelle Shocked was appearing at the BellyUp Tavern in Solana Beach; dismayed, because there was no way I could make the 500-mile drive in time to see her.

Not only does Michelle have a reputation for spectacular live performances, but the BellyUp is a marvelous venue, with lots of wood and curved surfaces nurturing and bouncing the music around the room 'til it lands in your ears.

As I lay on the floor in the fetal position bemoaning this tragedy, my own Best Beloved read from her Sunday paper, "Thursday night at Harlow's in Sacramento: Michelle Shocked." And my own Best Beloved took me to see her.

The Hackensaw Boys, who opened the show, were a hoot. Bluegrass run riot, in fact. I'd drive a ways to see them again. (One word to the management of Harlow's: chairs. Cheap folding chairs, even. There were huge expanses of open space, and very few places to sit. So we didn't.)

When Shel walked onstage with nothing but an acoustic guitar, I wondered how her more aggressive works would take to being stripped down like that.

They took just fine.

my autographed copy of 'Short Sharp Shocked'Having just re-released "Short Sharp Shocked" (a much extended version, by the way) she was dedicated to playing most of the tunes from the album. In fact, she covered every tune from the original release except "Black Widow" (wonder why?), and most of the extras from the second CD of the new release. Rockers like "If Love Was A Train" (now, where have I heard that name before?), "Gladewater", and even the bizarre-but-lovable "When I Grow Up" seemed right at home with their treatment. Being limited to an acoustic guitar and voice doesn't limit Michelle's range or genre. She jazzed; she rocked; she swung. And, yes, she played straight folk, a traditional Irish tune, and a bit of blues.

"Grafitti Limbo", with its ending reference to 'that midnight special line' flowed easily into "Midnight Special." By now, inhibitions forgotten, the audience was chatting with the performer, singing along, and generally becoming participants instead of spectators. And somehow I knew, when she started "Anchorage" (to a standing ovation during the opening notes) that when she got to the reference to 'that love song you played', she'd finally tell us what it was. And she did.

 The water is wide, I cannot get o'er  Neither have I wings to fly  Give me a boat that can carry two  And both shall row, my love and I

"The Water is Wide" bears a strong resemblance to "Carrickfergus"; not unusual in traditional songs.

Michelle has long known the value of audience contact. The between-song storytelling and reminiscences are as endearing as the music itself—which is mighty indeed.

After the show, she came out to sign albums or shirts or bald heads, and contrary to my usual reticence in public, I managed to be the first to talk to her.

 Me: "Last time I heard a single acoustic guitar sound that big, it was Michael Hedges." Herself, lowering my half-signed CD and shaking my hand: "Now, that's a real compliment, especially since I haven't played acoustic much in the past ten years and I'm a little rusty!" Me: "Oh, you did just fine. Like Nanci Griffith says, if the songs work stripped down like this, they work."

I try to act like normal people, but it just isn't me.

She didn't seem to mind.

Posted in folk, jazz, rock, swing | Tagged | Leave a comment

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

Posted on 21 September 2003 by spinhead

Woke up this morning to the strangest sound; like living next to a major freeway, but more of a rumble. It woke me up, starting suddenly and rolling and rumbling like distant thunder. After a couple minutes, I got up to look out into the dark to see if I could make out what it was. The closest freeway is a mile away, and not busy at night. I couldn't see anything that looked like a sudden LA-sized influx of traffic.

Suddenly it hit me. One of the joys of living on the north side of Sacramento is that most of these small towns were built around the railroads. I was hearing a sound I hadn't heard like this in years—a passing freight train.

When I was a kid, my brother and I used to spend some time each summer with our grandmother. One of her houses (she seems to have moved more than most grandmothers) was right across a narrow street from railroad tracks. I remember that when we'd first arrive, each passing train would awaken me as it growled past. But by the second night, it was just a comforting background sound like the ticking and quailing and cuckooing of the huge German clock in the hallway.

Trains seem to inspire musical feelings; I know they do in me. I started making a list of train songs, and I hope to come back and spend a bit of time riding each one. For now, I'll just spit out a stream-of-consciousness blurb for each. Let me know if you have any favorites, or if there are some I've missed.

If Love Was A Train (Michelle Shocked)
Why Michelle 'Shocked' Johnston didn't become a major star is beyond me. Brother Max (The Gourds) is benefitting from the same near-anonimity. Guess it's better than watching ZZ Top go from serious blues influence to slithery pop gunk.

Midnight Special (Credence Clearwater Revival)
My dad bought 'Willy and the Poor Boys' because it had this tune and 'Cotton Fields.' Since his death, I hadn't heard the album until I got it again two weeks ago. It's hard to laugh with joy and cry in pain at the same time.

Driving the Last Spike (Genesis)
Phil Collins accidently lets us get another glimpse of genious. Phil, Phil, Phil; come back to us and leave the trivial pop nonsense. This deserves a movie to be made of it. Collins actually did research before writing the song.

Canadian Railroad Trilogy (Gordon Lightfoot)
Gord knows how good this is; it shows up on more of his albums than any other tune I can think of. I know Lightfoot haters who say, "But that railroad song; I can listen to that." I want to go to Canada and ride the railroads for as long as my money lasts.

Steel Rail Blues (Gordon Lightfoot)
Yeah, Canadians get trains better than USicans do. From his first album, it's the kind of tune my Dad and his brothers would have taken to if it hadn't been so quietly obscure.

Honky Tonk Train Time (Meade 'Lux' Lewis)
This one shows up in two different arrangements on the Smithsonian Jazz Collection; once on the piano set, once on the band set. (If you know someone who has these CDs, I'll take out a bank loan to buy them. Call me; write me; send up smoke signals. I want these classics.) Kieth Emerson covered it as well. It rolls.

Hellbound Train (Savoy Brown)
How sad it was to see Foghat live in '98. Right up until the nostalgic bit in the middle where 'Lonesome' Dave Peverett took the lead guitar and did some Savoy Brown. No, they didn't do "Doin' Right" or any of the great stuff from "Hellbound Train" but they did justice to "It Hurts Me Too." Buy "Hellbound Train", but don't listen to the title track. Some clown decided the re-issue should have a fade-out ending instead of the jarring vaporisation of the original. So, buy the "Savoy Brown Collection" as well; you'll get the original unbastardized version of "Hellbound Train" plus more rockin' blues than you can shake a pick at.

Aww. Just took a look for some info, and found out Lonesome Dave died from complications of kidney cancer in February of 2000. What a huge loss to blues.

Southern Pacific (Neil Young)
Neil's 're*ac*tor' is one of his very best albums. Huge crunchy tunes which repeat the fact that he invented grunge and is still its master; goofball stuff like "Get Back On It" and "Motor City":

My army jeep is still alive
Got locking hubs and four wheel drive
Ain't got no radio
Ain't got no mag wheels
Ain't got no digital clock
(ain't got no clo-o-o-o-o-o-ck)

and ending with the driving, gut-wrenching "Shots." No one, no one, rocks like Neil Young.

Oh, and how 'bout the track I stole this title from, or Harry Nilsson's "Nobody Loves the Railroads Anymore"?

Man there's a lot of train songs. Maybe I'll start a whole new site.

Posted in blues, jazz, ragtime, rock, trad | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Darktown Strutters' Ball

Posted on 29 January 2003 by spinhead

IDarktown Strutters' Ball'm sure the title isn't politically correct, but in 1917, no one seemed to notice. It is claimed that this was the first jazz tune recorded, on this date in that year. The song is 86 this year; I'm half that. It's still a favorite. It was the first song I learned on the banjo; not a 5-string bluegrass affair, but an old 4-string tenor banjo, designed for playing with a jazz band. I'm still looking for the band, but when I find 'em, I've got the banjo.

Written by Shelton Brooks, the complete sheet music of the original release is available online at the University of Colorado's Digital Sheet Music Collection. Alan Lomax recorded Jelly Roll Morton playing this along with a couple dozen other tunes in 1938 in a classic collection of original jazz.

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Tahitian Skies

Posted on 11 December 2002 by spinhead

INeck and Neck've been listening to "Rare Django" the last few days and wishing I knew more than five words of French. Nearly every song with vocals is in French, recorded during the master's early days with various jazz singers in his home country. Years ago, when I first discovered this masterpiece, a friend offered to translate the songs for me. Since she spoke French (though with a decided Tahitian accent) and loved jazz it was a good deal for both of us.

Thinking about the translations in the desk drawer reminds me of things Tahitian; not that I've been there in body, but I go often in spirit. One simple method is a track from a truly memorable and evocative album by two guitar giants.

'Chester and Lester' and 'Guitar Monsters'Twelve years ago, senior statesman and brilliant guitarist Chet Atkins teamed up with my favorite living guitarist, Dire Straits founder Mark Knopfler, and played a bunch of songs they liked. It was reminiscent of a couple albums recorded a long, long time ago, by Chet and a friend named Les Paul. All three recordings, "Chester and Lester" and "Guitar Monsters" with Les (combined into one CD), and the album I mentioned above, "Neck and Neck" with Knopfler, were recorded essentially live, as if the band had dropped by your living room to visit. They chat during the songs, they show off for each other; everyone is clearly having a marvelous time. It reminds me of Saturday night when I was a kid, and neighbors or uncles or anyone would come over with their guitars and such, and play and sing until long after us kids fell asleep on the great big couch in the living room.

Another Country"Tahitian Skies", the eighth track on "Neck and Neck", is a sweet melody which transports me to pleasant places. Written by country guitarist Ray Flacke, I first heard it on the Chieftan's "Another Country" which is another fine alt country album. The "Neck and Neck" version is smoother, more polished; not better, just different. This is a soothing piece, treated gently by two musicians with style and grace.

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Link Death

Posted on 3 December 2002 by spinhead

Link rot is a web phenomenon whereby links from one site to others begin to fail over time due to changes in the target sites.

I'm about to introduce link assassination. Since I have to remove all my CDNow links, but haven't had time to get all the Amazon.com links, I'm going to just kill them until I have the time.

So, if you read back through older articles (anything prior to the first of December) the links are about to unceremoniously cease to function. I'll do what I can to get them replaced quickly. In the meantime, you can find everything you need at Amazon.com, which is where we'll be buying our music from now on, right?

Posted in ambient, bluegrass, blues, classical, country, folk, jazz, pop, prog, ragtime, rock, rockabilly, standards, swing, trad | Tagged | Leave a comment

Out of Tune? No, Bossa Nova

Posted on 3 December 2002 by spinhead

At times, English seems so limited, despite its enormous vocabulary. Many languages say in one word what can't possibly be directly translated into English without extensive explanation.

'Desafinado' is a bit of a word puzzle. In Portuguese and Spanish, 'afinar' means 'to sharpen' so the past tense, 'afinado' means 'sharpened.' The 'des' prefix is the same as 'dis' in English; it reverses the meaning. So 'desafinado' would literally mean 'not sharpened.' But it this context it really means that the musical notes haven't been sharpened; therefore, 'not tuned', 'discordant', something along those lines.

Portuguese being a much more romantic language than English, it seems that the discord in the song isn't merely an inability to carry a tune; there's a hint that much more is at stake:

 Se voce disser que eu desafino, amor, Saiba que isso em mim provoca imensa dor

 If you say that I sing out of tune, love, Know that this causes me great pain

and later

 O que voce nao sabe, nem sequer pressente,
 
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Riverwalk Special: Rhythm on the River

Posted on 10 November 2002 by spinhead

Jennifer Jensen, Promotion Manager at Riverwalk Jazz, sends notice of a special upcoming show. "Rhythm on the River: A Look Back at 40 Years with The Jim Cullum Jazz Band" will be broadcast the week of November 14, 2002.

From the Riverwalk website:

"Forty years ago, when most young people in America were fascinated with rock and roll, a young college student in San Antonio launched a professional jazz band in a classic style. This week on Riverwalk Jazz, friends and fans across the country honor Jim Cullum and the Jazz Band he founded with his father in 1962. We'll dip into the archives of our radio show for favorite live performances, and salute the fine musicians who've performed in the band through the years."

I highly recommend the show in general, and this sounds like it's going to be a very special edition.

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Still Haven't Found What You're Looking For?

Posted on 7 November 2002 by spinhead

I've been meaning to do this for a while: I've gathered up all the searches done here at KnowYourMusic recently. Maybe we can incite a dialog; I'll see if I can figure out what you were looking for, and you see if you can figure out what I'm talking about.

What does egbdf mean? — The notes of the musical scale, when written on a musical staff, fall either into the spaces, or onto the lines. In normal melody notation, the spaces are easy to remember — the notes are F, A, C, and E — FACE. The lines, however, aren't as simple; so throughout history, we've come up with endless mnemonics to remember the obscure and arcane pattern of the notes on the lines. The Moody Blues did an album with a common UK version, "Every Good By Deserves Favour." EGBDF — the notes on the lines of the scale. (This musicblog was once at EGBDF.info.)
  • black sabbaths iron man — In case you didn't find it, I posted Iron Man back in June.
  • Don Wahlberg — New Kids on the Block? No; that would be Donnie Wahlberg. Probably not here.
  • Little Feat — Closest I came was "Ride of the Tarzana Kid" back on September 1st. But they'll show up in greater detail eventually.
  • Norah Jones — . . . sigh . . . Norah Jones, indeed. You couldn't have missed "Come Away with Norah Jones", also in September.
  • Rising Of The Sea — Anything to do with OB1? If so, tell me more; the clips I've heard are very interesting.
  • Steven Oliver — Pleasant relaxing jazz guitar. Not familiar enough to offer a real opinion.
  • Three Two One Let's Jam — Still one of my favorite entries, "Jumping Japanese Jazz" should fill the bill.
  • Wild Wood Flower — If there were only two folk guitar songs, they would be "Wildwood Flower" and "Under the Double Eagle." Written by A.P. Carter and originally sung by 'Mother' Maybelle Carter, mother of June Carter Cash (Johnny's wife), this is an eternally beautiful song. I like John Sebastian's cover on "Tarzana Kid", but nothing approaches the scratchy old 78 RPM record of Maybelle Carter's equally scratchy voice and AP's stunning guitar.
  • 1990 groups — Um; which ones?
  • A Little Touch Of Heaven — Nothing comes to mind. Are there more details?
  • Alison Krause Let Me Touch You Awhile — I love Alison Krauss. Not sure if I've heard this one, though, so I'll have to track it down.
  • alley — As in, "Loading Dock Dark Alley Swing"? Or maybe Stevie Ray Vaughan's incredible "Tin Pan Alley" from "Couldn't Stand the Weather." I'm overdue for a review of a complete SRV album; that was my first, so watch for it sometime soon.
  • Blood On The Tracks — Bob Dylan — Mr. Zimmerman has made numerous appearances, but the most direct was "Shelter from the Storm" in October.
  • boy bands — Nope.
  • i know how he feels — Thank you; he appreciates your concern for his welfare. Wait; isn't that a song by Reba McIntire? After 30 years, I'm coming into my second 'country' period. We'll see about this one.
  • All Along The Watch Tower — "The Watchtower, All Along"
  • Angelo Debarre — Ah; anyone who records Django Reinhardt songs gets my attention. Further investigation is indicated.
  • Coldplay — My daugher Cheyenne has both albums. I'll get around to these talented guys eventually.
  • granted you one final wish — Would you ask for something like another chance? "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys", whether you mean the song and the album, is one of the pinnacles of modern music; a focal point about which entire genre revolve. If Steve Winwood had never played an instrument, had never recorded another thing, the vocals on this album would secure his place on a very short list of truly great jazz vocalists. On my vacation back in May, I wrote "While I'm Far From Home" about another Traffic tune.
  • Heavy Blinkers - I had never heard of the band. The bio at CDNow sounds intriguing. Have a CD you want to share?
  • homeworld — Yes. As in the group, Yes. First song on "The Ladder", a wonderful album my oldest son Tristan has tried many times to steal from me. Maybe I'll buy him his own copy (and maybe he'll buy me my own copy of the PC game "Homeworld" designed around the song.) This got pretty thorough treatment in "Mountains Come Out of the Sky" back in July.
  • iz — Searching for Iz? "Finding Iz" back in June.
  • limbo song — Chubby Checker. Had the 45 when I was a kid.
  • Michael Nesmith — See "Tropical Campfires" below.
  • Michael Smith — Steve Goodman's cover of Smith's "The Dutchman" was more popular than Smith's version, but Goodman's tunes "Banana Republics" and "The City of New Orleans" gained wider circulation in the hands of Jimmy Buffett and Arlo Guthrie, respectively. Odd how things work out sometimes.
  • Michelle Branch — Performed 'Game Of Love' on Carlos Santana's newest album "Shaman." Nice work. Not too familiar with her own music, but I know it's nice solid listenable stuff.
  • Route 66 — "If You Ever Plan to Motor West" — Well, I plan to motor east on my vacation next week, but this song will be along in multiple versions. They will all be played loud.
  • Tropical Campfires — When granting permission to use their graphics, the official Mike Nesmith website (in the guise of Neffie, the main character in Nez's book "The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora") included a link to "Laugh Kills Lonesome", my review of what I've read of the book, and of the marvelous song, "Laugh Kills Lonesome." Well, almost; they included a link to the home page. So in a day or two, it won't be there any more. As of right now, this search won't even find the article, so I'm re-indexing the search engine so folks can find it. I've also added what I hope is a really obvious link below the search tool. It'll probably be with us for a while.

It is my heartfelt desire for this site to become truly interactive. Until recently, I believed I was on a first name basis with both of my readers. Instead, a perusal of the server logs indicates that, over the last month, nearly a thousand different readers have spent an average of thirteen minutes each here at KnowYourMusic. You can't imagine how exciting that is.

So, tell me about yourself. Who are you? Where are you? What do you like? What am I doing wrong?

Let's talk.

(If that link doesn't work for you, you can use the 'Comment' link below.)

Posted in bluegrass, folk, jazz, rock | Tagged | Leave a comment