Stan Getz
“These Foolish Things”
Listening to this music makes me much more contemplative, and makes me want to play my own saxophone.
I was listening to Stan Getz and felt myself drawn to play, so I went out to my favorite spot and just played for an hour. I needed that.
I’ll leave you with your thoughts now. I’ve got some of my own to ponder.
Marisa Monte
“Universo Ao Meu Redor”
I’ve been taken to a new place, musically. Hold on for the ride–we’re in samba country now. Whilst I digress, I’ll wax poetic a bit about the paradigm shift. I’m only kidding. That was a bit of an inside joke.
I’m probably going to be in this realm of music for a while. Don’t lose interest. We’ll come back to reality eventually.
This CD was released in 2006, and I had quite a hard time deciding which one of her songs to post. They’re all amazing.
Posted in acid jazz, secret agent on February 26th, 2007 3 Comments »
Koop
“Waltz for Koop”
I wish I had better words to describe how awesome this music is. Here’s a go — It’s a mix of acid jazz, satin vocals, and record cracks/pops creating amazingly ethereal musical magic.
The vocals are performed by Cecilia Stalin, and quite amazingly done.
I’m off to dance. This waltz is addictive.
Posted in world music, reggae on February 25th, 2007 No Comments »
Bedouin Soundclash
“12:59 Lullaby”
Sorry for the late post today. Life happens.
I Intimated that I might post more than one song by an artist. This is the first occurrence of that. I had a hard time deciding which song to post by this band a while back, so today I decided to post the one that lost out to the other one.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Posted in downtempo, UK Music on February 24th, 2007 3 Comments »
Badly Drawn Boy
“The Shining”
This song gets high marks for its use of strings and a french horn. I’m sure this borders on baroque pop because of that.
However, this band has indie rock influences, and hail from the UK. They’re an interesting mix, and par for the course on a Saturday.
Posted in downtempo on February 23rd, 2007 3 Comments »
Joshua Radin
“Sundrenched World”
“Tell me I belong”. That’s how this song ends. It makes me sad. The music so sweet — the words so sad.
My heart blisters listening to this.
Joshia reminds me of a modern day Simon and Garfunkel. There are a couple of songs on this CD which testify to that.
Posted in guitar, acoustic on February 22nd, 2007 2 Comments »
The Red West
“Twenty-One”
I saw The Red West perform a few years ago. They were the opening band, but didn’t sound like an opener. Their performance was amazing. This song, “Twenty-One” is a pretty good single. If you like this song, you should listen to “Starting Over”. Good luck finding it though. I’ve got a rare (I guess) recording of it. Let me know if you’re really interested in finding it.
These guys hail from Southern California. They’ve opened for Dave Matthews Band, among others. I like the vocals. What more can I say. Give them a shot.
Posted in jazz on February 21st, 2007 No Comments »
Wynton Marsalis
“Sing On”
I’m not done with Reveling yet folks
I was in New Orleans 9 years ago when I hear Wynton’s father, Ellis, give a private performance for me and 100 of my friends. It was a private performance held in the basement of the Hotel Monteleone and it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced, musically. From that moment on, I was a fan of anything the Marsalis family produced.
In the Spirit of Mardi Gras: Laissez les bon temps rouler! The party is not yet over, folks.
Posted in jazz, blues on February 20th, 2007 No Comments »
Fats Domino
“Jambalaya (On the Bayou)”
Being from Louisiana has given me an acute sensitivity to anything related to it. Today is Mardi Gras. I’ve decided to feature a song sung by a New Orleans native — fats Domino.
If you remember, Fats stayed home during Hurricane Katrina because of his wife’s poor health. They live in the lower 9th ward of New orleans — one of the worst areas struck by the HUrricane. They lost everything.
It is reported that over 700,000 revelers attended Mardi Gras this year. Thanks for supporting New Orleans and Louisiana.
Posted in piano, acoustic on February 19th, 2007 2 Comments »
A.J. Croce
“All About You”
Today I feature A.J. (Adrian James) Croce. Yes, A.J. is Jim Croce’s son.
When I was a kid I idolized everything about my dad — especially his music. I wouldn’t know who Jim Croce is without his influence on my musical tastes. That’s why when I saw AJ was making music, I needed to check it out. Some of AJ’s music reminds me of Tom Waits. He has a way-older-than-his-years voice that I really like. It’s not terribly evident in this song, but check out “Trouble in Mind”. You’ll really get a taste of his Waits-like scratchiness. Most of his songs include either a guitar or a piano.