Some Words from the Bird

 Hello again friends! As I type I am listening to CD number three of this 1994 compilation of music recorded at the "Birthplace of Rock and Roll". The discs progress through early blues, country and rockabilly and you can hear how rock and roll was influenced by the output of this early indie label. I don't know what the established pecking order was back in the 1950s for recording companies, but this one definitely made a splash. I am reminded of how Sub Pop took a new genre of music and catapulted it to the forefront of the music world's consciousness in the 1990s, changing the landscape of the music to follow. I can't say that is an accurate parallel, but I am out of coffee, so let's just go with that.  This being a 3 CD set, it takes a while to listen to it all (there are 74 songs). I was listening to Disc 1 yesterday and made some notes. I put a post it on my phone with some titles, and a thought or two that I would want to write about. I just went to...

When I was a kid I spent a lot of time outside. We had a cottage that I lived at for most of the summer, and I wasn't there I attended a summer camp. I was often in or on the water, swimming and boating, and though I likely had some sort of sunblock available, I rarely used it. If I did, it was probably washed off seconds after the application to my skin. Back then it was not mandatory to cake on SPF 100 sunscreen before even considering leaving the house. Perhaps it was due to the comparatively robust ozone layer at the time, I'm not sure. I recall my stepmother and her friends lounging around on the dock; covered in baby oil tinted with iodine to attract the sun to perfect their tan. I have fair skin, so there were many nights of my mother gingerly applying Noxzema onto my lobster red skin to soothe the discomfort of a sunburn.  Anyhow, the sun took its toll. I developed a small lump just below my left eye. I figured it would go away. After a few years of having this blemis...

 I was a little concerned as I queued this one up to play. I am still a little gun-shy on jazz after the Ornette Coleman experience. With trepidation I pressed play and braced myself. The album starts out with chords! A very dynamic chord progression, but a structure that I could make sense of. Then the improvisation starts, and it gets quite busy, but it is very nice to listen to. Coltrane noodles endlessly over the chords, and the bass and drums are off doing their thing, but it is easy on the ears. I find his sound is not as shrill as Coleman's and things aren't as discordant. After a little reading, I stumble across the fact that this album would be categorized as hard bop, as opposed to the free jazz of Coleman, or Coltrane's later career. Again, I must stress that I am an absolute beginner when it comes to jazz, so bear with me if I am missing the point of this completely. I am only trying to give my impressions of this album, not the artist's work as a whole. ...

I know very little about Ray Charles, except that he was blind, and played the piano. I guess I need to watch that biopic about his life. A quick Wikipedia check reveals Ray received some impressive kudos;  Billy Joel allegedly said that he was more important than Elvis, and Frank Sinatra allegedly said that Charles was the only true genius in the business. That is high praise from some influential folks!  So this particular Ray Charles album was a departure from his earlier recordings, in that he went away from the soul sound he had helped to pioneer, and went for a big band sound on side one, and a selection of ballads on side two. Indeed, I was quite puzzled to find that the opening track was a big band track. I was expecting more of a Little Richard vibe. I was completely wrong. The comparison that I made earlier regarding how Little Richard was just a little bit more exciting than Elvis on their respective recordings of Tutti Frutti came to mind. Charles is as good a...

 The late 1950's must have been an exciting time for jazz players. It seems that innovation and exploration of new styles were turning the established rules on their head. Structures were being broken down and fluidity and improvisation were coming to the forefront. Miles Davis had released "Kind of Blue", which was a departure from chord structures and based more on scales and modes of scales for improvisation. Ornette Coleman took that and ran with it. This album is considered a stepping stone into the world of free jazz or avant garde jazz. Clearly, boundaries are being challenged here.  After the smooth flow of "Kind of Blue", I put this one on, expecting something along the same lines. The first track, "Lonely Woman", is considered a jazz standard. Within  ten seconds I knew this was going to be a completely different experience. There are two horns playing a melody, but it is slightly disjointed, just enough to be a little unnerving. I have t...

 Miles Davis decided to go in a different direction with this album. Instead of using the chordal structure that was the norm for hard bop, he decided to go in a modal direction, using scales and modes to create a more melodic atmosphere. This removed some of the structure of the pieces and let the players stretch out a little in their improvisation. There is a rumour that the whole album was done in one take, but apparently that is not true. I wasn't there, so I cannot confirm or deny whether this is the case; and generally I find that fact checking destroys a good story.  The album starts out with So What, which is instantly recognizable, and continues with four other tracks. The lack of the rigid chordal structure allows the music to seem to wander, although there are patterns if you know what you are listening for. I'm not sure that I possess this knowledge myself. The fact is, the mood is so laid back that if you don't get in your own way, you can drift down the musi...

 As I said before with my post on Robert Johnson, there is no way at all that I can be considered a student of the blues. For that matter, a student of music in general. I play a little, I listen to a lot, and I really try to like all types of music, because I think if you shut your mind to something you hear, and don't give it a chance to win you over, the only one who loses in the end is you. Now, there is some stuff that is never going to do it for you, no matter what you try. Some of the albums I am going to post about are almost unlistenable to me. But they are part of the fabric, and those who do like it may take something away from it that you don't hear, and use it to make music you love. We'll discuss that more later. Point being, I know very little about the blues, except that in a sweaty bar, swilling quarts of Molson Ex, it makes a perfect soundtrack.  That being said, Mr. Wolf, (the bluesman, not Harvey Keitel from Pulp Fiction) delivers on this album. It ...

What? No Peggy Sue? Bummer. That came later. This is the debut album from Buddy Holly; the big track on this one was "That'll be the Day" a Billboard #1 in 1957. Also making a strong showing was "Oh Boy". The twangy voice and guitar sound are precursors to the country rock that came a little later. The ubiquitous background vocals are tight and add depth to the sound.  As part of his legacy, Holly is credited with popularizing the lineup of guitars, bass and drums that we are so familiar with today.  The songs are classics, likely given a boost by the singers unfortunate, untimely death. As is well known, Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper were killed when their chartered plane crashed into an Iowa farmer's field en route to the following night's concert. The moment is immortalized in Don McLean's song American Pie. "The Day the Music Died". The symbolic end of innocence for America. The image of 1950's teens leaving the Surf ...

 Little Richard. Lemmy said he was the best. I watched it on YouTube, so it must be true. His debut album is definitely a landmark of rock and roll. It starts with Tutti Frutti, which leaves the gate with the subtlety of a freight train. The album is uptempo, with short songs, all driving forward with rolling bass-lines, horns and the ubiquitous piano. The vocals are passionate and in your face. This is the music that was reproduced by other artists to appeal to the wider white audiences. Somehow it falls a little flat. For example, listen to Elvis' version of Tutti Frutti. Not even close. Nice try, Mr. Presley.  My impression of Little Richard was that he was batshit crazy and flamboyantly gay. I seem to recall from somewhere there was a little substance abuse problem in there too. Whatever, we all have our peccadilloes. What he does in his spare time is really none of my business. I probably wouldn't let him in the house if he showed up at my front door. Actually, I probab...