Some Words from the Bird

 Here we are kids! The turning point. The first album released by the Beatles. The overall sound is like nothing else we have heard up to this point. Recently, I was chatting with my parents and threw this album on. They knew every song. Intrigued by this, I asked what made the Beatles so special. My stepmother came up with the upbeat tempo and harmonies. Dad weighed in that as much as Ringo was not taken as seriously as the rest of the group, he was a very good drummer. My mother recounted a story where she had attended a party at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario back in the early sixties, and someone had the first Beatles album, and they played both sides over and over again the entire night, to the delight of the dancing party-goers.  There is no doubting the impact the Beatles had on the music that followed them. This album is said to be essentially a recreation of their live act at the time, from the Cavern Club in Liverpool. They wasted little time in getting ...

 You don't get a classic nickname like the "Godfather of Soul" for being unremarkable. There is no doubt that James Brown is an entertainer of the highest order. This live recording is proof of that. The MC lets us know that it is Star time, then rhymes off a list of songs. The horns ring out and the crowd responds with increasing vigour as each song is named. When he finally introduces Mr. James Brown and the Famous Flames, the crowd is ready for anything. The band starts in with a funky guitar riff and horns blaring, and screaming from the crowd can be heard, likely when James Brown himself appears on the stage.  Suddenly the music stops and James lets us know that he is in charge of this situation. He lets us know that he feels alright, then gets down to business. The flow of the show is rather manic. Which I suppose is the problem with recording live music, it is impossible to capture the ebb and flow of the performance from the point of view of a member of the audi...

 Hello Friends! There have been over one thousand views of my posts! I'm thrilled to death. Or I was before I realized that ninety eight percent of those views were not actual people but some computer scan robotic blog reader program. I have no idea what is going on with that, but to the three or four people who have actually stumbled across these posts, welcome, and feel free to stick around or even leave a comment!  So, back to the task at hand. I have listened to this album seven or eight times now, and have determined one thing. I'm digging it. Let's start with the title. The last thing I think of when I hear the name Ray Charles is country music. We already listened to Ray on an earlier recording, and I thought that gave us the picture. Not so fast. Apparently Mr. Charles had grown up listening to country music. He then achieved some success in the recording business and cut a couple of good business deals and winds up with quite a bit of artistic control with regard...

 I had never heard of Bobby Bland prior to seeing this selection as the next up on my listening list. I put it on and was instantly pleased. The horns begin with a melancholy, somewhat Spanish feel. Then he starts to sing. His voice is captivating. The blues is there. Oh, most certainly, but the delivery is so smooth. The horns are not an afterthought, they are the mainstay, with some tasty guitar work adding the frills that give this album its allure.  The album is short; thirty minutes and change in length, but it delivers. I have listened to it several times and it gets better each time. The content varies, there is slow blues that is heartfelt without becoming saccharine, and some tunes with some pop to them which sound like a precursor to the Sam and Dave sound. The horns are everywhere, and very nicely arranged.  The track that has really caught my attention is "I Pity the Fool". I have been playing this one for anyone who will listen. It has it all. Above i...

 It occurred to me this spring, while on the phone with an old friend, that our sports teams are a large part of what define us. I hadn't spoken to my friend in years, and we wound up talking about my Bruins and his Sabres. I don't know the names of his children, but I know what hockey team he cheers for. I brought this up in our conversation, and we came to the realization that with free agency and trades, the people playing the sport are not the object of our affection, it is the team. It is that uniform, that logo, that team. It is part of you; you are affected by the performance of a bunch of people that you have never met. It doesn't make a lot of sense. But that's how it is. I suppose there is the need to be part of something bigger, to have an "us" to cheer for in these contests, a chance to claim victory, now that battles aren't de rigueur for the average Joe. This phenomenon could be a doctoral thesis topic, I'm sure.  What does this have ...

 Wow!  I had heard the name Etta James in passing, and knew that she was held in high regard as a singer. I put this one on expecting some good vocals, and was not disappointed. I believe that everyone who tries out for American Idol should have to listen to this album, and then a recording of themselves. It would definitely thin out the herd. She can growl and wail, but it's all perfectly timed, and comes through with a sincerity that draws you in. She owns these songs. OWNS them.  The content is jazz and Rhythm and Blues. I was listening to the album last night with my parents, who were visiting. My father contends that "At Last" is the best blues song ever.  I don't know if I can say that with any certainty, but it is damn good. She has such a dynamic, yet honest delivery. The music is fabulous as well, the strings create a silky background, and there is a solid beat laid down by the rhythm section.   A favourite moment on the album is the se...

 I put this one on with no knowledge of what I was getting into. I loved "Kind of Blue", and expected more of the same. I was surprised. The title gives away the Spanish flavour of the entire album, but it is a mix of jazz and classical music that I have never encountered before. Apparently this type of music is classified as Third Stream. The first track, "Concierto de Aranjuez",  is a classical piece written for guitar, but it is adapted to horns with great effect. There is an underlying tension in the playing, lingering notes creating a backdrop of intensity, while everything seems to move at a slow pace, like an old western on a Sunday afternoon. I was absolutely enthralled with the piece; it changes gears like a good story with plot twists and different threads to keep us interested. I found the trumpet (or flugelhorn, my ear can't pick up the difference) to be played with that Latin fire that makes Spanish music so interesting. The notes aren't alway...

 I know the name Muddy Waters. I think most people do. I knew he was an important figure in the blues, but really didn't know his music. This is a live album from, you guessed it, the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960.  The quality of the music and the recording sounds more like a studio album. This band is tight. There is little ambient crowd noise until the end of the album, when he gets his mojo working.  Muddy has a really laid back and smooth delivery. The harp and piano that are heard throughout the album are the perfect complement to his delivery. This is straightforward simple blues and it is fantastic. It is easy to see why he is so influential to the artists of the later sixties and seventies. The patter between songs is polite and succinct, he lets the music do the talking. The entire album flows together, kind of like a live performance. Oh wait, this is a live performance. The sound is so good you almost forget.  He starts out with a couple of Willie D...