A few months since the last post…Man! Where does the time go?!
We were on the road most of July and August. Some really great experiences in there. Our last tour on the west coast was such a blast. There were many highlights but one in particular was the Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite. As you can imagine, it was an incredible outdoor setting for a show. I think it’s in its 30th year or so and the crew on hand was very professional and great to be around (most had been involved with the festival for many, many years). The vibe from the crowd was very warm–a mixture of families, musicians, and hippies. The surroundings were exquisite to say the least. We played at sundown and a full moon (I was told it was a “Blue Moon”) rose during our set. Pretty magical. Right after us was K.D. Lang and I have to confess that I was blown away by her performance. The band was killer and she has this crooner vibe to go with her beautiful, enchanting voice. Her keyboardist, Daniel Clarke (who also plays on Ryan Adams new record “Ashes and Fire”), was outstanding on the upright piano and B-3.
As always, lots of traveling means a lot of time spent listening to great records. Here are some that I highly recommend checking out.
Keith Jarrett, Nude Ants. Live from the Village Vanguard with his European Quartet, aka the Belonging quartet. Seriously, pick this record up, clear out 30 minutes, light a candle or something, and listen to “Oasis” or “Chant Of The Soil”. If you can block out the distractions, you will be rewarded. Very deep…
Les McCann and Eddie Harris, Second Movement. I’ve long been a fan of their Swiss Movement record, which can easily be labeled as a soul jazz classic. This album is the follow up and while it doesn’t have a tour de force song like “Compared To What?” it is, as a whole, as good in my opinion. The band is really smoking.
Count Basie & Oscar Peterson, Yessir That’s My Baby. I have now completed my collection of their Pablo output together (5 albums)…and this one might be my favorite. They are all just sooo good–loose, soulful, and bluesy. The real thing, plain and simple. I can’t get enough of this record (which was from a one day session they did in February 1978). On “Joe Turner”, Count Basie starts on Rhodes, then switches to Hammond while Oscar does a few choruses on the piano, and then Oscar switches to the Rhodes while Basie takes a killer lead on the organ. Then Oscar seamlessly goes back to piano and Basie eventually makes his way back to the Rhodes for the last chorus. The whole song is one long crescendo too. A keyboard aficionado’s dream…
Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again. My favorite new artist/new album of the year. The sound of this record–the orchestral arrangements, the reverb, Kiwanuka’s honest, soulful delivery and amazing songwriting–is timeless and very special. You know how you can be anywhere in the world, put on Bob Marley, and even if people don’t understand a word of English, they still get the message? (You know, ‘let’s all get together and feel alright’) In a way, Kiwanuka’s record has that type of quality. Music for the people, anywhere. Highly recommend checking this guy out.
Duke Ellington, New Orleans Suite. Somber, sincere, deep, soulful, nostalgic, perfect. A complete master. This record is from 1971, towards the end of Duke’s run (it was the last session of his longtime comrade and saxophonist, Johnny Hodges). This is great Sunday morning (or late, late Saturday night even) music. Some of the melodies just kill me, particularly the flute lead on “Portrait of Mahalia Jackson”. I often put it on when I get home late.
Mel Tillis, Greatest Hits. I was inspired to check out more of Tillis after seeing the Chris Robinson Brotherhood recently (those guys are so killer, they are really going for it and delivering. The freak flag is literally flying high). Really kicked back, bad-ass old school country groovy-ness.
Ahmad Jamal, Freeflight and Outertimeinnerspace. Both of these live records are culled from his 1971 performance at Montreux. I’m a fan of anything from Jamal, but these albums are in the middle of a wonderful run of about 5 or 6 from the early 70’s that are really killer. All the tracks are 10-15 minutes long with thick grooves and hearing him switch fluidly between the grand piano and the Rhodes is a very rewarding listening experience.
Paul Pena, New Train. I’ve been familiar with his songwriting for a long time (in particular “Gonna Move” and “Something To Make You Happy” which have been covered by Susan and Derek respectively). I can’t believe I waited so long to check out this album. I played the record for a buddy and he said it was like hearing an all-time classic for the first time. He’s right. Pena’s lyrics are mostly autobiographical, his singing at times reminds me of Richie Havens or Cat Stevens, but then sometimes he sounds like Hendrix (really). As an added bonus, Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders play on “New Train” and “Venutian Lady”. Pena was an amazing blues guitar player as well, having played with T-Bone Walker and B.B. King back in the day. Fascinating guy. There were some crooked dealings/shenanigans that lead to this album (from 1973) getting shelved until 2001 (4 years before Pena’s death). It’s a sad story really but a silver lining is that Steve Miller covered “Jet Airliner” in 1975 and apparently Paul was able to live off the royalties of that song later on in his life when things got tough for him. While you are at it, you really should check out this documentary about Pena’s journey to the center of Asia to participate in a Tuvan throat singing competition. It won an Oscar in 2000, and for good reason. It is very moving. A beautiful film.
That’s all for now. As we move from Summer to Fall, I hope this finds you all well and happy. Peace to you and yours.
TN
“If you’re able to enjoy something, to devote your life to it or a reasonable amount of time and energy, it will work out for you.” – Jerry Garcia