Music

Everything is Music

If you have been here before, just click on the stop icon below to get on with it. Otherwise, you have to listen to the theme song at least once. Music does open a window in the middle of your heart. You just have to open it. Oh, turn up the volume.

Teddy's Top Ten plus some - Bruce Springsteen. I recently listened to Bruce read his new book on a long road trip. Man, he started from nothing but, in the long tradition of just knowing what you have been put on this earth for, he persevered and today, at 70, he is still going. He has a one man show on Broadway right now, March 2018, that gets raves. I wanted to go BUT tickets go for $800 - $1,500! Bruce is worth 460 million (I looked it up) so not sure how (or if) he reconciles that with his working man, in your face rich people, approach but, hey, his music is amazing. A true American treasure.

1. Born to Run. His signature song from his 1976 third, and first album where he controlled everything, this is his, and his legion of fans, anthem. Big man on Sax. Lyrics that speak directly to the everyman, working class, misunderstood, mostly men, for whom Bruce is a God. Ok, god.

2. Valentines Day. I like Bruce's reflective and personal songs. This song is from the Tunnel of Love album (which I think is one of his best) and I read somewhere that he played most of the instruments on this track. It's poetic. Thats ain't what scares me, baby. What scares me is losing you. The counter melody at the end is beautiful.

3. Thunder Road. The opening track from the Born to Run album. This a live mostly acoustic version. I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk.

4. All Im Thinkin' About. Even in a falsetto voice, he is magical.

5. Better Days. OK, Lets rock it.

6. If I should Fall Behind. Heres a song from Lucky Town that I always liked but has in the time after shows how musical and creative Bruce is. This is the studio version. Listen and then go to the next 2.

7. If I should Fall behind. Live . Heres a version where each of the band members, even Clarence, takes a chorus. And, lyrically, I think it expresses the culture the E Street band represents.

8. If I should Fall Behind. And heres the amazing version. On his Woody Guthrie tour, they played this BUT with a different melody and a different time signature. I had friends who married a couple of years ago and asked me to suggest a few waltzes,(they knew of musical eclecticism) for their first married dance. They chose this. And it was perfect. Lyrically and structurally. And, get this, Bruce to this day cannot read music.

Playlist February 2018

Below are links to the music I'm listening to these days. I work by myself for the most part and listen to music all the time. I used to make yearly compilations and send them out but with the advent of Apple music and Amazon and the cloud I think this is quicker and easier. BTW, I can't figure how musicians make money these days. I haven't bought a full CD in 5 years or more. If anyone has an idea, enlighten the Pops. Why put music on my web site? I think the music one enjoys ,and chooses to share, distills a real meaning to the character and personality of both the person doing the sharing and what he thinks of the sharee. And, if exposing people to music they might not have heard before creates an interest in that music, it can enlighten, enlarge, and change who you are. No mean feat. And remember, there are a million ways to kneel and kiss the ground. BTW, my exposure to popular music is greatly enhanced by a radio show on WMNF, Tampa from a show hosted by Marcie Finkelstein on Tuesday mornings 6AM to 9AM. I've been listening for at least 10 years and if the music herein interests you, you HAVE to hear her show. You can stream it anytime at WMNF.org, I think. I've never met Marcie but we have emailed back and forth, mainly me wondering how she does it....get inside my head.... and her taste, insights, and breadth of knowledge about music that matters is remarkable.

THE CIVIL WARS. Here are two musicians (Joy Williams and John Paul White) that I thought I had posted before but can't seem to find. But I do find myself listening to them over and over. The irony is that they broke up in 2015 or so stating "irreconcilable differences". It surprised everyone because, especially live, they seemed so connected and responsive to each other. More than one commenter on YouTube said things like " They must be married, it's like they make love through their music". Well it turned out they have separate families and most assumed that that somehow is, was, the cause. Don't know but I sure miss their music. Their intonation and how they bend the notes to the harmony. Amazing. They each have released solo albums since but neither comes close to what they had together.

Josh Ritter. A wonderful addition to the John Prine type of singer/songwriter. Meaningful lyrics, heart felt and a groove to die for. Be patient, it takes a while to get going.

Ben Miller. Heres a band that I guess is from the Americana genre. Ben Miller plays an old trunk with a base drum pedal as he sits and sings. The bass is a one string wash tub type deal. Any music with a banjo, brass (especially a tuba), and a hurdy gurdy gets my attention. It goes to show that it's not technology that makes great music, it's talent, heart, and soul. Sort of like when I tell my golfing buddies I'm going to buy better clubs to improve my game and they go "hmmmm, Pops, the clubs ain't your problem".

I have a grandson, Jacob, 17, who listens to hip hop all the time. Exclusively. I'm close to him and, in the spirit of mutual appreciation of each others brains, we agree to at least remain open to each others moving parts. I don't intuitively relate to most of what he listens to but I do appreciate the connection and meaning this music gives to him. And this example IS musical. And he listened to Coltrane for an hour the other day. OK, in the truck, but he didn't turn it off.

Laura Marling. Here is a young woman, English I think, who resonates with me for her honesty, musicianship, and non conforming insistence in her craft. She writes and sings meaningful music and even covers Bob D in a fresh way. Amazing.

The Hold Steady. This is a band with a very distinctive lead singer and a lean toward the alt folk genre. Did I say to play this stuff loud. LOUD.

Joan Osbourne. An American singer who has been making music for years. I just started listening though and the songs below are from an album called Love and Hate from a few years back. Her powerful, clean voice and, to me, anyway, jazz influenced delivery is compelling.

I can't begin to wrap the old brain around recent political events but, music has a way to get one, me, al least, through just about anything so, here, without a lot of explanation is what the Cheeto has me listening to:

I mean, how much can even the Cheeto fuck up a country, a people, a spirit, that created jazz? When I wonder,and I do wonder....a lot, I listen to the following over and over. And the George Lewis version, who, along with Pops, invented it all.

For the Obamas - of course.

Shovels and Rope. Can't remember how I first heard this group but they blew me away.

Keith Jarrett is an artist I greatly respect and admire. He was a child prodigy and began in his teen years as a straight ahead classic sideman with Miles, Art Blakey and the icons of jazz in the 60's and 70's. He is in his 70's now and has evolved into what I think is the most true and honest example of what jazz really is all about as well as the epitome of giving his all to his art in every performance. He is an inspiration to me.
I wish the videos were of better quality but I believe it's important to see his technique and passion. I'm not alone. His concerts (rare, these days) are sold out immediately every time. Especially his solo performances which, thank goodness, are well represented in recordings.

I heard the following on a Sirius Classical channel and the announcer said " I don't speak Norwegian, and I don't know this composer, but I can't seem to be able to listen to it without a tear in my eye." That says it all for me, too. If you search Nar Mitt Ole on Amazon, I believe the whole album will come up.

I've listened to this artist, Bon Iver, for years and I always appreciated his music ,not enough to buy, however. But this album, his third I think, is a wonderful bold unusual mix that I just can't get enough of. The Album is inexplicably named 22, A Million. This I bought.

Bon Iver (/boʊn iːˈvɛər/ bohn-ee-vair[1]) is an American indie folk band founded in 2007 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was recorded while Vernon spent three months in a cabin in northwestern Wisconsin. Bon Iver won the 2012 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album for their album Bon Iver, Bon Iver.[2][3][4] The name Bon Iver is derived from the French phrase bon hiver(French pronunciation: [bɔn‿ivɛːʁ]), meaning "good winter",[1] taken from a greeting on Northern Exposure.[5]

This video is so imaginative and creative. Almost, well, not almost it IS architectural.

One of my favs from the album. 22, A Million

Teddy's Top Ten -Tom Waits

Ted's Top Ten. I drive a lot in my work, and life, and I listen to music all the time so I thought it might be useful to put my favorites musicians top ten songs so that those with less time and resources could see and hear what I, at least, consider, the creme de la creme. The first attempt is one of my favorite musicians - TOM WAITS.

Tom Waits has a great voice! and this early ballad shows it. Like all artists, I think he was here feeling out his place and how best to express it. The whole album is amazing.

Arturo Sandoval - My favorite jazz artist who I think embodies a straight direct line from Pops to now.

Miles Davis/Gil Evans - Saeta

Joan Armatrading

Brandi Carlile The Eye. I have been listening to her for a few years and this is from her latest. She has that Emmylou lonesome sound that I like so much.The video is great and the other song has a personal resonance.

Brandi Clark

Here from one of my favorite albums of 13. A true country singer but who somehow, like all great music, transcends labels, perceptions, and touches, at least for me, the essence of the magic of music.

John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival rerecorded his most iconic songs with new contemporary artists this year and it is a keeper.

Ray LaMontagne This is the second or third album by this artist. And each gets better. I love the groove and it reminds me of the second cut here. Van Morrison's Astral Weeks. A compliment indeed. Astral Weeks. From 1980 or so.... One of the Top Ten albums all time for me. Want to know the other nine? Ask me.

Handel's Messiah "Comfort Ye, My People" I listen to Handels Messiah all during the year not just at Easter and Christmas because the music is so, well, comforting, on so many levels. Here is a recording I came across this year (2013) that particularly moves me.

Sing Me Your Songs - A Tribute to Kate McGarrigle

Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright produced some amazing musician children and when she died last year, they, and some well known friends, put on three concerts as tribute. Here are three wonderful examples.

Abigail Washington

I've always been fascinated by what influences and motivates musicians. The answer, I think, is that they have no idea. From Bob Dylan who just knew he wasn't meant to be in Minnesota to, say, John Fogerty, who grew up in Southern California, but sounds like he is from the Bayous of New Orleans to this young woman, Abigail Washington who grew up in Illinois but became obsessed with the Banjo and Chinese music and culture while in law school. Go figure. So, against all odds, she formed a group and toured China and made hybrid music that combined aspects of Appalachian America and Chinese folk music. Amazing. But, I guess, the origins matter not so much as the end result. And here are two examples. One is the Chinese influence and the other an original bluegrass special.

Holly Cole - Take Me Home

Holly Cole is a Canadian singer who manages to clearly and simply get at the essence and feel of a song. Most, if not all of her albums are covers, but I don't think anyone can see through the notes to the heart of a song like she does. The first is is a Tom Waits song. The second is Don't Let the Raindrops Rust Your Shining Heart with a great guitar solo.

Beethoven Piano Sonata 21, Op. 53 - HJ Lim

I heard about this artist in an NPR story entitled "How I learned to love Beethoven again". The reviewer, a pianist himself, said that this young South Korean artist reinvented these much recorded sonatas in a way that made them fresh and new. I agree. The YouTube video lets you see and hear and the audio clip is the first movement from the famous "Waldstein". She recorded all 32 sonatas and they are available on Itunes as a complete set for a crazy price of $9.99 for all of them

Ist Movement, "Waldstein" , Beethoven

Dave Matthews Band - Mercy

For Susie....well, for us all, really.

Needtobreathe

Here is a new group that I think just gets it right. And what a great voice.

Count Basie - Moten Swing

NPR has a series called, I think, My Parents Music, in which they asked listeners to send in memories of what music their parents exposed them to and how it affected them. I sent the following in: My parents, especially my Dad, were into big band jazz when I was growing up. He grew up with Frank Sinatra (chronologically, anyway,in New Jersey actually) and played Frank Sinatra and Count Basie records all the time and it was the Basie records that really got my attention. And has taught me lessons I use to this day. The trademark Basie piano style of less is more really taught me that an economy of style, a knowledge of what to leave out, is every bit as important as to what to put in. I ended up becoming an architect and an artist and this ability to pare down and get at the essence of a work of art has stood me well in my career. Now, some my other jazz heroes, like Oscar Peterson, Buddy Rich, Joe Morello, to name a few swing by overpowering you with notes, back beats, and lots of volume. Basie somehow makes you fill in the missing notes. And do so in a way that can only ......swing. This was especially evident when you saw Basie live, which I did on numerous occasions in the 60's and 70's. There, not restricted to the time constraints of a record, Basie, Freddy Green, and bass and drums would just....well....swing...for 2, 3 , 4 minutes with few notes, fewer fills, and a natural genius that was amazing to see and hear. I'm no musicologist and I'm sure I haven't broken new ground with this realization but, here it is, how I saw genius and how it influenced me. My Dad has been gone now for over 10 years but you put a record on like the one I am attaching and I can see him now, foot tapping, eyes far away.....in heaven. Oh, and the fact that I, as a middle class white guy growing up in the (very) segregated South, saw genius, maybe for the first time, in a black man, well, that is another story.

Loudon Wainwright III - The Days That We Die

I've been listening, and loving, the old Loudo's music for 30 years. Play his latest and you will see why.

Kidman Blues Wynton Marsalis with Eric Clapton

This is from an album that Wynton recorded with Eric Clapton, of all people, and is representative, at least to me, of the genius of Wynton Marsalis. He is such a multi dimensional person who teaches, lectures, plays (classical,and jazz), writes, collaborates and all while swinging. He is amazing.

Igor Stravinsky - Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

This is a wonderful recording of this iconic work. I heard and saw it performed on TV as part of the opening of the Gehry concert hall in LA a few years back. When you listen to as much classical music as I do, you become attuned to great performances and recordings. And this one, with esa-pekka salomen conducting is the best I have ever heard. Written in 1913, it changed music forever. The part I am attaching is Sacrifical Dance, one of about 14 "movements" in this music for ballet. Buy, download, listen to the whole piece in one sitting. If you have not done so before, it will change you. Oh, and turn the volume up.

Bruce Springsteen - Shackled and Drawn

What I love most about Bruce is his obvious joy and delight in making music. He is one of those rare people perfectly suited to what he does. Bruce says about his live performances:"For an adult, the world is constantly trying to clamp down on itself. Routine, responsibility, decay of institutions, corruption: this is all the world closing in. Music, when it's really great, pries that shit back open and lets people back in, it lets light in, and air in, and energy in, and sends people home with that and sends me back to the hotel with that. People carry that with them sometimes for a very long time."