Music: Music By Others I Like
Music… the immediacy of music does many things for me. It can color a room like a water color wash. It can bring to life special events long past, but still cherished. It can make me leap, ready to dance. It can bring tears. It’s a thread that has tied me to friends over many years. It makes the present more pregnant. I’m going to periodically share a few pieces that I find particularly worthwhile, some rather old, some quite recent. I could go into a long monolog about what I find so wonderful, but I think I’ll hold that and just say a few brief things about each tune. Feel free to let me know your thoughts at <[email protected]>.
Music… the immediacy of music does many things for me. It can color a room like a water color wash. It can bring to life special events long past, but still cherished. It can make me leap, ready to dance. It can bring tears. It’s a thread that has tied me to friends over many years. It makes the present more pregnant. I’m going to periodically share a few pieces that I find particularly worthwhile, some rather old, some quite recent. I could go into a long monolog about what I find so wonderful, but I think I’ll hold that and just say a few brief things about each tune. Feel free to let me know your thoughts at <[email protected]>.
2023 January 25
Open the Door from Betty Carter’s 1980 live album, The Audience with Betty Carter. Ms Carter’s personal and professional history is remarkably interesting, but I’ll hold on that here. This song, which she wrote in 1964 pretty much served as her signature piece. Still, this recording is really special. An amazing band on an amazing night…
2022 October 18
San Diego Serenade from Tom Waits’s 1974 album The Heart of Saturday Night. I rarely confuse poetry with song lyrics. Sure, there are some amazing contemporary musicians whose lyrics occasionally move into poetry, but I find it rather rare. Tom Waits is a perennial exception: I almost always find poetry in his lyrics. Moreover, the music seems to echo the emotions and passion expressed in the lyrics. And that voice...
2022 Sept 9
Untitled 4 (Njósnavélin) from Sigur Rós’s 2002 album ( ). Very, very atmospheric. And thus began my love affair with Icelandic music…
2022 July 20
Massenet: Chérubin - Lorsque Vous N'Aurez Rien À Faire. (Translated, “When You Have Nothing to Do.”). There are various versions of this piece, but I am particularly drawn to Dawn Upshaw’s performance with the Munich Radio Orchestra. When someone tells me that they don’t like opera I feel a little sad for them. Life is too short not to absorb at least a little of this…
2022 May 23
One of These Things First from Nick Drake’s album Bryter Layter. Let’s not go into the tragic nature of Nick Drake’s life. Instead, just absorb this beautiful, dream-like song. “Could have been a…”
2022 March 24
Moon River by Henry Mancini and performed by Audrey Hepburn on the album Music from the Films of Audrey Hepburn. If you’ve only heard a schmaltzy orchestra arrangement or the syrupy Andy Williams version (hmmm... no insults intended), you’ve not heard this truly moving song. A masterpiece of longing…
2022 February 21
I’d Rather Go Blind from Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa’s album Don’t Explain. Oh my. If this song doesn’t send a chill down your spine I urge you to seek immediate medical attention as something is very clearly, most definitely wrong with you.
2022 January 31
Love, Reign o’er Me from the Who’s 1973’s album Quadrophenia. I consider this to be Pete Townshend’s masterpiece. I know, I know… Baba O’Riley… Won’t Get Fooled Again… I know…. Still, this is one of those songs whose depth has only become clearer to me with age. Incredible music, no doubt, but those lyrics… for me they serve as a type of prayer and/or mantra. What else could I ask for?
2022 January 10
Tonight I Think I’m Going to Go Downtown from the Flatlander’s album The Odessa Tapes, recorded in 1972 and released in 2012. Lone Star Music Magazine wrote that the album “should earn Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore a Guinness book spot for band with the weirdest history.” Difficult to argue with that. Duck Duck Go it. It’s hard to believe that a group of kids in Lubbock would shape the entire future of alt country. I love this song for an apparently simplicity which belies something much more texturally rich. Thank goodness they found those tapes in a Lubbock closet.
2021 November 22
Green Chimneys from Andy Summers’s wonderful 1999 album Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk. And people thought that Sting was the jazz person. Guess again. I can only imagine how intimidating it must have been to arrange Mr Monk’s music for guitar. But here it is, beautifully done in all its wonder.
2021 November 1
L Ballade from Shawn Phillips’s 1972 album Faces. (Written around 1968, this song is on two of Mr Phillips’s early albums. I prefer the version on Faces.) Music has a way… even now I can remember exactly what I was doing and who I was with the first time I heard this stunning song. Unlike so much fodder that comes and goes, my immersion into this song has only deepened over the years. This is definitely music best served late at night, perhaps with a fine single malt.
2021 October 18
Surf’s Up, written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. This song was to have been included on the Beach Boys mythic album Smile, but it was canned in 1967. It later turned up on the 1971 album Surf’s Up. Since its original release Mr. Wilson has put our several versions. A dense, stunning, and deeply moving song that is in no way about surfing.
2021 October 4
Exiles from King Crimson’s 1973 album Larks Tongues in Aspic. I know that lots of folks consider Crimson’s music to be “math rock.” I don’t see it that way. For me the intricate rhythms, the complex song structures, the time signatures and so forth put the band solidly into the realm of jazz where "jazz" is understood more as an approach than a collection of instruments. There are also some who consider Crimson’s music to lack emotions. Uh oh... I could go on about this at length, but I’ll restrain myself and only say that Crimson's music does not rely on superficial emotions, instead digging deep into the human experience. As one instance I offer up Exiles. The music and the lyrics work to form a perfect gestalt. If you have ever ventured away from the safety of the known, you may find yourself in these lyrics. A person in limbo.
2021 September 20
Sound Carrier from Wes Montgomery’s 1958 album The Montgomery Brothers and 5 Others. As usual, Wes’s guitar work is incredible - so tasteful, so perfect. But brother Buddy on the vibes? Goodness, he is on fire here. And Freddie Hubbard on trumpet - unbelievable. This is the real thing: true jazz at its best.
2021 September 6
Little Wing from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s album The Sky is Crying (recorded 1984, released 1991). Stevie Ray was an astonishing and soulful guitarist who I had the pleasure of hearing perform while I lived in Lubbock. Ahh, the original Cotton Club and Stubbs BBQ, when C.B. was still alive… but I digress. For me Stevie Ray’s version of Little Wing puts Hendrix to shame: no small task.
2021 August 16
Bach’s Sonata for Violin Solo #1 in G Minor as performed by Nathan Milstein. A beautiful and moving Sonata performed with incredible skill, a full heart and a singular feel for Bach. Although I’ve heard other wonderful performances of this piece, Milstein’s has always owned me.
2021 August 2
The Man with the Child in His Eyes from Kate Bush’s 1978 album The Kick Inside. Goodness…. She wrote this when she was 13 and recorded it at 16. Bless David Gilmour for “discovering” Ms Bush and shame on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for not recognizing her amazing talent and career. I remember the first time I heard this song... Rae and I sitting together watching Saturday Night Live as a 20 year old Ms Bush sat atop Paul Shaffer’s grand piano. It is still my favorite version of the song and available with a little digging.
2021 July 19
Shenandoah from Keith Jarrett’s 1999 album The Melody At Night, With You. Although this song was written around 200 years ago, Keith Jarrett’s arrangement and performance make it completely new. I’ve listened to it countless times and it never fails to reach something deep inside of me. It’s an evening song which goes best with a nice Tuscan red in a quiet, softly lit room.
Open the Door from Betty Carter’s 1980 live album, The Audience with Betty Carter. Ms Carter’s personal and professional history is remarkably interesting, but I’ll hold on that here. This song, which she wrote in 1964 pretty much served as her signature piece. Still, this recording is really special. An amazing band on an amazing night…
2022 October 18
San Diego Serenade from Tom Waits’s 1974 album The Heart of Saturday Night. I rarely confuse poetry with song lyrics. Sure, there are some amazing contemporary musicians whose lyrics occasionally move into poetry, but I find it rather rare. Tom Waits is a perennial exception: I almost always find poetry in his lyrics. Moreover, the music seems to echo the emotions and passion expressed in the lyrics. And that voice...
2022 Sept 9
Untitled 4 (Njósnavélin) from Sigur Rós’s 2002 album ( ). Very, very atmospheric. And thus began my love affair with Icelandic music…
2022 July 20
Massenet: Chérubin - Lorsque Vous N'Aurez Rien À Faire. (Translated, “When You Have Nothing to Do.”). There are various versions of this piece, but I am particularly drawn to Dawn Upshaw’s performance with the Munich Radio Orchestra. When someone tells me that they don’t like opera I feel a little sad for them. Life is too short not to absorb at least a little of this…
2022 May 23
One of These Things First from Nick Drake’s album Bryter Layter. Let’s not go into the tragic nature of Nick Drake’s life. Instead, just absorb this beautiful, dream-like song. “Could have been a…”
2022 March 24
Moon River by Henry Mancini and performed by Audrey Hepburn on the album Music from the Films of Audrey Hepburn. If you’ve only heard a schmaltzy orchestra arrangement or the syrupy Andy Williams version (hmmm... no insults intended), you’ve not heard this truly moving song. A masterpiece of longing…
2022 February 21
I’d Rather Go Blind from Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa’s album Don’t Explain. Oh my. If this song doesn’t send a chill down your spine I urge you to seek immediate medical attention as something is very clearly, most definitely wrong with you.
2022 January 31
Love, Reign o’er Me from the Who’s 1973’s album Quadrophenia. I consider this to be Pete Townshend’s masterpiece. I know, I know… Baba O’Riley… Won’t Get Fooled Again… I know…. Still, this is one of those songs whose depth has only become clearer to me with age. Incredible music, no doubt, but those lyrics… for me they serve as a type of prayer and/or mantra. What else could I ask for?
2022 January 10
Tonight I Think I’m Going to Go Downtown from the Flatlander’s album The Odessa Tapes, recorded in 1972 and released in 2012. Lone Star Music Magazine wrote that the album “should earn Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore a Guinness book spot for band with the weirdest history.” Difficult to argue with that. Duck Duck Go it. It’s hard to believe that a group of kids in Lubbock would shape the entire future of alt country. I love this song for an apparently simplicity which belies something much more texturally rich. Thank goodness they found those tapes in a Lubbock closet.
2021 November 22
Green Chimneys from Andy Summers’s wonderful 1999 album Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk. And people thought that Sting was the jazz person. Guess again. I can only imagine how intimidating it must have been to arrange Mr Monk’s music for guitar. But here it is, beautifully done in all its wonder.
2021 November 1
L Ballade from Shawn Phillips’s 1972 album Faces. (Written around 1968, this song is on two of Mr Phillips’s early albums. I prefer the version on Faces.) Music has a way… even now I can remember exactly what I was doing and who I was with the first time I heard this stunning song. Unlike so much fodder that comes and goes, my immersion into this song has only deepened over the years. This is definitely music best served late at night, perhaps with a fine single malt.
2021 October 18
Surf’s Up, written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks. This song was to have been included on the Beach Boys mythic album Smile, but it was canned in 1967. It later turned up on the 1971 album Surf’s Up. Since its original release Mr. Wilson has put our several versions. A dense, stunning, and deeply moving song that is in no way about surfing.
2021 October 4
Exiles from King Crimson’s 1973 album Larks Tongues in Aspic. I know that lots of folks consider Crimson’s music to be “math rock.” I don’t see it that way. For me the intricate rhythms, the complex song structures, the time signatures and so forth put the band solidly into the realm of jazz where "jazz" is understood more as an approach than a collection of instruments. There are also some who consider Crimson’s music to lack emotions. Uh oh... I could go on about this at length, but I’ll restrain myself and only say that Crimson's music does not rely on superficial emotions, instead digging deep into the human experience. As one instance I offer up Exiles. The music and the lyrics work to form a perfect gestalt. If you have ever ventured away from the safety of the known, you may find yourself in these lyrics. A person in limbo.
2021 September 20
Sound Carrier from Wes Montgomery’s 1958 album The Montgomery Brothers and 5 Others. As usual, Wes’s guitar work is incredible - so tasteful, so perfect. But brother Buddy on the vibes? Goodness, he is on fire here. And Freddie Hubbard on trumpet - unbelievable. This is the real thing: true jazz at its best.
2021 September 6
Little Wing from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s album The Sky is Crying (recorded 1984, released 1991). Stevie Ray was an astonishing and soulful guitarist who I had the pleasure of hearing perform while I lived in Lubbock. Ahh, the original Cotton Club and Stubbs BBQ, when C.B. was still alive… but I digress. For me Stevie Ray’s version of Little Wing puts Hendrix to shame: no small task.
2021 August 16
Bach’s Sonata for Violin Solo #1 in G Minor as performed by Nathan Milstein. A beautiful and moving Sonata performed with incredible skill, a full heart and a singular feel for Bach. Although I’ve heard other wonderful performances of this piece, Milstein’s has always owned me.
2021 August 2
The Man with the Child in His Eyes from Kate Bush’s 1978 album The Kick Inside. Goodness…. She wrote this when she was 13 and recorded it at 16. Bless David Gilmour for “discovering” Ms Bush and shame on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for not recognizing her amazing talent and career. I remember the first time I heard this song... Rae and I sitting together watching Saturday Night Live as a 20 year old Ms Bush sat atop Paul Shaffer’s grand piano. It is still my favorite version of the song and available with a little digging.
2021 July 19
Shenandoah from Keith Jarrett’s 1999 album The Melody At Night, With You. Although this song was written around 200 years ago, Keith Jarrett’s arrangement and performance make it completely new. I’ve listened to it countless times and it never fails to reach something deep inside of me. It’s an evening song which goes best with a nice Tuscan red in a quiet, softly lit room.