Rick Sparks – Endless Quiet Piano to Replenish Your Spirit Many times I am drawn to an album by the album cover’s art work. That was the case with the album at #7 on the Zone Music Reporters December Chart, Endless from Rick Sparks. The second thing about the album that caught my eye was that the album is a self-release. It seems I’m always drawn to these albums!. Hurrah for…
Voyager – Cailyn (Lloyd) – Released January 2015 Several weeks ago, I took a trip through space courtesy of the music of John Serrie and his album Day Star. Over the last week I have traveled through our own solar system tracing the travels of the Voyager ship, via the music of Cailyn (Lloyd)and her latest release apply titled Voyager. Cailyn is a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She began her music career at an early age, starting with piano and quickly moving on to violin and bass. By her teens she was living in London, England…
Riders of the Universe : Netherlands I must say that what first attracted me to Riders of the Universe new album was the cover. But it only took listening to a few minutes of the opening track “We AreRiders Pt 1 & 2” For me to know that I was going to like this album. I had it on in the background the other night as I was reading and when the title track “Amen Road” came on my ears perked up, and I thought I have to pay more attention to these guys! I did just that ,…
Stephane Grappelli – violin (January 26, 1908 -December 1, 1997) Today is the birthday of the musician whom many people call “the grandfather of the jazz violinists”Stephane Grappelli. Grappelli was born in 1908 and passed away in 1997 at the age of 89! He had performed well into his 80s! Basically, I know of Grappelli through the album Paris Encounter recorded with Gary Burton in 1969 I should now Stephane Grappelli because he founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934! The group was one of the first all-string jazz bands! This morning I took a…
Lawrence Blatt blends science and music to create the soothing Emergence Composing music is akin to magic for me, I don’t know how it’s done nor do I care. I just enjoy the ride and the end product! With that said it is safe to say that I am in awe of Emergence the latest release from San Francisco acoustic guitarist Lawrence Blatt. Lawrence Blatt’s award-winning music has been called “heartwarming, soothing, and relaxing” and consists of layers of guitar work decorated with luscious melodies and percussive moods. Blatt says this about his work: “My music ranges from soft contemporary compositions…
Jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb turns 86 years young today, January 20, 2015! Cobb is best known for his time with Miles Davis, during which he played on Davis’ Kind of Blue (1959), which is considered by many to be “the quintessential jazz record”. Cobb was a member of Miles’ rhythm section that included: Wynton Kelly on piano and Paul Chambers on bass. Cobb is the last surviving player from that session. Cobb also play on other Miles Davis albums including: Sketches of Spain,Someday My Prince Will Come, Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall, In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk,…
Last night I was checking out the New Progressive Rock releases at New Prog Releases. One of the albums of interest to me was Il Paese Del Tramonto (Country of Sunset) from an Italian Progressive Rock band Unreal City. Their music was classified as Symphonic and since I have enjoyed other symphonic prog bands, I figured I’d like these guys. I figured right I put the album on while I was multi-tasking or as I like to call it ADDing! I was watching the football game, reading and listening! It didn’t take long to for the voices of Phil Simms…
Last night I was checking out the New Progressive Rock releases at New Prog Releases. One of the albums of interest to me was Il Paese Del Tramonto (Country of Sunset) from an Italian Progressive Rock band Unreal City. Their music was classified as Symphonic and since I have enjoyed other symphonic prog bands, I figured I’d like these guys. I figured right I put the album on while I was multi-tasking or as I like to call it ADDing! I was watching the football game, reading and listening! It didn’t take long to for the voices of Phil Simms…
So last year the FreeWheelin/ Music Safari discovered that on this date in 1975, a very talented world fusion guitarist, Shahab Tolouie was born! That’s him at the start of this post, he is pictured with a guitar of his creation an instrumentally speaking a very cool guitar. Well technically speaking, it is not a guitar it is a Fusetar (eng.“fusion”, “tar” – farsi. “strings” – fusion of strings). This three-necked instrument represents the culmination of his sound experiments in search of a mode of expression of his new musical concepts. The fusion of Setar, flamenco guitar, and fretless guitar Now…
Things Are Getting Better is the 11th album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and his second release on the Riverside label. The album was released in 1959, when I was 8, so that explains how I missed it on the first go around… Anyway, I had Things Are Getting Better on in the background this morning as I was working on this blog, so I haven’t really listen that closely to the album. But from what I heard and am listening to now, this one’s a keeper. I first chose Things Are Getting Better because of Milt Jackson‘s presence on the…