Exploring the word “One” and some morning music from Tab Benoit!

So yesterday I was thinking about being ordinary. The first song wanted to listen to “Ordinary Town” from Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. So I scrolled down through the list of songs on the iPod until I got to it. Along the way, I must have passed thirty songs that had the word One in the title! So after listening to “Ordinary Town” I went back and listened for a while to those “One” songs. Here’s the play list! “The One” – Cabinet – a bluegrass, Americana band that I don’t listen to enough! “One” – Dreamscape – some Prog…

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Kotebel – Ouroboros – and a little ramble by me!

After a folkie morning listening to Left Arm Tan and Matt Harlan, I switched it up this afternoon and put on a little and turned to the symphonic progressive rock of Kotebel. last week I listened to and enjoyed  their 2012 release Concerto For Piano And Electric Ensemble. Today I listened to the band’s 2009 release Ouroboros Of the two I like Ouroboros just a little better. One thing I’ve learned over the last two years of writing this blog is that I am not good at describing the intricacies of the music, what I can tell you is whether…

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New Prog Rock from Old Friends – Soft Machine now Soft Machine Legacy!

So tonight I visited the Jazz Music Archives to see what was new. What I found were some old friends. The second review I saw was for the latest release from Soft Machine Legacy, Burden of Proof. Hum, way back in 1970 or so I was a fan for at least one album of The Soft Machine having bought and played many times, their album Third. Anyway I was interested in finding out who Soft Machine Legacy were what I found out was that the original line-up for the band only lasted through 1971 when Robert Wyatt left the band, after…

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Life’s Soundtrack Part I – New Music from Organissimo Dedicated

So this afternoon’s soundtrack was provided by two instrumental albums, first up was the new album from Organissimo Dedicated followed by Kotebel’s 2012 release Concerto For Piano And Electric Ensemble. Both are really fine albums! I first heard Organissimo about two years ago, when I discovered their album Groovadelphia on the Roots Music Report Jazz Chart and loved it! This trio produces some great music. At their website they write…. …. organissimo’s sound is instantly identifiable yet constantly evolving, infusing elements of funk, gospel, blues, progressive rock, and Latin rhythms into a solid foundation of jazz. Shifting meters, deep grooves, melodic…

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Prog Exploration Goes to France and finds Delusion Squared II

Delusion Squared -Crossover Prog – France So I’ve written before, I like that Prog Rock bands come from all over the world. For example, Delusion Squared.,the band that was the soundtrack for my ride down to the Garden State Parkway is a French band  The album is their sophomore release appropriately titled II The band, formed in 2009, is a trio composed of lead vocalist and guitarist, Lorraine Young, guitarist, keyboard and drummer – Steven Francis and bassist/keyboardist – Emmanuel de Saint Meen. Their music can be classified as Crossover Prog (or Art Rock). If you are a novice to the…

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New Age: “Into the Night” with the nouveau-flamenco sounds of Luna Blanca

So a while back, when I was listening to Jesse Cook, The Blue Sessions album, the album finished and MOG radio came on with artists similar to Jesse Cook. One of the groups that caught my ear was Luna Blanca. I listened to their 2007 release, Magic and really enjoyed it. Since then I have listened to their 2012 release El Dorado and the album Live and enjoyed both of them as well! I have since discovered that the group is from Germany and is one of the most popular  nouveau-flamenco groups in the world. Currently, another 2012 release Obsession is at 2 on…

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Life’s Soundtrack: Greylevel – Hypostatic Union

So it does bode well for a run when within the first quarter-mile you start thinking to yourself, “You know my legs don’t feel very good, maybe I should just go back home”, which is exactly what happened today! But I kept going and turned inward and tried to concentrate on the music, which was provided by a progressive rock band from the west coast of Canada, Greylevel and their 2011 release Hypostatic Union. I passed the first mile mark in just under 10 minutes and my heart rate was too bad. Then it was up Pancoast Avenue, to the beats…

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Prog Rock Explorations: Blind Ego – Numb

So I this morning I listened again to the album Numb from the German group Blind Ego and I liked it as much this time as I did the several previous times I listened! So I was surprised when I went to ProgArchves and saw a rating in the low 3s (3.12). To me, and I know I am just a neophyte when it comes to Prog Rock, the album has everything – good musicianship and vocals, and lots of tempo changes keep me interested in the music! The band is a side project for RPWL guitarist Karlheinz “Kalle” Wallner….

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“Into the Night” with the Jazz Guitar of Grant Green with Organ!

This morning when I opened MOG the first album that caught my eye was a Grant Green album entitled Organ Trio & Quartet. Now I have occasionally listen to the fine guitar of Grant Green, but I don’t ever remember him being associated with an organ trio. So with visions of Jimmy Smith and wes Montgomery dancing in my head I put it on and I was impressed the group was tight and the organ was really smoking. It seemed that through the early tracks of the album the organ was either equal to or more prominent than the guitar of…

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New Age: The Blue Guitar Sessions – Jesse Cook

So this morning I received a newsletter from the PBS show Echoes about the shows that will be on this week. I was excited when I saw that tomorrow John Diliberto will be interviewing one of my favorite guitarists, Jesse Cook about his new album  The Blue Guitar Sessions. Knowing that I will forget all about listening tomorrow night, I thought I better go listen to the album this afternoon. So I went over to MOG and put it on. Now for those of you who are not familiar with Jesse Cook, Here’s some information from Wikipedia: Jesse Arnaud Cook…

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