|
Post by rhythmmethod on Jul 25, 2021 23:29:42 GMT
richardsok , I hear 'ya. I don't know if you've caught any of the trailers for SOS (poor abbreviation) but it was off the hook, IMO. It was something to see/hear some of the "polished" R&B groups taking it to church among their peeps in Harlem in a live setting. Young, old, families, everyone there to enjoy it. Seeing a Stevie Wonder breaking loose from his hits and exploring his new direction. Sly and there Family Stone breaking out of the old school was great. (That's about when I came of age) But Mahalia Jackson(!) just wow. Such an emotional connection to her art/craft unlike what we see/hear today for sure. This ,before 'auto-tune', fix it in the mix, BS. people played and sung in time and tune. I love great soulful music because it cuts through race, politics, social barriers, everything that separates people and communicates that which can't be spoken. Stay well!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2021 2:34:33 GMT
|
|
|
Post by retiredat48 on Jul 26, 2021 3:37:32 GMT
At richardsok..I feel like I'm back in my Penn State Dorm, where I had the only "tape recorder", accumulating such songs for all the guys on the floor! A bit different, but "MY GIRL" became my spouse and I song for our lifetime... www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_CSjcm-z1wI noticed that My Girl has over 12 million views, and 4600 reply posts! Guess we are not the only ones liking this song. R48
|
|
|
Post by richardsok on Jul 26, 2021 3:37:39 GMT
OK Frank, I'll throw one back at you. (This is for you too, rhythm.) Back in the early 60s my father was a big fan of XIOMARA ALFARO, a tiny little Cuban coloratura soprano, known to her latin admirers as "The Nightengale". As you'll see from the links below, she had incredible range and control and could easily solo with an entire "massed horns" Cuban orchestra behind her -- without microphone. I think you'll like her. No fan of Castro, who wrecked the Havana nightclub music scene, she left Cuba in 1960, never to return, toured Europe, sang at Princess Margaret's bridal shower, and ended up in Cape Coral, Florida. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSFJfPCLZHQwww.youtube.com/watch?v=HNaBRSbMbfMwww.youtube.com/watch?v=20wj3xS-6qg
|
|
|
Post by johntaylor on Jul 26, 2021 14:13:40 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Chahta on Jul 26, 2021 14:37:12 GMT
Ahh, understand your post on this subject at AC.
|
|
|
Post by richardsok on Jul 29, 2021 16:33:57 GMT
Looking back over my previous post, I see it was incomplete. I should have found room for the Beach Boys and the whole California thing that was largely a happy soundtrack to our entire young lives. At the time, Janis was too far-out Frisco for me, but with the years "Me and Bobby McGee" has aged beautifully, with its hard and sweet undertones of loss and lament; "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose." Lord, what a line.
Never liked the Stones. Still don't. They were a big part of the whole angry/cruel freak-show tide of rock decadence that started in the 70s. 1968 was the watershed year and Creedance (Bad Moon Rising) and Simon & Garf. were my last links to mainstream pop. I started to lose track of most black artists after that too. Whether I was getting into my 20s or because I felt no longer welcome to the party, my tastes stayed more in the past. When Doo Wop morphed to Rap, the decadence was complete and radio stations in my car were one wasteland after another.
Thank God for cassette decks and CDs. I started listening to Ragtime, Country (Owens, Cash, Dean, Wynette, Lefty Frizzell, etc) Cole Porter, Dixieland, Fats Waller, early Broadway, Billie and early Blues, Glen Miller & Big bands of the 40s and 50s standards.... and ancient oldies, of course. They're my music life now. I've never left.
|
|
|
Post by rhythmmethod on Jul 29, 2021 17:37:51 GMT
Looking back over my previous post, I see it was incomplete. I should have found room for the Beach Boys and the whole California thing that was largely a happy soundtrack to our entire young lives. At the time, Janis was too far-out Frisco for me, but with the years "Me and Bobby McGee" has aged beautifully, with its hard and sweet undertones of loss and lament; "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose." Lord, what a line. Thank God for cassette decks and CDs. I started listening to Ragtime, Country (Owens, Cash, Dean, Wynette, Lefty Frizzell, etc) Cole Porter, Dixieland, Fats Waller, early Broadway, Billie and early Blues, Glen Miller & Big bands of the 40s and 50s standards.... and ancient oldies, of course. They're my music life now. I've never left. richardsok , I find it interesting how the music of one's life experience becomes a part of the fabric of one's life. I was a self-taught musician early, started working in my early teens and then faking my way into Peabody Conservatory. When I left school I immediately rejected the classical music and surroundings for what I was experiencing on the "chitlin circuit'. That was basically great music, food and friendship. I was embraced by that population and felt a deep connection to their culture, and of course music. Delving into a different culture and indigenous music (I of a white middle class background) has served me well as a Cultural Envoy for the US Dept of State and later for soundtracks of world music for movies and theatre. I agree with you about the great music that came from the Brill Building. Paul Simon, Carol King, et all exhibited a degree of craftsmanship we'll likely not see again. I was at the swimming pool the other day and the woman leading water aerobics for 70+ women was playing Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing". Boy did that make me feel old. My wife works some as a music therapist and is always impressed when folks with memory loss can start singing along with her to songs of the 60-70's. I wonder what young people will have as their life soundtrack...Made up beats and rhymes. Remembering melodies, lyrics and chord progressions (even if not fully aware of it) triggers neurons in the brain to fire. I fear young people today will miss out on that later in life. But who knows, maybe the beats and rhythms will serve a similar function.
|
|
|
Post by Chahta on Jul 30, 2021 13:14:00 GMT
One (of many) interesting things to me was the attendee that was taken back by Sly and the Family Stone coming out with women and white players. The black experience at the time was men in suits. OTOH Sly/FS never shook me that way. It was "natural" for some reason. I sat back and took each for what it was.
I don't mean to be old and curmudgeonly, but I don't see the quality of music ever being that good again. And I mean everything up to when rap, new country and whatever else happened in that time frame.
|
|
|
Post by rhythmmethod on Jul 30, 2021 13:47:41 GMT
One (of many) interesting things to me was the attendee that was taken back by Sly and the Family Stone coming out with women and white players. The black experience at the time was men in suits. OTOH Sly/FS never shook me that way. It was "natural" for some reason. I sat back and took each for what it was. I don't mean to be old and curmudgeonly, but I don't see the quality of music ever being that good again. And I mean everything up to when rap, new country and whatever else happened in that time frame. I think the time in which this happened (1969) kind of set a tone for the "new thing" Sly/FS was doing. I tend to agree with the highlighted above. I wonder how much the virtual world is to blame. I remember as a kid learning songs off the LP or even radio and would spend hours on it, also with friends interacting and learning. Now when I'm at an amazing concert, kids are buried in the iPhones. Kind of sad, IMO.
|
|
|
Post by retiredat48 on Jul 30, 2021 14:51:38 GMT
I had to learn songs at College, because: Every night the local pizza places gave free pizzas for the first one to phone in and "name that tune." We had one guy pre-dial the phone to the last number, then release as soon as the candidate song started. My forte was in identifying the song in a couple notes. A third guy was great with titles and artist names (my weakness). As a team we were getting a lot of free pizzas. Anyone remember the first note of the Beatles song..."It's been a hard days night."?? Doinggg it... I still do! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjyj8qnqkYIR48
|
|
|
Post by Chahta on Jul 30, 2021 15:05:02 GMT
One (of many) interesting things to me was the attendee that was taken back by Sly and the Family Stone coming out with women and white players. The black experience at the time was men in suits. OTOH Sly/FS never shook me that way. It was "natural" for some reason. I sat back and took each for what it was. I don't mean to be old and curmudgeonly, but I don't see the quality of music ever being that good again. And I mean everything up to when rap, new country and whatever else happened in that time frame. I think the time in which this happened (1969) kind of set a tone for the "new thing" Sly/FS was doing. I tend to agree with the highlighted above. I wonder how much the virtual world is to blame. I remember as a kid learning songs off the LP or even radio and would spend hours on it, also with friends interacting and learning. Now when I'm at an amazing concert, kids are buried in the iPhones. Kind of sad, IMO. I heard some current Kid Rock music the other day. I was pretty shocked. Wasn’t much better than rap. Everything now seems to be about the shock value. I suppose current “music” just mirrors social media/internet for nothing is out of bounds. Where is the love of the 60s?
|
|
|
Post by rhythmmethod on Jul 30, 2021 15:11:17 GMT
Just when I thought there was nothing of value left in current pop music - this -POPs up.
|
|
|
Post by Chahta on Jul 30, 2021 15:24:57 GMT
Ahhh, you just think the drummer is cool. I actually saw Mars in concert 10 years ago based on radio music that heralded him as a throwback . Took my niece. It was terrible live.
The next vid has the guys in suits back!
|
|
|
Post by javajoe on Jul 30, 2021 17:17:14 GMT
Just when I thought there was nothing of value left in current pop music - this -POPs up.
rhythmmethod - Whenever you get discouraged about the current state of music and the upcoming generation of artists, just flip over to NPR's Tiny Desk channel on YouTube and your faith will be restored. That's how I first discovered artists like Joey Alexander, Punch Brothers, Raveena, Moonchild, Tycho, as well as many unplugged collaborations you would never hear in any other venue/context.
Speaking of collaborations, one of the unintended benefits of COVID is that it forced Tiny Desk out of the tiny desk and into lots of other unique collaborative environments like this:
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile, winner of a MacArthur 'Genius' Grant)
Moonchild on Tiny Desk:
Hope there is something in 'hear' that gives you all some joy and new discovery!
-JavaJoe
|
|
|
Post by rhythmmethod on Jul 30, 2021 17:34:38 GMT
javajoe, Thanks, I'll check these out. Joey Alexander is totally off the hook. A Mozart like prodigy! Stay well!
|
|
|
Post by javajoe on Jul 30, 2021 17:46:17 GMT
javajoe , Thanks, I'll check these out. Joey Alexander is totally off the hook. A Mozart like prodigy! Stay well!
Yes - I'm a hack jazz guy from back in the day, so when I first heard him my jaw literally hit the floor. My favorite is reading the comments section from some of his earliest work... eg, jazz professors from highly esteemed music programs basically saying they wouldn't have been able to even appreciate what he was doing until they were 20-30+ years into their craft.
All that being said, I also have profound respect for his trio who somehow manage to back Joey in the most delicate and controlled ways while adding all sorts of subtle texture as well. Check out some of the kit work "finesse" of Ulysses Owens Jr. which I know you would appreciate in some of his early work like here... www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4V_uaxBVOw
|
|
|
Post by rhythmmethod on Jul 30, 2021 18:02:48 GMT
Thanks again! javajoe - Ulysses Owens, Jr. is a fabulous player. Hanging with Joey is no small feat!
|
|
|
Post by roi2020 on Jul 30, 2021 19:05:21 GMT
I just viewed Joey Alexander's 2015 in-studio performance of Giant Steps. Amazing, especially when you consider that he was only 11 years old at the time!
|
|
|
Post by javajoe on Jul 30, 2021 20:12:38 GMT
I just viewed Joey Alexander's 2015 in-studio performance of Giant Steps. Amazing, especially when you consider that he was only 11 years old at the time! Exactly. Just try to imagine what he'll be doing when he's 30-40+. rhythmmethod can probably do a much better job of describing it, but part of his brilliance is his innate sense of timing, control/restraint, and command of spacing... almost like a whimsical ebb and flow that is easily described but takes a lifetime for most to master. This is a pretty good clip that showcases it along with Kendrick Scott and Larry Grenadier: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtEAR82oygU
Aside, he grew up in Bali and had no formal musical training.. 100% self-taught just by listening to his father's old jazz records from the greats. He started playing with Wynton Marsalis when he was 10, not unlike blues guitar prodigy Joe Bonamassa who BB King invited to tour with him at age 12. If you don't know Joe Banamassa that's a good one to add to this thread as well..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kOl0Ac2k2U
|
|
|
Post by cactusjack on Jul 30, 2021 23:07:29 GMT
richardsok and rhythmmethod are taking me back a long ways. In college I wore out a couple of tracks of Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall "Sing, Sing, Sing". Nothing better than Goodman, Ziggy Elman, Harry James, and of course the linchpin of the track, the great Gene Krupa (who could make those early drum sets sing). Nearly 13 minutes of sheer musical genius.
Also spent a lot of time listening to Kenton, Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, and Joe Williams.
For Gospel it was Mahalia Jackson, Rock and Roll was Big Joe Turner or Little Richard
Between the music and the 25 cent beer it's a wonder I managed to graduate.
|
|
|
Post by chang on Aug 3, 2021 12:28:02 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Chahta on Aug 3, 2021 12:50:30 GMT
Hey Chang, where did you get the like for Big Band? The Hawaiian War Chant was a piece we played in high school band. BB was my parents thing so I heard it growing up.
|
|
|
Post by richardsok on Aug 4, 2021 3:53:13 GMT
|
|
|
Post by chang on Aug 4, 2021 5:43:42 GMT
richardsok I don't have that set, but I have two others GM collections, and they're solid gold. I also have a record of the USAF Band playing GM hits from the days (1985-1990) when I used to live near the Mall and watch all four military bands play summer evening concerts on the Capitol steps and in the Sylvan theater. I had a friend in the USAF Band who invited me once to a rehearsal with Roger Miller ... still remember it. How can anyone not think this is magical .... www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vOUYry_5Nw
|
|
|
Post by chang on Aug 4, 2021 5:45:37 GMT
Hey Chang, where did you get the like for Big Band? The Hawaiian War Chant was a piece we played in high school band. BB was my parents thing so I heard it growing up. Not exactly sure, maybe from my DC days when I used to go to a lot of musical venues, and there were some Big Band revivals. Still have quite a good collection on vinyl.
|
|
|
Post by richardsok on Aug 10, 2021 17:20:22 GMT
Just finished a long-intended project, working my way through THE ILIAD (Lattimore translation); another one of those "Big Works” everyone knows about but few actually read. I also read along side : "THE WAR THAT KILLED ACHILLES” ( C. Alexander) for commentary and insights as I went along. If you're in the life-is-too-short camp when it comes to Greek classics (and I wouldn't blame you) the Alexander book is a great stand-alone alternative without actually slogging through 500 pages of Homeric poetry.
A few brief remarks:
I knew the gods took sides between the Greeks & Trojans, but never fully knew what liars they could be, both to mortals and even among each other. I'll summarize just one episode: Agamemnon , in a snit of greed, demands Achilles turn over Briseis, a girl he'd won and intended for his wife. Achilles turns the gal over but, furious, decides to sit out the rest of the war. His mother, goddess Thetis, runs to Zeus with, “Daddy, you owe me! You made me marry a mortal and granted me just one son. Worse yet, he is destined for a short life.
"Well, if he can't be with me for long, you must see he is honored and respected among the Greeks to make up for the shameful manner Agamemnon has treated him. They must all see how much they need my son.”
Zeus grants her wish and forbids the gods from helping the Greeks. With Achilles out and no aid from Olympus, the tide of battles favors the Trojans with Hector running rampant all the way to the Greek ships lined up on the beaches.
Zeus' wife, Hera, is distraught to see her Greeks being thrashed and hatches a plot. From Aphrodite she borrows Allure and bribes Sleep to cooperate. She distracts Zeus with sex and afterwards, when he has drowsed off, Poseidon is free to wreak havoc on the Trojans. Well, when Zeus finally awakes to find he's been duped -- and the Greeks rallying all the way back to the walls of Troy -- there's hell to pay.
A few more notes Helen wasn't kidnapped. She ran off willingly with Paris but repents when things got out of hand. She & Paris are roundly hated by many Trojans for the war they caused.
Aias (Ajax) is the only hero on the field without some god to favor him.
King Priam knows that all men are destined for sorrow and suffering. He foresees the fall of Troy, its bloody plunder and enslavement.
Everyone detests Ares, god of War.
THE ILIAD is largely understood to glorify warfare. On the contrary, its great themes are “Life is more precious than glory” and “For those dying in battle, there is no recompense .” In the sequel, The Odyssey, Odysseus goes down to visit the souls of the dead and finds Achilles in the darkness. He remarks “You were the greatest, most fortunate and most honored among all mortals.” And the faint, drifting soul of Achilles answers, “I'd rather be the meanest landless plowman among the living than be the King of Hades down here.”
Epic and Tragic.
|
|
|
Post by johntaylor on Aug 11, 2021 12:00:10 GMT
Interesting. Just walked by the bookshelf of family beach house and noticed Edith Hamilton's The Greek Way, which my mother long ago told me to read
|
|
|
Post by richardsok on Aug 11, 2021 14:05:20 GMT
Interesting. Just walked by the bookshelf of family beach house and noticed Edith Hamilton's The Greek Way, which my mother long ago told me to read I read it way back in my early 20s. If dim memory serves, I seem to recollect it was rather good; serious and thoughtful, though my tastes were much different back then. If one is limited to what's on the beach house shelves, you might give it a try. A more engaging quick 'n fun read of the ancients & classics is Cahill's SAILING THE WINE DARK SEA. I'm told serious historians sniff at its irreverence and light survey approach, but it's supposed to be quite a pleasure as an introduction to the Greeks and their culture. I know I've enjoyed some of Cahill's other historical analyses. Will close with a second plug for THE WAR THAT KILLED ACHILLES.
|
|
|
Post by bb2 on Aug 20, 2021 19:16:49 GMT
I love this guy. NYU biz prof and his blog ranges from business to everything including being a father. It's sometimes very personal and poignant. www.profgalloway.com/This week's Galloway post is about China. Also, Beyond the Khyber Pass; author, John Waller. Brits in the region in the early/mid 1800's. Current events kind of stuff.
|
|