Evening thoughts : “Navajo Rug” – Grandson Oliver and his Great-Grandparents Clarke!

So I just finished a four mile run, when actually maybe a one mile jog to almost fast walk, I hate the hot weather! Anyway, after I  was finished, I collapsed in my chair here in front of the computer and almost fell asleep, I did manage to get up and take a shower. As I was getting out of the shower I was trying to think of what to eat, something maybe quick and light and  decided on a fried egg sandwich. That  means two eggs on toast….., which in turn leads my mind to “Well, it’s two eggs up on whiskey toast……” and Jerry Jeff …. Read More

2014 Jazz Organ – from Jared Gold – JG3+3 = a great jazz sextet and album!

JG 3+3Somewhere a while back I became aware of jazz organist Jared Gold. I think I first saw Jared’s name when I was searching for Dave Stryker’s album 8-Track (which I still have not found). Anyway, over the last couple of months, I’ve watched Gold’s latest release JG3+3 climb the JazzWeek Charts and have gone to Spotify to check the album out and come away empty. This week I did the same thing and this time the album was available and it has been in my jazz rotation this week and I have a new jazz organist favorite to add to my  ever-growing collection. Read More

Exploring the Music of Ahmad Jamal on his birthday (July 2nd) Happy 84th Birthday, Ahmad!

Ahmad JAmalOn this date July 2nd in 1930  jazz, composer, pianist and educator Ahmad Jamal was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Now, while I have seen his name on the JazzWeek charts over the last several months when his latest release Saturday Morning (No 29 on the 2013 Jazz Week Year End Chart)  was on the charts. His name sounded sort of familiar, but I admit I didn’t know much about the man and his music. So when I read at Wikipedia today, that American music critic Stanley Crouch places him second in importance in the development of jazz after 1945 I was surprised. As I read on, I read…. Read More

Explorations of Jazz Fusion – Jazz Rock and Finding Connections to My Vinyl Collection

Bitches BrewSo a few days ago in my post about the sub-genres of jazz, I wrote that I still had some sub-genres to add to the mix. One of those sub-genres is Jazz Fusion/Jazz-Rock, which  rose in the late 60s, kinda’ peaked in the 1970s, but managed to extend into the 1980s and 90s and many musician’s music still  fit into sub-genre today!  This is probably the  sub-genre that I have least explored at least as far as jazz bands go. From Wikipedia….. Read More

Today in Music – July 1, 1915 – Blues Icon Willie Dixon was born!!

Willie DixonToday is the 99th anniversary of the birth of Willie Dixon(July 1, 1915 – January 29, 1992) and I bet somewhere on almost every night of the year someone is

playing one of the 500 songs that he wrote! It could be a jazz, blues or rock artist because Willie’s songs appeal to lovers of  many genres. He was one of the two artists, the other Muddy Waters, that were the most influential in shaping the sound of Chicago blues in the post World War II years, as well as, rock and roll in the 50s and 60s. I think that my first introduction to the blues of Dixon was Cream’s cover of “Spoonful”, wait maybe it was The Doors “Back Door Man” or maybe Led Zeppelin “I Can’t Quit You” but it was probably Johnnie Rivers covering “Seventh Son” and I didn’t even know it!! Well, you get the picture. Here’s a link to a list songs of Willie Dixon, along with the artists who cover them!! From Wikipedia some of the songs….. Read More

Fredric Wertham and the Comic Code Authority Making Comic Books Safe for Kids!!

One of the books that I am reading is Harold Schecter’s The Mad Sculptor: the maniac, the model and the murder that shook the nation. The Mad Sculptor is Robert Irwin, prior to committing the murder (I haven’t gotten that far yet) Irwin is committed to Bellevue hospital, after an attempt at a little self-emasculation (he stopped because of the pain). While he was there one of the psychiatrists who saw him was Fredric Wertham. Read More

2014 Progressive Metal from Iran – Whispers in Crimson – Suicide in B Minor!

Suicide in B MinorThis morning I was reviewing the new progressive rock albums that have been released in June. Among the releases was Suicide in B Minor by Whispers in Crimson which was released on June 24th. What made the album particularly interesting to me was,  the band hails from Tehran in Iran. I knew that progressive metal had a strong following in the Middle East, but I also thought that it was difficult to produce metal music in Iran, which is actually pretty much the case according to the founder of Whispers in Crimson  Amirali Nourbakhsh,  who in the band’s biography at their bandcamp site says: Read More

From the Archives – A Morning of Jazz – Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly – Smokin’ at the Blue Note!

Smokin' at the Half Note

Last night when I was sifting through my vinyl collection I came across the Wes Montgomery album Willow Weep For Me, Finding that album reminded me of this post I had written a while ago. I read the liner notes for the album which has always been a favorite and discovered that in the summer of 1968 Verve Records discovered previously unreleased tracks and the seven that are included on Willow Weep for Me were recorded at the same booking at The Half Note in Greenwich Village! In the notes Richard Lamb writes: Read More