The Safari finds NYC Jazz from Brian Lynch Unsung Heroes Vol. 1 and Vol. 2!

The other day I was reviewing the Weekly Jazz Chart   and there at No 19 just below Dr Lonnie Smith was an Brian Lynch and his latest album Unsung Heroes Vol. 2. The tagline on the album is “a tribute to underappreciated trumpet masters” sounds like my kind of album! I went to Spotify found the album sat back and listened to some damn good trumpet playing. So now I needed to find out some more about Brian Lynch a trumpeter that I have not come across yet! From Wikipedia… Read More

Archives: Neo Prog from Australia – Anubis – Tower of Silence

Yesterday I noted that at number 8 on the Prog Archives list of best albums over the last few years is A Tower Of Silence by the Australian neo-prog band Anubis. I gave it a quick listen and it sounded like something I would like, so I put it on the iPhone and gave it a more thorough listen this morning. I put it on as I was shopping in Target this morning and I really liked what I heard. We had been in the store for about 40 minutes or so we were ready to leave so I thought I’d check as to where I was on the album – I was all the way to track FOUR! I hadn’t noticed that the opening track “The Passing Bell” – was in typical ProgRock fashion was over 17 minutes long! Read More

A Return to Its Roots for Me,Myself,Music and Mysteries and FreeWheelin’ Music Safari Cranks it Up!!

Ok so when I started this blog, my thoughts were to write about the music that I’ve listened to over the years and the books that I read. Well, as the site developed it started to morph into more of Edward explores new roots music, bur I still stayed within the general Americana genre which includes, folk, bluegrass, Americana, and blues with a little jazz and New Age thrown in. Then I started to spread out and include some prog rock, and I found that I really like that genre. Next came jazz and explorations of that genre has fascinated me. Over the last year I’ve discovered many new jazz artists that I really like. Now I’ve expanded into World Music and more New Age, yikes!! Over the last month or so I’ve started another site FreeWheelin’ Music Safari to have a place to chronicle these new explorations. The reason for that is, I don’t know how many people are as diverse in the their musical tastes. Do people who like prog rock like folk and bluegrass, I doubt it,Conversely do people who are fans of New Age like twangy Americana, again, I don’t think so. So from this point forward. Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries will return to its roots and go back to mostly twangy music. I will have a link at both sites directing readers to the other site, if they ARE as eclectic in their tastes as I am!! I will do my best to keep both sites going ( I think I’ll just have headphones surgically implanted) Read More

Crossover Prog from the UK: Into the Night with Big Big Train

Big Big Train – Crossover Prog – United Kingdom

So my son Andrew came over to me in the market at Target,the other night, when he finished his shift.  He asked if the track from Big Big Train he had put in my Father’s mix made it to my computer. I told him no. Because not all of the tracks transferred  properly to my computer from his thumb drive. He told me that he thought I would like them. He told me their new album English Electric was getting rave reviews and it was really good. So last night and today, I have been listening to the album. He was correct in his opinion that I would like them. They are English prog-rock band composed of: Andy Poole / Dave Gregory / David Longdon / Nick D’Virgilio / Greg Spawton. Read More

Archives:Crossover Prog from the UK: Into the Night with Big Big Train

So my son Andrew came over to me in the market at Target,the other night, when he finished his shift and asked if the track from Big Big Train he had put in my Father’s mix made it to my computer. I told him no, see not all the tracks got transferred to my computer from his thumb drive. He told me that he thought I would like them and that their new album English Electric was getting rave reviews and that it was really good. So last night and today, I have been listening to the album and he was correct in his opinion that I would like them. They are English prog-rock band composed of: Andy Poole / Dave Gregory / David Longdon / Nick D’Virgilio / Greg Spawton.   Read More

Archives:The Music Safari revisits the Ruhr Area of Germany and InVertigo!

Originally posted at Me,Myself, Music and Mysteries –  August 1, 2012

I guess Andrew started it with his Prog-Rock playlist for Father’s Day and the morning roots remembering continued it and over the last few days I’ve been listening to a lot of Prog-Rock. I’ve already written about one of the bands Dreamscape and today I’ve been listening to another InVertigo. Over the last two days I’e been listening to both of their albums Next Stop Veritgo and their latest release Veritas and I have enjoyed them both. Read More

The Safari visits Ethiopia and finds the Music of Mulatu Astatke – Sketches of Ethiopia

This afternoon the Music Safari took a little trip of the most populous landlocked country in the world Ethiopia. The reason for the trip was to explore the music of Mulatu Astatke. The genesis of the trip  was a review of the World Music Charts – Europe – where his most recent release Sketches of Ethiopia was spotted at No 4! Read More

This Day in Music – December 11, 1938 – McCoy Tyner’s Birthday!!

Today McCoy Tyner celebrates his 75th birthday, Happy Birthday, McCoy. From his biography at Facebook,

It is not an overstatement to say that modern jazz has been shaped by the music of McCoy Tyner. His blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand has transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. His harmonic contributions and dramatic rhythmic devices form the vocabulary of a majority of jazz pianists.  Read More

2013 Prog Rock – The Safari Finds German Neo-Prog Rockers – Subsignal – Paraiso!

The soundtrack for this morning’s work around the house was the latest release from Subsignal, a German Neo-Prog (there’s that sub-genre again)  band Subsignal’s latest release Paraíso. Paraiso was released back in September of this year. I listened to the deluxe edition of the album which is two discs. The first disc is Paraiso and the second disc is a collection of various live performances of songs from previous albums, which was great for me, who knew nothing about the band. Read More