There have been some changes in the Neo Prog rock band Gandalf’s Fist, since their last release A Day in the Life of a Universal Wanderer. The new release A Forest of Fey, is Gandalf Fist’s first release as a four-person band! What hasn’t changed is the stellar progressive rock delivered by the band!
Today I am reposting a post from December 12th of last year Brian Lynch Unsung Heroes Vol.1 and Vol.2. It was written shortly after I discovered the great jazz trumpet of Brian Lynch. I am reposting it today, because over the last week or so I have listened to Brian’s new release, Question Answered,and maybe this post will force me to write about Brian’s great new release featuring the piano of Emmett Cohen!! Here’s last year’s post….
Wes Montgomery was a great jazz guitarist, but his most successful album A Day in the Life, and single “Windy” were more “Pop” than jazz. However, back in 1967 and ’68, when I was listening mostly to rock and pop music, it was through Montgomery’s albums on A&M records, that I discovered the incredible jazz guitar of Wes Montgomery.
I started to keep track of the books that I read in 1988. I kept record of themin A Book Lover’s Journal and wrote short blurbs about the books. Here is a list of the 54 books that I read in 1990. That’s the most books read of any year, since I’ve kept records! Reviewing the list, I see that it was the year I discovered William G Tapply’s Brady Coyne. After reading Dead Winter, the eighth book in the series, which was released in 1989, I quickly went back and read the prior seven books! Tapply wrote 20 more Brady Coyne novels of which I’ve read 16. Books #21 Shadow of Death and #25 One-Way Ticket are on my to be read bookshelves! Maybe it’s time to rediscover this great series! In 1990 the second most read series was the Mongo Mystery series from George C Chesbro. I read four books from this series. From Goodreads….
So while I haven’t finished any books in a little while that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been reading and out buying new books, much to the consternation of my better half. So what’s been happening. First I started to read the second book in the David Loogan series from Harry Dolan Very Bad Men, which I have checked out of the library. No, wait, first I started to read William Kent Krueger‘s latest Cork O’Connor book Windigo Island on the Kindle, then Very Bad Men. Then to compound everything, I went to Dollar General where I saw Sanctus by Simon Toyne, which looked pretty interesting. From the cover: “Frightening, ruthless, and relentlessly entertaining” – Brad Meltzer “A cliffhanger ….. that aspires to towering heights” Kirkus Reviews So never being one to pass up a bargain book $3.00 for a $9.99 list book from 2011, I bought it and then started it. So now I am reading three books!! I am making progress in each one and right now, none of them have grabbed me to the point ,that I will only read that book!! Hopefully, one of them will!! Finally in the midst of all this, I went to the Dollar Tree the other night with my wife and much to her dismay I bought three more books! – At dollar each how can you go wrong!! The books are: Silent Screams – C.E. Lawrence The Coldest Fear – Rick Reed Delirious – Daniel Palmer Anyone have an opinion as to which of these I should read first?? Oh , the third Keye Street book from Amanda Kyle Williams is on my to be read shelf, checked out from the library!! Can you say too many books, not enough time!!! I wouldn’t want it any other way!! It’s time for me to crank up some jazz and get reading!!
When I started writing this blog, I said it was about the books that I read and the music that I listened to, well, some how I’ve gotten away from that central premise as far as music goes. To remedy that situation, last night I traveled back to that early music that I can hardly remember, although I do remember going to the Steel Pier with my parents to see Ricky Nelson and Bobby Darin! Tonight ,the Wayback Machine moved forward from 1958 to that pivotal year of 1968, a year of upheaval for our country and a year of change for me, as I moved away from R&B mostly Motown to the new emerging underground rock scene.
