Happy (75th) Birthday, Merle!
Merle Haggard, live
“Lonesome Fugitive,” Buck Owens Ranch Show, 1966
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“Working Man Blues,” Austin City Limits, 1978
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“Today I Started Loving You Again,” with Tammy Wynette, England (Wemberly), 1988
Welcome to the maelstrom.
Miles Davis Group,* live, Berlin, 1973
Part 1: Turnaroundphrase
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Part 2: Turnaroundphrase, cont.; Tune in 5
*MD, trumpet; David Liebman, saxophone; Pete Cosey, guitar, percussion; Reggie Lucas, guitar; Michael Henderson, bass; Al Foster, drums; Mtume, percussion.
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lagniappe
reading table
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.—Antonio Mochado (1875-1939), “Last Night As I Was Sleeping” (translated from Spanish by Robert Bly)
One singer’s garbage is another’s gold.
Nina Simone, “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life” (adapted from Hair)
Live, New York (Harlem Cultural Festival), 1969
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lagniappe
yesterday
Listening to the radio, where they were talking about post-war modernist architecture, I learned a new term for people my age: “mid-century.”
When we last saw Miles, playing in Germany in 1967, he was wearing a suit and tie. Here, two years later, his wardrobe is headed in a new direction. So is his music.
Miles Davis Quintet,* live, France (Antibes), 1969
“Milestones,” “Footprints,” “’Round Midnight”
*MD, trumpet; Wayne Shorter, tenor and soprano saxophones; Chick Corea, electric piano; Dave Holland, bass; Jack DeJohnette, drums.
Willie Neal Johnson & The Gospel Keynotes
“Just For Me,” live
“Well, all right?” Gospel singers often follow a song, immediately, with a question. This opens a performance up, welcoming anyone who wants to come in, believer or not.
only rock ’n’ roll
The Cramps, live
California State Mental Hospital (Napa), 1978
career plans for the next life
If none of the other things I’ve mentioned pan out (tap dancer, rubboard player, reggae bassist), I might take a stab at playing guitar in a Malian band.
Salif Keita & Band, live, Germany (Leverkusener), 2010
Part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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lagniappe
reading table
a glimpse of moon
over my home village . . .
then clouds—Kobayashi Issa, 1807 (translated from Japanese by David G. Lanoue)
*****
taking a break
I’m going to take a little break—back soon.
Listening to this is like surfing: the trick is to catch a wave and ride it.
Charles Gayle Trio,* live, New York (Knitting Factory), 1996
Part 1
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Part 2
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Part 3
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Part 4
More? Here.
*Charles Gayle (piano, tenor saxophone), Gerald Benson (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums).
only rock ’n’ roll
What’s old is new again.
Alabama Shakes, live
Pegasus Records, Florence, Alabama, 8/21/11
“I Found You”
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“Hold On”
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lagniappe
Just Like Being There (2012)
Need a lift?
You’ve come to the right place.
Slim and the Victory Aries, live, Paducah, Kentucky, c. 2008
“Alright Now”
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“Shoes”
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lagniappe
musical thoughts
[I]n the African-American gospel tradition, the music is the liturgy. . . . If Jesus spoke in parables because it was hard, otherwise, for him to make clear what he intended, gospel music has a similar form, a parabolic form, as if to suggest: what we want you to know about God is in the shape of this statement, in the experience of singing this music and listening to this music. If you can be transported here, inside the church, by this music, you can be transported out there.
—Rick Moody, “Gospel For Beginners”
