Merry Christmas!
Steel drummers, “Silent Night,” London, 12/11
***
Glasses player, “Jingle Bells,” Bonn, 12/06
***
Brass band, “This Christmas” (1:55-, D. Hathaway), New Orleans, 12/09
only rock ’n’ roll
There are only a few bands I come back to often.
One of them is The National.
—my (25-year-old) son Alex, talking music the other day
The National, “Fake Empire,” live, New York, 2011
***
More?
Live, Netherlands, 2011*
**********
lagniappe
musical thoughts
Here’s Bryan Ferry talking about his new album (featured yesterday):
*****
*Here’s the set list (courtesy of a YouTube comment):
00:00 runaway. 06:30 anyone’s ghost. 09:45 bloodbuzz ohio. 14:40 afraid of everyone. 19:00 conversation 16. 23:20 lemonworld. 27:04 apartment story. 30:50 sorrow. 35:50 england. 42:10 fake empire. 45:45 encore break. 48:05 mr november. 53:13 terrible love.
sounds of Thailand
Kung Narin Phin Sing, live, Thailand
**********
lagniappe
reading table
Like a tropical storm,
I, too, may one day become “better organized.”—Lydia Davis, “Tropical Storm” (The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, 2009)
passings
Dave Brubeck, pianist, composer, bandleader
December 6, 1920-December 5, 2012
Dave Brubeck Quartet (DB, piano; Paul Desmond, alto saxophone; Gene Wright, bass; Joe Morello, drums), TV show (Jazz Casual with Ralph J. Gleason*), 1961 (followed by other clips)
**********
lagniappe
found words
japanese punk band with sousaphone
—Web search that brought someone here
*****
*Gleason, who died in 1975, had a hand in a lot of different things, including the Monterey Jazz Festival (cofounder, 1958) and Rolling Stone (cofounder, 1967).
two takes
Stephanie McDee, “Call the Police”
Recording (Living The Blues), 2002
***
Live, Baton Rouge, 2012
**********
lagniappe
reading table
We know we are very special. Yet we keep trying to find out in what way: not this way, not that way, then what way?
—Lydia Davis, “Special” (The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, 2009)
We ain’t never goin’ home . . .
—Neneh Cherry (59:55)*
Neneh Cherry & The Thing (Mats Gustafsson, baritone saxophone, electronics; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, bass; Paal Nilssen-Love, drums), live, Austria (Konfrontationen 2012, Nickelsdorf), 7/21/12
*“Call the Police” (S. McDee).
My favorite drummer?
There are days I’d say this is the guy.
Among the many things I love about his playing, which dances, always, is the balance of simplicity and complexity—it’s never more complex than it is simple, never simpler than it is complex.
Old and New Dreams (Don Cherry [1936-1995], pocket trumpet; Dewey Redman [1931-2006], tenor saxophone; Charlie Haden [1937-], bass; Ed Blackwell [1929-1992], drums), live
**********
lagniappe
reading table
Art is not in some far-off place.
—Lydia Davis, “Extracts from a Life” (The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, 2009)
only rock ’n’ roll
I’ve got another band for you . . .
—my (25-year-old) son Alex, earlier this week, before playing me a couple tracks off their new album (Lonerism)
Tame Impala, live (“Be Above It,” “Solitude Is Bliss,” “Endors Toi”), New York (Webster Hall), 11/10/12
Will the ’60s ever end?
enchanted forest
Bobo Stenson Trio (BS, piano; Anders Jormin, bass; Jon Fält, drums), “Olivia,” Sweden, 2009
Happy 100th Birthday, Teddy!
Teddy Wilson, pianist, November 24, 1912-July 31, 1986
“Rosetta,” 1934
***
“Body and Soul,” with the Benny Goodman Trio (BG, clarinet; TW, piano; Gene Krupa, drums), 1935
***
“Foolin’ Myself,” Teddy Wilson Orchestra (TW, piano; Billie Holiday, vocals; Lester Young, tenor saxophone; Freddie Green, guitar; Jo Jones, drums, et al.), 1937
**********
lagniappe
radio
WKCR-FM’s celebration of his centennial, which I mentioned the other day, runs through midnight Sunday.
*****
musical thoughts
John Cage (whose centennial we recently celebrated), Conlon Nancarrow (ditto), Teddy Wilson—they’d make a helluva band.
music clip of the day 