guitar | music clip of the day

Friday, August 23rd

Stevie Wonder with Prince, “Superstition” (S. Wonder), live, Paris, 2010

Not many stars would handle this the way Prince does. Actually, what’s most impressive is what he doesn’t do. Given a guitar solo, he doesn’t try to steal the show—or even draw attention. Instead, he feeds the groove.

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lagniappe

reading table

Sophistication is upscale conformity.

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What is more yours than what always holds you back?

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The heart is a small, cracked cup, easy to fill, impossible to keep full.

—James Richardson, “Even More Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays from Vectors 3.0” (excerpts)

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2013

Sunday, August 18th

alone

Boyd Rivers, “You Got To Take Sick And Die (One Of These Days),” live, Canton, Miss., 1978

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death, n. the final exhale.

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2013

Friday, August 16th

sounds of Mali

Tired of having your feet on the ground?

Salif Keita, live, Netherlands (Hertme), July 6th

“A Demain”

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“Yamore”

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“Madan”

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2013

Monday, August 12th

sounds of Brazil

Gilberto Gil (1942-; vocals, guitar) with Dominguinhos (1941-2013; accordion), “Lamento Sertanejo,” live, 2010

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lagniappe

musical thoughts

What would it be like to live in a world that sounded everywhere the same?

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2013

Monday, August 5th

old school

Stevie Wonder, live (TV show), Germany, 1974

It doesn’t take long, sometimes, to realize how strong something is. With this, for instance, I could listen all day, happily, to a loop of the first ninety seconds.

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2013

Monday, 7/29/13

passings

J.J. Cale, singer, songwriter, guitarist, December 5, 1938-July 26, 2013

Today, remembering him, we revisit an earlier post.

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What was it like growing up in the 1950s in the lonesome state of Oklahoma?

Leon Russell knows.

So does this guy.

J.J. Cale (with Eric Clapton), “After Midnight” (J. Cale), live, Dallas, 2004

Who supplies the juice here?

It ain’t the guitar god from England.

It’s the grizzled guitar player from the state with the funny shape (:38-1:12, 1:41-44, 2:14-48, 3:36-50, 4:20-44).

(Originally posted 11/1/10.)

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2013

Sunday, 7/28/13

fire

Boyd Rivers & Ruth May Rivers, “Fire in My Bones,” live, Canton, Miss., 1978

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2013

Sunday, July 21st

making a joyful noise

Evangelist Rosie Haynes (alto saxophone, vocals), “Because He Lives,” live, Milwaukee, 2005

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taking a break

I’m taking some time off—back in a while.

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2013

Monday, July 15th

only rock ’n’ roll

Phil Lee & The Sly Dogs, “A Night in the Box”

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lagniappe

random thoughts

Yesterday, a perfect summer day, walking in the woods with my son’s dog Roscoe, I was reminded, repeatedly, that the thing about nature—the thing that makes an experience like this fundamentally different from, say, sitting in my living room reading a book—is this: it’s buggy.