Friday, March 4th
sounds of Chicago (and Springfield)
Never underestimate the power of idiosyncrasy.
Daniel Knox, live, Paris, 2015
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lagniappe
art beat
William Klein (1928-), Brooklyn, 1955
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Category: piano
2016
Tuesday, March 1st
Another favorite ballad.
“I Thought About You” (J. Van Heusen & J. Mercer), Mal Waldron (piano), Jeanne Lee (vocals), et al., live, France (Marciac), 2000
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lagniappe
art beat
Helen Levitt (1913-2009; MCOTD Hall of Fame), New York, c. 1945
2016
Monday, February 29th
timeless
One of my favorite ballads.
“I Can’t Get Started” (V. Duke & I. Gershwin), Art Blakey (drums), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone), Lee Morgan (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), live (TV show), London, 1964
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lagniappe
reading table
What I try to do is not miss anything.
—Cubs manager Joe Maddon, on his goal at work each day
2016
Monday, January 25th
The last time I heard a trumpeter this quiet, this subtle, this interesting was . . . hmmm . . .
Ambrose Akinmusire (ah-kin-MOO-sir-ee) Quintet,* live, Luxembourg (Dudelange), 2014
*****
*AM, trumpet; Charles Atura, guitar; Sam Harris, piano; Harish Raghavan, bass; Justin Brown, drums.
2016
Sunday, January 24th
testify!
Inez Andrews (1929-2012), James Cleveland (1931-1991), “I Appreciate,” live
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lagniappe
reading table
Don’t you love the Oxford dictionary? When I first read it I thought it was a really really long poem about everything.
—David Bowie (1947-2016)
*****
random thoughts
Note to self: Incline, always, toward the light.
2016
Friday, January 22nd
only rock ‘n’ roll
More of Tenement.
Live, Madison, Wis., 1/15/16
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lagniappe
my back pages
On a cold, snowy night thirty-nine years ago, at a church outside Chicago, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman (MCOTD Hall of Fame) and pianist John Young performed at a wedding ceremony. Both are now gone. All of what they played that night – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” “More” (before); “In a Sentimental Mood” (unaccompanied saxophone, as the bride walked down the aisle); “My Favorite Things,” “Song for My Father” (after) – may be heard here (0:15-).
2016
Thursday, January 21st
Ashley Fure (1982-), Soma (2012)
Curious Chamber Players, live, Germany (Darmstadt), 2012
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lagniappe
musical thoughts
Why shouldn’t our music be as mysterious as our life?
2016
Monday, January 18th
spellbinding
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano (1978); Natalia Gutman (cello), Vassily Lobanov (piano)
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lagniappe
musical thoughts
How sad that some miss out, put off by an unfortunate label – “classical.”
2016
Saturday, January 16th
generous-souled
Salim Washington/Darius Jones Quintet (SW, tenor saxophone; DJ, alto saxophone; Yayoi Ikawa, piano; Mark Helias, bass; Tyshawn Sorey, drums), live, New York, 2012
music clip of the day 