What are you listening to?

[mongers]

"Next up, some more classic rock from the 90s!"

And this is a positive thing?

As it is I was exaggerating the Beloved album only came out 30 years ago last month. 

[PDH]

I was changing a quote from one of the students who worked for us last year: "Yeah my mom likes classic rock from the 90s."

[mongers]

I was changing a quote from one of the students who worked for us last year: "Yeah my mom likes classic rock from the 90s."

Have you been borrowing my Zimmer frame again?

[Savonarola]

Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968)

Other than "Itchycoo Park," Small Faces never really made it big in the United States (I believe they were a much bigger deal in the UK); and I had never heard anything else by them.  This album, while in the spirit of the times, is a fine example of British psychedelia.  They lyrics weren't quite as sharp as The Kinks, and they were nowhere near as weird as The Incredible String Band (Small Faces music hall sing-a-long is about a prostitute; TISB is about a Minotaur), but they were somewhere in that realm.  The second side of the album is a fairy tale narrated by Stanley Unwin about a boy named Stan and his friend a fly as they go in search of what happened to the other half of the moon.  Like I said it was in the spirit of the time.

This is the last album as Small Faces; Lead Singer / Lead Guitarist Steve Marriott would leave the band to form Humble Pie and the remaining Small Faces would replace him with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood to form Faces.

I read that Small Faces were Mods, they got their name because "Face" was a leader in Mod circle (the Who's fan club was "The Hundred Faces," hence that line in "Bell Boy") and they were all short.

[Savonarola]

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)

Fortunately they changed their name (from the Golliwogs) before their first album.  John Fogerty's influences (which Allmusic rightly describes as Stax, Sun and the swamp) were all set by this point; but his songwriting was still weak.  The hits from the album (Susie Q and I Put a Spell on You) are covers.  "Porterville" (a non-charting single) does show what's to come, but CCR was still doing lo-o-ong solos at this point, sort of like a swampy Grateful Dead .

They'd keep a couple long jams on the next album "Bayou Country"; but they'd more or less die out by "Green River" (both released in 1969.)

[Malthus]

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)

Fortunately they changed their name (from the Golliwogs) before their first album.  John Fogerty's influences (which Allmusic rightly describes as Stax, Sun and the swamp) were all set by this point; but his songwriting was still weak.  The hits from the album (Susie Q and I Put a Spell on You) are covers.  "Porterville" (a non-charting single) does show what's to come, but CCR was still doing lo-o-ong solos at this point, sort of like a swampy Grateful Dead .

They'd keep a couple long jams on the next album "Bayou Country"; but they'd more or less die out by "Green River" (both released in 1969.)

With "The Golliwogs" they would have their stage costumes already established! 😄

[Savonarola]

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (1968)

A high point in Johnny Cash's career.  (His career had a number of low points as anyone who has seen "Walk the Line" knows; and "Walk the Line" didn't even include The Chicken in Black or his career as a Taco Bell Pitchman.)  The songs all about prison and prisoners range are at times funny, tragic, moving, spiritual, heartbreaking and wry.  Cash's rapport with the prisoners really shines through on the album.  I think this is both Cash's best album and one of the best live albums.

[Savonarola]

With "The Golliwogs" they would have their stage costumes already established! 😄

[Syt]

So I'm using the quarantine to reconnect with classical music again a bit.

Via Operavision.eu I came across this wonderful production of Handel's Xerxes by the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf/Duisburg.

https://youtu.be/6PwgiZJriCg

I love me baroque opera, and the production is, uhm, very baroque, and at times quite whimsical.

And Valer Sabadus is wonderful as titular Xerxes.







The production is in German and Italian, but English subtitles are available.

[The Brain]

Are those real sheep?

[Maladict]

Watching a broadcast of the Matthew Passion at the Concertgebouw

https://youtu.be/RwHCdsjWloA

[Eddie Teach]

Are those real sheep?

They identify as such.

[Savonarola]

Bill Withers died   

[The Minsky Moment]

Branford Marsalis Quartet -  The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul (2019)

Latest COVID project is listening to the "JazzTimes" critics 10 ten albums for each year in the decade - starting with #1 in 2019.

Branford doesn't record that much for a musician of his eminence.  3/4 of this quartet has been together since 1999, the current drummer joined in 2009.  The quartet recorded only 3 times from 2009-18, including one collaboration with singer Kurt Elling.  So an album release merits attention. The last purely instrumental release (all the way back in 2012!) was called "Four MFs Playin' Tunes" and that would have worked just as well for this one because that's what it is.  Branford is the prima inter pares of this group, but this is an ensemble effort. I have no exposure to drummer Justin Faulker outside of his work with this group, but he really shines here.  It's a typical Branford effort in that there is no real core sound or style, he draws from the entire history of the music.  It really is 4 guys playing tunes. Is it the best jazz album of 2019?  We'll see but you could do a lot worse.

[Liep]

This playlist called Sunday Series, features mainly lower tempo music

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ujM9vGb9jUlCr3JURDqfB