Sunday Music Muse Day - Father's Day Edition - The Guitar Trio - John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia, Warped Sky - Stray Clouds

Happy Father's Day to all dad of all kind, shapes, and sizing.  All the best, on this Sunday Music Muse Day.  My buddy Rodney Mean shared a concert video of a version of the super charged acoustic Guitar Trio of John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, and Paco DeLucia from 1979.  I inspired me to pulled a two albums with Al Di Meola, which I think was the original lineup and the on that recorded and toured in the U.S.  :The Friday Night In San Francisco - Live, (1981) and Passion Grace & Fire.  and later The Guitar Trio CD (1996) I remember attending a NYC concert with McLaughlin, Di Meola, and De Lucia, probably about the late 70s. The blazing speed and shear barrage of notes never seem to diminish the high quality of the music.

Keeping with theme of Father's Day, here's a song about children. (Actually another (embarrassing) attempt to clear the backlog of undeveloped and unfinished music ideas.) "Flowers" is an original tune written by friend Peter Grosett back in 1982. Peter and I met at the Guitar Center in NYC, where we were taking lessons and started practicing. Peter was pursuing a career in Jazz guitar, and I was just trying to justify having a guitar. He was always a more accomplished player than I, but somehow we clicked and we liked playing together. We even did a couple of pay-for-tips gigs a East Village cafe, La Figero, and at an uptown venue. One of the joys of playing with Peter was his sharing his original tunes. "Flower; was actually performed in public, vocals and all. (There is reel-to-reel of it I need to transfer before it rots) As part of my Dragonfly Views blog I have a Sunday Music Muse Day post where I always hoped to present original music that I had filed away mostly unfinished and unheard, always putting it off because my playing leaves much to desired. But as I get older it becomes apparent waiting for perfect has become an excuse not to do anything. But, sometimes you just have to get things out of your system. So, rough edges and all here is the song, "Flowers". I hope it give a hints of the good song Peter wrote. This backing track was created in Band in a Box music software. You write in chords and a lead line and it creates a backing track and even a solo performance, with varying degrees of success. I admit the version came out more "smooth jazz" than I would like, and BIAB sound can be clunky and rough, but thats Jazz.

Peter and I are still in touch and his creative paths has turned to photography. I'm glad I was able to incorporate one of photo in this video. I hope my Peter like it as a tribute to his all around creative spirit. old and new. Enjoy

Sunday Music Muse Day - Bill Conners

This Sunday music Muse Day I had a single pick, Bill Conners Of Mist and Melting.  This is one of ECM re-issue of classic albums from their deep catalog.  This Bill Conners was the original electric guitar in Chick Corea's Return to Forever, the legendary Jazz-Fusion group.  Bill Conner left after the first album to pursue a solo career.  Of Mist and Melting is one in series of albums for ECM where he plays acoustic guitar.  I already had this on vinyl from it's original release in 1978, but couldn't resist getting it for the convenience of the CD format. 

I actually have cassette tape of an unreleased solo concert of Bill Conners, playing classical guitar  at the Tralfamadore Cafe in Buffalo, NY.  (early 1980s ?) from Public Radio program.

I'm always tempted to upload this to youtube for Bill Conners and ECM fans, I'm torn on the issue of bootleg material that doesn't benefit the artist. Having a lot of professional musician friends, as an artist myself control of your is important.  I'm hoping the concert still exist in vault somewhere and it released someday.

Sunday Muse Day - Warped Sky - Stray Cloud

Sunday Music Muse Day. "Is This Your Life Music" is an original tune written by me back in 1982. The lyrics seem to remain relevant to today's social-political climate. 

I felt the need to get them out there. As part of my Dragonfly Views blog I have a Sunday Music Muse Day post where I always hoped to present original music that I had filed away mostly unfinished and unheard, always putting it off because my playing leaves much to desired. never progressing above rank amateur. But as I get older it becomes apparent waiting for perfect has become an excuse not to do anything. So, rough edges and all here is the song, "Is This Your Life". But, sometimes you just have to get things out of your system.
This "2020" version is an update. I did a rougher version (if that's possible) back in 2017 after Trump was elected. This version made using a backing track created in Band in a Box music software. You write in chords and a lead line and it creates a backing track and even a solo performance, with varying degrees of success. So the video has two versions, one with sax part generated in BIAB, which is kind of funky. I'm think of submitting this and other tunes to HITRECORD, the online creative collaboration group, I could use all the help I can get.

Enjoy.