Sunday, September 6, 2020

Sunday Music Muse Day - Brian Blade, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Warped Sky Stray Cloud - Sentinel

 On the picture perfect September day, the Sunday Music Muse Day find me again offering two selection win a common player as sideman and leader.  First up is drummer Brian Blade Fellowship  Perceptual with Kurt Rosenwinkle on guitars, and a guest vocal by Joni Mitchell.  Blade presents a powerful, insightful music solidly in keeping the group's "Fellowship" as apparent in the personal dedication for the songs.  Fellowship is something we should seek n these chaotic times.  





My second selection is guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkle East Coast Love Affair, one of his first recording from 1999, recorded at Small's Club in NYC in July 1996.  I admit I've only became aware of Rosenwinkle in past 10 years or, as a son of a library co-worker played with him and she brought him to my attention.  I think of him as one of new crop of jazz guitarists carrying the torch after my  70's favorites, like John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny John Scofield, John Abercrombie and Pat Martino. This definitely a solid early CD.  I actually like this more than some of his later work.




Next is another Warped Sky Stray Clouds post, "Sentinel - A Triple Play" is a original tune, written in 1978, and originally recorded as a duet with flute improv by Richard Miceli, my creative partner in the undiscovered :Warped Sky Band. The original version. with Richard's flute playing is included at the end of this video.



This new versions were made with my guitar playing, and using a backing track created in Band in a Box music software. I dedicated the title to Jack Kirby, "King of Comic Books". I also paid a musical tribute to Carlos Santana in my solo in the first version. The second version was to use a sparser arrangement closer to the original. With Band in a Box, 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'm often surprised how simple tunes sound fleshed out by a full band, even an artificial one.

Again, these music posts are a way to finish off forgotten musical ideas, just for the plain fun of it. Enjoy.

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