Welcome to the blog of Dennis J. Woodyard - Journeyman Artist, and Dragonfly Entertainment. Former TV animation producer/director, storyboard artist, character designer, writer, concept artist, Flip book designer, and other professional credits.
This sunny Sunday Music Muse Day, I'm happy to share two new releases I've been looking to. First, from friend Mike Melito To Swing is the Thing. The title says it all. This is a swinging set by one of the hardest swinging jazz drummer you'll ever hear. Mike is a fan of my father's drumming, and I've told him after hearing him play many times, I can hear Sam's legacy in his drumming. Keep swinging, Mike. (P.S. Tom Cohn at the Bop Shop Records store, I bought the last copy of your CD, so he'll need more.)
Next is the new release by Ralph Towner At First Light. This is a solo guitar recording on ECM. Towner remarks in the liner notes how he met ECM founder Manfred Eicher in 1970, "...and to have done my first recording for ECM in 1972. It is a rarity for an artist to remain with the same recording company for an entire career, and I am grateful to be one of them". I'm truly grateful I discovered ECM and Ralph Towner in the 70's, also. Ralph is now 83 and still performing, and touring. Towner's playing and music has always been a favorite of mine. His playing was sort of a bridge between classic guitar and jazz for me. The ECM recordings were always had the feel to them. This is another wonderful addition to the Towner/ECM legacy.
It's Easter Sunday, and Passover, so to all who observe, I wish you peace, love, and joy.
This Sunday Music Muse Day finds us bracing for temperatures reaching the 90s. I managed to mow my lawn before it got too hot, and still sweated bullets. So, with that done it's was time for some afternoon jazz in my air conditioned house. First up is a compliment to last week's Paul Hofman CD featuring Mile Melito, with Bob Sneider and Paul Hofmann Serve and Volley. This 2008 piano-guitar duo outing is their third following Interconcection (2004) and Escapade (2006), which I have also. The music is totally swinging and accessible.
Next up Avishai Cohen Adama. This 1998 release was his first as a leader after co-founding the Chick Corea's Origin group, where he spend six years honing his skills as a performer and composer. Cohen presents a very contemporary sound, described as "... a blend of Middle Eastern, eastern European, and African-American musical idioms." - Wikipedia. Any musican that spends that much time in collaboration with the late Chick Corea is definitely worth a listen.
Here's an extra tibbit. I picked up this copy of The New York Jazz Record, a free monthy newspaper at the Bop Shop Record shop. Browsing the back pages a small item caught my eye. The old released date of records, including Daniel Vitale Quartet (August 3rd, 1992) "Danny" Vitale is the bassist for Bob Snieder Trio and others.
It seems Danny only had this recording as a leader. I'd like to find it. I look forward to seeing Danny with Bob amd Mike soon.
This Sunday Music Muse Day find me just returning from a trip to Portland, Maine for a little R&R (rest and relaxation). I had hoped to scope out some CD/records stores in the area but only managed to visit one that didn't yield any great finds. So, a visit to one of my local favorite shops, Record Archives, proved more productive. First up is local talent Paul Hofman Topsy Turvy, with my friend Mike Melito on drums. Hofman actually states this 1999 release "Topsy Turvy is on several levels an extension of Mike's My Conception (1997). The studio is the same, the rhythm section is identical, and Grant Stewart (tenor saxophone) returns to play on a few tracks". It will be nice to play both CDs back to back. Topsy Turvy offer a nice showcase of Hofman's talent in separate settings of solo piano, duets (piano-drums, and piano-bass), trio (piano-bass-drums), and quartet (tenor saxophone-piano-bass-drums). Fans of Bop and Hard-Bop jazz will find plenty to like in the CD.
Just for reference, here's Mike's 1997 CD.
Next up is Steve Masakowski (for Joe) is inspired by, and dedicated to, legendary jazz guitarist Joe Pass. Masakowski plays the 7-string electric guitar and relates how his hearing the record "For Django" by Joe Pass "would have a humbling seemingly life-altering effect" on him as a young know-it- all guitar student. This very tasty CD shows he learned his lesson well. I think Joe Pass would be honored and proud at the result.
These selections will make for a pleasant afternoon of jazz listening.
This week's Sunday Music Muse Day selections have one thing in common and that is being released about the same year, 2001. 2002. Both sound as fresh as if recorded yesterday. First up is pianist Dino Losito Like That, with Neil Miner on bass, and my friend Mike Melito on drums. This a nice straight ahead session and you could call The Mike Melito/Dino Losito Quartet 2020 release a follow up. I'm glad I found to this earlier recording. There's a lot to enjoy in this. Lets hope we don't have to wait another twenty years for the next one.
My second twenty year old selection is Dave Holland Quintet Not for Nothing. This outing by the well-known and respected bassist, has online reviewer giving it 4 1/2 out of 5 start and calling it "progressive postbopism" and "postmodern poetic singing" - Tom Jurek - All Music. This is definitely adventurous music and engaging jazz. Well worth giving it a listen.
It seems spring has finally arrived, with clear skies and pleasant weather giving us lot of opportunity to get outside for so fresh air. But there still will be plenty to sit back and enjoy some tune.
This Sunday Music Muse Day find us celebrating finally knowing who win the Presidential Election. My congratulations go to the new President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. I like to celebrate with some good music, so up first is Joe Romano This is the Moment (the title is perfect and timely). I know of Joe Romano mainly through the "Artistry in Jazz" radio show on Jazz90.1 WGMC, host by DJ and friend Tom Pethic. It a pleasant surprise to see the sidemen on this CD included drummer and friend Mike Melito, and Dino Losito, who I just saw last night a Bop Shop Record live online concert with friend Bob Sneider (gee... I'm name dropping like bandit), where they performed tunes from there recent CD release of last month. An added surprise is Tom Pethic wrote the Romano CD liner notes. Joe Romano playing lives up the praise I've been hearing from Tom over the years. It seems Joe make very few albums as a leader, so this is a gem to cherished. Thanks, Tom for the heads up.
Next is Perez, Patitucci, Blade Chidren of the Light. This trio of Danilo Perez, keyboards, John Patitucci. Bass and Brian Blades, drums, offers a interest and thoughtful set of adventurous originals. It a nice compliment to the Brian Blade Fellowship CD Perceptual, I presented back in September. Well worth a listen.
With the election of a president settled (almost) we can hopefully look forward to better calmer, stable days. Always look for music to help smooth out the rough spots. Enjoy.
This Sunday Music Muse Day find me celebrating the new release of friend, and October birthday boy, Mike Melito, with The Mike Melito/Dion Losito Quartet You're It. This a tasty and highly anticipated CD has Mike and company deliveriing a solid and smooth swinging session. I glad CD player use lasers and not needles or I wear this out in not. I picked my copy at Bop Shop Records, you can, too. Support you local musicians and retailer. We need them both.
To round out my weekend music, here's Bill Evans Trio On A Monday Evening. This a live recording of a date at the Madison Mission Theatre in Madison. WI. on Monday November 15, 1976. The liner note say even with the rise of electric jazz fusion and Bill's Heath issues "brought on my years of narcotic addiction, was still at the top of his game in'76". I rarely hear a Evans recording when he's not. This will been get plenty of hearing time from me.
Time for another additional extra, which a start with a Inktober 2020 drawing. It curious how one word can launch you down a creative rabbit hole that would make Alice think twice. Inktober's # 7 prompt was the word "Fancy". Simple, enough but my brain immediately jump to "Soldier Fancy", which was the folk group of friend back in the 1980's n New York City.
I was pressed for time, so I Google "Soldier Fancy" the song and the group. First thing to pop up was a paint titled "Soldier's Fancy" by Henry Victor Lesur.
This was a good start point for me. I dug into Google more and found one version of the song on youtube, not by the Soldier" fancy I knew. There isn't an online version of original group, Marie Mularczyk, Hazel Pilcher, and Jerry Mastriano doing the song (there has been additional members at different times) There was a Soldier's Fancy reunion concert held in 2018 at the Folk Music Society of New York, although only Marie Mularczyk remained from the group in he '80s. The concert info mentioned Soldier's Fancy was featured at the first Annual Village Voice Festival of Street Entertainers.
As it happens, I have a cassette of the event, Street Heat, given to me by Marie, stored with my Warped Sky cassettes. Plus, I had another cassette, Ballads Broadsides and Bad News, with Marie, Hazel and Jerry, which has the song Soldier's Fancy" on it, so I played the tune to refresh my memory on the lyrics
I decided to do drawing inspire the lyrics of their title song. I tend to do my drawing in the early evening, in about 2-3 hours. This came out well.
I decide to add gray tones later.
But as finished the the rabbit hole sucked me in deeper. I needed to make a video using the tracks from the cassettes and my art. But, one element was missing, I remembered I had a old Soldier's Fancy concert flyer somewhere my art file, that wild be perfect the video. Of course, I didn't know exact where, so that meant search through boxes and art files in the basement. Three hours later I found it.
So, I gather the artwork and transferred the tunes from the cassette and make this video.
But the travel in the Rabbit hole are to be continue, next week. You see, as I said I was a friend of Marie through another musician friend, Paul Kovit, he's the opening act on the Soldier Fancy concert flyer. Paul was excellent folk guitarist and song writer, but he had a desire to play drums, so he got the idea to rent a practice studio, invite some friends to come play and jam so he could bang on the drums. I asked me, and after heavy arm-twisting, I agreed. Paul was much better guitarist and musician than me. At the studio we were joined by...Marie Mularczky on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jerry Mastriano on electric bass, and female singer guitar who only came to a a couple of early session, not sure it was Hazel. I play my Fender Stratocaster with my EFX rack. We ended up playing Irish Folk tunes which I never played before. Paul named the ad-hoc group "No Laughing", is in no one was to laugh at his mistakes as novice drummer. Well there was plenty of good hearted laughs in the year of bi-weekly sessions. We start recording the sessions for fun. In the end I thing we surprised ourselves.
