Sunday Music Muse Day - David Grisman Quartet, Oregon with Ralph Towner

This Sunday Music Muse Day finds that winter has took a holiday, it's still the first week in March and it's 74º, sunny, but with extremely high winds.  Lisa and I started to take walk and changed our mind because so much stuff was being blown around.  So, instead I listen to these two selections, both outside of my jazz comfort zone.  First up, David Grisman Quartet Dawgwood. I have other CDs by mandolinist  Grisman and his drummerless acoutic groups.  His music is hard to catagorize, I think of it as Americana blend of folk, swing, and jazz.  Grisman just calls it "Dawg Music". Just dawg on good foot tapping music.  Worth a listen.

My second selection is Oregon 45th Parallell, with Ralph Towner on 12 string and classical quitars, piano nand syntheszers,  Trilok Gurtu on percussion, Glen Moore on bass, and Paul McCandless on saxopne and windwoods.  Oregon is another group that is not easy to catagorize.  As a instrumental group the music you could think of them as playing world folk-fusion.  Three of the members, Towner, Moore and McCandless have their roots from the Paul Winter Consort of the 70's, and all have established solid solo careers, which is testiment to musicanship. Oregon over the years his had several changing line ups, but the music remains fresh and enjoyable.

Hopefully the wind will die down and we can enjoy a litte of the warmth of the day, before forecast of snow, again, in day or two. Enjoy

Sunday Music Muse Day - Oregon, Miroslav Vitous, Charlie Hunter, Return to Forever, Kneebody

I missed posting again last week, because of busy family weekend. Even though I pickup these CD last week I haven't had a chance to listen to them, so, maybe it was all for the best.  So this week's Sunday Music Muse selection include some old favorites, and some favorite musicians in different settings.  First up is the group Oregon Northwest Passage CD, featuring a favorite guitarist Ralph Towner.  Seven of the fourteen tracks are written or co-written by Towner and some are on another Towner solo releases.  It's nice to compare the different versions.

 Next up is Miroslav Vitous Infinite Search.  This is a reissue of the bassist's 1977 album, his first as a leader.   Miroslav Vitous was the original bassist and a founding member the legendary Weather Report.  The album Infinite Search was also released as Mountain in the Cloud, which is the cover I remember.  I thought I had the "Mountain" album, but checking  my collection and it's not there.  I seem to remember playing the LP, so it could have been an album I borrowed from the Lincoln Center Music library, which was a great way to preview music in the ancient, pre-internet days.  Vitous virtuoso playing moves freely between avant garde and free jazz.  This CD featured several key figures from the then-budding jazz fusion movement: John McLauglin, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, and Joe Henderson. Well worth a listen.

 Here's the Mountains in the Clouds LP cover.

Speaking of the Jazz Fusion, the next CD is Return To Forever, The Anthology, group the help define Jazz Fusion.  This Anthology is a nice compliment to the RTF Reunion CD I picked up a few months back.   One surprising note I discovered in the liner notes was Al Di Meola recalling how he came to join RTF.  He mentioned the guitarist Earl Klugh, of smooth jazz fame, actually followed Bill Conners before Al joined.  That was news to me.  I wonder if any tapes of those concert Klugh played with RTF still exist and will they ever see the light of day.

Next is another first outing, by 7-string guitarist, Charlie Hunter, with the Charlie Hunter Trio.  I just saw Charlie Hunter live a few weeks ago.  I've still deciding if I "totally" like his music.  It intrigues me enough that I keep picking up his CD, so there has to be something there.

So, that's this week selection.  Thanks for letting me share these.  Enjoy.