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.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Gary Burton Quartet, Bill Evans & Jim Hall

This Sunday Music Muse Day, find us in the western region of upstate New York bracing for a forecast of dangerous high winds of 50 to 65 miles a hour.  There be a chance of rain with that, but the real concern is overturned trees and downed power lines, resulting in blackouts.  We're hoping for best.  To ease the tension I'm listening to Gary Burton Quartet Live, with Pat Metheny (guitar), Steve Swallow (bass), and Antonio Sanchez (drum).  This live set record in 2007, is sort of a reunion of the classic Gary Burton Quartet of the 1970s, with the exception of Sanchez.  Burton relate in the liner notes how he is amazed at guitarist since he tried learning guitar as a teenager, and "never could figure out ...all the different fingerings."  By contrast he said, "most guitar players don't play the vibes, but the exception to that would be Pat Metheny".  It seems Burton lent Metheny a vibraphone one summer, before he join the band, and with a few months he was playing better than Burton's students.  That's a cool story.  The CD has the quartet revisiting old tunes with a fresh approach from experiences learned on musical paths they travel since playing in the original group.  It would be nice to pull out the original group recording for comparison.  On a side note, the cover is by Peter Max the quintessential artist of the hippie movement of the late 1960s and early 70's.  I like the art, but the type design and placement makes this look like a kid's music CD.

To further ease the tensions and enjoy the clam before the storm, I put on Bill Evans & Jim Hall Intermodulation. This CD is a re-issue of the follow up 1966 LP to their classic 1962 duet session, Undercurrent.  I had the good fortune to have picked up Undercurrent in the past year, so this is a great compliment to it.

As I write this, winds are picking up. So wish us luck. 

Sunday Music Muse Day - Bill Evans & Jim Hall, Benny Green & Russell Malone

Welcome to another Sunday Music Muse Day.  This week's theme is jazz piano-guitar duos. First up is a classic date by two jazz legends on their respective instruments, Bill Evans & Jim Hall Undercurrent, recorded in 1962.  Undercurrent was followed up with a second duet album, Intermodulation in 1966.  A quote from a editorial review notes: "Duet albums were rare in 1962 and encounters of this quality are still rare. Bill Evans and Jim Hall, two modern jazz giants, were in peak creative form at the time, Evans leading his own trio and Hall working with Sonny Rollins's quartet at the time."  One listen is all it takes to totally agree. Of the added alternate takes on the CD, I actually prefer the alternate of My Happy Valentine to the one on the original LP release.

The second duet is Benny Green & Russell Malone Birdbird record in 2004, that makes it a 52 year difference from the Evans/Hall date, the beauty of jazz is the continuity of the tradition.  Their set is not as introspective as the Evans/Hall duet, as a Jazztimes review noted, "Pianist Benny Green and guitarist Russell Malone are contemporary jazz musicians in the best sense of the term; great musicians whose repertoire includes blues, soul, pop, bop, Afro-Latin and even hip-hop." So, this CD is a much more lively affair, and a good contrast to this Evan/Hall duet.

Both selections are good to enjoy on this cold, almost spring afternoon.

Sunday Music Muse Day John Abercrombie, Wes Montgomery, John Scofield, and Don Byron

This week's Sunday Music Muse day selections are actually left over from the Record Store Day event two weeks ago.  I was able to find several CDs of favorite guitarists as leaders, and as a sideman.  First up, John Abercrombie Quartet Up and Coming, his latest release on ECM.  Abercrombie is of my all time favorite musician.  Any time I see his name on a project, as leader or sideman, I'd be willing to pick it up without hearing note, I trust his music integrity that much. This CD is no exception.  Good stuff.

Next, Wes Montgomery Echoes of Indiana Avenue, another excellent collection of rare early recordings from Resonance Records. Besides the tasty tunes, the info booklet of the Resonance releases always give you an added insight the music.  In this case, a remember from Pat Martino, a guitar legend himself, who relied a moment in 1963, when he finds himself breakfasting with four other guitar giants, Wes Montgomery, Les Paul, Grant Green, and George Benson.  That is an amazing image.

My third selection is another guitar favorite, John Scofield Quartet What We Do, and what they do is Post-Bop to the max, with the aid of saxophonist, Joe Levano.  I love the way Scofield attacks the guitar with swinging edge that comes close to thinking he losing control, but he always keeps it together.

My last selection is another one chosen because Bill Frisell is the guitar player on the CD, Don Byron Tuskegee Experiment.  Overall, I'm still deciding if I'm liking the Don Byron work, although this CD gets a 4/5 star rating on the AllMusic site.  Clarinet is still not of my favorite instruments to listen to. Be I'll keep a open mind, and ears, and give it more listens.

Spring is here, but the it's cold and rainy in my neck of the woods.  But the gloomy days make perfect time settle in with these CDs.  Hope you do the same.

Sunday Music Muse Day, Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto, John Scofield, Ruseell Malone Kevin Eubanks

This week's Sunday Music Muse exposes my guitar-centric music leanings.  First up is Getz/Gilberto '76, featuring saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Joao Gilberto from a historic live set at the famous iconic San Francisco jazz club,  Keystone Korner, in 1976.  This duo is best known for introducing Brazilian bossa nova to the United states in the 1960s.  This is a great CD, the kind you'll play to get your special someone in a romantic mood.  Trust me on that.

As my first selection had a taste of tasty guitar, the rest dives right in.  John Scofield Past Present, his latest release, sort of makes up for the last CD I acquired, with Medeski Martin and Wood.  This one is a solid outing with a quartet, featuring Joe Lovano, on saxophone, Larry Grenadier, on double bass, and  Bill Stewart, on drums.

My next selection is guitarist Russell Malone, Sweet Georgia Peach.  I've heard and seen articles about him but hadn't own any of his CDs.  This is a very enjoyable. I'd say a more traditional jazz guitar CD, very mellow and engaging.   I'll definitely look for more of his music.

My last selection is Kevin Eubanks Shadow Prophets.  I have several CDs by Kevin, which I like, but I must say this one, recorded in 1988 on the GRP label, is a little more "smooth jazz", than I would like.  Unlike his Turning Point CD, made in 1992 on the Blue Note label, which is more adventurous, in my opinion.  I definitely seems like a creative shift and grown happened between those CDs.

 Just for contrast here's the Turning Point cover.

So that's my additions to my jazz guitar listening choices.  Worth seeking out, if you have the chance.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day Joe Pass, Dann Zinn, and Hanna-Barbera Classics

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first Sunday Music Muse Day of 2016.   In between Christmas shopping and family holiday celebrations I managed to pick up two new CDs to start the New Year on a high musical note.  First is the Joe Pass Resonance CD.  This Pablo CD finds the legendary guitarist in a trio setting with Jim Hughart on electric bass and Frank Severino on drums, recorded at Donte's in North Hollywood in December 1974.  Joe Pass always leaves me amazed at the artistry of his playing.  Just great music.

The next CD, Dann Zinn Shangri La is one of those leaps of faith.  I wasn't familiar with the leader, saxophonist Dann Zinn, but I love drummer Peter Erskine, of Weather Report fame, and his own solo projects, that made this a worth a try.  With mostly original tunes by Zinn, it a pleasant enough outing,  very modern jazz sound, I guess you can call it Fusion, with some processed sax sounds and guitar loops by guitarist Chris Robinson.  I still need to give it a few more listens to decide if it's a full thumbs up.

Here is an extra, a unexpected, Xmas gift, a student aide give me   The  CD, Hanna-Barbera Classic, Volume 1, a collection the opening, show title, and ending title music for lot of Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the late 1950s and 1960s.  You can't listen this without smiling at the memory of those old childhood cartoons.   Great fun.

So, again, Happy New Year, and let's hope it brings nothing but the best of everything.

Sunday Music Muse Day with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, ans Steve Masakowski

Just a short Sunday Music Muse Day post as we enter the meat of the Holiday Season.  I was listening to Miles Davis In a Silent Way this morning and happen to find this Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter 1+1 CD while shopping today.  Of course Herbie and Wayne played on the In a Silent Way sessions.  1+1 is a duet outing that presents them in a introspective, be adventurous mood.  All the tunes are new to my ears, but the don't have every CD or album they've recorded.  Well worth a listen.

The next selection is a CD by guitarist Steve Masakowski, What it Was.   This is the second CD I own of his, the first being Direct AXEcess (his spelling, pun on axe being slang for guitar)  I like his playing, there a hint of Pat Martino in it.  He plays a 7-string guitar, which always interest me.   Although I'm not familiar with his career, his wikipedia page
is very impressive.

So that's it for this week entry.  Enjoy the coming holiday season.