Bob Sneider & Paul Hoffman, Jim Hall, Tony Willams, and The Horace Silver Quintet.

Today's Sunday Music Muse Day finds me in better health than last week, which caused me to miss posting.  (The less said about my stomach flu, the better.) So, on to the music. A couple of weeks ago I missed a club date by one local favorite guitarist Bob Sneider and his trio.  I had also missed a current duo performance by Bob and pianist Paul Hofman, as fate would have I was able to find a CD, Bob Sneider and Paul Hofman Escapade, as cosmic conciliation prize.  So this is an exciting, enjoyable find. Escapade is a follow up to duo's Interconnection CD. 

Next up, is a classic, Jim Hall Live.  This is a perfect jazz guitar album (released on CD) of the legendary guitarist.  It a mesmerizing listening to the music on this set.  This album/CD should be in every jazz fan's collection.  I say is would be a great CD to introduce a non-jazz fan to the music. Even the cover is just a classic design. I have to admit I immediately thought this could be a Bob Sneider set list, and I know I've heard him play these, except maybe one. That is actually a strength of jazz, hearing the echos of legends in younger players, not copying, but adding their voice to the jazz legacy.

Next, lets stick to the classic vein, The Horace Silver Quintet, Song for My Father.  The title song is a such iconic jazz tune, I know I have it on many jazz collections, but it is nice to have it on the original release.  As an added bonus there are three tunes recorded but left off the original release because they couldn't fit on a vinyl record.  Another favorite tune of my is Lonely Woman is covered by many artists. Finally, the cover photo of Horace Silver is also so heart warming, and inviting.  Just Classic.

Rounding out my selections is Tony Williams The Story of Neptune, an excellent example of the late drummer's compositional talents, in a acoustic jazz settings. The all music site give this a 4 1/2 out of 5 star rating.  It's hard to argue with that.

I really have a back log of interesting CD to share in the coming weeks, so be true check back on Sunday. Enjoy the music of your choice.  It's one of the easiest way to relieve stress in these troubled times.

High Priestess of the Drillian Empire - Taligunner Jones

Here's another sketch to shake off the creative cobwebs.  She's a original character from one of my Dime-a-Dozen Projects, 'Tailgunner Jones', a space opera. This is the High Priestess, an politically embattled ruler, who talks to the bust of her late husband when she feels the weight of her station closing in on her. This week is the SDCC, and I'm sure there will be enough news to inspire me, so on to next drawing.

Here's a title screen for Tailgunner Project is a original version of the High Priestess. 

 More of the Tailgunner Jones project is be revealed in it's own Dime-a-Dozen post.

Sunday Music Muse Day - ECM Editons, Wes Montgomery, Starbuck coffee shop CD

For this Sunday Music Muse day, we're finally catching a break in the weather, with no rain, or thunderstorms, of the past week. also missed posting, due to being out of town on vacation, part of which includes limited internet access.  Actually, that's a good thing to do sometimes.  When traveling I like to take a couple of jazz complication CDs along, so when we travel through a radio music waste land, we have a few good tunes to listen to. So here's what I took:
ECM Editions a collection of cuts from release, which I'm glad to say I have a lot of them.

Next, was one of those Starbuck coffee shop CDs, Jazz: Unrehearsed Perfection. This is a  Starbucks compilation of Impulse (jazz label) cuts. The second title is a Duke Ellington-Coleman Hawkin's cut, "Limbo Jazz", which has my father playing drums and vocalizing on. I picked this up a year before I found the full CD of the album.

My last travel CD was Wes Montgomery Echoes of Indiana Avenue. Actually, not really a compilation, but very tasty. So much so, I just left it in the car CD player as we cruised around Frankfort, Mi, taking in the sites, visiting family, etc.

So, I 'm back, but still on vacation allowing me plenty of time to enjoy a lot more tunes.

My reflection on Jack Kirby Disney Legends tribute at D23 Expo 2017

As one of the millions of artists who he inspired for the price of a 10 cent comic of my youth, I can't begin to the find words of gratitude to thank Jack Kirby: The King of Comics, the way he influenced, amazed, and encouraged me, without ever knowing me. I did see him once at a comic con, and envy friends who knew him personally. When the desire to do comic books took hold for me in my teens, I thought, it would be the greatest honor to do comics and inspire some future budding artist. I never did many comic books, only a couple of pages, professionally. I can only hope one of the projects I worked on in my art /animation career may have inspired at least one kid to follow their dream of being a artist as Jack Kirby did for me. In many ways. I'll keep trying, because I owe that to Jack.

Jack Kirby 100th Birthday Anniversary Tribute Art

Here's my Jack Kirby 100th Birthday Anniversary tribute pic, I've titled "Eyes to the Stars". I started this before going away on vacation, and worked on it during free time with no Wi-Fi or other media distraction. I'm inspired my friends who post sketches on Facebook, and were inspired by the Jack Kirby art in youth.  Many like me were inspired by Kirby to enter into a career in art.

I'm trying shake off the cobwebs of creative slump. I feel this is a good start, with more to come.

Sunday Music Muse Day- XRIJF John Zorn with Bill Frisell, Ralph Towner, Larry Young, Trio East

This Sunday Music Muse Day finds us two days in the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.  I have a chance to participate is a TV promo for it as my wife and I were invite to be part of the audience for the taping of promo by guitarist Bob Sneider. (Lisa and I are the blurry head over the male host's shoulder)

Bob hosts one of the festival after hours jam sessions.  You can see the segment with Bob at this link. 13WHAM Jazz festival Preview.
 Lisa and I attend the part of the festival and jam session Saturday night.  We hope to take more shows this coming week, before we go on vacation.

One of the shows I'm sorry to miss is Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan duet. So, I'll console myself with listen to Frisell on one of my Muse Day picks, John Zorn Naked City, which AllMusic reviews states, "performs his unpredictable originals, abstract versions of some movie themes...The stimulating music rewards repeated listenings by more open-minded listeners."  Well, to put I lightly, the music on this CD is not for the faint of heart.  It can be as brutal as the cover photo, and bizarre as the package artwork, but just a intriguing. I thought picking this up it would compliment the movie theme CD by Bob Sneider and John Locke I enjoyed so much.  Naked City is harder to get into.

Next is a Ralph Towner Solstice Sounds and Shadow (1977) is the follow up to Towner's first ECM outing "Solstice" (1976), which I have on vinyl.  Both are classic ECM productions. Well worth seeking out.

Next is early CD by the late organist Larry Young Unity.  My knowledge of him was through his work John McLaughlin pre-Mahavishu CDs, and as part of Tony Williams Lifetime, both more fusion than this outing. There is a CD of Larry Young's from Resonance Records that's getting of attention.  That got me interested in this CD.  I think some of the same tunes are on it.

My last selection, I present with a little embarrassment.  It's the Trio East Stop-Start, which I already so how have two copies of.  This is clearly a fault of my being a visual person.  This release has different cover from the other copies. Thanks, guys. I'll have to ask Rich Thompson about this.

 Here's the other cover.

I guess it was so nice they had to release it twice.  In any case, the music is great.  They played at the Little Theater Cafe, the same night the XRIJF started, so they are right the thick of things.  So, if your in the Rochester area be sure to enjoy the festival.

Father's Day Sunday Music Muse Day.Oliver Nelson, Charles Lloyd, George Benson,and Weather Report.

Today is Father's Day, so first of all, Happy Father's Day to all of you dads.  What better way to enjoy and celebrate the day than with some good music. Let's start with a classic, Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth.  The classic first track, Stolen Moments, alone makes this a must have.  (Actually I had a download copy from my friend Bruce Younger, that tied me over until I found this) It's nice to have the CD package, but they reproduced the original album liner notes so small, you'd need a magnifying glass to read it.

Next is real blast from the past, with a new release, Charles Lloyd Canto, on ECM.  I remember Charles Lloyd from his Waves (1972) and the cut TM, although critic didn't rate the album too well.  Canto receives high praises. I'm looking forward the exploring the music fully.

Next is, It's Uptown with the George Benson Quartet (The Most Exciting Guitarist On The Jazz Scene Today, according to the label), his second recording as a leader,and his first on Columbia Records. I like listening to early Benson more jazzier stuff.  And thought his album Breezzin' was the start of his pop vocal, but he sang on his early album, too.  So, I stand corrected.

Last, is a 4 CD set, I waited months to find at a reasonable price, Weather Report - The Legendary Live Tapes: 1978-1981.  I love Weather Report, and I'm always amazed that so much sound bring out of four or five musician depending on the line up. Their music is always a great addition to my collection Although, there are a couple of track where live show theatrics overshadowed the music, for example a Jaco solo the was very unfocused.  But, that nitpicking.

  Again, Happy Father's Day, and hope you make some good music part of your celebration.