Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Country got Cool



Country Music is an interesting topic.  At times, it seems to  be not the most popular type
of music yet,  sales of country music songs keep climbing.   I was always a fan.  When
I was a kid, we were so excited about having a radio, we listened to all the stations.
It's important to remember, back then - there was no rap, no new age, and no smooth jazz. It was basically
Rock and Roll and Country music.

Artist:          Ronnie Milsap
Website:      RonnieMilsap.com
Song:          He Got You

Ronnie Milsap  is a living legend.   I have many of his albums.
 It's difficult to define the vocal-magic that he has.  It's easy to see what makes some artists appealing.
Micheal Jackson had the moves,  Frank Sinatra had that smooth-mellow tone...
but Ronnie Milsap is harder to pin down.   I know from his web site Bio that he had very humble beginnings.  Maybe his magic is that he was able to make something out of nothing ??    A dirt floor and very little food to eat is not a lot to work with.
If someone knows the road he took to stardom - I'd love to here about it.

Let's give a listen to one of my favorites - He Got You





It's almost impossible to keep a band together forever.  ALL bands go thru ups and downs. All of them.   As a fan, I keep telling myself  "I don't understand why they didn't make more songs"

Artist:          Dr. Hook  Band  -
                   Dennis Locorriere  (lead singer), Ray Saywer (vocals,  congos, wore eye patch )
Website:      DoctorHook.com
Song:          Better Love next time

As a solo artist(amateur/self proclaimed) I found even getting studio time EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. Getting other musicians and producers to work with me ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.   Even when you pay them.

To be honest, it's a miracle that anyone is able to create anything musically.  Personality conflicts, dis-interested musicians, producers too busy with their own lives, not to mention shadey characters and scam artists.

So for these guys to hold it together for so long - they deserve the Congressional Medal of Freedom !!

This is why it's important to "enjoy em while you got em". Bands with original members last only for a moment.

 Dennis Locorriere's (lead singers) voice, can be summed up in one word; tenderness
Also these guys really understand harmony.  Anytime a band or group has its own UNIQUE harmony - you got something !!

Listen to the tenderness of Dennis Locorriere's voice and how gently the background singers
deliver the chorus, it's like soft rain.





hirosh58  and  fritz51322  you guys have AWESOME youtube channels  !!




Monday, February 10, 2014

Jazz - The Music that has 9 lives part 1


Jazz is a music that has 9 lives ( at least).  There are many eras that I could cover.   If I wanted I could go back to Ragtime with Jelly Roll Morton, or maybe the Louis Armstrong era, Benny Goodman, there are many to choose from.  But for this post   I'll go to ,a  more recent Era,  the Smooth Jazz Era.

Pat Metheny  and David Sandborn  are household names for  jazz listeners.
For me,  the Greats who made LP's are sort of immortal.  Many of us have made CD's (including me)  but only signed artists have made LP's.  Sounds kind of ironic but to be on "wax" is very prestigious.

Artist:       David Sandborn
Website:  DavidSandborn.com
Song:      Carly's Song
LP:          Hideaway

I love this LP - Here are some of the atists in his band:
   Mark Egan - Bass (upcoming post on him),  Hiram Bullock - Guitar (rest in peace) just to name a few. 

David Sandborn is so respected through out the industry that he even had  a prime time television show called Night Music.

The Saxophone is one of a few instruments where, the musician can alter it's tone,  like a voice. This is why each Sax player has a different tone - even though they are all playing the exact same instrument. It's not only his mastery of the instrument but also the honey-sweet tone he has perfected.

Something many do not know is that beginners who are learning how to play it, often have to suffer through being lite-headed during practice.  This is because the body has to adjust to constantly running out of air- due to the large amounts of wind needed to blow sounds .  Amazing how something that sounds so great can be so challenging to master.  Sandborn is one of the immortals of jazz,  the great part is,
he's a long way from retirement.
 Give a listen...




Artist:   Pat Metheny Band
Website:  PatMetheny.com

Song:     Every Summer Night
LP:       Full Circle
(original) Band Members :   Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny

 I had the priveledge of seeing The Pat Metheny Band live, years ago.  They did close to a 4 hour show - WOW !!  As a guitarist myself,  I could go  on and on about Modal-scales, fingering techniques...
but no,  you have to hear this band for yourself.

Things to keep in mind while viewing this video.  While we are enraptured by these free flowing
melodies,  these artists are busy counting.  Yes counting.  To enter and exit out of bridges, cadences and constant time signature changes,  takes exact (and i mean exact) timing.  even to the smallest 64th note.
Metheny is also known for using his guitar pick sideways, to get that smooth, swirling slide sound.

How many different rhythms are they playing on this track ??  - I count nine !!!



please visit DavidSandborn.com and PatMetheny.com - These Legendary Musicians provide the soundtracks to our lives.

post Credits:   Discogs.com




Monday, February 3, 2014

New Music from New Artists - Vol 1



Now that we've heard some great songs, it's time to find some great UNknowns.

The 1st thing we'll need is a website that offers great tunes.
Hey, how about  AmazingTunes.com - great.   There's only 1 problem,  we need a site that offers music player embeds .  Well, were in luck.  AmazingTunes.com also
offers a music player  embed ,  - so here we go...

The name of the song:          Meteora
and it's by an Artist name:    Marcome
her website:                    marcome.com

This is what I learned about Marcome.  She's from Canada.  and her latest album
falls into the category of New Age.  It's called River of soul and there are some real
heavy-weight producers for this CD.   What do producers actually do (you may ask) ??
well that's another story, for another blog post.

How do I describe this song ??  I think it's somewhere between smooth jazz and
Dream Pop.    What do you think ?




To any budding artists out there, is,  whenever you have a chance to collaborate with another artist - take it.
As unbeleivable as it sounds.  One guy shaking the tambourine can mean the difference between a
good song and a great song.

Now for our next song...

The name of the song:        Wet
and it's by an Artist name:   Miro Gee
her website:  mirogee.com  and  www.my2am.com

few of is ever get to tell our story,  well this is his story.  it's
all there,  in his song....




Please visit amazingTunes.com , mirogee.com  and  marcome.com
let's support our Indie Music SuperStars.   Why ??

Do you want to live in a world without music ??