Love was a fantastic and unique band that played a terrific mix of folk, rock, blues, psychedelia, and pop. They started in the 1960’s and were led by the great Arthur Lee (who is really the only remaining original member of Love by the time they recorded this track in 1975).
I just really dig the vibe of Arthur Lee’s music. It’s great on lonely days, and it’s great to play at parties. And I just wanted you to know about this band.
“I had a dream the other night, baby
I dreamt that I was all alone
But when I woke up I took another look around myself
And I was surrounded by fifty million songs”
(thanks to rsensorat3 for the images and upload to YouTube)
It wasn’t until I got older that I started really appreciating Steely Dan. I knew who they were from their radio hits (“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” etc.), but I didn’t really appreciate the smooth, smart sophistication of their music. Steely Dan is led by Walter Becker and Donald Fagan, two wildly inventive musicians who assembled some fantastic groups of session musicians to create great albums, including my favorite, “Aja,” from which this track comes.
I’ve always loved the gorgeous sax arrangement, including the loose but intense solo, and it wasn’t until a few days ago that found out who played that part: Pete Christlieb.
Now here’s the thing that knocked me down about that discovery (other than feeling like a fool for not knowing the musicians on these great recordings): When I was in my high school jazz band, Mr. Christlieb visited my school to talk to us and to sit in with our band for a couple of tunes. I had no idea that he was the man who laid down that great solo, mostly because I wasn’t really aware of the song at the time. But for the next 20 years or so, I’ve really enjoyed the track and its horn “section”— never realizing that I once played alongside the very artist who did it!
I was lucky to have a pretty good music program in my public school, but that’s not the case for most schools, especially with the massive cuts our schools have had to endure. Yes, our kids need to learn the basic subjects like math and English and science, but they also need exposure to other things like art and music. They also need to know about different avenues they can travel in life. Some kids are just not that great at academic subjects, but they may find their calling elsewhere.
We need to make sure our schools have everything they need to educate and provide opportunity for our kids.
So here’s Steely Dan, featuring the blazing tenor sax of Pete Christlieb, a supporter of public schools. And former bandmate of your daddy. Um, sorta.
(Thanks to Melegorm for the video upload to YouTube)
What’s not to love about Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong? A brilliant musician, an inspired singer, and by all accounts a kind and generous human being. As a kid playing trumpet in school bands, I knew about Mr. Armstrong from a very young age.
This song is one of the most popular tunes in western music. Just about every musician has probably had to play it, either by request or at some point while learning their instrument (like me, in school bands). It’s so popular that many musicians have come to resent having to play it so much. Supposedly, some musicians in New Orleans are so fed up with the non-stop requests to play the song, that they charge extra to play it.
“Saints” is a great example of Dixieland jazz, with a bouncy beat and wonderfully intertwining parts (especially from the clarinet and trombone in this track) that set off the melody. Truly joyful music, and in New Orleans, it’s the kind of music they play at funerals, which is far and away better than the morose organ-based music most funeral homes cue up to bring everyone down.
You’ve probably heard the tune many times, but I want to make sure you hear it from Satchmo himself.
Lyle Lovett is considered by many to be a country and western artist, hailing from Texas and playing a lot of music in that style. But I didn’t know that when I picked up his 1989 album, “Lyle Lovett and His Large Band,” an album full of wonderful big band jazz and blues tracks. This song comes from that record, and it stands out in its stark simplicity. An absolutely beautiful song.
Mr. Lovett is one of those artists who bends genres to create something altogether fresh and inspiring. Maybe it’s his musical adventurousness, or the fact that his songs are so good that they stand on their own and translate well to any style of music. Whatever it is Mr. Lovett has, I wish I had some of it.
Dire Straits has a unique and, I think, incredible sound. Mixing elements of blues, bluegrass and jazz into a modern rock soup, they’ve put out some stunning records, and one of my favorites is “Brothers In Arms,” the album from which this track comes.
Mark Knopfler, the singer and guitarist, has always set himself apart from other “modern” guitarists, favoring fingerpicking over power chords (he is reportedly a Chet Atkins fan). It’s just a lot of fun to hear him play, especially in the context of the wonderful music Dire Straits has given us.
The subdued tone of this track lulls us into a false sense of security, until everything explodes upon Knopfler’s realization: “The man’s too big/The man’s too strong.”
Pretty intense for a track without any drums. It still knocks the wind out of me today.
(thanks to rossenpomakov for posting this track on YouTube–and from a vinyl LP no less!)
You really can’t go wrong with a Bonnie Raitt album. She’s been making great music for a long time, with a firm foundation in the blues (I practically learned how to play the guitar to her 1982 album, “Green Light,” so you can blame her for all the noise). This track, dominated by piano and keyboards, is not typical for her. Usually her music showcases her impressive chops on the guitar, but in this track Ms Raitt just lets her earthy voice and the stunning piano-centric arrangement (with Bruce Hornsby) speak for themselves.
This song is almost too much to bear. It’s achingly sad and heartbreaking, and there is a divine beauty to it. A hint at redemption, of final self-awareness. A chance to admit it’s over, making a new day and a fresh start just a little more possible.
One of the guys who wrote this song, Mike Reid, used to play on the defensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals. I’m guessing a large guy. A large “jock,” a type of person I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve underestimated before. It reminds me that you can’t judge the depth of a person with your eyes alone. Sometimes you have to listen for it.
Most musicians I’ve known have an innate reverence for the blues. And many, like me, have a “favorite” bluesman. Mine is John Lee Hooker. The music just flows through the man, like a swollen river, the mighty Mississip’ boiling through America.
Here’s the thing about blues: it’s a fairly simple form of music. The meat of blues is the sincerity, the feeling, the authenticity. You will hear a lot of blues played by local musicians, for example, and I’m pretty sure that they all know of, and truly respect, Mr. John Lee Hooker.
