What music are you listening to

[GDCarrington]

Lean On Me : The Best of Bill Withers



Songwriter/singer/guitarist Bill Withers is best remembered for the classic "Lean on Me" and his other million-selling singles "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Use Me," but he has a sizable cache of great songs to his credit. Al Jarreau recorded an entire CD of Withers' songs on Tribute to Bill Withers (Culture Press 1998). His popular radio-aired LP track from Still Bill, "Who Is He? (And What Is He to You?)," was a 1974 R&B hit for Creative Source.

Born July 4, 1938, in Slab Fork, WV, Withers was the youngest of six children. His father died when he was a child and he was raised by his mother and grandmother. After a nine-year stint in the Navy, Withers moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career in 1967. He recorded demos at night while working at the Boeing aircraft company where he made toilet seats. His recording career began after being introduced to Clarence Avant, president of Sussex Records.

Stax Records stalwart Booker T. Jones produced his debut album, Just As I Am (with some co-production by Al Jackson, Jr.), which included his first charting single, "Ain't No Sunshine" that went gold and made it to number six R&B and number three pop in summer 1971 and won a Grammy as Best R&B Song. Its follow-up, "Grandma Hands," peaked at number 18 R&B in fall 1971. The song was later covered by the Staple Singers and received airplay as a track from their 1973 Stax LP Be What You Are. "Just As I Am" featured lead guitar by Stephen Stills and hit number five R&B in summer 1971.

Withers wrote "Lean on Me" based on his experiences growing up in a West Virginia coal mining town. Times were hard and when a neighbor needed something beyond their means, the rest of the community would chip in and help. He came up with the chord progression while noodling around on his new Wurlitzer electric piano. The sound of the chords reminded Withers of the hymns that he heard at church while he was growing up. On the session for "Lean on Me," members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band ("Express Yourself," "Loveland") were used: drummer James Gadson, keyboardist Ray Jackson, guitarist Benorce Blackman (co-wrote with Withers "The Best You Can" from Making Music), and bassist Melvin Dunlop. His second gold single, "Lean on Me," landed at number one R&B and number one pop for three weeks on Billboard's charts in summer 1972. It was included on his Still Bill album which went gold, holding the number one R&B spot for six weeks and hitting number four pop in spring 1972. "Lean on Me" has became a standard with hit covers by U.K. rock band Mud and Club Nouveau. "Lean on Me" was also the title theme of a 1989 movie starring Morgan Freeman. Still Bill also included "Use Me" (gold, number two R&B for two weeks and number two pop for two weeks in fall 1972) .

Withers' Sussex catalog also included Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall, 'Justments, and The Best of Bill Withers. Withers contributed "Better Days" to the soundtrack of the Bill Cosby 1971 western Man And Boy, released on Sussex. There was a duet single with Bobby Womack on United Artists, "It's All Over Now," from summer 1975.

After a legal battle with Sussex, Withers signed with Columbia Records. Columbia later bought his Sussex masters when the label went out of business. Withers was briefly married actress Denise Nicholas (ABC-TV's Room 222 and the 1972 horror film Blacula) in the early '70s. His releases on Columbia were Making Music ("Make Love to Your Mind," number ten R&B), which hit number seven R&B in late 1975; Naked and Warm; Menagerie ("Lovely Day," a number six R&B hit), which went gold in 1977; and 'Bout Love from spring 1979.

Teaming with Elektra Records artist Grover Washington, Jr., Withers sang the crystalline ballad "Just the Two of Us," written by Withers, Ralph MacDonald, and William Salter. It went to number three R&B and held the number two pop spot for three weeks in early 1981. "Just the Two of Us" was redone with hilarious effect in the Mike Myers movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in summer 1999. Withers teamed with MacDonald for MacDonald's Polydor single "In the Name of Love" in summer 1984.

Withers' last charting LP was Watching You, Watching Me in spring 1985. He occasionally did dates with Grover Washington, Jr. during the '90s. His songs and recordings have been used as both the source of numerous covers (Aaron Neville's "Use Me") and sampled by a multitude of hip-hop/rap groups. Withers resurfaced in the 21st century, playing concerts, and having his albums reissued in various countries. He is also the subject of the 2010 bio-documentary Still Bill, by filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack.

by Ed Hogan Allmusic.com
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bill-...5859/biography

[professorchaos]

[GDCarrington]

Dusty Springfield I Don't Want to Hear it Anymore



Hoping to reinvigorate her career and boost her credibility, Dusty Springfield began recording an album in Memphis, Tennessee, where some notable blues musicians had grown up. The Memphis sessions at the American Sound Studios were recorded by the A team of Atlantic Records. It included producers Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, the back-up singers Sweet Inspirations and the instrumental band Memphis Cats, led by guitarist Reggie Young and bassist Tommy Cogbill. The Memphis Cats had previously backed Wilson Pickett, King Curtis and Elvis Presley. Terry Manning (also a recording engineer, but in this case) a writer for the New Musical Express attended the recording sessions, and ended up assisting Tom Dowd. This song was written by Randy Newman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_in_Memphis

[GDCarrington]

The Master is at work!

[hide][top]La vie en rose - Louis Armstrong

[Dalejr]

Rush- Bravado

[GDCarrington]

Nina Simone - Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club



Nina Simone's first official album, 1958's Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club, is pure perfection, an amazing accomplishment for a 24-year-old pianist arranging and singing studio renditions of songs from her live set. Captured here are moments of intrigue, as Simone magically takes the listener through musical caverns that want to be explored again with repeated spins. The rendition of "Plain Gold Ring" is exotic and draws the listener back, just as the Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart classic "Little Girl Blue" (the alternate title of the album stamped on the label of the vinyl as well as on the back cover) is a gorgeous work of art, Simone adding the melody from the traditional "Good King Wenceslas" to the standard Janis Joplin would bring to rock audiences a decade later. The cover photograph of the artist on a park bench in Central Park is a play on her only songwriting contribution, "Central Park Blues," which concludes the LP. In her autobiography, Simone gives insight into the recording of this masterpiece, an album that sets different tones with each melodic adventure. The uptempo blues of "Mood Indigo" drops quietly into "Don't Smoke in Bed" and the even deeper blues of "He Needs Me." One can hear Billie Holiday's influence pushing Simone on her own musical path. While Roger Williams was tearing up the popular charts with his middle-of-the-road magic, Simone elegantly plays her jazz with adult contemporary leanings, cracking the Top 20 herself with "I Loves You, Porgy" in 1959. Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club (aka Little Girl Blue) is a superb fusion of jazz, blues, and pop that reveals something new each time it is played. [Charly released the CD in Germany.]

by Joe Viglione Allmusic.com

http://www.allmusic.com/album/nina-s...r427958/review

[GDCarrington]

Stan Ridgway " Neon Mirage " / from the album Neon Mirage





STAN RIDGWAY - THE BIG HEAT









Stan Ridgway - Big Dumb Town








Starring Jackie "Teak" Lazar: Talent scout and big wheel in Hollywood.

[hide][top]Stan Ridgway - "Train of Thought" - Live at the Magic Bag March 15th, 2009

[GDCarrington]

[hide][top]Stan Ridgway - Camouflage

[GDCarrington]

[hide][top]Gary Bartz - Music Is My Sanctuary

[GDCarrington]

Kamakiriad: Donald Fagen



Donald Fagen's second solo album is a song cycle of sorts, following the adventures of an imaginary protagonist as he travels the world in his car, a brand-new Kamakiri. It is an odd concept, and one that is not obvious to the listener, but reflection upon Fagen's liner notes while listening to the album does tend to evoke a vision of a non-apocalyptic near future, where swingers sip cocktails and fresh vegetable juices as they groove to synthesized jazz-rock. Evocative or not, this is not Fagen's best effort. The songs on Kamakiriad are mainly static one-chord vamps, with little of the interesting off-beat hits or chord changes that characterized most of Steely Dan's corpus (although, it must be said, Two Against Nature isn't too far conceptually from what Fagen is doing here). There is a slightly antiseptic feeling to Kamakiriad. Although the drum tracks are not synthesized, they sure sound that way, and even the horns sound electronic at times, a far cry from the lush arrangements of Aja. Another shortcoming of this record is the fact that the verse melodies don't sound very developed. The choruses are as catchy and cryptic as you would expect from Donald Fagen, but the verses are less than memorable. Walter Becker, who produced the record, as well as contributing bass and guitar, also co-wrote "Snowbound." Perhaps not surprisingly, it does the best job at evoking classic Steely Dan. Kamakiriad is pleasant as background music, but in the end it doesn't provide enough interesting moments to rank as a must-have. The static grooves, coupled with the long song lengths, and general lack of dynamic movement makes this record one of the least essential of Fagen's recorded output. However, Steely Dan completists will certainly find enough here to keep them happy.

by Daniel Gioffre Allmusic.com
http://www.allmusic.com/album/kamakiriad-r170225/review

[GDCarrington]

Happy 75th to the lovely and talented Nancy Wilson.

http://www.soultracks.com/birthday_nancy_wilson
Nancy Wilson - The Very Thought of You

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[Airborne_r6]

Does the same old song from my wife about getting off the forum and go back to studying count?

[GDCarrington]

Does the same old song from my wife about getting off the forum and go back to studying count?

Well, The Four Tops sang it best...

[GDCarrington]

[hide][top]Gigi Gryce - Clifford Brown Sextet 1953 ~ All The Things You Are

[GDCarrington]

Franco Ambrosetti - Minority (Gigi Gryce)





Born December 10, 1941 in Lugano, Switzerland. Basic musical studies in Lugano (classical piano for more than 8 years). Started his musical career in 1961 when at the age of 20 he made his first public appearance. Made his American debut in 1967 as a member of his father's group (Flavio Ambrosetti, a leading alto saxophone player of the 50's and 60's), performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival.


Franco has since participated in most major festivals throughout the world (such as Montreux, Berlin, Warsaw, S.Remo, Chicago, Pori, London, etc.). In 1966, he won a first prize at the International Jazz Competition held in Vienna. In 1980 and 1982 he received the Special Award from the Montreux Festival for his albums Close Encounter and Heart Bop, and in 1985 RAI (Italian State Broadcasting Company) voted him "Best European Jazz Musician".


From 1963 to 1970 Franco played with his father's quintet (including pianist George Gruntz and drummer Daniel Humair). The group continues its activity today mainly as a quartet with Franco as the band leader. In his longtime cooperation with George Gruntz, Franco has learned to compose in a creative way. Some successful compositions of his are "Pistrophallopus", "Epitaph For A Friend", "Gin And Pentatonic", and "Transfiguration". Recently Franco composed the music score for the movie "Die Reise", directed by Markus Imhof (a German/Swiss production).


In 1972, together with his father Flavio, George Gruntz and Daniel Humair, Franco formed an all-star big band, called THE BAND, later known as the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band with which he performs regularly.


Today Franco Ambrosetti is active as a free-lance soloist mainly in Europe and sometimes in the U.S. He has worked or recorded with various groups/artists such as Phil Woods' European Rhythm Machine, Dexter Gordon's quartet, the Cannonball Adderley Sextet, Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, John Scofield - when he is not pursuing his "day gig" as a top industrialist managing his own company in Lugano.


Says Franco: "After a couple of days of intense industrial management I look for a jazz gig. But then again I miss very soon the tension which the business offers. When I play music my head is clear of commercial worries - it is great to be able to choose sidemen and venues to work. I have never done one day of boring studio work. Basically, I try to keep the creativity in both my different worlds on a constantly high level".


http://www.enjarecords.com/bio.php?a...nco+Ambrosetti

[GDCarrington]

Donald Fagen: Morph the Cat



Sometimes tight-knit teams like Donald Fagen and Walter Becker—better known as Steely Dan—make it difficult to determine what each individual brings to the table. It's no secret that Becker and Fagen have strong jazz sensibilities, not to mention an affection for Tin Pan Alley, having started out as staff writers for ABC Records before realizing their music was too sophisticated for the artists they were writing for. But Fagen's previous solo albums—Nightfly (Reprise, 1982) and Kamikiriad (Reprise, 1993)—and Becker's 11 Tracks of Whack (Giant, 1994) suggest that Becker is the more acerbic and idiosyncratic of the pair.

That's not to say that Fagen's new album, Morph the Cat, is filled with anything resembling joyous optimism. Fagen addresses topics like homeland security ("Security Joan"), the current administration ("Morph the Cat") and cults ("Mary Shut the Garden Door"), as well as personal issues like impending mortality ("Brite Nightgown"). The ghost of Ray Charles even shows up on the reharmonized minor blues of "What I Do." Nor has Fagen lost his sardonic way with words. Who else could come up with a phrase like "Rabelaisian puff of smoke"?

But Fagen grooves just a little deeper on his own than he does with Becker, giving the darker subject matter a veneer that has you bopping your head along, even as he talks of alien invasion and death—a quality that has always made both his and Steely Dan's albums so intriguingly paradoxical. Ignore the lyrics and the polished grooves are so infectious and the playing so tasty that Fagen's sharp wit and rich jazz harmonies become obscured by the music's sheer visceral nature.

The pieces are short-lived—these are pop tunes after all—but there are plenty of outstanding solos to keep the often six to seven-minute songs interesting. Walt Weiskopf's lithe tenor elevates the sneaky "Black Cow"-like funk of the title track and the more up-tempo "H Gang"; Fagen's melodica features on the down-and-dirty "Mary Shut the Garden Door"; Marvin Stamm's trumpet carries the breezier "The Great Pagoda of Funn"; and Howard Levy's harmonica adds colour to "What I Do."

Morph the Cat is also Fagen's most guitar-centric record—in or out of Steely Dan—since the Dan's classic Royal Scam (MCA, 1976). No less than six guitarists, including mainstays Jon Herrington, Wayne Krantz and Hugh McCracken, deliver everything from clean singing lines to grungy dirt and, on "H Gang," a tone harkening back to the classic voice-box solo on "Haitian Divorce."

It's true that Becker and Fagen's easy-on-the-ears approach has contributed to the evolution of today's contemporary jazz radio stations, where the agenda is clearly "jazz lite," and Morph the Cat will undoubtedly get airplay on these stations. But there's always been something more authentic and physical about Fagen and Steely Dan's records. In terms of product placement, Morph the Cat may be undeservedly lumped in with smooth jazz, but make no mistake: this is an album that deserves serious consideration for its topical lyrics, natural grooves, outstanding performances and, ultimately, sheer humanity.

Track Listing: Morph the Cat; H Gang; What I Do; Brite Nightgown; The Grand Pagoda of Funn; Security Joan; The Night Belongs to Mona; Mary Shut the Garden Door; Morph the Cat (reprise).

Personnel: Donald Fagen: Fender piano, piano, organ, melodica solo (8), vocals, backup vocals; Keith Carlock: drums; Freddie Washington: bass guitar, Harlan Post Jr.: acoustic bass; Brian Montgomery: remedial bass guitar (9); Jon Herington: guitar, guitar solos (1, 2), chorus solo (9); Wayne Krantz: guitar, guitar solos (4,5); Hugh McCracken: guitar (1-3,9); Frank Vignola: guitar (1), tag guitar solo (9); Ken Emerson: guitar (3); Ken Wessel: guitar solo (6); Phonus Quaver: vibes and marimba (1,9), marimba (4), vibes (5,8); Ted Baker: piano (2,5), whirly piano (3,6), Fender piano (7,8); Marvin Stamm (trumpet; Walt Weiskopf: tenor saxophone, tenor saxophone solo (1,2), alto saxophone (4); Mark Patterson: trombone; Lawrence Feldman: clarinet (2), tenor saxophone (4,5), flute (7); Roger Rosenberg: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Gordon Gottlieb: percussion (2,4,6-8); Bashiri Johnson: percussion (4); Joe Pasaro: percussion (5); Jerry Barnes: backup vocals (1,5,9); Michael Harvey: backup vocals (1,6,9); Amy Helm: backup vocals (3); Carolyn Leonhart: backup vocals (3,8); Cindy Mizelle: backup vocals (3); Howard Levy: harmonica (7), harmonica solo (3); Illinois Elohainu: flute (8).

Record Label: Reprise | Style: Fringes of Jazz

By JOHN KELMAN

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=20874

[Sir Sartana]

I recently stumbled on to this excellent blues track.

[GDCarrington]

I recently stumbled on to this excellent blues track.

Interesting group. Here is a little information on them including an update from the drummer.

http://tyme-machine.blogspot.com/201...g-us-1971.html

[GDCarrington]

Charlie Haden / Hank Jones: Come Sunday







Come Sunday continues the dialog between two jazz masters—bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Hank Jones—that began with 1995's Steal Away (Verve). The topic of discussion concerns hymns, spirituals, and beloved tunes which are, without a doubt, personal and familiar to both musicians. Jones (the elder sibling of jazz luminaries Elvin Jones and Thad Jones) was the son of a devout Baptist deacon while Haden grew up performing in his family's radio show, which included country and American folk music.


Though conversational in tone, the date's significance is understated—more than just two renowned musicians playing together. Recorded shortly before his death in 2010, it is one of Jones' final recordings, and serves as a reminder of his lyrical touch, accompanied here by Haden's empathy and resonance.


Any indications of Jones health were nonexistent. At 91, his melodicism and technical abilities continue to astound, whether swinging gracefully on "Down by the Riverside" or gently on "Bringing In The Sheaves," as Haden's workmanship guides with unassuming assurance. The two seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, keeping the tunes pretty much intact but also illuminating their inner qualities, as the swanky cadence of "Give Me That Old Time Religion" silently echoes the song's sentiment, "It's good enough for me."
There are moments, such as the duo's powerful exchange in "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" and the serenity in "Nearer My God To Thee," that speak of the musicians' delicate and self-effacing approach. At first, the two seasonal songs—"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"—seem totally out of place, but ultimately fit perfectly within the context of this time-weathered set.


While the covers are taken primarily from sacred compositions, the tunes transcend both religious and secular boundaries and can be appreciated on many levels. From the duo's unobtrusive interpretations to the way in which the Jones and Haden communicate, the melodies contain a quiet magic whose crowning jewel is found in the beloved title track, written by the great Duke Ellington. It is an apropos sentiment to this moving release.


Track Listing: Take My Hand, Precious Lord; God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman; Down By The Riverside; Going Home; Blessed Assurance; It Came Upon A Midnight Clear; Bringing In The Sheaves; Deep River; Give Me That Old Time Religion; Sweet Hour of Prayer; The Old Rugged Cross; Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?; Nearer My God to Thee; Come Sunday.


Personnel: Charlie Haden: bass; Hank Jones: piano.
Record Label: EmArcy | Style: Modern Jazz



MARK F. TURNER, Published: January 18, 2012


Now my own impressions. This is very reminiscent of what Vince Guaraldi did in the 1960s in developing the soundtracks for the Peanuts cartoons. Taking the old gospel songs and providing strong technical jazz "chops" and gentle personal "finesse" to each song. If you need an album to provide solace and one to clear your mind and soul, give this one a try.

[GDCarrington]

[hide][top]Kenny Drew Quintet 1960 ~ The Pot's On