Archive for keith jarrett

Notable Music Releases Of 2015 (So Far)

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , on June 18, 2015 by David McInerny

UnknownDeath Cab For Cutie – Kintsugi
A number one position for an album named after the Japanese art of using broken pottery shows nothing is broken for Death Cab. Kintsugi is as melodic and driving as anything the band has created, and puts the group solidly in the “here to stay” status. I first saw the band with my then-middle school daughter. DCFC was headlining with the Psychedelic Furs, and I walked away from the experience even more of a “Furs” Richard Butler fan, but also a new Death Cab acolyte as well. Hearing “The New Year” (Trasatlanticism, 2003) for the first time live in that concert back then created a respect I feel again with songs like “No Room In Frame” from Kintsugi.

 

Unknown-1Anthology – Steve Howe

The guitar wizard from Yes created as much solo work as he did with his legendary progressive rock band. Rhino Records has lovingly compiled a two-disc retrospective with the help of Howe and his son. In addition, Steve has remastered much of the work and included a song-by-song introspection in the liner notes which makes the release a great tribute to the guitarist’s virtuosity which is worth of discovery for any fan of Yes and prog rock in general.

 

UnknownKeith Jarrett – Creation

Even Miles Davis was befuddled at Keith Jarrett’s ability to sit down at a piano in front of a live audience and improvise for two hours, but Jarrett continues to do it as a septuagenerian. Creation was recorded at concerts he played in Europe, Canada and Japan in 2014, and the jazz master shows that he has lost little if any of his impromptu creativity. His famous trio has retired, but one hopes he’ll play solo as long as his fingers continue to move.

 

MK_Tracker_500Mark Knopfler – Tracker

The sound of Dire Straits long behind him, Knopfler has compiled a body of solo work that stands on its own. When I hear him now, I have to remind myself that he is British and isn’t writing from experience as a boy from some Mississippi plantation. Tracker, as with all his solo work, is replete with images of rural, hard working men and woman with haunted pasts they cannot escape, characters from the road that roam the outskirts of dusty towns, and lovers with nothing but themselves from which to draw hope. It’s another in a long line of strong work in which Knopfler is creating his own genre.

 

coverWill Tucker – Worth The Gamble

This young Memphis bluesman has succeeded in transferring his energetic live act to disc, and Worth The Gamble is an apt title for his effort. Already a top draw on Beale Street, this guitarist is on the cusp of breaking out in much the fashion that Samantha Fish has this year, keeping the blues tradition not only alive but fresh. Tucker’s voice is strong and his playing is unapologetically Memphis-based. He is proud of his heritage and would make W.C. Handy proud of Tennessee’s newest and sassiest artist.

 

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Easy Listening

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2014 by David McInerny

IMG_0318Every so often it’s cathartic to ratchet down the tunes to something easy on the ears, unchallenging but beautiful. I particularly enjoy softer music while I read, cook, or fall asleep. I often get caught in a rut though, and I make myself rummage through my collection for some dusty gem. If you get in a rut playing the same things, here are some suggestions:

Glen Campbell – Meet Glen Campbell (2008)  Campbell returns to his earliest, pre-Rhinestone Cowboy style (hence the tongue-in-cheek title) with a set of sparse, crisp covers. His version of Jackson Browne’s These Days becomes poignantly autobiographical, given his battle with addictions. This album is possibly his best.

Maxwell – Now (2001)  Low key, steamy funk, Maxwell’s falsetto is something to behold. Get To Know Ya starts the disc with an open-the-wine sexiness that moves through every song.

Van Morrison – Poetic Champions Compose (1987)  Van’s most jazzy effort, and while his voice is at it’s peak on this disc, it also includes three gorgeous saxophone instrumentals. I Forgot That Love Existed is my personal favorite in all of Morrison’s body of work.

Mazzy Star – Seasons Of Your Day (2013)  Long time darlings of the indie scene, Mazzy’s most recent work is very creative without any loss of the sultriness Hope Sandoval’s voice that fans have come to expect.

Brian Eno – Thursday Afternoon (2005)  The originator and king of ambient music, Eno delivers a single, 60 minute instrumental song just perfect for background music at a dinner party or something to nap to.

Frank Sinatra – Sinatra At The Sands (1966)  Recorded at the height of his powers at the coolest club on the planet at that time, Sinatra oozes confidence as he chats with the crowd between delivering definitive versions of classics like One For My Baby and Got A Crush On You.

Boz Scaggs – Memphis (2013) I’m very wary of “comeback” albums, but this is a wonderful set of songs from an artist who’s voice and guitar skills are undiminished. The slow groove is intoxicating, exemplified by Boz’s masterful cover of Steely Dan’s Pearl Of The Quarter.

Keith Jarrett – Six Sonatas For Violin And Piano (2013)  The master of live jazz piano improv, Jarrett shows off his classical training with a stunning and fresh look at Bach’s sonatas.

Bryan Ferry – As Time Goes By (1999)  Frontman for Roxy Music known for his cool vocal vibrato and for performing in a tux, Ferry sings 15 songs from the golden age of movies, including the title song, The Way You Look Tonight and You Do Something To Me.

The Quintet – Jazz At Massey Hall (1953)  The only time these giants of jazz played together, this concert in Toronto is considered by experts to be the greatest recording in jazz. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Max Roach are pure honey on this historic work.

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Ten Great Live Albums

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 8, 2012 by David McInerny

This is by no means a “best of” list, but certainly these are live efforts that belong in any discerning music collection!

  1. Lou Reed – Rock & Roll Animal This is my favorite live album, period. Recorded in New York in 1973 after the demise of the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed breathes fierce energy into these tunes that simply didn’t exist when Andy Warhol produced the VU. Steve Hunter is superlative on guitar, and this disc contains the definitive version of “Heroin.”
  2. Eric Clapton – Rainbow Concert The Who’s Pete Townshend brought Clapton out of a two-year hiatus in 1973, assembling a stunning support band for this concert including himself, Steve Winwood, and Ronnie Wood. Clapton sounds happy to play again, and it shows. The setlist is a Cream/Derek & the Dominos greatest hits.
  3. Keith Jarrett – La Scala When Jarrett plays concerts, it is 100% improvisation, and it is stunning. This 1997 jazz album recorded in Milan is headphone candy as well as perfect background music for an elegant dinner.
  4. Bob Seger – Live Bullet After the monster success of Frampton Comes Alive, bands scrambled to release their own DOUBLE LIVE ALBUM. Between 1976 and 1978, innumerable bands released disposable double-live garbage, replete with 15 minute drum solos and album-side-long jams to nowhere. Live Bullet is not one of these. This was first and foremost a live band, and you can hear the fun Seger and crew are having playing. The music is well-played, tight, and superbly recorded and mixed.
  5. The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out I would have loved to have been in MSG in 1969 when this album was recorded. The Stones have released a lot of very good live albums, but this is the classic among classics. The spot-on setlist includes “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Stray Cat Blues,” “Midnight Rambler,” and “Honkey Tonk Women.” Jagger starts the concert by proclaiming, “I’ve lost the button on me trousers! You wouldn’t want me to lose me trousers now, do you?” Musical chaos commences.
  6. Dave Brubeck – We’re All Together Again for the First Time Gerry Mulligan’s baritone sax joins Paul Desmond’s alto sax to accompany Dave on piano for a 16 minute “Take Five” that is stratospheric.
  7. Traffic – On the Road Two months after playing in Clapton’s Rainbow concert, Steve Winwood took Traffic on the road in 1973, and in Germany recorded their hits-to-date live in a jazz format. The results work magnificently, and this is the most underrated live album of all time.
  8. Rush – Exit … Stage Left How do just three guys make this much music, live? The precision of this 1981 disc is impossible to overstate, and the band chooses a setlist that satisfies the casual fan (“Tom Sawyer”) and the aficionado (“YYZ”).
  9. Stan Getz – Cafe Montmartre Getz passed away shortly after this show was played in 1991, but he was clearly enjoying the response of the Danish crowd, as evidenced by his banter between songs. Stan loved breathing lovely music through his sax, and this is his very best.
  10. Grateful Dead – Live Dead In 1969, the Dead played a “Dark Star/St. Stephen/The Eleven” medley that cast their improv chops in stone. A 40 minute jam that every Deadhead longs to hear played just one more time…

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Father’s Day Jazz

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on June 15, 2012 by David McInerny

I know many of you are looking for jazz music for that special progenitor in your life, so here are my current top 10 albums in no particular order:

1. Stan Getz – Cafe Montmartre (1991)

2. Diana Krall – Quiet Nights (2009)

3. Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959)

4. Pat Metheny – Watercolors (1977)

5. Jeff Lorber – Midnight (1998)

6. Dave Brubeck – Jazz Impressions of Eurasia (1958)

7. Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (1969)

8. Billie Holliday – Complete Decca Recordings (1944-1950)

9. Steely Dan – Aja (1977)

10. Keith Jarrett – Solo Concerts in Bremen/Lausanne (1973)

Honorable Mention goes to Michael Bluestein – Wild World (2001), if only for the daringly successful rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Ten Years Gone.” Soothingly mind-blowing.

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