Music Musings

I've had the privilege of picking up some great tunes. Here goes:

Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens: This four-disc box is worth its weight in gold. The Brit import is twice as cheap as the American huge cheaply-made box and liner notes can be found in any run of the mill Satchmo biography. From 1925 to 1930, these musicians launched a musical revolution in which its effects are still seen today.

Bill Evans - Portrait In Jazz. This classic trio's first album from late 1959. Intense, melodic playing by Evans with an amazing rhythm section that just about defines modern (post-WWII) small group jazz. I would have killed to have witnessed the Vanguard sessions from just one year later. Truly amazing.

Jackie Greene- American Myth. I talked about picking this one up and now am talking about you doing so. From the Dylanesque to country-pop to folk-based rock to straight ahead barn burners, this new release is definitely in the running for album of the year already. My biggest complaint is the absence of lyrics as I would love to catch the story from song to song. This truly sounds like a concept album based on the story telling ability of Greene's lyrics. While too quiet in many spots to make a perfect road trip listen, putting this on traveling across Grant's Pass into Oregon with snow flurrying and California disappearing behind me, AM was as close as it came to a perfect listening experience.

Christian McBride - off to see him on Thursday. I'm doing this one solo or with the guys; I won't miss this one.

More great news on the release of the Seeger Sessions as sonymusic.com has samples to hear from each of the songs. This is the album that Bruce has wanted to make but hadn't quiet made some "other" statements over the course of the decade; those being a reunion tour and album as well as political stances on some big issues (the election and war). That he's been working on this since 1998 shows this album to be a labor of love and "bite me if I'm not re-tooling Thunder Road, you stuck-in-the 'Glory Days' fools" get-up. An old-fashioned hootenanny (sp?) with political leanings (how can it not be from an avowed communist and civil rights activist?), what this album sounds to be is the first time that Bruce has surrounded himself with musicians in order to be swept up by them. He's made a career sweeping everyone else up but never before just being "in the band". What better way to allow the songs and stories and emotions run than allowing other players strum, pluck, drum and barrelhouse your mood along? It's funny to read the whiners on the Bruce pages as diehards are hashing out this impending release. What is has become is a bunch of adults truly acting as children; the artist isn't reuniting with the E Streeters and therefore can't put out anything worthwhile; he's an artist and is following his muse; he's selling out and "going country"; he's losing his musical focus and needs his roots to steer him back to where he needs to go; he needs to branch out and pursue different styles of music other than arena rock; and on an on. I'll just be excited to listen to my favorite musician having a good time kicking up his heels and returning a bunch of of "music experts" to a genre of music that existed before giant record companies began reminding us of how many Cadillacs we need to buy from a singer that wanted to die before getting old, though he's now going on tour with his band after how many "retirements"?

Ashland, Oregon is truly an amazing town. The Importance of Being Earnest is a wonderful play. I had the time of my life, even though leaving my son for the first time just about killed me.