Thursday, February 22, 2018

Week Three (Blues & Baroque)

Ray Thomas, an original member of The Moody Blues, passed away in early January. Two different people sent songs by the band in his honor. The British band first found fame in the mid-1960s with "Go Now", an American rhythm 'n' blues song sung by guitarist Denny Laine (who went on to join Paul McCartney's Wings. Once Laine left the band, the remaining members decided to write their own material and took a turn towards the symphonic starting with 1967's "Days of Future Passed."  The band's more adult sound, which featured Thomas's flute and the vocals of Justin Hayward, became extremely popular with a decade's worth of big albums. They broke up in 1975, reformed in 1977 and toured incessantly for the next 25 years. Thomas retired fro the band due to ill health in the early 2000s and only played sporadically up until the time of his death.

"Tuesday Afternoon" - The Moody Blues - From "Days of Future Passed", an album that featured instruments such as the mellotron (an early synthesizer) and acoustic guitar, pretty melodies, and a gloss of psychedelia, this song paved the way for groups such as Yes.

(song submitted by B Rosenblum)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM8JjT-97i8

"Legend of a Mind (Timothy Leary's Dead" - The Moody's next album "In Search of the Lost Chord" was even more psychedelic, especially this paean to the guru of LSD, Dr. Timothy Leary.  Submitted by Daniele Dugre-Martin, she wrote "...There are no words to describe this…it’s funny and musical but definitely a cultural reference if you’re under 50."  And a distant memory for those over 50!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU8x8mLVALU

The Original Soundtrack from "The Piano" - This fascinating movie by New Zealand native and now resident of Australia Jane Campion was her first international hit. She wrote the script as well as directed the film which featured Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Harvey Keitel, and Anna Paquin (in her screen debut).  The soundtrack came courtesy of British composer Michael Nyman and was big seller.  Ms. Hunter played a number of her solo pieces in the movie and on the soundtrack.  Submitted by Betsy R, she writes "(The music) takes me to a million places and through a myriad of emotions. Just sit back and close your eyes. You’ll understand."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpBoxRcZprY


"Cantata 140,  Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" - Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), you really have to dig to find who is singing and playing this particular version.  Thomas Williams submitted the piece and wrote "I’ve quite fond of the Baroque period (1600 - ~1750) and the music of  Vivaldi, Handel, etc. but I’m particularly fond of JS Bach. Particularly his Cantatas.
It reminds me of my late father.  He loved to play this sort of music for Sunday dinner (an important event when I was growing up).
I hear this music and I can smell the roast pork. This is not the best arrangement, but it was easy to find."


"The Cello Suites of J. S. Bach" - This is such an incredible collection of pieces, six suites in all. Bach was the first to write solo music for this instrument and it has haunted musicians as well as audiences ever since.  Here's a great article that will help you understand the importance of this music. https://theconversation.com/decoding-the-music-masterpieces-bachs-six-solo-cello-suites-83797.
"Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major" - Yo-Yo Ma - This great cellist has released two recordings of the "Suites" and continues to play it in concert as one can see and hear in this 2016 concert video. 
(Submitted by R Kamins)


Ricardo Gallen is one of the world's foremost interpreter of Bach's works for lute (an early version of the guitar). This music amazes me as does the cello suites and the "Goldberg Variations" for piano below.  This music calms me down, makes me reflect on the tome it was composed and how it remains relevant almost four centuries later.


Bach : Complete Lute Works by Ricardo Gallen

Then, there's Glenn Gould and Bach's "Goldberg Variations"  - he recorded the music numerous times. The version below is from live concerts in 1958 and 59, the height of Gould's performance career.  He was an amazing character, as maddening as he was creative but, as you can hear, he could play!

(R Kamins)
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Friday, February 16, 2018

Week #2 continuum

Here's a few more that have come in this week - feel free to share!

"Modern Nature" - Sondre Lerche - This song is one I heard from a movie soundtrack ("Dan in Real Life"). It's a simple tune with terrific lyrics. I like how the duet in the middle carries the message of relationships through both the music and the lyrics.
(Chris Hakala)
(The second voice on the track is Lillian Samdal).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7nAXL7UShA

"Stone in Love" - Journey - From the album "Escape", 1981.

I remember riding in my friend ‘s 79 lime green pinto wagon with the windows down blaring this tune ...and thinking we were cool.
(T Williams)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=944wGt77Br4 - play it loud!!


"Gods Love Nubia" -  "Aida" - The Broadway Musical AIDA is based on the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. The music and lyrics were a collaboration by Elton John and Tim Rice. Set in ancient times, it tells the story of an Egyptian sea captain who captures and enslaves a Nubian princess,  only to fall in love with her. The two are torn between their true love and their respective commitments to country, culture and family. The song 'The Gods Love Nubia' performed by the princess Aida (Heather Headly) while in jail with her fellow Nubians is inspirational. It plays like a gospel revival hymn and addresses the healing of a broken people. The Nubians, led by their princess's song, rise individually then in unison to stand, gain strength and rediscover their purpose. I listen to this particular song over and over when driving down the road or, as was the case last weekend, when painting rooms in my house. The song speaks to bridging racial and social divides. It is very applicable to the many divides in our country today. Hopefully, if more people listen to the lyrics of Tim Rice and capture the spirit of Elton John's melody, 'The Gods Love Nubia' may inspire them to realize that our gods want more from us and they want it now.  
(Joe Gaffney)


"So Far Away" - Carole King - In honour of Carole King’s birthday I nominate “So Far Away” from her multiple award winning album "Tapestry". A lament about loved ones being too far from home, it certainly tugs at the heart whenever I hear it since my son is in the Military and is often far away.
(Daniele Dugre-Martin)

"Up On the Roof" - Carole King - One of my all-time favorite songs, here's a link to the songwriter's version from 1970. 

Here's a link to the original version from 1962 by The Drifters (it was released right before Christmas and did not reach Number 1 until January 1963).

And, one more version, this one from Laura Nyro also released in 1970.  I love all three versions; honestly, I can not pick one over the others as each one lifts my heart!
(RBK)

"Naive Melody (This Music Be The Place)" - Talking Heads - With Valentine's Day barely in the rear view mirror, I felt the need to post my favorite love song. The art-rock favorites of the 1980s, Talking Heads grew out of the New York avant-garde punk scene and discovered soul music along the way.  This track, from, arguably, one of the best concert videos ever, "Stop Making Sense" (1984), is a case where the live version may be better than the original (which is pretty darned good).  I have always been moved by the line that goes "Out of all those kinds of people/ You got a face with a view" - can't tell you why, it just moves me.


More to come - feel free to comment and/or send suggestions to richard.kamins@quinnipiac.edu. 



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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Week 2 Potpourri

We continue to make our journey through the worlds of music -  hope those of you who read this find something new that you are willing to explore deeper. If not, don't worry. Just listen!

“Crazy Fingers” - Grateful Dead -  off the “Blues for Allah” album from 1975. It has varied tempos, key changes and interesting lyrics.
It is part of the class on the Grateful Dead I am taking at the Neighborhood Music School. We performed the song in concert recently.

(John Jarvis)


"True Love Ways" - Buddy Holly - The pride of Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly has often been named as an inspiration by past and present musicians from Elvis to the Beatles and Muse to Linkin Park.  A rarity in the world of early rock, this song uses orchestral music and soul searching, meaningful lyrics while other groups were simply repeating the chorus and introducing a catchy beat.

(D. Dugre-Martin)



"Tightrope" - Walk the Moon - It is a very upbeat, happy song that falls somewhere along the alternative genre spectrum. It's a song that has always been fun to listen to and sing along with.

(M. Winslow)



"Cold Beer" - Hibshi (featuring Aimee) - EDM (Electronic Dance Music) takes many forms and this particular tune (chosen by my QU 301 student Austin Kasabri) comes from an artist who has little or no online presence and has only released three songs.  This particular piece has all the elements of contemporary popular music e.g a good "hook", nice vocals, and a medium-tempo that flows throughout the song.
(comment by RBK)


"Good Day Sunshine" & "She's Leaving Home" - The Beatles - Two songs from the Fab Four, both written by Paul McCartney.  To say that this group changed the face of "pop music" is bit of an understatement but what they did in their eight years of the spotlight is nothing short of amazing.

The first song comes from the "Revolver" album - the Youtube link goes to a version by McCartney. "She's Leaving Home" comes from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and is the original stereo mix.
(B. Rosenblum)



"I Loved Her First" - Heartland - Country music is delightful - I particularly like the ballads.  They usually hit me emotionally as they so clearly relate to events in my own life.

This particular song is from 2006, but as my daughter gets ready for her marriage, it hits home.
(T. Willams)


"I Hope You Dance" - Lee-Ann Womack - In the same vein as the song above, this was the song that my older daughter Sarah and I danced to at her wedding. I love the sentiment, the vocals, and the melody. Yes, music not only makes us dance and sing but also often says the words we wished we could to the people we love the most.
(R Kamins)


"Resolution" - John Coltrane Quartet - This is the second movement from Coltrane's historic "A Love Supreme" that was released in 1965. Tis was the first "jazz" Lp I ever purchased - my good friend Peter Parcek (a wonderful blues artist now living and working in the Boston, MA, area) recommended it.  For someone who listened to mostly rock music and blues, this music was shocking and I admit it took several years before I could enter into this music, appreciate its power, and how the composer's faith was elemental to what he and the group created.
(R Kamins)

 
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Thursday, February 8, 2018

First week add-ons

Here's a few more songs that have come in since our first posting.

Paul Simon announced his retirement from touring earlier this week so two people chose two songs from his vast repertoire.

"The Sounds of Silence" - Simon & Garfunkel - There are bunch of versions of this tune floating around but I chose to link to the 45rpm from 1965, the one where producer Tom Wilson (at the time, one of the few African American producers working at a major label - in this case, Columbia Records) added electric guitar, bass, and drums to the original one acoustic guitar and the voices of Simon and Garfunkel.
(Danielle Dugre-Martin)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWyzwo1xg0

"Spirit Voices" - Paul Simon - When my daughters were younger, they loved to listen to Simon's "Graceland", the album with a mix of South African musicians (there was quite a controversy when the artist went illegally to record them) plus songs with Linda Ronstadt, Rockin' Dopsie, and Los Lobos. It is a great collection but my favorite is the one that followed - "The Rhythm of the Saints" was issued in 1990 and featured a slew of songs influenced by Brazilians artists such as Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, and others.  This tune, co-written by and featuring the ethereal voice of Nascimento, still knocks me for a loop even after 28 years.
(RBK)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqd_4Kh5OxM

"Miserere mei, Deus" - Tallis Scholars - Speaking of ethereal, this lovely piece is a setting of Psalm 51 by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652). The work was composed in the 1630s during the reign of Pope Urban VII for use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the exclusive Tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday and Good Friday of Holy Week (source: Wikipedia). Recording of this piece often fall short of the magnificence of hearing this work sung in a chapel. Nevertheless, this performance is stunning.
(T Williams)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpzdB0G3TJU

John Rudolf photo
"Kenedougou Foly" - Anat Cohen Tentet - Over the past decade, Israeli-born saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen wowed audiences around the world with her vibrant musicianship and her ability to play so many styles.  I have seen her play swing,heard her play Brazilian chorus and folk music, funk, blues - while she is a fine tenor and soprano saxophonist, she is a world-clarinet player.  This piece from her latest album is an exciting arrangement of a tune composed and performed by West African balafon player Neba Solo (his version is below Ms. Cohen's) - both have a rhythmic flow that pulls you from your chair. I love both versions.
(RBK)
A Cohen - www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG7E5miN3gE
N Solo (the long version) -  www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvLBJSRx5Zk

"Pyramids" - DVBBS & Dropgun feat. Sanjin - This came from one of QU301 students but the "beats" are as African as the ones played by Neba Solo.  He told me that lyrics are not his thing but he does love sound, rhythm, bass (floor-shaking bass), and how this music just erases the craziness of the day.  EDM (Electronic Dance Music is one of the more popular genres at the moment) is the continuation of the fact that people have danced for millennia - the words are not really important but the groove is "supreme"!

(A Kasabri)

"Rolling In the Deep (We Could Have Had It All)" - Adele - The power of her voice and the message of the song are closely linked.  Adele has listened to the blues and soul singers of the 1950s and 60s (including the great British singer Dusty Springfield) - you want it dance, you want to song along, shake your fists and your tush.

(song suggested by Betsy Rosenblum)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw




Comments are welcome! Enjoy!
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Sunday, February 4, 2018

Welcome - Week One

The purpose of this blog is to share music that members of the Quinnipiac University are listening to these days.  At this point in time, the list only reflects the two classes I am teaching this semester, an FYS-101 and a QU 301, plus contributions from invited members of the QU community. The latter group will grow as the blog continues through the semester.  Feel free to comment but no spam!

CRO - "Einmal un de Welt" - Chose this song because we briefly talked about German music. I think this one is really upbeat and fun. I don't understand it, but from what I know he's just talking about girls and money and traveling. Basically the same thing that American singers/rappers talk about. Languages may be different but it seems to me that wherever you go in the world, mainstream music culture is the same. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pySXCmwpc
Haniya Ahmed (FYS)


John Prine - "Clay Pigeons" - I've been listening to Clay Pigeons sung and played by John Prine.  This is written by another fellow named Blaze.  I’m just curious what others think of this song/ballad, and if Theresa or may not be a greater or lesser appreciation dependent on age.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3zNl6NsOyY
Alden Mead (Faculty)


Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit" - Thought I might share a song we’re singing in the spring concert of Another Octave – Connecticut Women’s Chorus.  The concert theme is “Heroes & Villains”; I’m sure you can guess which category this song falls under.  The song is “Strange Fruit,” an eerie song where the tempo and the way the words are sung are vital to the meaning in the song.  The Billie Holiday version is the version you should include in your blog; it’s probably the best known, although many singers have sung.  Be sure to post a version with the words…and be careful choosing because I found some errors, such as “popular trees” instead of “poplar trees”!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mO92ll_q0k
Anne Harrigan (Faculty)

Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive" - This song has a mix of hard rock and a touch of heavy metal genres. It is slow beat with a chorus that repeats a few times. When I listen to the song it projects a heavy rhythmic beat, which is ideal for difficult cardio-vascular exercises like cycle, elliptical, treadmill, running stadium steps or bicycling. By increasing the resistance or slope of the machines used or the number of repetitions, the ‘heaviness’ of the song provides a beat that can help you work through the heaviness of the exercise when your legs, lungs and heart are challenged. The lyrics of the song (below) are not necessarily upbeat, it is the tune that is the take-away and very applicable to the toughest part of the particular cardio exercise at that moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvTqknDobU
Joe Gaffney (Faculty)

Barry Phillips - "The World Turned Upside Down" - The music is colonial American. The album's title song is well known as a dance tune played by both colonial forces and the Regulars (particularly when they surrendered at Yorktown in 1781!)

I play the album when I read and write as I find it calming and contemplative.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUcH0Of_sxs
Thomas Williams (faculty)



Panic! At The Disco - "Northern Downpour" - I chose this song because the lyrics may seem nonsensical at first, but have a deeper meaning when you think about them. I really appreciate the metaphors that they use since they're very descriptive, and I also like how many different meanings the song can have to different people, or even at different times in your life. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zouSojyIi94
Megan Winslow (QU class of 2020)

Led Zeppelin - "Immigrant Song" - It has powerful lyrics with Viking overtones (I love the Orkney Islands where most of the males have been identified as having “Viking” DNA).  I saw this performed in concert and it simply gave goosebumps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8OtzJtp-EM
Daniele Dugre- Martin (Learning Commons)



Green Day - "Poprocks and Coke" - The lyrics are terrific. At one point in my life, I was at a bad point. This song, and the lyrics of the song, were just what I needed at that time to help me deal with some of the things I was struggling with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxw2Iwu__IY
Chris Hakala (faculty)

"The Band's Visit" - Original Cast Recording - Katrina Lenk - "Omar Sharif" - I listen to a lot of music and it's hard to pick one track but I am quite enamored of the music from the Broadway play "The Band's Visit". Based on a 2007 Israeli movie, the play tells the following story:
"After a mix-up at the border, an Egyptian Police Band is sent to a remote village in the middle of the Israeli desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways." The music was composed by David Yazbek ("The Full Monty") and combines all sorts of influences.  I really enjoy the story (Israeli humor can be quite sarcastic and ironic) and the project plays to my idealistic belief that music can heal a fractured world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDgm61Jnc7g
RB Kamins (faculty)

That's all I have for this first edition - I'll update the blog, at least, twice a week. Hope you find new sounds!
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