Week 4 - Music for Many Moods

"Sunshine Superman" - Donovan - Donovan’s music is a blend of world music, psychedelics and acoustic. Influential for the past 50 years, he has worked with and written for some of the best known groups in the business.

Sadly, he is also one (of two) musicians I’ve walked out on…the Who being the other….it’s a long story. (Daniele Dugre-Martin)

(Editor's note - In the wake of Bob Dylan going electric, a number of "folkies" followed suit. Donovan was one of the more successful crossover artists.  As "trippy" as the lyrics might be, the blend of harpsichord and tabla drums is quite delightful.)

"Aloha" - Møme - As I just found by googling the name to get the special character, Møme is a French DJ, and this song was in the top 10 songs in France in July 2016 (who knew!). I was originally going to submit this song because it has a very unique, chill, upbeat sound. But it's very interesting that it was a top song in France and makes me want to look at the top charts in other countries more often. 

(Megan Winslow)

"The Gunner's Dream" - Pink Floyd - My mood has been dark these past few days.  So much so that I was reminded of Pink Floyd's 1983 "Final Cut".  It's an anti-war anti-Reagan screed that works well to fuel depression (even if you liked Reagan).
(T. Williams)

(Editor's note - After its beginnings in the psychedelic 60s, Pink Floyd - and, in particular bassist and songwriter Roger Waters - took a turn to the left and began creating much more political and societal music.  Waters still does.)

"The Train and the River" - The Jimmy Giuffre Trio with Jim Hall  - Reed master (saxophones and clarinets) Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008) first came to critical attention in 1947 as a member of the Woody Herman Big Band when he wrote "Four Brothers", a song that featured the reed section - it's a swing music standard to this day.  In the mid-1950s, he put together a series of trios that combined folk and blues music elements with improvisation. By 1961, the trio moved into more avant-garde territory with free improvisation that eschewed conventional rhythms for a more flowing style.



The above tune, however, was the first Giuffre song I ever heard and is one of my all-time favorite albums.  It's bluesy, quiet, and, to me, very soothing.  Guitarist Hall (1930-2013) influenced a slew of guitarists through his career, doing so by working with artists as diverse as Ella Fitzgerald, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, pianist Bill Evans, and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer (who joined the Giuffre Trio replacing the bassist- see video below).

"The Green Country Suite (New England Mood)" - Jimmy Giuffre 3 with Jim Hall and Bob Brookmeyer - This trio made two albums, the first being "Trav'lin Light" released in 1958 and "The Western Suite" from 1960.  The tune above, as you can see, came from the earlier album and is wonderfully contemplative, so quiet at a time when rock 'n' roll was a loud intrusion and the Civil Rights Movement was making national headlines.  Brookmeyer, from Kansas City, went on to be a great composer for Big Bands and a mentor to many of today's young composers - you'll hear his music in a later post.

(R Kamins)

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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk0Cl0gIU0o

"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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjFRHIhSvwc

"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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPedH9B8AAE

"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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5w0dQUFZbI

"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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvPNYs7Baps

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dypv4SLyAfg

"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)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg8Z69B6RFQ

"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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw

"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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsxtKQW9ggg

 

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)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU6NHDJAuno

"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!