MyTunes

2009-09-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've been exploring the back catalogue of the singer/songwriter John Prine. He's written some great songs since he hit the scene back in the early '70s. I started with his revelatory self-titled debut album and recently bought his 1978 classic "Bruised Orance" and 1992 album "The Missing Years." He has a uniquely skewed world view, with an odd sense of humor and a dash of common sense.

2009-09-14T11:34:00.001-07:00

Just discovered "Backwaters" by The Tony Rice Unit...jazzy bluegrass that Rice called "spacegrass" when it was released in 1982. Holy cow, is it good!

2009-01-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Some of my recent purchases from the iTunes store:

Yellowjackets - "God Only Knows" from a new jazz tribute to Brian Wilson. I'm somewhat of a fan of the Yellowjackets and their arrangement of this Beach Boys is really nice.

Jiva - "The Goodbye Song" from their "The Love EP." Nice jazzy R&B groove with a nice sax solo towards the end.

George Benson - "Give Me The Night" This track was a big hit for him in 1983...Quincy Jones' production fingerprints are all over it...the horns, the strings, the vocals...it's all good.

Over The Rhine - "Bothered" This track was hidden at the end of their "Ohio" record but this version is from a CD of live tracks and alternate mixes released to their fan club. It's a stripped-down arrangement, with just a gorgeously haunting piano accompanying Karin Bergquist's vocal. Lovely.

2008-12-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

This was one of the earliest posts to my other blog and since this blog didn't exist when it was originally posted, I am re-posting it here with updates ( denoted *).

My Christmas CD Collection

So I have a modest collection of Christmas music on CD - here it is, in no particular order. With a few exceptions, you can get these if you know your way around Amazon.com

Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy)
the original soundtrack CD - no comment needed!

* Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas - Remastered edition (Fantasy)
I picked this up out of curiosity in 2006. Charlie Brown purists howled in protest at this updated edition of the classic album. This new version cleans up the sound nicely and includes several alternate takes. Disappointing is the fact that the wrong version of "Linus and Lucy" somehow made it onto the CD.

Cyrus Chestnut and Friends - A Charlie Brown Christmas (Atlantic)
Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut and his trio collaborate with some of their jazz friends for this take on the above-mentioned CD. I'm a jazz fan so I really, really love this CD.

Bruce Cockburn - Christmas (Columbia)
For the Canadian in all of us - I'm not familiar with Cockburn's other CDs but his acoustic versions of traditional and French-Canadian carols are pretty darn good.

Travelin' Light - Christmas With Travelin' Light (Telarc)
Guitarist/banjoist Frank Vignola and Tuba-ist Sam Pilafian released this quirky, off-the-wall CD in the early '90s. Their version of "Jingle Bells" is worth the price of the CD, all by itself--Pilafian's tuba solo in the piece cracks me up every time I hear it. It's 1930s/1940s-Django Reinhardt swing jazz. Come on, everyone should hear a tuba fart out "Frosty The Snowman" just once!

Various Artists - Noel (Via)
Veteran Christian alt-rockers Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong of The Choir got together with some of their like-minded artist friends for this low-budget but high-quality indie CD. It's long out-of-print but worth the effort if you can track it down. Featured artists include Michael Pritzl (The Violet Burning), Kevin Smith (DC Talk), Carolyn Arends, and Buddy and Julie Miller.

Cambridge Singers - Christmas Day in the Morning (Collegium)
Robert Shaw Chamber Singers - Angels On High (Telarc)
To satisfy your classical music/traditional carols urges, I recommend these two CDs. Choral music aficianados should be familiar with the John Rutter and Robert Shaw canons.

Take 6 - He is Christmas (Reprise)
This was the first Christmas album that Take 6 did. The acapella cuts are excellent, their version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with The Yellowjackets is especially scrumptious.

Phil Keaggy - Majesty and Wonder (Myrrh)
Virtuoso guitarist Phil Keaggy collaborates with the London Symphony Orchestra for this instrumental guitar album. Highly recommended.

Broken Records - The Broken Christmas (Broken)
Another long out-of-print gem from this late-1980s Christian independent record label. If you were a fan of the west-coast Christian rock movement of the mid-to-late 1980s you'll appreciate this CD. I happened upon it in a used-CD shop a few years ago. Some of the music is sadly dated, but the cuts with Gene Eugene and Ojo Taylor are first-rate.

Mel Tormé - Christmas Songs
Recipe for Christmas bliss - Light the Yule Log, pour some Eggnog, and turn up The Velvet Fog. His rendering of "Christmastime Is Here" is my very favorite of all.

First Call - An Evening in December (Dayspring)
First Call - An Evening in December, Volume 2 (Dayspring)
These 2 albums capture the acapella vocal trio at the peak of their 1980s power. The first CD is really the only necessity here - the second doesn't add much and the arrangements tend to be brassy and cheesy. Curiously, First Call didn't do any more acapella projects after these.

Eddie Higgins Trio - Christmas Songs (Sunnyside)
This is the CD that every jazz fan wanted but couldn't get last year. It was released only in Japan. Eddie Higgins is a veteran jazz pianist and this CD really swings. You don't have to be a jazz fan to get into this CD. Luckily, Sunnyside Records picked it up in 2004 and it's now available everywhere.

* Eddie Higgins Trio - Christmas Songs II (Venus)
Second volume of instrumental Christmas music, released to Japan in 2006. I plucked a copy off of eBay a few weeks ago. This set is decidedly more subdued and formulaic than the first one. Probably due to the use of a different rhythm section. Perfect for during or after Christmas dinner.

* Don Peris - Brighter Visions Beam Afar (Jemez Mountain)
Don Peris is the longtime and current guitarist for The Innocence Mission. This is a quiet , gentle instrumental offering of Christmas hymns arranged for solo guitar.

* Over The Rhine - Snow Angels (Great Speckled Dog)
Fans of OTR will love this, their second Christmas CD that released in 2006. It's a decidedly different holiday CD that the average listener probably wouldn't dig but if you're a fan...

You iTunes people out there should seek out and buy the song "The Last Month of the Year" (as in 'when was Jesus born?') by The Fairfield Four - it's on their 1992 CD "Standing in the Safety Zone." It's old-fashioned acapella gospel sung by these old masters of their craft with help from The Nashville Bluegrass Band.

So there you have it.

2008-08-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I really like the song, "Twilight World," a tune written by jazz pianist Marian McPartland. So much so that I own five (5!) different versions of the song. That's enough for its own Smart Playlist in iTunes! McPartland's tune is elegiac and wistful by itself, and Johnny Mercer's lyrics make it even more so. I own four instrumental arrangements performed by McPartland herself and one with lyrics, sung by my favorite female jazz singer Karrin Allyson at McPartland's 85th birthday party.

Marian McPartland - "Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 9"
Marian McPartland - "Readers Digest Music - Marian McPartland Jazz Piano: The 1976 Sessions"
Marian McPartland with Strings - "Silent Pool" (my favorite)
Marian McPartland & George Shearing "Just Friends"
Marian McPartland & Friends - "85 Candles: Live in New York"

Check them out on iTunes or Rhapsody!

(Th Brit-pop/jazz duo Swing Out Sister also wrote a song called "Twilight World." It bears no resemblance to McPartland's tune but is enjoyable nonetheless. I believe I have a few versions of it on CD as well.)

2008-04-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Karrin Allyson's cover of "Bye Bye Country Boy" came up on the Party Shuffle of my iTunes just now. Her ruddy voice wraps itself nicely around Blossom Dearie's lyrics. The use of a Fender Rhodes instead of a conventional piano on the tune is a nice touch, as well.

2008-03-28T10:56:00.001-07:00

"Let It Go" by The Bangles always takes me back to the fall of 1986. I remember listening to their "Different Light" album a lot during that time. My family had just moved to Festus and were living in a small rented house while our new home was being built. That song plays and I am instantly transported back to 805 Moore St., laying on my bed watching cars go up and down the street.

2008-02-22T11:15:00.000-08:00

There exists within the canon of popular music a small body of songs that should be declared illegal, they are so good. "She Called Up" from last year's Crowded House CD "Time On Earth" is one of those songs. Hear:

She Called Up

2008-01-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

15+ years on, I still love "You've Gotta Love Somebody" by Jon Gibson from his "Forever Friends" CD. JG throws down an authentic Marvin Gaye-style groove and the song is a killer call to love your fellow man.

2007-09-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me recently that "Making The Right Moves" by Swing Out Sister (from "The Living Return" (1994)) is one of the world's great makeout songs. Sensuous, sexy lyrics over a slinky downtempo beat, crooned by Corinne Drewery's alluring alto make the song irresistible. And it goes on for over 10 minutes, as a bonus!

Making The Right Move

2007-07-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Down to the Bone - "Supercharged"

my soundtrack to Summer '07. I picked it up at Borders last Sunday afternoon and I lovelovelove it. DTTB lays down the funk.jazz.soul.groove thang nice and thick this time around. It just don't quit! Every song is infinitely danceable. This CD should come with a complimentary dance floor but alas the listener has to groove wherever they're listening to it.

2007-04-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's dusty in here! Anyway, I've been scouring YouTube for dog videos since I'm in the market for a pooch. Lots of videos include soundtracks to accompany the footage. This had led to some really cool music discoveries lately:

"Walkabout" from the Red Hot Chil Peppers' CD "One Hot Minute." a rare non-explicit track with a great lazy funk groove.

"Feels Like Home" from Randy Newman's musical "Faust." Turns out, many singers have covered this great love song but I prefer Bonnie Raitt's version from the original soundtrack.

"She's The One", originally done by the immortal World Party from their CD "Egyptology" but more recently covered by Robbie Williams on his "The Ego Has Landed" CD. I bought both versions from iTunes.

Aside from those tracks, I've been checking out two discs from The Innocence Mission, "Birds of My Neighborhood" and "We Walked in Song." The former disc dates from 1999 but was recently re-released and the later disc is the newest offering from TIM. TIM was a pop/shoegazer outfit when they started out back in the mid-90s but have evolved into a indie-folk trio performing adult lullaby-ish music. TIM singer Karen Peris' voice is a sweet combination of Bjork and Natalie Merchant, not for everyone but I really like it.

2007-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Jon Gibson had a couple of really great songs on his 1992 album "Forever Friends." His Marvin Gaye-style original "You Gotta Love Somebody" and his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Happier Than the Morning Sun" are an effective one-two punch of groovy soul. All these years later those tunes still thrill me!

2006-11-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

I should have mentioned this one LONG before now...

"Art Carney's Dream" from The Swirling Eddies' 1994 CD "Zoom Daddy" has lyrics so deep that you could dive into them and swim around in them for weeks. Only Terry Taylor could take an old-school television icon and shape a metaphor for salvation and redemption. The song really rocks, as a bonus!

2006-11-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

I really dig Lonnie Liston Smith's interpretation of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's tune "Bright Moments." It's funky, very danceable and very, well, bright!

2006-08-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Something to Remind You" from Pat Metheny Group's 1995 CD "We Live Here" is really nice. It's a sweeping, cinematic, jazzy power ballad instrumental that conveys so much emotion.

2006-07-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

I posted about the Lost Dogs in my other blog last week after seeing them in concert. I picked up their latest CD while at the show. They saved the best for last this time around as they did on their first and second records. "That's Where Jesus Is" is a stark indictment of "those who would co-opt Jesus for their own purposes," as Terry Taylor said when they performed it live. Rather, Taylor points out that Jesus is "in the homeless faces, with the junkies in their living hell." My favorite line of the song is a trademark Taylor-made observation, "[Jesus] gets invited to church sometimes, and sometimes He don't go."

Listen to an mp3 clip

Read the complete lyrics.

2006-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Just discovered a wonderful band called Hem. They're an NYC-based group that makes quietly elegant chamber-pop/countrypolitan music. Check out their 2004 CD Eveningland. My favorite track is "Receiver." Their singer Sally Ellyson's voice is a thing of real beauty.

2006-06-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Mini-binge of CD-buying this weekend. Yesterday, I drove up to a camera store to look at digital cameras and since a Borders store was nearby... I started out with the new Zero 7 CD, The Garden, and on impulse, the new Taylor Eigsti CD Lucky To Be Me. The Zero 7 CD has underwhelmed me, thus far, and just might get traded at a used CD store. The Taylor Eigsti disc is definitely a keeper. He is a 21-year old jazz pianist who has massive chops.I also joined the Borders Rewards program (hey, it was free!). With the 30% off coupon I got for registering online, I went to the Borders store near my house today and bought Over The Rhine's Drunkard's Prayer CD, which I should have done long before today. From start to finish it's a great set of songs and it has made my all-time top 10 list of favorite CDs.

2006-05-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Near the top of the list of "Creepiest Songs Ever Recorded" should be "Time Must Have A Stop" by the ya-blinked-and-ya-missed-them band Bumblepuppy. They were a Canadian indie quasi-Christian glam/emo outfit that appeared briefly in 1997. "Time" is the last song on their "Evening at the Feelies" CD. It begins with eerie, melancholy vocals over a pretty piano melody, then the 'dramatic effect' happens about a minute into the song. Never before have I heard an EKG heart monitor and breathing machine sound effects recorded in a song and they effectively punctuate this song about, well, death. I'm not into songs about death, but this is just a creepily odd, but moving song.

2006-04-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

My vacation week has had an unexpected soundtrack. Bruce Springsteen's new project "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" released this past Tuesday. I bought it after hearing some samples of it online. It's a folk record dedicated to songs associated with Pete Seeger. The Boss wanted an authentic hootenanny sound and that's exactly what he got. If you can get past his gritty, drawl-soaked vocals, it's a really nice record.

2006-03-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

One of my first posts to this blog mentioned Over The Rhine's excellent CD "Drunkard's Prayer." I listened to the entire CD on Rhapsody tonight and the first song out of the gate is a darn fine love song. "I Want You To Be My Love" is what I'll sing to my beloved, someday...

2006-03-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

I got my copy of the new MuteMath CD in the mail a week ago Monday. MuteMath came about from the remains of the band Earthsuit a couple of years ago. The first song, "Typical" has an interesting chorus:

I know there's got to be another level/Somewhere closer to the other side/And I'm feeling like it's now or never/Can I break the spell of the typical?

Sounds like a challenge to me.

2006-02-26T17:47:00.002-08:00

I don't remember how, but I got turned on to a band called Incognito last fall. Incognito is a British band led by Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick that plays delicious blend of jazz, pop, soul, R&B, and retro disco dance music, often all on the same album. Some might rightfully say there's no substance beneath the surface of their tunes, but it's a seductive sound and I'm hooked. The band's personnel changes a bit from album to album but the music is consistently excellent. They released one album in 1980, disappeared until 1992, and have been good for almost an album a year ever since. I started with their "Adventures in Black Sunshine" featuring the soulful vocals of Maysa Leak and have worked backwards in their discography.

2006-02-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

A radio station I listen to frequently is the local "classic country music" station . It plays songs like Loretta Lynn's "Don't Come a-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)" and "You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man."

Tell it like it is!

2006-02-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, Virginia, there really is an easy-listening version of "Friends In Low Places." I have Floyd Cramer's rendition on a mix CD that I threw in the CD player on the way to work today. I don't know if his tongue was in his cheek or not, but it is good for a chuckle. Slightly more ironic is its position on the CD after Ray Stevens' "Everything Is Beautiful." My taste in music runs slightly off the beaten path sometimes.

"AWWW, SING IT CHILDREN!!!!"

2006-01-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

For some reason, while I was grocery shopping tonight, Mike Roe's "I Need God" popped into my head. It's a song for the desperate soul at the absolute end of his rope who has hit bottom. Memorable also for Roger Smith's searing Hammond organ solos.

I Need God

I Need God (clip)

2006-01-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

• Total volume of music on my computer: 18.1 GB (2,110 songs)
• The last CD I bought: Incognito's "Who Needs Love"
• Song playing right now: "Tattoo" by The 77s (live version that obliterates their studio take of it)
• Five songs that mean a lot to me:
1) Rich Mullins "Nothing is Beyond You" (this restatment of Psalm 139 slays me every time I hear it)
2) Incognito "Still a Friend of Mine" (great song about being friends through thick and thin)
3) The 77s "Pray Naked" (how about coming before God "naked?" (not literally!))
4) Billy Taylor Trio "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)" (makes my ears smile)
5) Donny Hathaway "Someday We'll All Be Free" (Alicia Keys' favorite song, for a good reason)

2006-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

To start off this blog, I'll mention "Born" by Over the Rhine. It's a very simple, vulnerable song that caught my ear after I heard the lyrics. Just a great tune.

Hear the mp3 for free at Paste Music: Born