Brother Jesse's Morning Music

[Dave]

Diana Krall





I would never even consider throwing over Mrs. Dave for a blonde with good looks, but for a blonde who can play piano like Diana Krall, I'd at least give it a moments thought! I love this woman! Her fingers, that is.

Wiki: Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s. On December 11, 2009, Billboard magazine named her the second Jazz artist of the 2000–2009 decade, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time. She is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debuting at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums. To date, she has won three Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards.

[Dave]

And I just found this terrific rendition of Night Train by Diana Krall. Goaded by Elton John (a great keyboardist himself) Diana plays it in a Dick Hyman-esque block chord style.




Ummm.... maybe more like Oscar Peterson.

[Dave]

Here it is!


Los Lonely Boys



Wiki: "Los Lonely Boys are a rock band from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll", combining elements of rock and roll, blues, soul, country, and Tejano. The band consists of three brothers, Henry (guitar, vocals), Jojo (bass, vocals), and Ringo (drums, vocals) Garza.[1] They follow the tradition of their father, Ringo Garza Sr., who formed a band with his brothers called the Falcones.

Heaven.






Wiki:"The three brothers emerged as a group in Nashville in the 1990s. After moving back to their home state of Texas they recorded an album in 2003 in Austin at Willie Nelson's Pedernales recording studio.[2] The album was initially released by Or Music and later acquired by Epic Records for distribution in March 2004.

Diamonds.





Jam. (Sorry for the ad.) Sort of an interview.




Wiki: The group's first single, "Heaven", reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, also crossing over even to the Hot Country Songs chart, where it peaked at No. 46. "Heaven" was featured in Guitar Hero: On Tour. In 2005 the song won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Other songs nominated for Grammys include "More Than Love" and "Onda," both in 2006."

With Carlos Santana. La Bamba.

[Dave]

Here are a few more.









Here's what's called Texican style.

[keith]

This morning I listened to Ms. Krall & Los Lonely Boys as quiet background music as I did other reading & listened for my granddaughter to wake. The change of pace in the middle of La Bamba was certainly a surprise, very nice choice of music though.

[Dave]

Night Train


So, after Diana Krall's driving Night Train, I got on a Night Train kick.
Here's the 1952 recording by Earl Bostic, an unsurpassed sax player in my book. (The video gives the wrong artist as well as misspelling "instrumental.")





This is closer to what I remember hearing in the late '50's and early 60's when I was playing in a band.





Not sure what JB was trying to do here, except possibly match a current music style. I didn't see a date, but the beat sounds familiar. James Brown:






This may have been the original recording for mass markets.
Jimmy Forrest:




Wiki says: ""Night Train" has a long and complicated history. The piece's opening riff was first recorded in 1940 by a small group led by Duke Ellington sideman Johnny Hodges under the title "That's the Blues, Old Man". Ellington used the same riff as the opening and closing theme of a longer-form composition, "Happy-Go-Lucky Local", that was itself one of four parts of his Deep South Suite. Forrest was part of Ellington's band when it performed this composition, which has a long tenor saxophone break in the middle. After leaving Ellington, Forrest recorded "Night Train" on United Records and had a major rhythm & blues hit. While "Night Train" employs the same riff as the earlier recordings, it is used in a much earthier R&B setting. Forrest inserted his own solo over a stop-time rhythm not used in the Ellington composition. He put his own stamp on the tune, but its relation to the earlier composition is obvious."

[Dave]

Heat Wave

I'm not sure I liked the original version of the song, nor did I remember
when it debuted. But I've always liked it as a feel-good-jump-up-and-clap concert number.

Wiki: "Produced and composed with a gospel backbeat, jazz overtones and, doo-wop call and responsive vocals, "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" was one of the first songs to exemplify the style of music later termed as the "Motown Sound". The single was a breakthrough hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart.[2] It also garnered the group's only Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for 1964,[citation needed] making The Vandellas the first Motown group ever to receive a Grammy Award Nomination."

Here's Linda doing it:




Here's Phil Collins:




And here's my favorite by Joan Osborne:




And of course by Martha and the Vandellas.




Even The Who got into the act for German audiences. (The drummer should have left his cymbals at home.)

[keith]

The long drive to Myrtle Beach & back gave me plenty of time to spend inside my head. My wife served as entertainment director, which meant that I was able to listen to music that I enjoy but seldom play (because those CDs are stored in her car). One of her choices was Judy Collins.

Barb & I have attended 3 Judy Collins' concerts. At one of them she announced that she would not be doing many of the songs we expected because she felt she no longer had the vocal range she had when they were recorded and that they would suffer in comparison to our memories. The concert was nevertheless very enjoyable. The songs she did were well chosen and professionally performed.

A couple of years ago we saw her in Utica. This time she did sing her old standards. Perhaps they were in a lower register than 40 years ago but the listeners loved them. It was a visit with an old friend and I was glad that she was comfortable with who she is now.

Barb also has an excellent singing voice. Not professional but for many years she sang with church choirs wherever we lived. A few years ago she gave it up. Part of it was the demands of her professional life, but I always felt that another part was that she could no longer sing the way she wanted. She would also sing to entertain the kids when we were making long car drives.

Recently she returned to the choir. On this trip she also sang along for a bit with Judy. For a short time she can still hit all the high notes although just for an audience of one.

I had to search for a bit to find the version I wanted on line. YouTube seems to mostly have covers.
vlog.xuite.net/play/amZ6TE96LTI0MDc5MS5mbHY=
No recording exists of the duet between Judy & Barb. That plays only in my head, but both sopranos still soar.

[keith]

Brother Jesse also reminded me of Judy Collins by way of John Philip Sousa. That may require some explanation.

Last fall were in Minnesota for a wedding. While there we attended a performance by the College of St. Thomas music department in Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. (One of our nephews is a member of St. Thomas' choir.

As part of the program the orchestra performed a "new" John Philip Sousa march, the Foshay Tower March. How can there be a new Sousa march?

For a generation the Foshay Tower was the tallest building between Chicago & the West Coast. It was built by Wilbur Foshay in 1929 and it's dedication was an extravagant affair. The ceremony included an original music piece commissioned from Sousa. Unfortunately by the time of the dedication, the stock market had crashed, Mr Foshay was broke and the check given to Mr. Sousa bounced.

Mr Sousa refused to let the piece be played again. In 1999 a group in Minneapolis raised the money to pay the Sousa estate and the Foshay Tower March can again be played.



The connection to Judy Collins? The concert we attended at which she did only new material was at Orchestra Hall in the early 1980's. Shortly after that we moved to New York and this was our first return to Orchestra Hall since that night.

[keith]

Finally, Brother Jesse's Japanese song sent me searching for the only other Japanese language hit I remember.

[Dave]

Re the Forshay Tower March. I've forgotten everything I learned about copyright, but I'm surprised the Sousa estate still had copyrights. In any event, I can't say I liked the new march, but then I'm not much of a marching band fan.

Re Judy Collins. What a beautiful person! I assume your wife equals her in many respects.

Re the sukiyaki song. I certainly remembered it when I heard the tune, but I could have never have named it. What year was that?

Here's an old Japanese favorite ... I never knew it was Japanese, as a matter of fact.

[Dave]

The US Military Academy at West Point Band



At West Point, you'll never come away from a concert disappointed. Our favorites were those held at Trophy Point, a natural amphitheater the Army unfortunately improved by putting up a backstop (so to speak.) Well it did capture and improve the sound, but it sort of ruined the view.
I would sit on a lawn chair or on a blanket in the grass and look up the Hudson River through the Highlands and swear I was staring up the Rhine in Germany. What a gorgeous sight!

Anyway, I knew a West Point musician years ago and although he was an Army Officer, he didn't join to go slogging around in one of the world's cesspools or another. He joined .... was hired, really ... to play his horn, which he did beautifully.

So here's one hell of a sax player with the West Point Jazz Knights.




Here's the USMA Concert Band with Leah Salonga




More traditionally, if you like drums .... The Hellcats perform Connecticut Halftime




Again, the Jazz Knights with "Dangerous Ground."





And here's Angel Eyes with what I've never seen in person, a woman singer!
[youtube]


The next is not at Trophy Point.
I note the presence of advertising signs in the following. That's too bad. You'd think our tax dollars would be enough. Let's hope Price Chopper doesn't start sponsoring wars, too. Here's Secret Love.

[Dave]

Sorry, I gotta play this again!

My favorite Heat Wave, Joan Osborne:

[keith]

Sukiyaki: Let's see, dancing at the Teen Canteen in Jamestown ND, swaying to the music of a song in an exotic foreign language, had to be 1963. My dance partner & I speculated on the meaning of the lyrics and agreed that it would be funny if all the romantic couples were dancing to a cola jingle. She always had a quirky sense of humor.

[keith]

Shonen Knife: I had never heard of them until this morning and now I think I have a new favorite rock band. I also learned that they played within walking distance or Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.