What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIV)

Now Playing.......

Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time

Streaming on NAS........  Spending some time with Bonnie's very fine vocals and guitar, mighty fine indeed!

Ana Vidovic - Guitar recital

Rumer, very relaxing.

  Keb' Mo' - Keb' Mo'

  Still with the blues, this one from '98 from Keb' is a cracker ......... and the song "Am I Wrong" is still one of my go to tracks to test my 

  system for drive and rhythm.

Hugh Laurie - Let Them Talk

All too easy to imagine him knocking out some blues on the piano in the college bar on a Friday evening . I'd forgotten how much I love this CD.

One Of These Nights - Eagles

(1975)

Just fancy some more Eagles and this one will do nicely.

Jen Cloher - Jen Cloher

More murky chug from the mighty Fall. Original UK vinyl:

(1990)

Reputation - Dusty Springfield

I just have to get her out every now and then. This unfortunately was her last album and she was sounding as good if not better than ever, one of the best female voices to come out of England in a couple of generations. 

   Muddy Waters - The Chess Singles Collection.

   A fine 3 X CD boxset offering 80 songs from Muddy ............ for peanuts over on The River ......... why wouldn't you? 

dave marshall posted:

   Muddy Waters - The Chess Singles Collection.

   A fine 3 X CD boxset offering 80 songs from Muddy ............ for peanuts over on The River ......... why wouldn't you? 

Dave, what's the SQ of this boxset like?

Stevee_S posted:

dave marshall posted:

   Muddy Waters - The Chess Singles Collection.

   A fine 3 X CD boxset offering 80 songs from Muddy ............ for peanuts over on The River ......... why wouldn't you? 

Dave, what's the SQ of this boxset like?

Hi Steve,

Maybe not quite up to the standard of the remastering from our friends at Real Gone Music, but it still sounds pretty good to me.

It works out at 8p a song ............ bonkers, or what?

dave marshall posted:

Stevee_S posted:

dave marshall posted:

   Muddy Waters - The Chess Singles Collection.

   A fine 3 X CD boxset offering 80 songs from Muddy ............ for peanuts over on The River ......... why wouldn't you? 

Dave, what's the SQ of this boxset like?

Hi Steve,

Maybe not quite up to the standard of the remastering from our friends at Real Gone Music, but it still sounds pretty good to me.

It works out at 8p a song ............ bonkers, or what?

Thanks Dave, that's a done deal. 

Filipe posted:

Melody Gardot - My One and Only Thrill

This must be one of the most evocative albums ever made, and what a beautiful photograph.

To understand her music you need to understand  that her career was born from the personal tragedy of being hit by an SUV that ran a red light. She suffered head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was broken in two places. She was confined to a hospital bed for a year and had to remain lying on her back. She had to re-learn simple tasks, such as brushing her teeth and walking. She was left oversensitive to light and sound, requiring her to wear sunglasses most of the time. She suffered short-term and long-term memory loss and had difficulty with her sense of time. 

The accident damaged the neural pathways between the two cortices that control perception and higher mental function. Encouraged by a physician who believed music would help heal her brain, Gardot began writing songs.  She learned to hum, then began to sing into a tape recorder, and was eventually able to write songs that referred to her rehabilitation.

Phil

Flicking through this thread and I happen to be listening to this at the moment. Fascinating background and thanks for sharing this Phil.

At least her wonderful singing talent was a good thing to come out of such an awful experience. What a classy gal!

The Cadillac Three - Legacy

I'm digging this country/rock vibe, plus I have the house to myself.

Another purchase from the BIG vinyl sale. £13.99 - Bargain. 

Blue Mitchell - The things to do

Allmusic.com:

This Blue Mitchell date is a classic, particularly the opening "Fungii Mama," which is really catchy. The trumpeter's quintet of the period (which includes tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, the young pianist Chick Corea, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Al Foster) also performs two Jimmy Heath tunes and a song apiece by Joe Henderson ("Step Lightly") and Corea. The record is prime Blue Note hard bop, containing inventive tunes, meaningful solos, and an enthusiastic but tight feel. Highly recommended.

  Kaiser Chiefs - Employment.

  Slightly bonkers first album from Leeds' finest ................ still sounding good today.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):  Helmut Walcha (organ)

Listening to the Clavier-Übung III today and it is hard to explain how profound Bach is on every level (where is George when you need him?).  The Clavier-Übung III is often referred to as the German organ mass because it is a group of chorale preludes that essentially pertain to the Lutheran Mass and Catechism.  If you think that is where it ends and that Bach was a simple man then you are sorely mistaken.  If you are aware of the Holy Trinity then you will be aware of how important the number three is.  You will see this number pop up in a large chunk of classical music.  For instance, Beethoven will repeat a point three times in most of his Piano Sonatas but Bach out does everyone and it is totally amazing.   For instance:

The Clavier-Übung III is a set of 27 pieces, which is three cubed (3 x 3 x 3 = 27).

The prelude follows an enlarged ternary structure with nine sections (ABACABACA) which is 3 + 3 + 3.

In the opening and closing Prelude and Fugue (BWV 552a & b) the key is in E-flat major which has three flats.

The fugue has three subjects ("triple" fugue) and the three sections of the fugue are in three proportional meters (2/2, 6/4, 12/8).  In section II, he divides the beat into three equal parts and in section III, he subdivides the divisions into three equal parts.

The twenty-one intervening chorale preludes and four duets represent the three main functions of the Lutheran liturgy which are the Mass, Catechism and Communion.

The first nine chorale preludes are further divided into three groups of three (3+3+3) where the first group is united by the cantus firmus treatment in stile antico.  The second group is united by proportional meters and verset-like structure (3/4, 6/8, 9/8).  In the third group, the two manual settings of the "Gloria" frame a central setting for full organ and the keys rise a major 3rd for F to A.

The 12 Catechism preludes consist of paired settings of six melodies/texts (2 x 6).  The first setting of each pair is for full organ while the second is a fugal setting for manuals only.

The final group are duets intended for use during communion.  Here there is a scalar key relationship between the duets.  So, e-minor, F-major, G-major, and a-minor (these all produce a white note triad) and all together produce a white-note scale on the pitch E.  This is the ancient Greek fifteen note system of the Dorian tonos where Plato suggested that this arrangement is associated with teaching and admonition (ie. the doctrine (catechism) in the Eucharist.)

Finally, Bach uses two Canons to represent the Old and New Testaments and one could explore this further to see the relationship and symbolism of the Ten Commandments and Our Father.

The point here being that Bach was a very clever man who prided himself on writing musical puzzles.  Nothing in Bach was by chance.  Let's marvel at his cleverness, diligence, mathematical and conceptual genius and ability to provide such joy at any level.

(2012)

Heavy Like A Witch by All Them Witches

Great heavy rock n' psychedelia from Tennessee, highly recommended if you're into this sort of stuff.

https://allthemwitches.bandcam...r-mother-electricity

nigelb posted:

Filipe posted:

Melody Gardot - My One and Only Thrill

This must be one of the most evocative albums ever made, and what a beautiful photograph.

To understand her music you need to understand  that her career was born from the personal tragedy of being hit by an SUV that ran a red light. She suffered head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was broken in two places. She was confined to a hospital bed for a year and had to remain lying on her back. She had to re-learn simple tasks, such as brushing her teeth and walking. She was left oversensitive to light and sound, requiring her to wear sunglasses most of the time. She suffered short-term and long-term memory loss and had difficulty with her sense of time. 

The accident damaged the neural pathways between the two cortices that control perception and higher mental function. Encouraged by a physician who believed music would help heal her brain, Gardot began writing songs.  She learned to hum, then began to sing into a tape recorder, and was eventually able to write songs that referred to her rehabilitation.

Phil

Flicking through this thread and I happen to be listening to this at the moment. Fascinating background and thanks for sharing this Phil.

At least her wonderful singing talent was a good thing to come out of such an awful experience. What a classy gal!

One of her songs on this album is about how close she came to the accident being fatal.

Still, if you didn't know about the hard path she has had to follow to recovery, you won't think it had ever happened when you see her today. A tough as well as classy gal.  Oh, and pretty stunning too . 

I particularly like the moody sax on this album. 

Marcus Miller - Silver Rain

I thought this was a decent attempt by Marcus the last time I listened to it. Listening to it now, but with the benefit of the introduction of a 555PSDR on the old NDS, it is...well.....the proverbial belter. Just soooo much more to the quality of Mr Miller's bass guitar playing and so much more to the sound of that instrument plus a lot more detail surrounding and supporting him. It just makes more sense and is funkier than a very very funky thang.

On original Mono the only way to listen to this album.

A great Jimmy Hall album