Art is the music we make from the bewildered cry of being alive. ~Maria Popova
03 Sep 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: ian anderson, jethro tull
27 Aug 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: elo, livin' thing, strange magic
When you see your favorite artist perform live, you could get a faithful rendering or something that barely resembles what they committed to record. Generally it depends on the artist’s intent.
Bob Dylan insists his music is a living thing, and recoils at the very idea of a “definitive” recorded version. And so he tries to breathe new life into songs every time he plays them. And concert-goers might barely recognize their favorite songs. This works for Bob I guess. Many of his fans beg to differ.
Jeff Lynne is the opposite. His records were made with incredible sonic craftsmanship and attention to detail. And he seems to know that’s what fans want to see replicated live.
And that’s exactly what he gives them: perfection.
27 Aug 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: don't walk away, zebra
Released the same year as debuts by R.E.M. and Marillion, Zebra’s 1983 eponymous first album was one of Atlantic Records’ fastest-selling debut albums.
But somehow its brilliance–like the stellar skills, on electric and 12-string acoustic guitar, of lead slinger and singer Randy Jackson– remained somewhat overlooked in a decade dominated by New Wave and synths.
If you’re not familiar with the trio, Canadian threesome Triumph is a fair point of reference. Jackson’s vocals reach stratospheric heights that evoke Geddy Lee, Robert Plant or Nektar’s Roye Albrighton.
This encore from an October, 1983 performance at the Summit in Houston features a frantic Jackson guitar solo that leads into set closer “Don’t Walk Away”.
The more I hear this guitar solo (the one midway through the song, not the one that precedes it) the more convinced I am that compositionally it’s one of the greatest I’ve ever heard–a scintillating blend of long, emotive notes and rapid-fire shards of shred. This mixture was Eddie Van Halen’s calling card, and is the very thing that separates the true Guitar Hero from the all-speed-no-soul hack.
THIS is how a guitar solo is properly, expertly done.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2023/12/22/recommended-albums-88/
27 Aug 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: hazel scott
05 Aug 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: beatles, john lennon, let it be
31 Jul 2023 Leave a comment
in Video of the Week Tags: hazel scott
The great Hazel Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) Trinidad-born American jazz and classical pianist and singer, She was not only a gifted pianist and singer – a child prodigy who at only eight-years-old was given a scholarship from the Julliard School of Music to be privately tutored – Scott was also an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation, She used her influence to improve the representation of Black Americans in film.
Every Moment Has A Song 