The gravely voiced, balladeer of stories from skid row or as one writer said, the urban dispossessed, “stories of the barnacles on the underbelly of society.” Tom Waits is almost beyond description, his jazz-soaked poetry-stories, ever-eclectic musical mishmash of genres, he is of course an acquired taste. Maybe you are more familiar with his film … More Tom Waits: The First Ten Years
Forty-one years ago, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays released this masterpiece of jazz fusion, of progressive jazz-rock. There is no real category for this type of music. Note: Usually I link YouTube videos in my reviews, ECM Records seems to control the availability, so you are getting mostly live versions. I heard someone call Metheny … More As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981)
You know the theme music from the 1970s television series, Taxi. Jazz composer Bob James wrote the theme (“Angela”) and a few other tracks that appeared on the series, he released those along with some other tracks on an album called The Genie: Themes & Variations from the TV Series Taxi (1983). James has released … More Bob James: Taxi
Name a musician or band in the 20th Century, and Tom Dowd likely worked with them. From jazz to blues to R&B to rock to pop, he covered all the bases. Dowd was a member of a very select crowd of engineers/producers who piloted the greatest recorded music. There is a terrific documentary about him, … More Tom Dowd: Engineer/Producer
The job of the drummer is to drive the train. The exceptional drummers do so taking you on a journey you’ve never traveled. The best grooves get your attention, but aren’t showy. Yes, drummers can be self-indulgent with exaggerated playing, tiresome soloing and drum kits that need their own zip code. It’s very difficult for … More Best Drum Grooves
This is a blog about composer/musician/record label owner Dave Grusin. If you have followed modern music during the six decades, you are familiar with Grusin, even if you don’t know the name. He achieved success wearing many hats, including scoring films, like The Fabulous Baker Boys, which is a film about struggling musicians. Grusin has … More Dave Grusin: Film Composer
Lyle Mays was a prominent member of the Pat Metheny Group. Mays passed away after a long battle with an illness. The man was a gifted composer and musician. In more than 40 years of listening to his music, I never knew much about the man. Mays and Metheny started recording together starting in 1978, … More Remembering Lyle Mays
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