When the Saints.... is considered a jazz standard but it was first recorded by Armstrong as late as 1936. I.e. 13 years after he made his (acoustic) debit with King Oliver in 1923.
Here are some choice tracks from the gorgeous debut album from Spanish-American songstress, Victoria Canal, Slowly, It Dawns...
I've always loved Sharon Von Etten's solo albums but this is the first album with her new band, The Attachment Theory, and it's stunning, her voice has never sounded better...
Finally managed to see A Complete Unknown this afternoon. Wells Film Centre, £5 and you get a free cup of tea and a biscuit. Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, do go. Timothée Chalamet is astonishingly good, as is Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. I loved Edward Norton’s take of Pete Seeger, and Boyd Holbrook nearly steals the show as Johnny Cash. Elle Fanning is compelling as “Sylvie”, based on the real-life Suze Rotolo, Dylan’s girlfriend who appears on the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan album. What I loved most was the way they portrayed the effect on audiences, hearing this incredible new music for the first time.
Saw it a few weeks ago, the scene at the start when he sings his tribute to Woody Guthrie in hospital was pretty cool. Excellent film.
Loved the way he changed the harmony at the beginning of the solo. His phrasing is exceptional....even for an adult. There used to be a young girl who busked in Winchester about 5 ir 5 years ago who played guitar like Wes Montgomery who was incredible.
Wonder if you gents had ever seen the clips of a very young Derek Trucks in YouTube ? There was a similar instance with the piano Joey Alexander who was performing with Wynton Marsalis when he was about 11. I think he is now in his twenties and has really established himself. Quite interesting to consider these young prodigies. One of the pieces I am trying to learn on my piano is the first of Syzmanowski's Opus 1 preludes which we written when he was a teenager . He must have had really big hands! It is a brilliant set of Preludes.....for my money he is the most underrated composer in classical music. The other music written by a teenager that I practice is sime early Muzio Clementi. I am quite fascinated by Clementi as he was a contemporary of Mozart but spent his adolescence in Stepleton House, Blandford Forum where he was employed by one the Beckfords who was notorious for his slave estates in the Caribbean and famous for the rum. One of the themes from a sonatina that Clementi wrote in Dorset was pinched to be changed into ' A groovy kind of love.' As he grew older Clementi became a composer and music impresario who travelled abroad but effectively became English. He also had John Field at a pupil. Most people would assume he was Italian but i think he left fotr Dorset when he was about 14.
Ah man, another part of my youth has gone..., Weller was obviously the star but The Jam's rhythm section were totally kickass and Rick was a massive part of that... Here he is at his best... R.I.P. Rick...
I've always thought of 10cc as the British Steely Dan with their intelligently witty, well crafted and thought provoking songs that defy categorising.
I see Chicago bluesman Linsey Alexander has passed at 83. I have a couple of his records from 2010s which are excellent. He was something of a legend in Chicago.
I love this podcast, Rockonteurs with Guy Pratt and Gary Kemp, and this is a fascinating episode featuring Mike Scott of The Waterboys.... Apparently one of Mike's songs, the magical The Whole of the Moon is great enough to have been covered by His Purple Majesty, Prince...twice! It also happens to be in my top ten best songs ever...
