Cozy Cole, one of the men accredited with pioneering a deeper incursion of drumming into the main score of music. Sandy Nelson quickly jumped on the wagon, and the modern day solo was born.
I've often asked myself, just how good was Stevie Ray Vaughn? I've always loved what I heard, but what do I know about music? I'm a huge Clapton fan and I've always felt a little relieved that the the other big name guitarists felt the same. They give me good reason to support my opinions about ol' Slow Hand. What's this got to do with Stevie Ray? Well John Mayer actually. Mayer in an interview stated that he didn't have the ability to hang with Vaughn. And Clapton's opinions of Mayer are lofty to say the least. He said that he was shocked at Mayer's talent, and thought that even Mayer didn't know how good he was. If that's the case, Stevie Ray Vaughn had to be something else. The clip below says a lot.
Cyc; like you no musical acumen however I know what I like and the 'sounds' I hear. Current and possibly all time favourites are, in no particular order, Jimmy Page, Leslie West, Nils Lofgren, J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr), Jimi Hendrix, Mike Campbell, Peter Buck, Martin Barre and Helmut Krumminga (BAP). Probably others which will come to mind as soon as this nonsense is posted or I have a look at my CD's.
If you have i-Player well worth listening to the 'Matter of the North'. Now up to part 8 and is on 9am every morning on Radio 4. It has been exceptional and shows everyone how much we owe the North of England.
Just to comment on a 1944 painting which aroused a lot of interest recently. It is the work of the Australian artist Herbert Badham - "Snack Bar". My reason is not whether or not it is a great work of art, I leave that to others to decide, but because now and again a filthy-rich person cannot have his own way by buying and importing a national treasure from another country just to hang the bloody thing in his own home. Sometimes, money cannot buy everything. A damn good show by the Australian Government backed-up by their Judiciary who blocked the export of the painting. Just a personal opinion, mind you. With that back to my self-imposed exile. Here's the painting, note the black GI with the white girl, quite a thing in those far-off days:
Swanny, the couple in the top left hand corner of the painting is said to be one of the focal point of the piece. please log in to view this image
This new media in which we all indulge is an amazing thing. Swanny posted a story about the Badham painting Snack Bar and the next thing I know, I'm into Jack the Ripper. Badham is said to have been influenced by the Munich born but London living artist Walter Sickert, who happened to be part of the famous Camden Town Group. What's this to do with Jack the Ripper? Well it sort of runs like this. Sickert had an obsession with the killer's crimes and was told that he actually lived in the Rippers flat. Several authors have actually accused Sickert of being complicit in the famous crimes. They're probably rubbish but who knows? He knew how to paint a dark, sombre peice. Jack the Ripper's Bedroom. 1907. please log in to view this image
Fascinating article/video clip on Turkish artist Garip Ay, who recreates famous masterpieces using the Turkish art of marbling, known as Ebru. http://www.dw.com/en/turkish-artist-garip-ay/av-19567131
With Mubtassim running tomorrow and his 3rd dam being Beguine here's a version of the lyrically brilliant Begin the Beguine. Frank Sinatra did it, Artie Shaw did it even Michael bloody Buble does it, but no-one captures the lyrical meaning in the same way Michael Nesmith does with this unique take. Rapture Serene would have been so much a better name for the horse.
Thank you Bustino, a superb rendering of a great piece of music. Cole Porter would have approved mightily! On rechecking this Cole Porter classic, I see that he composed the music and wrote the lyrics on a 1935 cruise between Kalabahi, Indonesia, and Fiji. That, I sure did not know before.
So many people say but what's the song about? To me it's pretty clear. I'm sure most people never listen to Michael Nesmith. Being a Monkee he's looked down on, but even in watching them it was obvious he was the one with the talent. When they broke up he made a lot of solo stuff. I like things like Propinquity and Love's First Kiss. But he made lots of interesting stuff. Unfortunately he is also credited with being the father of the MTV music video. Could have done without that.
Michael Nesmith's mum was something else too. After a divorce from her husband in 1946, Bette Nesmith too ka job as a secretary in a bank. To make extra cash, the lady took to painting windows at the bank. She realised that she could dab a solution of paint over typing mistakes. One thing lead to another and she ended registering a company which sold a product she called Liquid Paper. Ms. Nesmith later sold the company to Gillette for US$47.5 million. Not too shabby a sum in 1979.
Photgrapher Michael von Hassel displays some of his artistic ability from the Oktoberfest: http://www.dw.com/en/empty-oktoberfest-tents/av-19567134
Art Blakey was a force of nature, not just behind the drum kit, but in life. Known among his contemporaries as "Thunder", Art often hit the stage smashed on smack. He married four times and had four other "serious" relationships which produced ten children in total, and in the end, wound up smoking his way to a cancerous death. For all of that, he has a well earned place in jazz history. ART "THUNDER" BLAKEY.
