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LO CURA TODO

Hacía tiempo que no oía hablar de ese mundo tan peculiar y cinematográfico de los charlatanes, las ferias y los espectáculos trashumantes que no se si todavía tendrán lugar en algún sitio, pero que sin duda recuerdo hace años como acontecimiento y diversión, aunque no se por qué siempre me dejaban un cierto trasfondo de melancolía y alegría efímera.

Me ha llamado la atención la reseña de este disco y me he permitido traducírsela a Steve Leggett.

01._The_Spasm.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Good For What Ails You: Music of the Medicine Shows 1926-1937 

 “ El American Medicine Show” empezó en Estados Unidos poco después de la Guerra Civil con el aumento de los llamados medicamentos de patente y la falta casi completa de normas relativas a los ingredientes de los que estaban compuestos todos aquellos  tónicos, elixires, y panaceas con poderes de curación que se vendían en espectáculos pregonados por los charlatanes y médicos de lengua de plata, a los que el público acudía también para ver a los diferentes acróbatas, bailarines, tragafuegos, encantadores de serpientes, cómicos y músicos que entretenían durante esos espectáculos gratuitos.

Era una forma rentable en la que se fusionaba el entretenimiento con la comercialización (y donde la fabricación significaba mezclar los ingredientes en una bañera). Estos medicamentos y todo su espectáculo  viajaron con  el llamado "circuito del queroseno" por la población rural y las pequeñas ciudades de  Estados Unidos hasta los albores del siglo 20, cuando el surgimiento de la radio y el cine, y la aparición de la Ley de Drogas y Alimentación de 1906, se combinaron para hacer obsoletos aquellos procederes.

Aquel modelo de ofrecer entretenimiento gratuito para atraer al público y luego durante los intermedios colocar e impulsar y comercializar los productos, se puede decir que apenas ha cambiado y sigue siendo la fuerza detrás de la radio y la televisión en el siglo 21.

Los destacados músicos de estos coloridos “Espectáculos de la Medicina”, eran profesionales, por lo menos lo sufientemente  profesionales como para salir de sus comunidades de origen y tomar la carretera. Por  suerte varios de estos músicos aún estaban activos en la década de 1920 y principios de los 30 cuando la industria discográfica estaba empezando a despegar, y numerosos discos de 78 revoluciones por minuto comercializados por los ex animadores del Medicine Show fueron grabados y lanzados en la época. Vale la pena escuchar estos dos discos originales de 78 rpm, recopilados por Old Hat Records, un sello independiente de Carolina del Norte dedicado a la preservación de la música americana vernácula y regional. Al escuchar estos temas no es exactamente como estar en el marco del ambiente de “las luces  de queroseno”, pero es lo más parecido.

Entre las joyas de “Good For What Ails You” (“Bueno Para Lo Que Te Duela”) está la versión de "I'll Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal, You” de Daddy Stovepipe (Johnny Watson) y Mississippi Sarah (Sarah Watson) que ellos versionean como "El espasmo", y que abre este conjunto de canciones; el extraño "Beans" de Beans Hambone (James Albert) y El Morrow, es un disco tan raro como notable; el delicioso “Railroadin” de Henry Thomas, recuerda a un viaje en tren a través de Texas y el norte de Chicago en una letanía impresionante de ciudades y paradas de tren.

Todas las canciones se mezclan en una variedad atractiva de blues, rags, canciones de juglares en nuevo formato, canciones encadenadas por  bandas de continua sorpresa y deleite.

Old Hat Records es una compañía digna de elogio por el cuidado evidente en que ha preparado esta colección, y muchos fans de la Antología de la Música Folk Americana pueden encontrarse con lo salvaje que ésta recopilación puede resultar. ~ Steve Leggett

 

Sol y Luna

THE SMOOTH BREAKERS "The Thrill Is Gone"

THE_SMOOTH_BREAKERS_The_Trhill_Is_Gone.mp4 Watch on Posterous

Con sonido directo de cámara, sin mezcla ni postproducción esta es la versión que The Smooth Breakers hacen de este clásico.

http://youtu.be/SqgNDWZjOuo?hd=1

"The Thrill is Gone" es un blues escrito por Rick Darnell y Roy Hawkins en 1951 y popularizado por B. B. King en 1970.  La canción fue grabada en un principio por Hawkins para quien solo fue en hit menor. B. B. King grabó su versión en junio de 1969 para su álbum Completely Well, del mismo año. La calidad de la producción y el uso de instrumentos de cuerda marco la diferencia tanto con el original como con el material anterior de B. B. King. Cuando apareció en diciembre de 1969, la canción se convirtió en el mayor éxito de su carrera y en su canción más emblemática. La grabación de B. B. King le supuso un Grammy por la Mejor Interpretación R&B Vocal Masculina y aparte un premio Grammy Hall Of Fame en 1998. La versión de King obtuvo el puesto 183 en la lista de 500 mejores canciones de todos los tiempos de la revista Rolling Stone.

B. B. King ha incluido otras versiones memorables en sus álbumes Live in Cook County Jail 1971, Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again...Live 1976, y Live at San Quentin 1991.

Muchos artistas han versionado la canción a raíz del éxito de B. B. King, incluyendo a Peggy Lee 1970, Luther Allison 1979, Dishwalla 1995, Aretha Franklin 1970, Little Milton 1973, Willie Nelson 2000, Stan Webb 1973, Jerry García y David Grisman en los años 1990, Buckethead 2004, Steven Brown Half Out, 1991, The Marshall Tucker Band, Stompin' Room Only, 2003, la Eric Steckel Band (Havana, 2006), Diamanda Galás, Leslie West , Got Blooze, 2005. 

 

Robert Jr. Lockwood - Just The Blues

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Robert Jr. Lockwood - Just The Blues

Styles: Acoustic & Electric Delta Blues
Recorded: 1980/1981
Released: 1999
Label: Rounder/Bullseye Blues

Time: 40:49

1. Hangin' On - 4:08
2. Stake A Claim - 4:11
3. Razzmadazz - 2:57
4. Here It Is, Brother - 3:35
5. For You My Love - 3:22
6. Mean Mistreater - 2:09
7. Rockin' Free - 2:35
8. We're Gonna Ball Tonight - 2:41
9. Blues On The Hour - 5:15
10. Mr. Blues - 1:59
11. I Gotta Find My Baby - 3:09
12. Just The Blues - 4:27

Personal:
Robert Jr. Lockwood - Acoustic & Electric 12-String Guitar, Vocals
Johnny Shines - Acoustic & Electric Guitar
with:
Harold D. Arnold, Jr, Carl 'Ace' Carter - Piano
Scott Billington - Harmonica
James C. Garrett - Bass
Wirtford Core, Jimmy Hoare - Drums
J.K. Terrell - Congas & Percussion
and with - Alt and Tenor Saxophone

Este disco reúne todos los temas de Lockwood en sus dos álbumes más redondos junto a Johnny Shines. Lockwood brilla en un par de temas originales que van desde el jazz, al blues de proto-funk ("Here it is, brother").  Tanto el dúo con Johny Shines como el apoyo  de esta banda  de músicos habituales  de Cleveland, hacen que el disco sea una buena muestra de uno de los músicos de blues más representativos e innovadores.

El Humo Ciega Tus Ojos. (sé fuerte y déjalo)

El_Humo_Ciega_Tus_Ojos.m4v Watch on Posterous

David Johansen, ahora ... Blues!

Cuando uno mira hacia atrás en la carrera de David Johansen, no es difícil tener la sensación de que estás viendo a un actor que se ha deslizado dentro y fuera de una serie de diferentes papeles en los últimos años, desde el libertino glam punk, de los dias de New York Dolls, al arrogante rock duro de los 70 y 80 en sus discos como solista, hasta el sonido vintage-discoteca del conocido como Buster Poindexter. Y ahora el músico de blues canoso que viene con sus sesiones acústicas y su banda The Harry Smiths.

“Shaker” es el segundo álbum de Johansen con los Harry Smiths, el disco está formado por  canciones recogidas de la cosecha de clásicos del country blues, hechos famosos por artistas de la talla de Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, y Charley Patton (una excepción notable: "Mi morfina ”de Gillian Welch, que encaja a la perfección en la mezcla).

Al igual que gran parte de su material del pasado, la teatralidad en las interpretaciones de Johansen es sin duda evidente en esta ocasión; Johansen evita asumir el papel de un músico de blues envejecido, pero en última instancia suena como un actor haciendo el papel de un músico de blues en lugar del cantante de blues en sí mismo. Eso no quiere decir, sin embargo, que Johansen no calor y honestidad en estas canciones, el siempre ha sido un artista con brío, también es apasionado y sensible, y no deja de dar la lectura dramática a su papel para ensalzar al actor que tiene la necesidad de comunicarse hasta con la última fila del teatro.

El resultado es una colección de canciones  en las que que rinde homenaje al blues clásico del país y al mismo tiempo añade un toque al más puro estilo David Johansen, y no sólo es su entrega fuerte y convincente, también su voz es más suave de lo que ha sido en años.

Mientras decenas de artistas de blues moderno han tropezado al tratar de volver a recrear el sonido del pasado, David Johansen ha adoptado un enfoque realmente diferente a la idea, y en esta coctelera los resultados son realmente impresionantes.

On muddy Sava riverbank: Blues History

Blues History

History of the Blues (as I see it)

	The Roots of the Blues African Roots (Griots) Nort African music
/	|	\
Work Songs/Field Hollers The songs that were sung by slaves and were inspired by the emotional states and stories from the plantations	Minstrel	Gospel Solo vocal religious style that had a huge influence on blues performers | Blues Gospel Reverend Gary Davis

While the term Minstrel dates back to medieval times, it is most commonly -- and infamously -- associated with white musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century who performed African-American songs, jokes, and impersonations in blackface makeup for racially-segregated audiences; among the more well-known minstrel performers were Emmett Miller and Honey Wilds. Minstrel is closely associated with styles such as Field Recordings, Folksongs, Jug Band, Old-Timey, String Bands, Traditional Country, Vaudeville Blues, Work Songs

	Minstrel
/	|	\
Jazz and Ragtime (1920's)	Blues Songsters All-around performers: Henry Thomas, Pink Anderson, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Leadbelly, Mance Lipscomb	White Influences Appalachian, folk and country music | Jug Bands Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, Mississippi Sheiks

Although lacking the improvisation or the blues feeling inherent in jazz, Ragtime was a strong influence on the earlier forms of jazz. At its prime from 1899-1915, ragtime is best known as totally written out piano music, though it was also performed by orchestras. Its syncopations and structure (blending together aspects of classical music and marches) hinted strongly at jazz, and many of its melodies (most notably "Maple Leaf Rag") would be played in later years by jazz musicians in a Dixieland context. Ragtime is closely associated with styles such as Boogie-Woogie, Dixieland, Jump Blues, New Orleans Jazz, Piano Blues, Trad Jazz, Standards, Classic Female Blues.

	Jazz and Ragtime
/	|	\
Father of the Blues W.C. Handy | Classic Female Blues Singers Mamie Smith (The first blues record "Crazy Blues," 1920), Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Lucille Bogan, Sara Martin, Clara Smith, Ida Cox, Sippie Wallace, Victoria Spivey, Chippie Hill | Religious Music That Influenced Blues Blind Willie Johnson | Major Influences Lonnie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson	Jump/Piano Blues	Jazz

The songster tradition both pre-dated and co-existed with blues music, especially in the areas of the Southeast that produced music in the Piedmont style. It began soon after the end of slavery in the south, when African-American musicians became able to travel and play music for a living. Usually a solo musician with a guitar, or occasionally a banjo, the songster would perform songs from a variety of musical styles including gospel, field songs and folk, and later ragtime and blues. Songsters were performers, first and foremost, and maintained the broad repertoire to appeal to a wide range of audiences. Through vehicles like minstrel and medicine shows, the black songsters interacted with white musicians, who would later adopt the black musicians' songs and use them, along with songs from white sources, as the foundations of early country music. Songster style is closely associated with styles such as Field Recordings, Folk-Blues, Folksongs, Jug Band, Vaudeville Blues, Work Songs, Pre-War Blues, Pre-War Country Blues.

Father of the Blues W.C. Handy	Blues Songsters
\	|
	Early Delta and Country Blues
/	|	\
Country Blues Barbecue Bob, Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Blake, Tommy Johnson, Robert Pete Williams, Sleepy John Estes, Big Bill Broonzy, Skip James, Bo Carter	Delta Blues | Charley Patton The first giant of Delta Blues | Delta Blues Innovators Son House, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Tommy McClennan, Robert Johnson, Skip James, Bukka White, Mississippi John Hurt | Other Greats Johnny Shines, Eddie Taylor, Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk, John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Mississippi Fred McDowell	Acoustic Blues | Originators Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Son House, Robert Johnson, Robert Pete Williams, John Lee Hooker, Jesse Fuller, Doctor Ross, Lightnin' Hopkins, J.B. Lenoir, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Mississippi Fred McDowell | The '60s and '70s Koerner, Ray & Glover, Dave Van Ronk, John Hammond, Jr., Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, John Mayall, Duster Bennett, Jo Ann Kelly | Modern Era Bonnie Raitt, John Cephas & Phil Wiggins, Ted Hawkins, Lonnie Pitchford, Rory Block, Corey Harris

and Blues continued to live in many different styles.

---

Blues is about tradition and personal expression. At its core, the blues has remained the same since its inception. Most blues feature simple, usually three-chord, progressions and have simple structures that are open to endless improvisations, both lyrical and musical. The blues grew out of African spirituals and worksongs. In the late 1800s, southern African-Americans passed the songs down orally, and they collided with American folk and country from the Appalachians. New hybrids appeared by each region, but all of the recorded blues from the early 1900s are distinguished by simple, rural acoustic guitars and pianos. After World War II, the blues began to fragment, with some musicians holding on to acoustic traditions and others taking it to jazzier territory. However, most bluesmen followed Muddy Waters' lead and played the blues on electric instruments. From that point on, the blues continued to develop in new directions -- particularly on electric instruments -- or it has been preserved as an acoustic tradition.

---

Blues Styles

Acoustic Blues ~ Acoustic Blues is a general catch-all term describing virtually every type of blues that can be played on a non-electric musical instrument. It embraces a wide range of guitar and musical styles including folk, the songster tradition, slide, fingerpicking, ragtime, and all of the myriad regional strains (Chicago, Delta, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Piedmont, etc.) that thrived in the early days of the genre's gestation. But acoustic blues is not limited to merely guitar music; its "acoustic" appellation is an elastic enough term to also include mandolin, banjo, piano, harmonica, jug, and other non-electric instruments including homemade ones, like the one string monochord bottleneck diddleybow.

Acoustic Blues Styles
Acoustic Chicago Blues, Acoustic Louisiana Blues, Acoustic New Orleans Blues, Blues Revival, Contemporary Blues, Slide Guitar Blues, Acoustic Country Blues, Folk-Blues, Piano Blues, Piedmont Blues

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Chicago Blues ~ What is now referred to as the classic Chicago Blues style was developed in the late '40s and early '50s, taking Delta blues, fully amplifying it and putting it into a small-band context. Adding drums, bass, and piano (sometimes saxophones) to the basic string band and harmonica aggregation, the style created the now standard blues band lineup. The form was (and is) flexible to accommodate singers, guitarists, pianists, and harmonica players as the featured performer in front of the standard instrumentation. Later permutations of the style took place in the late '50s and early '60s, with new blood taking their cue from the lead guitar work of B.B. King and T-Bone Walker, creating the popular west side subgenre (which usually featured a horn section appended to the basic rhythm section). Although the form has also embraced rock beats, it has generally stayed within the guidelines developed in the 1950s and early '60s.

Chicago Blues Styles
Chicago Blues, Electric Chicago Blues, Acoustic Chicago Blues, Modern Chicago Blues, Modern Electric Chicago Blues

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Country Blues ~ Country Blues is a catch-all term that delineates the depth and breadth of the first flowering of guitar-driven blues, embracing both solo, duo, and string band performers. The term also provides a convenient general heading for all the multiple regional styles and variations (Piedmont, Atlanta, Memphis, Texas, acoustic Chicago, Delta, ragtime, folk, songster, etc.) of the form. It is primarily -- but not exclusively -- a genre filled with acoustic guitarists, embracing a multiplicity of techniques from elaborate fingerpicking to the early roots of slide playing. But some country-blues performers like Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker later switched over to electric guitars without having to drastically change or alter their styles.

Country Blues Styles
Classic Female Blues, Acoustic Memphis Blues, Acoustic New Orleans Blues, Blues Gospel, Country Blues, Vaudeville Blues, Prewar Country Blues, Folk-Blues, Early American Blues, Memphis Blues, Blues Revival, Dirty Blues, Work Songs, Prewar Blues, Spirituals, Prewar Gospel Blues, Songster

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Delta Blues ~ The Delta Blues style comes from a region in the southern part of Mississippi, a place romantically referred to as "the land where the blues were born." In its earliest form, the style became the first black guitar-dominated music to make it onto phonograph records back in the late '20s. Although many original Delta blues performers worked in a string-band context for live appearances, very few of them recorded in this manner. Consequently, the recordings from the late '20s through mid-'30s consist primarily of performers working in a solo, self-accompanied context. The form is dominated by fiery slide guitar and passionate vocalizing, with the deepest of feelings being applied directly to the music. Its lyrics are passionate as well, and in some instances remain the highest flowering of blues songwriting as stark poetry. The form continues to the present time with new performers working in the older solo artist traditions and style.

Delta Blues Styles
Acoustic Delta Blues, Electric Delta Blues, Modern Delta Blues, Finger-Picked Guitar

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Harmonica Blues ~ Harmonica Blues refers to any style of blues where the harmonica plays a central figure (the first was father of Harmonica Blues John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson). Although the harmonica was present in many country-blues recordings, it became a dominant force in the '50s, when it was amplified by the likes of Big Walter Horton, Little Walter, and Junior Wells. The powerful sound of a miked harmonica became an instantly recognizable element of electric blues, particularly Chicago blues.

Harmonica Blues Styles
Electric Harmonica Blues, Acoustic Harmonica Blues

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Louisiana Blues ~ A looser, more laid-back, and percussive version of the Jimmy Reed side of the Chicago sound, Louisiana Blues has several distinctive stylistic elements to distinguish it from other genres. The guitar work is simple but effective, heavily influenced by the boogie patterns used on Jimmy Reed singles, with liberal doses of Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters thrown in for good measure. Unlike the heavy backbeat of the Chicago style, its rhythm can be best described as "plodding," making even uptempo tunes sound like slow blues simply played a bit faster. The production techniques on most of the recordings utilize massive amounts of echo, giving the performances a darkened sound and feel, thus coining the genre's alternate description as "swamp blues."

Louisiana Blues Styles
Louisiana Blues, Electric Louisiana Blues, Acoustic Louisiana Blues, Swamp Blues

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Electric Blues ~ Electric Blues is an eclectic genre that embraces just about every kind of blues that can be played on an amplified instrument. Its principal component is that of the electric guitar, but its amplified aspect can extend to the bass (usually a solid body Fender type model, but sometimes merely an old "slappin''' acoustic with a pickup attached), harmonica, and keyboard instruments. Stylistically, the form is a wide open field, accessible to just about every permutation possible -- embracing both the old, the new, and sometimes futuristic, and something that falls between the two. Some forms of it copy the older styles of urban blues (primarily the Chicago, Texas, and Louisiana variants) usually in a small combo format, while others head into funk and soul territory. Yet electric blues is elastic enough to include artists who pay homage to those vintage styles of playing while simultaneously recasting them in contemporary fashion. It is lastly a genre that provides a convenient umbrella for original artists of late '40s and early '50s derivation who seemingly resist neat classifications.

Electric Blues Styles
Detroit Blues, Electric Blues, Electric Chicago Blues, Electric Country Blues, Electric Delta Blues, Electric Harmonica Blues, Electric Memphis Blues, Electric Texas Blues, Juke Joint Blues, Slide Guitar Blues, Soul-Blues, Urban Blues

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Modern Electric Blues ~ Modern Electric Blues is an eclectic mixture, a sub genre embracing both the old, the new and something that falls between the two. Some forms of it xeroxes the older styles of urban blues-primarily offshoots of the electric Chicago band style-right down to playing the music itself on vintage instruments and amplifiers from the period being replicated. It also a genre that pays homage to those vintage styles of playing while simultaneously recasting them in contemporary fashion. It can also be-by turns-the most forward looking of all blues styles, embracing rock beats and pyrotechnics and enlivening the form with funk rhythms and chord progressions that expand beyond the standard three that usually comprises most blues forms.
Modern Electric Blues began in the late '70s and early '80s, after blues-rock ran its course and most major labels had given up on the blues. As a musical form, electric blues had not changed significantly since the mid-'60s, once the British blues bands invaded America. As a result, the music sounded essentially the same, blending classic electrified Chicago and Texas blues with a distinct rock influence. This new generation of blues musicians received support through new independent labels like Alligator, who provided a crucial outlet of modern electric blues. As the '80s progressed, modern electric blues found its audience, and it continued to thrive through the late '90s.

Modern Electric Blues Styles
Modern Electric Blues, Modern Blues, Blues-Rock, British Blues, Electric Memphis R&B, Electric R&B, Soul-Blues, Uptown Blues, New Orleans R&B, Uptown Soul

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Contemporary Blues ~ Contemporary Blues draws upon traditional acoustic and electric blues, but offers a more smoothed-out take on the genre that incorporates the influences of rock, pop, R&B, and/or folk. As such, contemporary blues is most often (though not always) electric, and rarely (though once in a while) purist. Because of its up-to-date production and mellower audience sensibility, the style tends to be more polished and sometimes even a bit genteel; it's still definitely soulful, but not quite as earthy or gritty as the music that predates it, and not as aggressive or fiery as modern-day electric blues from Chicago or Texas. Since it's informed by other types of music, contemporary blues has a greater chance of crossing over to pop, album rock, or adult-contemporary radio formats. Artists like Robert Cray, Keb' Mo', and prodigies Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang epitomize the contemporary blues sound.

Contemporary Blues Styles
Modern Acoustic Blues, Modern Electric Blues

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East Coast Blues ~ East Coast Blues essentially falls into two categories: Piedmont Blues and Jump Blues and its variations. Musically, Piedmont Blues describes the shared style of musicians from Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia as well as others from as far afield as Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. It refers to a wide assortment of aesthetic values, performance techniques, and shared repertoire rooted in common geographical, historical, and sociological circumstances. The Piedmont guitar style employs a complex fingerpicking method in which a regular, alternating-thumb bass pattern supports a melody on treble strings. The guitar style is highly syncopated and connects closely with an earlier string-band tradition integrating ragtime, blues, and country dance songs. It's excellent party music with a full, rock-solid sound. Jump Blues is an uptempo, jazz-tinged style of blues that first came to prominence in the mid to late 1940s. Usually featuring a vocalist in front of a large, horn-driven orchestra or medium sized combo with multiple horns, the style is earmarked by a driving rhythm, intensely shouted vocals, and honking tenor saxophone solos, all of those very elements a precursor to rock & roll. The lyrics are almost always celebratory in nature, full of braggadocio and swagger. With less reliance on guitar work (the instrument usually being confined to rhythm section status) than other styles, jump blues was the bridge between the older styles of blues-primarily those in a small band context-and the big band jazz sound of the 1940s.

East Coast Blues Styles
Piedmont Blues, East Coast Blues, New York Blues, Vaudeville Blues, Minstrel

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Texas Blues ~ A geographical subgenre earmarked by a more relaxed, swinging feel than other styles of blues, Texas Blues encompasses a number of style variations and has a long, distinguished history. Its earliest incarnation occurred in the mid-'20s, featuring acoustic guitar work rich in filigree patterns -- almost an extension of the vocals rather than merely a strict accompaniment to it. This version of Texas blues embraced both the songster and country-blues traditions, with its lyrics relying less on affairs of the heart than other forms. The next stage of development in the region's sound came after World War II, bringing forth a fully electric style that featured jazzy, single-string soloing over predominantly horn-driven backing. The style stays current with a raft of regional performers primarily working in a small combo context.

Texas Blues Styles
Electric Texas Blues, Acoustic Texas Blues, Modern Electric Texas Blues

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Piano Blues ~ Piano Blues runs through the entire history of the music itself, embracing everything from ragtime, barrelhouse, boogie woogie, and smooth West Coast jazz stylings to the hard-rocking rhythms of Chicago blues.

Piano Blues Styles
Boogie-Woogie, Piano Blues, West Coast Jazz, Classic Female Blues, Jazz Blues

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Jump Blues ~ Jump Blues refers to an uptempo, jazz-tinged style of blues that first came to prominence in the mid- to late '40s. Usually featuring a vocalist in front of a large, horn-driven orchestra or medium sized combo with multiple horns, the style is earmarked by a driving rhythm, intensely shouted vocals, and honking tenor saxophone solos -- all of those very elements a precursor to rock & roll. The lyrics are almost always celebratory in nature, full of braggadocio and swagger. With less reliance on guitar work (the instrument usually being confined to rhythm section status) than other styles, jump blues was the bridge between the older styles of blues -- primarily those in a small band context -- and the big band jazz sound of the 1940s.

Jump Blues Styles
Jump Blues, Jazz Blues, St. Louis Blues, Early R&B

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West Coast Blues ~ More piano-based and jazz-influenced than anything else, West Coast Blues is -- in actuality -- the California style, with all of the genre's main practitioners coming to prominence there, if not actual natives of the state in particular. In fact, the state and the style played host to a great many post-war Texas guitar expatriates, and their jazzy, T-Bone Walker style of soloing would become an earmark of the genre. West Coast blues also features smooth, honey-toned vocals, frequently crossing into urban blues territory. The West Coast style was also home to numerous jump-blues practitioners, as many traveling bands of the 1940s ended up taking permanent residence there. Its current practitioners work almost exclusively in the standard small-combo format.

West Coast Blues Styles
Acoustic West Coast Blues, Jazz Blues, Electric California Blues, West Coast Blues

via onmuddysavariverbank.blogspot.com

Rafał Sarnecki Quartet

Songs from A New Place (2008)

Rafał Sarnecki es un guitarrista de jazz, compositor y arreglador nacido en 1982 en Varsovia, Polonia. Comenzó a ganarse el reconocimiento en Polonia después de su éxito en "International Jazz Guitar Competition - Guitar City 2002" en Varsovia, donde recibió el primer premio.

En 2005 se mudó a Nueva York donde recibió una alta beca en el prestigioso programa de Jazz y Música Contemporánea de la New School University de Manhattan. En 2008 terminó su grado de estudiante en la New School con honores académicos. En 2010 recibió su grado MA en performance de jazz de la Aaron Copland School of Music, también de Nueva York.

Rafał ha actuado en 8 países europeos y ha girado por las costas Este y Oeste de los E.E.U.U.. Ha estudiado con algunos de los más grandes músicos de la escena neoyorquina, tales como: Paul Bollenback, Buster Williams, Reggie Workman y Peter Bernstein.

En Enero del 2008, Rafał grabó su primer CD, “Songs From a New Place”. El CD incluye composiciones originales de Rafał, y fue lanzado a la venta en Octubre del 2008. En Febrero de 2009 fue nominado para el premio FRYDERYK 2009, el cual es la versión polaca del premio Grammy que se da en E.E.U.U. En Enero del 2010 Rafał grabó su segundo álbum como líder de su propia banda titulado “The Madman Rambles Again”. El álbum fue lanzado a la venta en Febrero de 2011 por el sello Fresh Sound New Talent.

Actualmente vive en Brooklyn, componiendo música y actuando con una variedad de grupos, incluyendo: Lucas Pino Nonet, Majid Khaliq Group, Danielle Freeman OperaJazz Quartet, Woogie Lee Quartet, y su propio grupo Rafał Sarnecki Sextet.

 
1. Living Like Weasels (6:38)
2. Song From A New Place (7:00)
3. Auguries Of Innocence (6:12)
4. If I Speak With The Tongues Of Men And Of Angels (6:13)
5. Jazz Physics (8:36)
6. On Green Dolphin Street (8:06)
7. Rockalypso (6:35)
8. Instructions From The Mathplanet (8:10)
9. Squirrel (Forest Fire) (8:15)

Artist List

Rafał Sarnecki: guitar
Paweł Kaczmarczyk: piano
Wojciech Pulcyn: double bass
Łukasz Żyta: drums
Thomas Abbott: flute (7)

NEW YORK

Ciudad de hierro y cristal

comprimida y extendida hacia el cielo,

barrios de reflejos verticales

sus edificios son el espejo del mundo,

calles de vida incandescente

empedradas de pasión y movimiento.

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THE SMOOTH BREAKERS "It´s The Nightime"

The Smooth Breakers interpretan la canción de Josh Rouse, "it´s The Nighttime".

 

Josh Rouse es un compositor y cantante de Nebraska, aunque reside desde hace algún tiempo en Valencia, ya que su pareja es de allí. Su música se mueve entre el pop y el folk. Aunque había publicado variaos álbumes su primer éxito fué "Under cold blue stars" (2001). En 2005 publicó "Nashville". En 2006 lanzó "Subtítulo", un álbum con el título en español aunque cantando en inglés. En 2007, publicó uno de sus múltiples EPs, pero esta vez con su novia Paz Suay, su título "She's Spanish, I'm American". Otro gran trabajo, el titulado "Country Mouse City House" (2007).

It's the nighttime - Josh Rouse

 

Play your stereo loud. You got your headphones on. I see you dancin' around. To your favorite song. Yes who do you love. I want to know his name. Does he feel like I feel. Is he standing in the rain. I'm out in the street. City lights above. It's the nighttime baby don't let go of my love. You come a long way baby. From your days at school. I heard you're really living uptown. I'm just a downtown fool. Now would it be alright If I took you for a ride. Took you out on the town. Maybe someplace nice. I'm out in the street City lights above. It's the nighttime baby don't let go of my love. Maybe later on. After the late late show. We can go to your room. I can try on your clothesYou know I'm not the kind of manTo come on so strongBut when you look as good as you do. I knew it wouldn't be long. I'm out in the street City lights above. It's the nighttime baby don't let go of my love. It's the nighttime baby don't let go of my love. Yeah It's the nighttime baby don't let go of my love. Love Don't let go of my love .

Música que cuelga

L'Image

2.0 (2009)

¿Quién podría olvidar el trabajo magistral de Steve Gadd encerrado en “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”, o los seminales bajos y Chapman Stick de Tony Levin en numerosos álbumes de Peter Gabriel y King Crimson? Añada a Mike Mainieri en vibráfono, al tecladista Warren Bernhardt, y David Spinoza, que de hecho tiene más sesiones que la mayor parte de los guitarristas, y usted tiene L'Image. Mi primer encuentro con ellos fue provechoso. Desde las notas de apertura de “Gadd-Ddagitt!” (escrito por Manieri, para mostrar a Gadd), fui vendido. Magnificas ejecuciones al unísono, progresiones de acorde notables y la improvisación melodiosa, son los sellos de esta colección de extraordinarios talentos y, nunca descienden en el tipo de viaje de egos solistas, tan común en la música de fusión. Mi favorito es “The Brat”, que destaca tanto el buen gusto del empleo del arsenal de efectos de la guitarra de Spinozza, como el dominio de Levin en el Chapman Stick. Pero todo el material (con la escritura igualmente compartida por los músicos) es un tour de force de maestría musical y creatividad. Si usted sólo compra un álbum de jazz-rock este año, compre L'Image.

Fuente para la reseña: Paul Wiffen para http://www.recordcollectormag.com/reviews/review-detail/6765

Apunte: Paul Wiffen dice que el se sintió “comprado” por el disco a partir de “Gadd-Ddagit!”. En mi caso, comencé a mover mi cabeza de un lado a otro desde el principio, con “Praise” y ese sonido rural methenyano. Me sorprendió gratamente este disco de este super grupo de veteranos, a los cuales el tiempo les ha quitado velocidad en los dedos pero les agregó sabiduría y buen gusto. L'Image es un grupo que estos músicos formaron por la década del 70, pero nunca llegaron a grabar un disco. El tiempo pasó, cada uno desarrolló su carrera como sabemos (y si no lo saben, pueden investigar, como hice yo, je) hasta que Mainieri los convocó nuevamente para hacer lo que había quedado inconcluso. Escribir algo sobre cada tema sería redundante, porque la realidad es que todos los temas son muy buenos, y se nota esa atmósfera de amistad, del placer de tocar entre un grupo de amigos. Los tipos son brillantes músicos, pero dejaron sus egos en la puerta del estudio de grabación, para hacer un gran disco. Melodías amables con adulta emoción, interpretaciones precisas, excelentes arreglos y dosis justas de virtuosismos. Discazo, en definitiva.

Track Listing

1. Praise (9:32)
2. Reunion (5:33)
3. Gadd-Ddagit! (4:59)
4. Doesn't She Know By Now? (6:08)
5. The Brat (5:44)
6. All in a Row (3:53)
7. Hidden Drive (4:52)
8. Love Play/Coming Home (10:37)
9. L’Image (8:22)

Artist List

Mike Mainieri: vibraphone
Warren Bernhardt: keyboards
David Spinozza: guitars
Tony Levin: basses, Chapman Stick
Steve Gadd: drums

via musicaquecuelga.blogspot.com