music post #1

Yesterday my friend linked me to another blog, focusing on music, called In the Round. It sort of inspired me to dedicate a post to the songs I love the most (at least the ones I like that come to the top of my head right now!)

I'll use my librarian-esque skills here, and categorize these babies by genre! So, for your listening pleasures (click the links) here are some songs that are great (in my opinion...):

I'll start with some Jazz.

1) Miles Davis - So What. Off his 1959 album, Kind of Blue. This chart is one of my all time favourites, and especially Miles' solo after the introduction. I remember in my Jazz History class in 3rd year we were learning about Miles, and the prof sort of started to scat the first 3 notes of the solo ("bee ba doo"), and the whole class chimed in and we did the whole thing. It was one of those wicked moments.

2)  Louis Armstrong & His Savoy Ballroom Five - Tight Like This. This was recorded on Okeh in 1928. Parts of Louis' solo in this chart are SO amazing, totally funky, years beyond its time. What a player. I love when he sort of breaks away from the stop time and starts swinging like nuts. I have a feeling that a lot of people start and stop at Louis & Ella sort of stuff (ie: What a Wonderful World...) and forget the stuff he recorded before he was Louis.

3) Charlie Parker - Lover Man. This is from Bird's Dial sessions, recorded in 1946 or 1947, not sure which. These recordings took place at a particularly terrible time in his VERY tumultuous life. The story behind this record is one of those jazz legends; During the time of these recordings, Bird had turned from heroin to booze after moving to California briefly. For this particular session, he had drank about a quart of whiskey, and his producer had to physically hold him up to the mic for this chart, and you can hear him struggling to get notes out at the beginning. On another chart, called Bebop, you can hear the trumpet player shout "BLOW!" on his second eight bars. He was a genius, no matter how troubled.

Stuff from the Sixties:

1) Crosby, Stills and Nash - Helplessly Hoping. I'll link you to the Woodstock footage of this just for effect, though it's not as good as the record (CSN). This song is gorgeous (love the alliteration), and might be one of my favourites ever. These 3 voices blend so well.

2) Joni Mitchell - California I heard this song for the first time, and promptly fell in love with it when I was (fittingly) driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in California a few summers ago. I can't get enough of Joni. I just learned Case of You on guitar, so that's exciting!

3) Rolling Stones - Rocks Off. This is off one of their best records Exile on Main Street. It's a super catchy song, the horns are great. It was not actually put out in the 60s, but it's still great.

4) Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road. Ok, now I'm really not in the 1960s anymore, but this song ROCKS. There is no chorus, it's pure story. Amazing. BRUUUUCE!! He really is the man.

5) Bob Dylan - Girl from the North Country. What a poet. Also a douche bag. But, aside from that, this song is one of my all time favourite Bob Dylan tunes, a totally beautiful piece of music. Old Bob melts my heart.

To be continued...