duaneiac

So far this morning:

Recorded in 1968.

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Next time, instead of watching or listening to another depressing, aggravating newscast, I'm just gonna listen to this over and over . . .

I've been listening to this disc over and over in the car for the past few days -- It had been a long time since I last listened to this, and I forgot just how good it is. Brian Wilson can still make pop music do things that most other songwriters no longer attempt -- making music which is both catchy and complex, breezily enjoyable yet also occasionally unusually intimate, music which simultaneously brings forth a smile and some tears. These are songs which could only have come from Brian Wilson. Any other songwriter could come up with a ditty about their first love; Brian Wilson writes about that subject in "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl" and there's a whole lot of history there ("Summer, '61 / A goddess became my song"), both for him and us. The lines that always get to me are : "I had this dream / Singing with my brothers / In harmony, supporting each other". Whether he's talking about a dream from 1958 or 2008, we all know how that dream turned out and it's a relief to hear him sing "Oh, it's magical / I'm glad it happened to me / Fell asleep in the band room / Woke up in history". This is really happy, enjoyable and contented music from the perspective of a man whose life had for so long been none of those things. Special in so many ways!

Disc 1 of 2.

This 2 disc set was a nearly 2 1/2 hour delight! Ruby Braff remains one of my all-time favorite musicians, and to me, he was one of those rarities who really, truly did indeed just get better with time. These early-ish recordings find him still on trumpet and he is presented in a variety of settings. My favorite album included here may be Ball at Bethlehem with Braff, recorded "live" before an invited audience at the Bethlehem Studios on New Year's Eve, 1954.

I was remiss not to mention Cafe Stritch in San Jose, where they will be holding their annual Rahsaanathon, featuring Steve Turre, Vincent Herring and James Carter, later this month

Well, you are in San Jose in time for the annual (what used to be called the San Jose Jazz Festival, but is now labelled) Summer Fest. Though, as the name implies, there is less jazz to be found than in years past (the headliners this year are Confunkshun, Lalah Hathaway and Kool & The Gang), there are still some worthwhile performers to be found among the 3 days next weekend. You can find the schedule here. The monolith in the Bay Area jazz scene is SFJazz. Their schedule for this month is here. You might also check Yoshi's in Oakland. Piedmont Piano Company has concerts. The Freight & Salvage in Berkeley.

I have to be in the right mood to listen to their stuff, but this bright, beautiful morning I was in that mood. I really liked their adaptation of "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

Wasn't Paul Desmond's proposed title for his never written memoirs How Many of You Are in the Quartet? The question would seem appropriate here.

I've been listening to just some of the music recorded at the soon to be shuttered Fantasy Studios --

Another disc I just recently got, but have not yet listened to. What are your impressions of it?

Some really enjoyable music from 1934 by the 3T's band.

Another piece of jazz history is set to disappear as Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, where many jazz greats including Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Woody Herman, and Bobby Hutcherson recorded, announced they will be closing their doors forever come Sept. 15th. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Berkeley-s-famed-Fantasy-Studios-set-to-close-13117196.php

Disc 1 of 2. Cliff Edwards deserves to be remembered for more than that Pinnochio song (although he did sing the heck out of that) and possibly for being the guy who introduced "Singin' In The Rain". He was a very personable singer and certainly an immediately identifiable one with his kazoo-like scatting which he called "eefing". He's perhaps best enjoyed a few tracks at a time, but I really enjoyed this disc and the sound restoration is very good.

This is the first I've heard about the injuries sustained by guitarist Frank Vignola last year. I've enjoyed several of his recordings and I hope he is well on the road to a full recovery. A bit from the article: Before the crash, Vignola typically spent 200 nights a year performing around the world. When he found time to spend at home, he often enjoyed riding ATVs in his large back yard. That all changed when he caught some mud and skidded into a tree. He escaped without a significant head injury, despite cracking his helmet in two. The collision did break four ribs, his left collarbone, right shoulder in the front and the back and his right forearm. He was bleeding internally and suffered a collapsed lung that left him with 40 percent oxygen. "Last thing I remember was kind-of looking down for a second," he said of the impact. "Then I woke up and my wife was there, and all the medical workers, and my neighbor, and they were just like, 'Stay with us, stay with us,' that kind of thing. And I see my wife with this look of panic and it finally dawned on me that I must have been in some kind of accident." Read the full article here.

I'd never even heard of this 2014 release until I found a used copy of it in a charity shop this past weekend. It's okay.

An excellent album which may get overlooked because it was not on a major label. An all-star cast of swing era vets proved they could still play it and mean it in 1957. "king Porter Stomp" may be my favorite track here.

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