Sic Semper Tyrannis

Whatcha Listenin' To?

Wow. So much stuff. I might as well just get to it.

Midnight Drive Tommy Emmanuel

You know how people sometimes say that listening to music “takes them away” to a special place? We have this way of associating certain sounds with memories and locations? Well, when I heard the music on this album I was instantly transported in my mind…to trying on dress shirts in a Dillard’s dressing room. Emmanuel has a reputation for being a finger-picking guitarist supreme- a “God With Us” of the six string. While I don’t doubt his technical skill, this was some of the most hideous “jazz” I’ve heard in many years. Whether or not you want to argue its genre classification, this is the music for soulless people who want soulless sounds to ignore. Perhaps he recorded this stuff for a big royalty payoff with Muzak. I don’t know. But it made me sick to my stomach from the initial sounds of overly polished keyboards and lack of anything remotely resembling human emotion.

I will pursue other albums by this guy, however, in the hopes that this one is just an anomaly.

Forever Changes Love

This is one of those albums from the 60s that is regarded as a cult classic. I was hoping for a monumental surprise like The Zombies’ Odeyssey and Oracle, but apart from the opening track “Alone Again Or” (and its inclusion in the film “Bottle Rocket,” I believe, or one of the Wes Anderson movies anyway) this music didn’t really register.

After reading up a little bit, it turns out that so much of this album’s charm is wrapped up in context, (isn’t it always thus?) as it was a departure for the band sonically and a harbinger for the end of Flower Power. I would propose that the end of the magical 60s is more interestingly displayed in the music of Hendrix, the Who and Zappa. Acoustic-ey soft rock does not depict an end to hippie-dom. Violence of sound does.

The Sea Hawk and Other Film Scores of Erich Korngold London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andre Previn

I heard a performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto at a Philharmonic concert about a month ago and was blown away. You know how when you’re watching old black and white movies and they start with a brass fanfare and Romantic-sounding violins in unison playing a soaring melody over titles written in fancy script? Well, this is THAT kind of music, really interesting when decoupled from the pictures. The more lyrical moments were absolutely perfect for our little dalliance with Spring that we had a couple weeks ago. Windows down, sunroof open. Life is good…

The Essential Emerson, Lake and Palmer Emerson, Lake and Palmer

I first heard most of the lesser-known works in this collection as a music major in college. ELP are at the top of the list of bands associated with the movement known as “Progressive Rock.” Keith Emerson might as well have been a mad scientist for all of the crazy innovations he helped bring about in the world of synthesizer technology, (along with actual, real mad scientist Bob Moog.) and Greg Lake’s voice and bass playing can also be heard on the early King Crimson albums.

ELP often wore their classical influences on their sleeves. See for instance direct “rocked up” arrangements of Copland’s “Hoe-down” and “Fanfare for the Common Man” and my favorite, their adaptation of Janacek’s “Sinfonietta.” This is the perfect music for nerdy music majors who still like their rock n’ roll a little too much and reminded me of a strange time in my life.

In my mind there are no better musical moments than when Emerson’s synth comes forward for a solo in “Lucky Man” and “In the Beginning.”

Gold B.B. King

The legendary relationship of King to his guitar “Lucille” has been written about ad nauseum. I am interested in one thing about the man’s playing: its simplicity. If you were to somehow extract just his lead lines from these recordings it would probably not sound very impressive- single note lines, mostly pentatonic. But somehow, it just sounds like “him.” I realized the strange difficulty of this when learning (just the bass line) of the tune “Why I Sing the Blues.” This is music of feel, not impressiveness.” A distinction I will probably have to make for the rest of my life.

One Kind Favor B.B. King

The song “See That My Grave is Kept Clean” was recommended by blog-stalker Willie for its “voodoo” and I definitely hear it. I love a song that has a groove that’s not instantly recognizable. It takes a couple bars from the beginning of the song to figure out what the drums are doing- when what used to be chaos begins to take form.

Continuum John Mayer

I continue on in my respect of this guy. While I prefer the version of “Gravity” with the horns off the Live in LA album, there are some very strong hooks and fabulous guitar playing on this album.

Back East Joshua Redman

Given to me as a gift, this music was a surprise. Redman is much more of a traditionalist than I had imagined in my head, which in the case of jazz is a good thing, to my ears. He has a crazy amount of technique, plays all over the horn in flights of fancy like John Coltrane, but never seems to stray too far. Then there is the interesting choice of performing in a trio with no piano. Unlike with my experience with Ornette Coleman, however, I never missed the harmony being filled in. It takes a very special bass player to fill in the holes, but whoever it is on this album does a fantastic job.

I think that should suffice for awhile. There is much more I’m listening to. Maybe next time.

posted by Mike @ 4:07 PM