Miles Davis, still in his very early days, recorded some unreleased tracks with vocalists Earl Coleman and Anne Baker in 1946. These bluesy bop numbers were released under the album name "Bopping the Blues". The performances are very mellow and shows Miles at a young age, and that early bebop sound. It's not well developed but it is an interesting take on the blues.
Of interest, are Gene Ammons on sax Art Blakey on the drums.
The album only has 4 songs but each one has 4 alternate takes.
Here's 'Don't Sing me the Blues' with Earl Coleman on vocals.
Be on the lookout tomorrow when I upload my latest song called 'Snake Oil Blues', written and performed by me and produced by Fuad Murad of Household Productions.
Here's the official description:
Snake Oil has come to mean any product with questionable or unverifiable quality or benefit, most commonly associated with the American old west.
This song describes a man's addiction to fake drugs. t's an old school throwback to the blues of old, in the style of country / folk / Delta blues.
This song was recorded in one day, mimicking my previous track called "Dem Blues is Coming', of having one take per track to keep it sounding more spontaneous and 'live'.
I used D standard tuning on rhythm guitar to get a fuller sound, but used E standard for the slide solo (to use the open strings that naturally fit the D chord). Bass was played with flatwounds on a Fender Precision with vintage pickups.
One day she says she loves you;
And the next day she'll throw you in the street.
She'll call you every mornin'
Every mornin' noon and night
She'll call you in between times
Just to see if you're doin' alright
She'll ask to borrow five
And then she'll beg for ten
And baby that five and ten
You won't ever see again!
Here's a great slow and mellow tune by Chicago blues vocalist and harpist Billy Branch and his band the Sons of Blues, which is great for the upcoming three day weekend.
I'll be going (and reviewing) tonight's concert featuring the Chris Byars Jazz Quartet at the Kuwait Museum.
You might remember I reviewed the show of 2011 on Kuwait Music (see it here), which featured Chris Byars and Ari Roland and I got to meet and talk with them.
Today, they return alongside Zaid Nasser on sax and Keith Balla on drums.
The show starts at 8pm. See the great information done by Kuwait Music [here] , and their interview with the band [here].
Legendary blues great Buddy Guy is still going strong with the blues, and is one of the surviving pillars of the genre.
He just performed his classic song from the same titled Grammy winning album 'Damn Right, I've Got the Blues' on the 16th of January on the David Letterman show.
This blues standard, called "Five Long Years" written and performed by Eddie Boyd, went to number one in the Billboard R&B charts in 1952. This song was covered by dozens of artists, such as Freddie King and Eric Clapton.
It describes the normal working man, coming home to his woman, who as most women do, had the nerve to throw him out, despite his hard efforts to please her.
Here's the live version performed by Boyd himself in 1965:
This is a sweet tune by blues harpist and vocalist William Clarke; he had his breakthrough in the early 90's but sadly died in 1996 from heart failure.
It's pretty long at almost 7 minutes, but this blues is best heard all the way through.
It's been pretty hush hush for a while, but Fender finally announced their new updated American Vintage bass product line.
Since the early 80's Fender had the same vintage series ('57 & '62 for the Precision Bass, and '62 & '75 for the Jazz Bass); this is the first time they revamp the line, with new vintage years; '58 & '63 for the Precision Bass, and '64 & '74 for the Jazz Bass. They feature period correct details, hardware, finish, and pickups. There are some vintage custom color options, such as Faded Sonic Blue on the 63 P-Bass and Lake Placid Blue on the 64 J-Bass (with matching headstock!!)
I'm loving them! Need to get a '63 P-Bass in Olympic White now!!! Below are all the series with all the color options. Go to Fender's American Vintage site for videos and detailed specs. Which one would you choose?
In what became Bob Dylan's never ending nightmare, he finally picked up the electric guitar and moved to a more blues and rock based electric sound. This did not bode well with his fans who consider him an acoustic folk hero.
But he never turned back, and kept on going.
This track, Subterranean Homesick Blues, was recorded on this day in 1965 for the album 'Bringing it all Back Home'. It features surreal lyrics, a 'talking blues' flow and awesome 60's electric sound.
Also noting that the video clip was very innovative for it's time. Here it is below!
I've expressed my dissapointment at the lineup of the Dubai Jazz Fest this year, which includes 4 major pop bands that are non-jazz related (Deep Purple, Three Doors Down, The Script, and One Republic).
Finally the full lineup has been revealed as below:
It's nice to see Lebanese jazz artist Guy Manoukian on the list; he's a superb player.
The lineup is smaller than last year's festival, but there is a nice focus on blues, from Toni Lynn to Barrence Whitfield.
You can buy your tickets now on their official site, and the full program can be downloaded [here].
This must be the coolest piece of movie or cultural merchandise.
It is a known fact that I am in love with 2001: A Space Odyssey, a novel by Arthur C. Clarke and movie directed by Stanley Kubrick from 1968.
It is one of the best movies ever made, and is an everlasting story on human advancement and space exploration. Of course it goes deeper than that, but it's not the issue here.
ThinkGeek has sent out emails (and to me of course) to market their newest item; a lifesize (!) replica of the HAL 9000 computer found on the spaceship Discovery. It remains the staple of the series and is one of the most recognized characters worldwide.
It's not cheap ($499) but if you have the cash this is an awesome piece to be put at home as a great collectible and conversation piece.
Features:
HAL 9000 Life-Size Replica
The most movie-accurate HAL 9000 replica ever created.
Based on the blueprints and studio files from the 1967 movie.
Machined in 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum. Black components are anodized.
Custom-ground glass lens with red LED eye (sticker included to make this lens have the Nikkor wording as seen in some close-ups).
Digital sound randomly cycles through 15 phrases from the film.
Trigger HAL's speech by talking to him (must talk for over 1200 Ms (1.2 seconds) to trigger voice activation) or by pressing a button on most IR remote controls.
Did we mention this is frickin' HAL 9000?
Rotate the lens ring to activate.
Two minute auto-shutoff (to conserve battery) (or point an IR remote at it and hold button for 4 seconds).
Easily mounts to wall (wall mounting hardware not included).
Hand-assembled to make sure they are perfect.
Batteries: 1 9-volt (included).
Weight: approx. 2 lbs.
Dimensions: 13.6" x 4.6" x 1.125" (exact to the movie blueprints)
See more info (including a video) [here], and here's a video from the movie fearing HAL:
I love the Fender Custom Shop Precision Bass Pro... it's got the best of the Precision and Jazz basses... but the 2013 version is so uninspired:
A Telecaster/'51 headstock, a new Fender bridge and Seymour Duncan pickups? And BLACK!? Very boring and I think it's a step back from the 2012 version:
The great singer and author of the award winning book 'The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu, Debra Devi, has written a great article at the Huffington Post about why we call the genre of music "The Blues", that name.
It's a great read for you folks out there who want to know more about the history of the music, from it's roots in Africa until modern times.
Go go on over to that article [here] and have a history lesson, while listening to some great blues as below!
There's a British band called NuBlues which I just recently started listening to.
Interesting fusion of both genres; check out this track called "Blues Man on the Run" from the album Dreams of a Bluesman. The band has split up since 2008.
I have previously written about Otis Taylor in 2011, and how his album 'Contraband' was due for release.
And yes, what a release it was.
"Songs on the album again tell tales of love, loss, injustice, inequality, and war but Taylor doesn't consider his music an act of activism, but of art...Contraband is again built on a foundation of traditional blues sounds, styles, and structures and the unusual rhythmic and instrumental sounds that have become the hallmark of Taylor's sound." Blinded by Sound
I usually write about blues from the old days, but there are some strong blues performers from today, and Otis Taylor is no exception. The album was released in February 2012, with tons of glaring reviews, many publications naming it one the best albums blues albums of the year.
This album continues and improves upon his 'trance' or 'hypnotic' style of blues, featuring heavy droning rhythms and lyrics that encompass different issues, including religion and historical injustices.
There are also a handful of acoustic tracks, alongside the usual electric sounds of his band.
If you are looking for a nice, almost trippy, twist to the blues, go out and buy this album.
Here's a track from the album called "Contraband Blues':
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